As a mother of three kids, Jessica Ahmann, OD, always had artwork lined up in her home. Some paintings hang in her private practice Optical Outlook in Minot, North Dakota, which liven up the space and bring a little fun to the office. “A lot of my patients commented on the artwork, and that inspired me to hold an art contest for my young patients,” she says.
GET YOUR CREATIVE MINDSET ON
The timing was perfect because she needed new supplies of lens cloths and a new marketing strategy for the back-to-school season. Through the practice’s Facebook page, Dr. Ahmann announced an eyeglass cleaning cloth design contest where the winner would get a free eye exam along with their design printed on a lens cleaning cloth.
The instructions were simple, and there were not any restrictions. Participants submitted their unique drawings through email or in person, and they could draw whatever their imagination desired. “It was interesting to see a range of creations because there wasn’t an age restriction. In addition to my patients, a nearby daycare submitted a bunch of drawings, so the pictures ranged anywhere from scribbles to self-portraits,” Dr. Ahmann says.
AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGY
Entries for the art contest were displayed on the Facebook page, and approximately 100 people voted and six people shared the post. Two winners were chosen, a boy and a girl, and their design-printed lens cloths are displayed with the dispensing frames.
“The responses from both our winners and patients are overwhelmingly positive. A lot of my teacher patients purchase lens cloths and take pictures to bring back to school for their students,” she says. She ordered 50 lens cloths for the initial run, and she has already placed a reorder due to popular demand.
“I am thinking about hosting the art contest as an annual contest. It’s great seeing all the creative output and my patients actively participating and having fun,” Dr. Ahmann says.
