5 Ways to use Marketing to Eliminate LASIK Cost Fears
Today’s consumers have become a finicky bunch that want to be educated before they want to engage in an interaction. That mentality is no different when it comes to elective procedures. How many times have you heard your patients say that they have been thinking about having LASIK done for years before actually coming into the office? Studies have shown that one of the greatest hurdles is that many fear the cost of LASIK. They think that it is only for those with a deposable income that can afford the procedures’ high cost.
1. Educate with a blog
Today we know this to be further from the truth but in order to get that point across to your potential patients you have to educate them in a space where they feel comfortable and secure. One way you can do this? Through a blog. A blog can be an agnostic source of information that debunks the myths around cost and how a patient can afford the LASIK procedure. A potential patient can seek out the blog by visiting your website, seeing it on social media, or searching in a search engine. If they have questions that your blog is consistently answering, then you may have easily won a new patient.
You may say, “but we already have that on our website!” The challenge at times is that before the browser can refresh with your home page, a “Contact Us Now For A Free Consultation”, is in your face. If this is the case, you have not offered the patient anything of value (an education) in return for their information. The great thing is – a blog can do that! It should offer remarkable content that they find helpful in answering their questions about cost. When they feel comfortable with you then you can build in links and landing pages that draw them in until they are at a point where they are ready to engage.
2. Inform with Video Testimonials
People have a short attention span, but in the age of easily accessible online video content you can capture their attention quickly. Gain their audience with educational content on cost, savings and financing of a LASIK procedure. Think in terms of testimonials from satisfied patients or use the knowledge base that you have with your surgeons or LASIK coordinators to dispel the myths. Invite a HR expert on to talk about FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts)/HSA (Health Savings Accounts) accounts and how they can be beneficial for saving for the LASIK procedure. This can be done quickly and posted to your blog to show yet another source of information for your potential LASIK patient. Blog posts with videos will attract 3 times more traffic than plan text will! 85% of the internet in the US ages 25-34 watches videos online People also state they are 85% more likely to purchase a product or services after watching a video (ever get stuck late at night watching infomercials? I bet you can attaché a few crazy credit card purchases to that instance!).
3. Engage with Social Media
It is one thing to have a Facebook page, Linked In account, Twitter handle, and Instagram account but it you don’t use them in the correct way to educate you will loose your audience quickly. One tip is to have satisfied patients guest blog or post comments on your site to share with their contacts their findings about cost and how they accomplished the feat. Many use social media channels to broadcast discounts, but why not use those channels to convey what is entailed in the cost? You can tell a story by using social media. You can share how Lasik is very affordable because of the advanced technology and innovative techniques. You can provide information about the latest procedures, and engage with customers through social media who have had the procedure done, or are thinking about it. This can also help you to position yourself as a thought leader, and first choice for Lasik because of the high transparency and visibility. Educate your audience on what differentiates your practice and your provider’s skill sets and show them what those assets will do for them to quiet their cost fears.
4. Create Fun Visuals
Embrace visual content, 90% of the information you process to the brain is through sight visuals. Visuals are processed 100s of times faster in the brain than words are, so why isn’t your content full of bold, significant visuals? Innundating a potential customer with too much text can scare them off. They have to do more work! You need to have the visuals to show them about Lasik and walk them through how easy it is to plan and pay for a surgery. You want to make it easy for them. You want them to leave your sight with a little more knowledge. It can be as easy as displaying how different people in different situations save money. Provide your visitors with a window to the surgery by providing pictures of LASIK being performed on a previous patient. Or Give your site the human touch by including picture of your awesome staff.
5. Eliminate Financial Mysteries
Blog about the misconception and mystery associated with the cost of LASIK. There are several options that many patients may not know about. Educate them on a very common benefit that they may have through their employer called FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts) or HSA (Health Saving Accounts) that allow employees to save out of their paychecks in an amount that is pre-tax dollars. This is ideal because they can have a set amount automatically deducted and set aside from their paycheck, but also there is a significant savings that they can achieve due to the pretax dollar incentive. Patients can save roughly 20%-30% (depending on their income tax bracket)! This needs to be conveyed early and often by you on your blog to ease the fear factor of being able to afford LASIK.
You can discuss the pros and cons of applying for one of the patient payment programs (3rd party), which offer credit to those who qualify and can have their procedure up front and pay for it with low monthly payments thought-out the year. Many are willing to finance cars and televisions, why not a LASIK procedure that they have wanted for some time!
You can also offer through your social media channels and on your website that you have LASIK coordinators that are willing to walk a patient through their options at not cost and no hassle. You need to convey to your patients that you are a helping hand. Encourage your existing or potential customers to take advantage of your knowledgeable and helpful staff. Promise them that asking several questions is ok.
These types of remarkable educational content will really help subside any fears your potential patients have about cost. More importantly they will feel comfortable about the information received and will be more likely to pick up the phone or register on your site to be contacted for more information. The whole idea to use marketing is to cut down on the average time a patient starts to think about LASIK to the time they actually have the procedure!
Need a plan to integrate all of your marketing processes? Check out our 5 easy steps! 
