Marketing is a big source of confusion and consternation for many in the optical industry. Companies sometimes employ less-than-honest advertising and copy in their marketing campaigns. Lens manufacturers muddy the waters with overlapping designs and confusing nomenclature. They throw words around like quality, and best, and premium, as if they actually mean something, without evidence to back their claims. They dump their messages upon their target audience until the message is accepted or the audience tunes out. These all too common practices give many in the industry reason to sneer at the very mention of the word marketing. Some optical practitioners even avoid marketing their own businesses because of negative associations. However, effective marketing does not have to be this way. Marketing can and should be about connecting with your customers not confusing them, about building relationships not buying patronage, and about providing information your customers can use instead of information they are likely to distrust. Marketing is important to your business. Don't neglect it simply because others are not good at it.
