STAAR initiatives aim to increase awareness of implantable contact lens

Monrovia, CA-STAAR Surgical Co. has unveiled a redesigned Web site, revamped support for practices and distributors, and begun marketing to consumers in Asia in an effort to increase consumer awareness of its implantable contact lens made of a proprietary material (Visian Implantable Collamer Lens).

The lens “has proven to be a very effective alternative to LASIK, and these new programs are designed to educate consumers about the product line’s many benefits,” said Robin Hughes, vice president of global marketing for the company. “We already know from our work in search engine marketing that consumers are currently coming to us looking for alternatives, and we now have better resources to answer their questions and get them to the best local physicians who can help them. And, we are expanding this program globally.”

The redesigned Web site, www.visianinfo.com, launched June 28 and includes new product pages to inform patients about the implant. The site is designed to be easier to navigate, and its information is intended to be easy to understand.

The Web site also contains:

an enhanced surgeon locator, integrated with Google Maps;

a new blog featuring particular patients and practices monthly and including interviews and question-and-answer sessions with surgeons;

new testimonial pages;

a direct connection with the company's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages; and

a new refractive options chart detailing ways to correct vision.

Practices and distributors developing their own consumer awareness campaigns will receive support from the new head of the company’s global online marketing as well as two new social media coordinators. Additional consumer marketing employees have been added in China, the Middle East, and India with expertise in direct-to-consumer education programming, and a new position will be added to execute social media work in Japan. The company continues to evaluate new consumer-driven initiatives by testing new methods to create consumer demand for individual practices.

“One current example of how we’re supporting practices is what we are doing for Dan Tran, MD, in southern California,” said Ryan Black, online marketing manager for STAAR. “This campaign is geared toward a certain segment of his patient base with the use of billboards-a traditional marketing tool-supported by online efforts and banner ads. It includes continuous testing of display ad effectiveness on the Google Ad Network, and early indications are we are succeeding."

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