Social Media Marketing to Parents
When you create a social media post, do you have a specific audience in mind? Opticians and optometrists deal with all sorts of people – from young to old, in ill-health to perfect health. However, social media posts still need to be targeted to particular groups of people, much alike you would an advert.
In this series we are going to discuss how to attract and appeal to certain demographics, beginning with: parents.
What parents need to know
Firstly, we need to think about what parents need to know about our services:
- That children get free NHS eye tests
- That children’s eyes can be examined before they can read
- That children often don’t know that how they see the world isn’t how they should be able to see it
- That being outside for 2 hours a day can lessen the risk of myopia
- That children can wear contact lenses
- That not being able to see well can lead to a delay in learning at school
- That school eye tests aren’t fully comprehensive
- That some eye diseases are hereditary
What parents need to feel about you
- They need to believe that their children are in safe hands
- They need to feel that you are a child-friendly place to be
- They need to know that you care, and will help ease any worries for them or their children
- That you have great glasses
- That you can help them see
- That you are reasonably priced
How to portray these messages to parents
- Firstly, you can go back through our backlog of hundreds of social media images and choose the ones which fit the brief
- You can find local baby and toddler support groups on Facebook and post about why children need their eyes examined
- You can do sponsored posts aimed at local parents with a message about the benefits of childhood eye tests
- List any sales you have so that parents know you’re affordable
- Have photos of children in their glasses – perhaps with a ‘my first glasses!’ board – obviously ask permission to post it on social media
- Have a book area for children – or maybe even a book swap. Post about it on social media so that families know they are welcome
- Team up with local parenting figures or influencers – they can write a blog, do a review, try on some specs – the list is endless
- Post at times of the day when parents won’t be as busy. For instance, posting during the school run will mean your posts get seen less
- Share emotive stories – particularly about children and the consequences of missed eye problems, but also great stories about how eye tests saved a child’s sight or even life (spotting tumours etc)
