By Maria Higgins, OD
August 29, 2018
Instagram is a great way to market your practice, illustrating your unique office experience. It allows you to learn from other optometrists and to see the profession differently.
Here are five ODs who can teach you something just by following them on Instagram.
@drjenandjuice: Work-Life Balance
Jennifer Tsai, OD, loves to travel. She has a full-time job, but she has arranged her schedule to have longer weekends and more days off. She also sells Sakara, organic, plant-based, ready-to-eat meals.
What Can She Teach You: Dr. Tsai balances work and personal life. She excels professionally, as well as takes time away from the office to recharge. As part of her approach to life, Dr. Tsai offers ideas for how to create revenue streams outside of optometry.
@fierceclarity: Wellness for Optometrists
Danielle Richardson’s, OD, Instagram account says that she is “teaching sustainable habits to create wellness and balance and clarity in your busy, modern life.” Dr. Richardson organizes wellness retreats, yoga classes and lifestyle-design tools. She is a self-described “optometrist by day and wellness entrepreneur by night.”
What Can She Teach You?:
Dr. Richardson’s page is filled with inspirational quotes and photos. She gives tips on how to be mindful of the need for self-care. Overall, she teaches a more zen approach to life.
@OaklandVisionCenter : Entrepreneur-OD
Tanya Gill, OD, is all about kicka$$ female entrepreneurs. She developed a beauty cosmetics company that makes vegan, natural, and non-toxic cleansing products for your eyes. She called it We Love Eyes.
What Can She Teach You?
Dr. Gill is a great example of stepping out of the box. She believes in the green movement, and that shows in her practice. She likes interesting and funky social media posts, so her accounts are fun to follow. Yet, she also practices medical optometry. She makes “doing it all” look easy.
@Livingin2020: Integrative Eyecare
Gabriela Olivares, OD, advocates living a “20/20 lifestyle.” Her holistic, integrative approach to patient care includes health, fitness and optometry.
What Can She Teach You? Dr. Olivares shows you how to make fitness part of your own lifestyle, and how to teach that same approach to your patients. For example, you can learn to discuss digital eye fatigue, proper nutrition and the impact cosmetics have on eye health.
@drmariahiggins: Blazing Your Own Path in Optometry
I try to show other ODs that optometry can be whatever you want it to be. I love to travel. My current career incorporates that love into work as a traveling nursing-home optometrist.
There also are links on my Instagram account to my web site, www.drmariahiggins.com. You can read my blog about my varied travel adventures. I wrote about a month-long road trip around the U.S. with my dog. I describe eyecare-related trips to the bush of Alaska and around Northeastern U.S.
What Can I Teach You?: Your practice can involve any level of freedom you like. I spend a lot of time driving from state to state, providing eyecare to an under-served population. It is rewarding and full of freedom.
A few other articles that might interest you:
5 Tips to Take Better Photos for Social Media
3 Easy Instagram Posts to Promote Your Practice
9 Social Media Posts That Work!
Maria Higgins, OD, owns The Unique Technique, a business and marketing consultancy. She formerly owned The Unique Optique in Frederick, Md. To contact her: info@the-unique-technique.com.