WRITER Paul Sallaway

Why do some clinics seem to have a steady stream of bookings while others struggle to fill Tuesday afternoons? It’s rarely luck, and it’s definitely not random. As Paul Sallaway writes, it usually comes down to whether a business has a proper marketing funnel strategy or just a few scattered tactics hoping for the best.

You don’t need to be a marketing wizard, or have a six figure budget, to develop a marketing funnel. You just need a structure that actually reflects how people make decisions about their eye health. The path from first point of contact to booking isn’t a straight line. People think, hesitate, compare, ask their partner, forget, remember – then (maybe) book.

A good funnel makes sure you’re there for each step – not just shouting “BOOK NOW” from the sidelines.

This article walks through how I build funnels for eye care businesses. Practical stuff. Real examples. No fluff. If you’re throwing marketing dollars at random advertising and hoping something sticks, this article might give you a better playbook.

MARKETING FUNNEL CONCEPTS

What makes someone book an appointment with you instead of the optometrist down the street, or the ophthalmologist in the next suburb?

It rarely comes down to one ad, one post, or even one page on your site. Instead, it pays to see the patient’s decision making as a sequence, rather than a single moment.

At the top, the name of the game is catching attention. Further down, it’s guiding them to choose you over other options. And last but not least, it’s about keeping them coming back and/ or recommending you to their inner circle.

A solid funnel breaks this process into four stages: awareness, consideration, conversion, and retention, with each stage needing different marketing content, message channels, and goals.

Most eye care practices throw all their budget at one touchpoint, then wonder why it fizzles.

A complete marketing funnel fixes that. It gives structure, flow, and purpose to your digital marketing. And if you’re trying to stretch every dollar, this kind of thinking makes a huge difference.

IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL PATIENT

Who exactly are you hoping to attract with your marketing funnel? If your answer is “anyone who needs an eye test”, it would pay to think again.

Broad targeting usually means wasted effort and diluted messaging. You’ll get more traction – and far better results – if you define who your best-fit patients actually are.

I usually start with a patient avatar. That means mapping out the age, occupation, income level, lifestyle, and even the frustrations of your ideal customer. Whether it’s busy professionals needing contact lenses, retirees seeking eye disease management, or parents booking for their kids, every group responds to different triggers.

Once you’ve sketched your audience, it’s time to get real about what your clinic offers. What are your standout services? Maybe you’ve got state-of-the-art imaging gear, or a special interest in behavioural optometry, or imported frames that scream style and class.

If you’ve got areas of in-house expertise or high-margin services – like orthokeratology or myopia control – they’re perfect for growing your clinic and shaping your funnel.

Look at trends too. Are more people asking about safety eyewear or dry eye treatment? That’s a clue.

Match what you’re great at with who’s most likely to value it. That’s the sweet spot.

ENGAGEMENT STAGES IN PATIENT JOURNEYS

How do you actually move someone from vague interest to loyal patient? It’s all about building ‘touch points’ into the patient experience.

Every patient moves through a set of stages – some slowly, some quickly – but the stages are always there. And if your marketing doesn’t speak to each one, you’re leaving gaps for competitors to slip into.

Awareness

This is your first patient handshake – and it’s often digital.

Most people don’t wake up thinking “I need an optometrist today”. But they might be scrolling Instagram when a post about digital eye strain catches their eye. Or they’re googling, “Why are my eyes tired at night?” and your SEOoptimised blog post is waiting with answers.

The goal of this stage is visibility. You want them to know your clinic exists, looks credible, and might be worth remembering.

Consideration

Now they’ve recognised a problem and are weighing up what to do next.

Maybe they realise why their glasses aren’t doing the job anymore. Perhaps they’ve just realised their child is squinting too much as they watch TV. Or it could be that they now understand the importance of early intervention for maintaining eye health in later years.

This is the time to show value without pushing too hard. It’s when you need content that answers questions in a comprehensive but easily digestible way. You should have blog posts and FAQ pages on your website that ease concerns, case studies that quietly build trust, and videos that position YOU as the go-to expert in the local community.

You want them thinking, “These guys seem to know their stuff – and they’ve helped people just like me.”

Conversion

Here’s where things often fall apart. Someone’s ready to book, but your site loads slowly, your phone number’s hard to find, or your call-to-action is vague.

Work hard to remove any friction from the appointment booking process and you’ll be rewarded for it. Other best practices for improving conversion rates include:

• Have a genuinely great offer, so appealing that it’s almost a no-brainer to say “yes”. Experienced marketers will tell you that a great offer can work with a flawed marketing campaign, but a mediocre offer can’t be saved, by even the best campaign.

• Make the offer time-bound so that potential patients are motivated to act. For example, ‘25% off all frames in September’ is a much stronger message than just ‘Book now’.

Retention

You’ve earned their booking – so don’t ghost them. Try some of these tactics:

• Send a thank-you notification postappointment. Everyone likes to feel valued. It’s also an opportunity to prompt for those ever-valuable Google reviews or a timely invitation to join your monthly newsletter.

• Give a reminder when they’re due back (phone recalls seem to work well).

• Stay ‘top of mind’ with simple monthly emails that include relevant health tips like how to manage allergic eyes during hay fever season.

• If you sell eyewear, consider a loyalty programme.

• Retargeting ads help bring people back – just remember the limitations for health services on Meta and Google. Eyewear products, though? Fair game. And don’t forget, a picture is worth a thousand words, so use gorgeous images and you may just find that your online audience is unconsciously reaching for their phones and credit cards!

THE BIG PICTURE?

Each of these stages supports the others. Skip one, and the whole system loses power. Done well, a funnel doesn’t just attract new patients – it converts existing patients into ‘brand evangelists’ who spread the word about you.

MARKETING FUNNELS IN ACTION

Which tactics actually work when you put the theory into practice? Let’s break it down with real-world examples I use with clients.

At the top of the funnel (TOFU), you’re trying to grab attention. A well-targeted Facebook ad offering a free PDF on ‘How to choose the right glasses for kids’ can perform well here. That lead magnet feeds into an email sequence – short, useful emails that build trust. From there, we direct them to a service page and, finally, a booking link.

In the middle of the funnel (MOFU), the audience already knows you. You’re nurturing interest. For example, a timely social media post on ‘How often should you get an eye test?’ boosted to your Facebook page followers often does the job. Include links to a service page or blog post, and you’ve added real momentum.

The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is where things get serious. This is your conversion zone. A Google ad offering ‘20% off sunglasses until Sunday’ speaks directly to someone already searching. They’re ready to act – you just need to get them off the fence.

Timing matters, too. Take advantage of seasonal hooks.

• Back to school (Jan–Feb). Promote eye exams for kids heading back to class with messaging like ‘Start the school year sharp’. Offer a deal on second pairs or durable frames designed for active children.

• Pre-season prescription eye protection for soccer, rugby or AFL (Mar–May). Run a ‘No vision, no victory’ campaign focussed on sports safety and performance. Offer a discount on prescription sports goggles for junior or adult players in contact sports.

• Pre-season eye checks for cricket (Aug–Sep). Encourage junior and senior players to get a visual performance checkup before summer cricket begins. Promote prescription sunglasses to enhance play and UV safety.

• Allergy season eye relief (spring). Target red, itchy eyes with timely advice and promote eye checks or dry eye consults. A blog post or short video explaining allergy eye care can support awareness ads.

• UV protection for beach season (Oct–Dec). Highlight polarised sunglasses as a summer essential with ‘Back to the beach’ as a headline. Bundle them with prescription lenses or run a second-pair discount promo.

• Eyewear free for summer (Oct–Dec). Promote the benefits of laser eye surgery or orthokeratology so people can ditch their glasses or daytime contacts before they head back to the water.

• Private health fund resets (Nov–Dec). Remind patients that unused optical extras don’t roll over with ‘Use it or lose it’ messaging. Pair this with specials on glasses, contact lenses, or gap-free check-ups.

• Contact lenses for graduations and school events (Nov–Dec). Appeal to teens and young adults wanting a glasses-free look for school events. Offer contact lens trials or special pricing on dailies with a subtle style-focussed message.

• Driving glasses for holiday road trips (Dec). Encourage patients to upgrade lenses before long drives with messaging like ‘See clearly, drive safely’. Promote anti-glare coatings or lenses designed to reduce vision fatigue.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If there’s one thing to take from all this, it’s that effective marketing isn’t about throwing spaghetti at the wall. It’s about understanding how people actually make decisions – and setting up systems that work with that, not against it. A funnel gives your marketing structure. It helps you use your budget wisely, create content with purpose, and make sure you’re not invisible when people start looking for eye care.

Most practices don’t need to do more – they need to do it smarter. The real challenge is shifting from reactive marketing to something a bit more strategic.

If any part of this article hits a nerve or makes you rethink how your current marketing’s working, that’s a good sign. It means you’re paying attention. What you do with that awareness next is up to you.

Paul Sallaway is the founder, owner, and web strategist behind Optics Digital Marketing. His agency specialises in assisting business growth for eye care practices through conversion optimised websites and data-driven marketing. For a free consultation, visit: opticsdigital.net.