Week Six: Strategic Partnerships – They Are Everywhere

LoBue Laser & Eye Medical Centers has been around the Temecula/Murrieta Valley for over 21 years. That’s a pretty long time, so they have got to be doing something right…right? As a patient, I can say that I love the office. The staff is awesome, the doctors are friendly and knowledgeable, and you never leave with the feeling that you are just a pair of eyeballs attached to a credit card. They take the time to care about YOU!

That being said, I think they might be spending a little too much time caring about my eyeballs and not enough about putting eyeballs on their website and social media marketing (hence, why I discussed this project with my darling sister who, if you recall, is a longtime employee and Surgical Assistant to the one and only Dr. LoBue, and convinced her to let me have a go at it. She’s pretty trusting, don’t you think?) That is not a horrible problem to have, but it’s still a problem. Building up brand loyalty is what a business wants and LoBue Laser & Eye Medical Centers seems to have that with their patients. But you also want to be remembered not just for that yearly eye exam. A lot can happen in a year. You may know the trends and latest developments within your business, but do your patients or clients? They trust you for those developments – so why not utilize that trust you built to remain in the forefront of the patients mind whenever you pop up in their Facebook feed? And just because you have remained in business for 21 years, does that mean you’ve had the same crop of patients for that entire time? Probably not. The Temecula Valley area has grown IMMENSELY in the last 21 years. You need ways to bring in new patients and keep the business growing!

That’s where strategic partnerships and the ever-coveted Facebook Like come in. The pages that you like are not only an endorsement BY your business, but an endorsement OF your business as well. For LoBue, I believe the following pages are great to help grow their business:

City of Temecula – It is always a good idea to know what is going on in the community in which you do business.

City of Murrieta – same reason as above.

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce – This will allow you to see what other businesses owners are doing and provide GREAT opportunities for networking!
Mixers, collaborations, strategic partnerships…so many ideas and possibilities!

America Optometric Association – straight from the AOA’s website, “The American Optometric Association is the acknowledged leader and recognized authority for eye and vision care in the world.” Talk about a great resource for information to pass on to your patients.

NVISION Laser Eye Center – This is the Laser Eye Center Dr. LoBue partners with to perform LASIK vision correction. Being liked by your business partner is probably a good thing.

California Optometric Association – another great resources to have to pass on information. In addition to passing on information to clients, you can post something and tag COA to be featured on their page as well. More connections = greater reach.

OneSight – OneSight is a charitable organization that optometrists volunteer with to provide eye exams, vision care, and eyewear to adults and children worldwide. According to a 2010 study, 85% of consumers have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about. So not only are you doing good, but spreading good.