A Clear Vision for Online Marketing, Lead Generation and Branding
The Vision Council’s VisionWatch general market trends reported that the total vision care industry generated $40.36 billion in revenue over the last year (2017). The amount included 22 million pairs of frames sold throughout the first quarter of 2017. The same report found that the independent side of the optical industry is the largest component of the U.S. vision care industry, with $18.43 billion in revenue during the same period. Of the glasses sold in 2017, eight million were on line. Here is just a clear vision for website marketing.
Purchasing glasses on the web is a significant shift in how ?ndividuals are looking at buying glasses and contact lenses. The trend is driven by emerging businesses who discover how to use website marketing to change consumer shopping habits.
Creating an Online Model for Eyeglasses
GlassesUSA.com is of these leading online eyeglass marketers who offer a model for website marketing, lead generation, and branding leadership. Arie Tom, Senior VP Marketing at GlassesUSA.com, has gained extensive experience in website marketing over the course of the past eleven years that he has become applying to help the eyeglass retailer grow its on line model.
Arie Tom explains, “My experience with online marketing began while I was working at McCann, which was, at the time, a traditional advertising firm. That’s when I first started to notice the shift of customers and budgets towards new emerging online channels, and my interest also shifted in that direction.”
It’s hard to even imagine what it was like back then with regards to technology. It was 2008 and the iPhone was only one year old, and Facebook was just 3 years old. Tom adds, “I watched the marketing landscape evolved, seeing the new and exciting opportunities.”
Soon after his experiences at McCann, Tom joined Google and managed large-scale advertisers in the eComm, health and gaming industries. “My years at Google really boosted my expertise in the online industry. It taught me how to leverage analytical, data-driven insights with creatives to scale up sales and lead gen campaigns.”
It’s those experiences that prepared him to lead the marketing team at GlassesUSA.com, considered to be the greatest online eyewear department store in the United States. The company offers a selection of eyewear options for every style and price – from $19 for an entire pair of glasses to top brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Gucci.
Online Lead Gen Advice
It’s Tom’s own experience in growing the internet eyeglass industry that provides the foundation for his best tip for on line lead generation in 2019. “Expand beyond just email lead capture. Users have shifted in the way they consume media. Their preferred channels to communicate with brands have changed as well. This creates an opportunity to grow user registration rates by offering additional, and more personalized, ways to connect.”
He recommended focusing on channels like Web push notifications, FB messenger bots, and SMS to leverage the most effective opportunities for more to generate leads results in 2010.
Becoming a Stand-Alone Brand
Tom sees the potential for more companies to establish themselves as stand-alone brands within the next five years by focusing on the internet environment. His firm belief in leveraging the user experience, not just from the design POV, but also as a general business value, is how that he sees businesses achieving this goal.
He notes, “Companies need to ‘delight’ customers with a great product, service, and relevant information. Be unique and authentic in how you serve your customers. Only businesses that offer a unique experience to their customers will survive the competition against Amazon and other more direct competitors.”
He cites tactics like developing a personalized experience or product as well as creating a community or establishing a small business as an expert in a specific field. While he acknowledges these types of tactics take time to build and create, he has experienced how they are going to guarantee companies more stability in the ever-changing ecosystem.
A Unique Prescription for Eyeglass Industry Lead Gen
Despite sharing some online marketing tactics and approaches with other forms of retail businesses, Tom believes that the eyeglass industry is significantly diffent in some respects when it comes to to generate leads. “I would say that the eyewear industry, having an emphasis on prescription eyewear, differs from other industries in lead generation.
The Lead Gen huge difference comes from the truth that buying prescription eyewear on line requires higher engagement from the customer. They must select the right size, fit, color, and shape while also filling a personal eye prescription.”
Since purchasing eyeglasses is not a spontaneous purchase, Tom adds that the main element to success is to retain in close experience of prospects and nurture them until they truly are ready to complete a purchase.
However, there are also significant developments in to generate leads over the past five years which have impacted their online marketing approach. “The biggest advances in to generate leads relate to personalization and automation.
While email open rates are dropping steadily, it is now more essential than ever to segment clients and delivers a more personalized, relevant experience. Personalization starts from the initial stages of the lead capture — to the past of email workflows. It’s also crucial that you secure a wholesome account and reputation.”
Then, automation could be the second most crucial development. Tom notes, “Automation enables businesses to make the most of their customer databases. They can effectively manage lists that have millions of subscribers with real-time responses and consistent workflows.” For GlassesUSA.com, automation made marketing with email ten times more effective and scalable to handle.
Advice to Follow
Although a few of Tom’s insights relate specifically to the emerging on line growth part of eyeglasses and eyewear, lots of the online marketing, lead gen, and branding tactics can serve as recommendations for all sorts of marketers intent on bringing their products and services to a new audience.