Latest Blog Post

Napoleon Family Vision, a rural practice in Ohio, gives us the scoop on their successful marketing program built around My Frame Gallery.

Napoleon Family Vision is a single-location optometry practice serving the rural community of Napoleon, Ohio—home to about 10,000 residents. Optical Manager Brandi Light walks us through their approach to combining social media, print mailers, automated reminders, and an online frame gallery. What stands out is how they've integrated these tools into their daily workflow without adding complexity for staff or patients.

Frames Data: Tell us a bit about Napoleon. Where does the practice sit in town?

Brandi Light: Napoleon is a rural community, probably around 10,000 people. Our office is just north of the downtown area, on the outskirts of town. So patients can reach us easily without dealing with downtown traffic or navigating a big strip mall.

FD: It sounds like you've built an active social media presence. What does that look like for you?

FD: How else are you driving traffic to your website and gallery besides social posts?

FD: Walk us through your appointment-reminder schedule. How does that work?

BL: We do a three-week reminder, a two-day reminder, and then a same-day reminder early that morning, a couple hours before their appointment. One reminder just isn't enough—we've found that multiple reminders work out great. Some people will use the gallery link at that three-week mark, and then sometimes they'll do it again at the two-day reminder. We think it definitely helps cut down on no-shows. The gallery link goes out in all of those reminders, so patients have multiple opportunities to browse and submit their favorites before they come in.

FD: Where are you putting your gallery QR codes?

BL: We have them in each of our exam rooms, so when patients are waiting for the doctor, they can get on and browse. Then they can then send their selections in up front, and we'll have them ready when they come out. The QR code is also on our mailers and in the reminder messages—basically everywhere we can put it. 

FD: So when someone actually submits a Favorites list, what happens next on your end?

BL: When we get the email, we'll print it off and pull up the patient to see when they're coming in. We put a note on our schedule that they did the virtual gallery. The day of their appointment, when they check in, the front desk will come back to optical and say, "Hey, so-and-so is checked in." We'll go pull all the frames—we have these really nice trays that we put everything in. Then when the doctor brings them to optical at the end of the exam, that's when they look at their selections. Everything's already pulled and organized for them, so they can go straight to trying on frames instead of wandering around the frame boards.

FD: How do patients respond to that kind of experience?

BL: They like it. It helps speed up the process because they know what they're looking for. It gives them an idea ahead of time, so they're not just standing there at the frame boards going, "I don't know what I want." It definitely cuts down some time for sure—probably at least 15 minutes off the visit for people who submit a favorites list. And patients appreciate that efficiency. They come in more confident about what they want to try.

FD: Are you using the gallery to promote a second-pair offer?

BL: Yes, absolutely. We always have a second-pair promotion in our office. Lots of people use it for sunglasses. This promotion includes a free frame and then they get a percent off on their lenses.

We hand out a small card with glasses orders that has a date on it. They have 30 days from that date to take advantage of the second-pair promotion. 

Then about two weeks after they've picked up their first pair, we send them a reminder with the link for the gallery. We remind them they have until that date—here's our link, here's our gallery, check out frames, make some selections, and come back in and let's get your second pair going. 

FD: Who's managing all these marketing activities? Is it inside staff or are you working with outside vendors?

BL: The office manager oversees marketing. She has a marketing team that takes care of a lot of that. We also work with DONE4YOU® Marketing. We've had really good luck with them. They've treated us well and do really good work. The people we talk to there are good. So it's kind of a combination—we have our internal team handling day-to-day activities, and then we work with DONE4YOU® Marketing for additional support.

FD: How are you keeping the gallery inventory current?

BL: Usually at the beginning of the year, I'll send in a file when I do the first big inventory of the year. After that, I just manually keep it up to date whenever new lines arrive or when stock changes. The interface is straightforward enough that keeping it current doesn't become a burden.

FD: What happens if a patient favorites a frame that's not actually on your shelves when they come in?

BL: Every once in a while that does happen, If a frame's not there, we'll pull something very similar to what they wanted to see. 

If somebody really wants to see something specific, we'll get it in here so they can see it. We'll make it work. 

FD: Was there any pushback from staff when you first introduced these tools?

BL: No, not at all. It was pretty easy to put in place. It's so simple. The patients like it—it's easy for them to manage on their end. I have no issues with it, and it's easy to work with. There's really nothing complicated about the process. It just became part of our normal workflow very quickly. The patients and the staff her both enjoy the Gallery.

...............................................................

Key Takeaways 

Napoleon Family Vision demonstrates how a rural, single-location practice can successfully implement a comprehensive marketing strategy built around an online frame gallery. Their approach hits patients at multiple touchpoints—social media, monthly mailers, multiple appointment reminders, and QR codes in exam rooms—all driving traffic to their virtual gallery. The favorites list workflow saves time for both staff and patients, cutting at least 10 minutes off each visit while creating a more confident, engaged patient experience. Their second-pair promotion, supported by reminder cards and follow-up emails with gallery links, has proven effective at driving additional sales, particularly for sunglasses. Perhaps most importantly, the entire system was easy to implement, with no staff resistance and minimal ongoing maintenance. 

**Want to create a similar experience for your practice?**

Contact us to learn how an online frame gallery and integrated marketing approach can help you reduce chair time, increase patient satisfaction, and drive second-pair sales. We'll walk you through the setup and show you how practices like Napoleon Family Vision are making it work.