CLE Contact Lenses

How we are creating and implementing a marketing plan for our online contact lens business during these challenging and uncertain times?
These are indeed crazy times but businesses are growing while others are dying. How can your business be one that is moving in the right direction?
Let me answer a question with another question and go from there…. are you actively trying to grow your business right now? If not, your business is dying!
In an earlier blog post we talked about growing a business through education. Marketing by using educational seminars is not right for every business. A business we are actively trying to grow is http://clecontactlenses.com. As you probably know, this is an online retailer of contact lenses, accessories and supplies. We are a well respected site that was founded more than ten years ago and run by two prominent NYC eye doctors. With tens of thousands of customers, we pride ourselves on outstanding customer service and great prices for brand name contact lenses, solutions and supplies.
So what are we doing to grow a niche business like http://clecontactlenses.com?
A) We started with a plan. We’ve put together a marketing plan. This plan is born from a basic analysis and discussion about the industry http://clecontactlenses.com is in and where our customers come from. The plan includes not only who our clients are but an out of the box discussion about where new clients might come from
B) We identify different marketing strategies:
a. Space advertising
b. Direct mail
c. Telemarketing
d. Seminars
e. Web marketing
i. SEO
ii. Adwords
iii. Viral marketing
iv. Outbound email marketing
v. Affiliate marketing
f. Video marketing
C) We allocate a budget to each item that make sense and if a particular strategy does not make sense for a particular business (i.e.: trade shows for an online contact lens company) we assign zero dollars to that line item in the budget.
D) We test, test and test some more. We quantify what our expected results are vs. what our actual results are before during and after various stages of a marketing campaign. This is easy to do when it comes to direct mail and web advertising as you can set up special landing pages or phone numbers that let you know that a client or prospect is responding to a particular campaign. It’s not as easy to measure results for intangible marketing strategies like seminars.
E) We tweak & adjust. We will fund elements of the marketing plan that work well and cut back on areas that don’t.
F) We keep it up. Many businesses are committing a cardinal sin right now. They are freezing up their marketing spend because of uncertain times. When others are pulling back successful businesses are pushing forward.

While there is really no secret recipe for success that can be generally applied across the board to every business, what can be said is this: a business that continues to promote, adapt and change in the face of adversity is a business that will be stronger because of it.

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For those of our contact lens customers who love to ski, here are a few tips for keeping your lenses in the best shape while hitting the slopes this winter.

The goggles you choose are the key to keeping your lenses safe. Your best bet is a plastic frame ski goggle, as they hold up better in the cold than metal frames. We recommend a wraparound style. These offer your eyes the best protection from wind and snow (which will wreak havoc on your lenses). They also help block out incidental light from the sides, helping to minimize glare.

For the overall health of your eyes, make sure to use polarized goggle lenses. They absorb 98% of distracting glare reflected off the snow. You may want a goggle lens that is brown or amber in color as this will provide the best contrast against a white background, and is better for lower light conditions. Photochromatic lenses, which change color with changes of light, are also available, but are a bit more expensive.

Finally, make sure that your goggle is well ventilated so your contacts do not dry up. Remember to blink a lot, and carry rewetting drops with you as well, to help keep your contacts moist.

If you need to take your lenses out, make sure to go inside and use a cleared, clean areas, preferably with a mirror around.

If you drop one of your lenses in the snow, mark a three-foot circular patch in the snow around the drop zone, you will eventually find it. Get to the bottom safely and re-insert the lens indoors.

Happy Skiing!

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Ever since Leonardo da Vinci introduced the concept in 1508, the idea of improving your sight without degrading your appearance has caught on big time. In fact, as many as 125 million people globally wear contact lenses either full time or just on certain occasions.

With more than 100 million people wearing contact lenses worldwide, the contact lens market is enormous. What will happen now that we have entered a global recession?

Will people cut back on their use of contact lenses to save money?

We not only have had this discussion internally but actually polled some of our customers as well as other eye doctors in the industry. The general consensus to our poll question is a resounding - NO!

The top three reasons that were given range from comical to very pragmatic.

The first reason we were given was… “No matter how tough times get, I need to see!” We found this basic statement both funny and quite profound. In our internal conversations about the eye care industry which include industry analysis as well as consumer trend analysis on contact lens usage, we overlooked a very basic thing, that being – people wear contact lenses so that they can see better ! In countless medical studies as well as consumer behavior studies, contact lens wearers have reported a distinct preference to contact lenses vs. eyeglasses. The fact that contact lenses sit directly on the eye as opposed to having an appliance that sits (and often slides) on the bridge of the nose make for a higher satisfaction rating as well as an overall more natural field of vision.

The second most popular reason we were given was that…. “wearing contact lenses help me feel better about my appearance”. In good times as well as bad people want to feel good about themselves. We may cut back on how often we do it but going to the hair salon, getting nails done, sporting a new outfit, losing a few pounds are things that really help people feel good about themselves. Wearing contact lenses has always been, not only about seeking a more comfortable option to eyeglasses, but also one that helps restore a more natural appearance.

The third most popular reason we were given was… “my contact lenses, solutions, cases and eye care supplies come directly to my home, I don’t need to go to the store to get a new pair like I do when my glasses break or get lost.” While this, the third most popular reason we were given, may be biased because our clients are mostly online consumers who purchase their contacts, lens solutions and supplies on one of our websites, the logic held up even when talking with some of our friends in the industry. These are harried times and the more ways we can find to simplify our lives the better. With express reorder and automatic reminder programs at some online websites, the consumer can spend little or no time and automate the receipt of product - right in the comfort of their own homes.

While no one can say for sure certain purchases are thought of as necessary and others as discretionary. Let’s face it…people who need their vision corrected need to see well regardless of how good or bad the economy is. Add to that, the desire to look and feel good about ourselves and we tend to agree with the results of our polls. But what do you think… I would like to hear from you in answer to the question… “will you stop wearing contact lenses or will your spending cut back be in other areas?”

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Cancer is always a devastating condition that has many affects on multiple organ systems. While most people are focused on the location of the lesions, their affects on other areas of the body can be equally disruptive.

A 70 year old, white, woman who has been a patient of mine for over 10 years has been treated for Breast and then Colon cancer. At first, the systemic medication seemed to have little affect on her eyes. After approximately 6 months of treatment she began complaining of dry eyes, decreased vision, and contact lens intolerance. In addition, she stated that her eye lids were red, crusty, and painful. At first, it appeared as though her eyes were a little dryer as a result of the cancer medications, and we advised lubricating drops as needed. When that did not decrease her symptoms, we added Lotemax which is a soft steroid which reduces inflammation and helps the dry eyes. Omega III was also recommended to increase tear production. This nice woman is a very compliant patient so when she returned with no improvement in her condition, we knew we had something else to deal with.

Careful lid evaluation determined that she had chronic Blepharitis which is an inflammation of the glands in the lid. Apparently, the cancer treatment had damaged the glands in her lids. This in turn caused a decrease in tear production and additional inflammation. Thus, the lid condition was the cause of the dry eye, pain and redness. Furthermore, this blurred her vision since the cornea was not moist. Also, the medication had caused her cataracts to develop.

Now that we had the correct cause of her symptoms we had to treat her. Contact lens wear is very difficult when the eyes are dry. The only answer is to wear Gas Permeable lenses that are resistant to dry conditions. So we fit her with a progressive aspheric lens which corrected her near and far vision, and did not cause discomfort with the dry eyes. She did use artificial tears occasionally, but had stable vision. In addition, we instructed her to use Tobradex ointment on her lids at bed time. This is a steroid/antibiotic combination which reduced the inflammation and killed any bacteria that may have set up shop in/on her lids. Furthermore, she cleaned her lid margins with diluted baby shampoo twice per day to remove any mucousy build up and debris that may have accumulated at the gland openings. This was followed by warm compresses to increase blood flow to the area.

After 3 weeks of this regimen she demonstrated noticeable improvement in comfort, lens wear and vision. As a long term treatment she must still clean the lids biweekly with the shampoo and occasionally use the ointment at bed time.

As long as the underlying cancerous condition exists she will not be perfectly comfortable, but our goal is to get her as happy as possible during this difficult time.

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Have you thought about trying contact lenses? If so you are not alone. There are an estimated 32 million contact lens wearers in the U.S. Whether you need corrective lenses for farsightedness, nearsightedness astigmatism or presbyopia, contact lenses offer many advantages over eyeglasses. Below are the top five reasons that have been reported as to why contact lenses are the superior alternative to eyeglasses:

1)Contact Lenses are more natural looking than eyeglasses. Contact lenses are seemingly undetectable once in the eye leaving the contact lens wearer with a more natural appearance. Not only are they more aesthetically pleasing but because contact lenses sit directly on the cornea of your eye they provide more natural vision than eyeglasses. With eyeglasses, there is distance between the lenses and your eyes and this makes objects appear smaller or larger than they actually are;

2) Contact lenses provide better peripheral vision & a wider field of vision. Regardless of which direction you look, contact lenses move with your eyes so you are always looking through the optic zone – which is the clearest part of the contact lens. With eyeglasses, when you move your eyes off center you are no longer looking through the optical center of your lenses. Additionally, contact lenses provide you a wider field of view than eyeglasses. Eyeglass frames partially inhibit peripheral vision;

3) Contact lenses are more comfortable than eyeglasses. 91% of contact lens users report that they have little to no sensation that they are even wearing corrective lenses. Contact lenses will never slide off of your face. Your infant won’t be able to grab them off of your nose and throw them into a pile of snow while you’re trying to open the car door, in the dark - with a bag of groceries in one hand, the supermarket receipt in your mouth and the baby in your other arm. They’ll never pinch your nose or rub against your skin and ears like eyeglasses do;

4) Contact lenses are better for the active person as they’re unaffected by weather and body heat. Unlike glasses, contact lenses remain securely on your eyes – even during activities like running or skiing. Eyeglasses tend to hop, fall off or not fit under sunglasses or ski goggles. Contact lenses unlike glasses, will not steam up from body heat or with sudden temperature changes (ie: getting in and out of a car in the winter);

5) Contact lenses provide for a near unlimited choice of sunglasses. Try to find a good selection of sunglasses that will fit over your glasses. With contact lenses you can take advantage of the wonderful range of generic or designer sunglasses on the market today.

Which contact lenses are best for you?

There are basically two types of contact lenses: soft contact lenses and rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. Both can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Over 80 percent of contact lens wearers choose soft lenses.

The first step in determining the type of contact lens best suited for your visual needs is to have a complete eye exam and a contact lens evaluation with an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist.

If you already have a prescription or have additional questions there are some online sites that offer an Ask the Doctor feature which can help you chose between the myriad of brand names and choices available on the market today.

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