There are now 6.2 billion mobile broadband subscriptions, with a projected number of 8 billion by 2025, according to a recent Ericsson Mobility Report. So, almost everyone in the world is connected. This means everything we do matters, and nothing is private.

I look at this as a reason to celebrate. Why? In the B.C. years (before connectivity), effective marketing was impossible for small businesses, due to the steep cost of advertising on TV, billboards and even newspapers. When one of my patients had a life-changing experience with a new multifocal contact lens, it might reach five people — the patient, maybe the patient’s closest friends and me.

COMPETING WITH THE GIANTS

Today, competitiveness will no longer be determined by size, country of origin or past advantage, write marketing authorities Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya and Iwan Setiawan in the book Marketing 4.0: Moving the Traditional to Digital: “Smaller, younger, and locally based companies will have a chance to compete against bigger, older, and global companies.”

The book reminds us that “most customers believe more in the F-Factor (friends, families, Facebook fans, Twitter followers) than in marketing communications.”

How do we make certain patients share the good that takes place in our practices? How do we help them craft the message? And, more importantly, how do we make certain greatness is happening in our practices?

DEFINING OUR PURPOSE

Some things to consider:

First, do we have a defined purpose?

Second, is that purpose clear to our team, our friends, families and followers on social media?

Bill Theofilou, a senior managing director at Accenture Strategy (www.accenture.com ), told Forbes: “Consumers are no longer investing their time, money and attention in brands that just sell quality products at fair prices… Research finds that they are making carefully considered choices to buy from companies that stand for a purpose they personally identify with. . . This could be on important principles, such as family connections, health and wellbeing, or on broader societal issues. . . It depends on the category and the person.”

Third, how we do determine what matters to our patients? Do we ask and listen to them? We must continue to innovate and change as our customers change.

Will this make a difference to our practices?

In his blog, marketing strategist Arnt Eriksen writes that having a purpose pays off: “Research has found that companies with a clear purpose have growth rates 10% higher than companies without a purpose.” This research reported that revenue fell 42% in businesses without a purpose, but “85% of purpose-led companies showed positive revenue growth.”

LIVING OUR PURPOSE

Fourth, do we live that purpose?

What are we doing every day that shows our patients that we are true to that purpose? In a mobile-driven, accessible world, we must be authentic. If we say we are changing people’s lives every day, then we must actually do that. Purpose-driven initiatives must be led by the company and then be seen to be true by our interactions with our patients.

OUR CUSTOMER, OUR ADVOCATE

Once our teams define our purpose, let’s spend time developing ways to live it and then help our patients become advocates.

In our practices, the things our patients love to talk about most are the technology, the service and the people. Let’s invest in all three and, no matter how big or small our businesses, we will become more relevant to our patients and, as a result, more profitable. OM

Email: april.jasper@pentavisionmedia.com

Twitter: @DrAprilJasper

Facebook: @OptometricManagement