For a few years now, we’ve been told that over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are coming. Now, they’re officially here! While you may initially think of OTC hearing aids as a new form of competition, they do not have to be. You can take advantage of the advent of OTC hearing aids and use it to grow your practice. Here are a few ways to market over-the-counter hearing aids for your business.
Determine your goal.
This step must come first because it will determine how you carry out each of the following steps. Determine what your goal is for your practice in regard to over-the-counter hearing aids. Do you eventually want to carry OTC hearing aids in your office? Do you want to offer troubleshooting and support for OTC hearing aids? Decide what makes the most sense for your practice and your goals for your business.
Create videos.
In today’s world, video is king. Video content is often valued more than images or plain text at this time. One advantage to videos is that you can easily demonstrate ideas that would be difficult to explain in words.
Think of what a potential customer would be most interested in learning about OTC hearing aids and create videos to answer their questions. This can be as simple as what various over-the-counter hearing aids look like or how they fit your ear. Videos to help with troubleshooting and problem-solving for OTC hearing aids are also valuable for consumers.
Videos created about OTC hearing aids do not need to be long. In fact, social media platforms tend to favor short videos that quickly get to the point and provide value without a lot of fluff. And you do not need any fancy equipment to shoot a video, either. Your phone will do perfectly well in most cases!
Be active on social media.
Speaking of social media, be active on multiple social media platforms. In addition to Facebook and Instagram accounts, more and more businesses are starting TikTok accounts. This is the perfect place to share the video content we discussed in the previous point.
Not all of your social media activity, however, needs to be video. Share updates on OTC offerings at your practice, keep your followers informed on general goings-on at your office, and interact with your audience. Something as simple as replying to a comment can boost your visibility online, as well as generate goodwill in your online community.
Create pay-per-click campaigns around OTC hearing aids.
Pay-per-click (PPC) can be an effective way to generate new business for your practice. The main idea is that you select certain phrases that, when searched with a search engine, will display your website as a top result. You only pay when someone clicks on the ad (hence the name “pay per click”). To help generate more business from patients looking for OTC hearing aids, create PPC campaigns around OTC hearing aids.
Post articles about OTC hearing aids to your blog.
Another tip for working with search engines and boosting your site’s rankings is to regularly publish new content. A blog is the perfect forum for this. Posting articles about OTC hearing aids will keep your blog fresh, give your site new content on a regular basis, and lead to more traffic surrounding OTC-related topics.
If you’re drawing a blank on what to write a blog article about, consider the most frequently asked questions you receive about over-the-counter hearing aids. Then, write a blog post to answer one or more of those questions. That is the content your customers will be looking for!
Add an OTC hearing aids page to your website.
Similarly, it is important to add a page about OTC hearing aids to your website. This should explain what over-the-counter hearing aids are and list any OTC hearing aids you offer for purchase at your practice, as well as services related to OTC hearing aids like troubleshooting. It can also be valuable to add some content about how a hearing professional can be helpful in selecting OTC hearing aids. (That’s a good idea for a blog article, too!)
By following these simple steps, you’re well on your way to effective marketing over-the-counter hearing aids for your practice. For more information, please contact us today at AudiologyPlus. We are eager to help your business succeed.
