Social Media

Make Your Practice a Headliner on Patch.com

By Evan Kestenbaum

AOL’s Patch.com is a new medium that is replacing your community newspaper. It’s local news with a social media aspect, and you can use it to maintain a high profile in the community and to attract new patients.

Optix Family Eyecare Center uses Patch.com to feature a video of the practice.

Connect to Your Community
Since AOL launched Patch.com two years ago, nearly 800 communities across the country have added an online community e-newspaper on the system. AOL, which has hired professional editors to staff these e-newsletters, calls Patch.com a “community-specific news and information platform dedicated to providing comprehensive and trusted local coverage for individual towns and communities.”

Promote Events and Community Involvement
Independent practices, which are community based, can utilize Patch.com in a variety of ways. First, you can submit stories. Formulate a submission that is newsworthy, such as a unique event like a frames trunk show, a special sale, product launchor charity event. You also can connect your practice to a larger happening such as Glaucoma Awareness Month. Consistency is the best way to promote your business, so come up with something to say about your practiceevery month or two. The interesting part about Patch is that because each “patch” is solely focused on your town, the news only has to be important enough to impact your community. It does not have to be a worldwide disaster to make headlines.

Some newsworthy topics:

Get Listed on Your Patch

It only takes a few steps for non-media professionals to use Patch.com topromote their business, and generate new customers, or patients.

Step 1:Go to Patch.com and see if your community has a Patch.

Step 2: If so, click the directory tab and type in your business name. At the bottom of your business name it will say: “Claim this listing.”

Step 3: Click the “claim this listing” button toexplain why you have the right to claim your business listing. You will then be given rights within 72 hours oncePatch.comverifies thatyou have the right to control your listing.

Step 4: Once you own your listing, you can use it to Tweet about your business, Facebooknews to your contacts about your business and post blogreviews anddirections aboutupcoming events. You also can use Patch’s video and photo feature to show, as well as tell, prospective patients about your practice.

* Special sales

* Annoucements of new exclusive frame lines.

* Your environmentally friendly paperless transition.

* Advanced new equipment you recently added.

* Philanthropic participation.

Optimize Patch.com
If you practice in a community with Patch.com, there are two ways to take advantage of the new outlet.

1. Write your practice’s history as a community story. Patch editors are looking for stories about the local community. In the case of plainview.patch.com, my father,Joel Kestenbaum, OD, whose practice, Optix Family Eyecare Center, I help manage,makes a ready-made feature. Like many of you, he grew up in the town where he finally chose to open his business. He has lived in Plainview for over 40 years and his story is of interest because he owns a business and lives in Plainview. Patch.com has contacted Dr. Kestenbaum to write a feature story about him and Optix Family Eyecare Center’s long history in our community.

2. List your practice in Patch.com. Patch is trying to generate revenue and advertising is always one way to do it. Their model is that you can list your business in your town for free. If you want to be listed in the surrounding towns it may run youupto $100 per month.

Promote Your Practice’s Facebook Page
Optix Family Eyecare Centerstarted on Patchabout a month ago, and four people already have recommendedour Patch on theirFacebook page. Patchputs a Facebook “recommend” button on eachbusiness listing where patrons can press it to automatically post to their status that they recommend the business.

Dr. Kestenbaum recentlywas featured on Patch in a story highlighting a contest that we held on our Facebook page in which members of ourFacebookgroupcould enter to win a free pair of Tiffany sunglasses on Valentine’s Day.

As an entirely free resource, Patch.com is a no-cost tool (i.e. guaranteed ROI) to use to create community awareness of your practice.

Evan Kestenbaum received his MBA from State University at Binghamton in 2006. He is chief information officer at GPN, exclusive provider of The EDGE. To contact him: evan.gpn@gmail.com

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