Right now, nearly 30 million American adults suffer from hearing loss. And they would all benefit from quality hearing aids fitted by a professional. As a hearing aid business professional, you know how life-changing these devices can be. And to provide your services to as many people as possible, you need effective strategies to grow your company. Below we’ve organized a guide to growing your hearing aid business to serve more customers and build your business starting right now!
1. Be Present in Your Community
As a hearing aid seller and service provider, it’s essential that you prioritize the human component of your business. Social media serves as an excellent way for quick communication with your patrons. But potential clients won’t be sold with a Facebook post. Connecting with your community will go a long way with your customers.
Purchasing hearing aids, especially for first-time users, can be a meaningful and deeply personal experience. For this reason, customers want to shop at a place where they feel understood and valued. As a hearing aid business owner, there are ways you can communicate a customer’s worth long before they step into your store. A primary way to do this is simply by being active in your local community.
Being present in your community signals to clients that you genuinely care for them. By engaging with local organizations, being present at community events and fundraisers, and serving as a sponsor for charity events, you build trust among your local customers. These kinds of intentional connections prove that you’re committed to your community and those who live in it. And when a customer knows you’re operating a business that gives back to the community, they’ll be inclined to shop with you for hearing aids and other audiology devices.
2. Build Trust with Positive Reviews
Reviews have the potential to help you significantly build your hearing aid business. That’s because nearly 90 percent of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. And of the customers who look to reviews to guide them to a company, more than half won’t use a business with less than a 4-star rating. Having up-to-date, positive reviews builds trust and brings new clients through your doors.
Customers shopping for hearing aids and audiology devices look for reviews on multiple platforms. Google is the king of business reviews, but Facebook and the Better Business Bureau are also trustworthy places where consumers find reviews for businesses. Therefore, you want to manage your online reputation on these three platforms.
To maintain a positive reputation, you’ll need to get your customers to give you good reviews. The easiest and most effective way to do this is by simply asking. After you’ve provided your customers with an excellent experience, ask them to leave you a good review. Send follow-up emails reminding them to review your hearing aid business and include a link to your Facebook page or Google My Business page. You can even offer incentives, like discounted services, when customers take the time to say something positive about your business online. This way, you earn a ton of good reviews, and your clientele feels cared for.
3. Focus on Online Traffic
When people begin searching for hearing aids businesses, they’re going to go online. Many times, a spouse or the child of a person needing hearing aids might conduct the research. Regardless of who is looking for hearing aids, they’re going to turn to the internet to compare prices and services. For this reason, you must focus on driving traffic to your business’s website.
Digital marketing agencies exist to get your business noticed by internet users. When someone searches for hearing aids online, you want them to find your site on the first page of search results. Working with a digital marketing firm that knows your brand and knows your audience will help you get noticed by your target demographic. And when you get noticed, you get business.
A professional, up-to-date site earns the trust of people looking for the hearing aid products you offer. Put yourself in their shoes: you would much rather invest in hearing aids from a company that prioritizes their online presence than a company that doesn’t. Including all of your essential business information, plus services and special offers as well as helpful content, will show consumers that you strive for excellence both online and in your store.
By utilizing digital marketing services, you’re advertising to clients who are ready to buy: people searching for the products you offer will find your site. And when that happens, you’ve earned business that helps your company grow.
4. Register with Relevant Associations
Customers coming to your storefront for hearing aids want to know that you provide not only great customer service but top-of-the-line products as well. One way to prove your authority in the hearing aid industry is by registering with relevant associations and organizations.
Becoming part of your local chamber of commerce shows customers you’re a hearing aid business that’s all about your community. A membership proves the commerce supports what you’re doing and allows you to network with other companies to grow your own. Potential customers are statistically more likely to patron your hearing aid business if they know you’re part of your local chamber of commerce.
You should also register your hearing aid business with the Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a national network of businesses, and a listing with the BBB not only shows you care about professionalism and service, but good ratings from the BBB will earn you new business.
It’s a good idea to register with any state or national hearing aid, hearing loss, and audiology associations. Being involved in these groups helps you better understand your clients’ needs and keeps you abreast of new advancements in your industry.
5. Offer Consumer Financing
Hearing aids can transform a person’s quality of life. Unfortunately, many people who can benefit from quality hearing aids don’t have adequate funding to purchase them outright. But when you offer consumer financing, you provide access to these life-changing devices.
Consumer financing from a company like United Consumer Financial Services allows customers suffering from hearing loss to regain their hearing—and so much more—without the burden of paying for their devices in one lump sum. Your customers can create a payment plan that works for their budget, and you don’t need to worry about cash flow or payment collection; UCFS takes care of that for you.
Consumer financing allows you to serve a greater number of customers, and you can help them faster than ever. Financing plans give your clients the confidence that they can afford the hearing aids they need to live their lives to the fullest.
Conclusion
When you focus on growing your hearing aid business, you’re providing access to life-changing technology. As seen above, we’ve given you five helpful ways to build your company. And we know that the most effective way to grow your business lies in providing an excellent experience for every customer, every time. Do this, and you’ll find that your customers feel valued and have options that fit their specific needs. And when that happens, you’ll see that your hearing aid business will grow!