How do I know which ads bring consultations to my LASIK practice?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
A LASIK practice knows which ads bring consultations by tracking each enquiry from its source through to a booked and attended consultation, and by judging every ad on what a consultation cost. Clicks and leads are not the measure. An ad that brings plenty of leads and no consultations is costing money, however good its report looks.
Why are the platform's own numbers not enough?
The platform counts what happens on the platform: views, clicks and forms. It does not know who answered their phone, who booked, or who walked through your door. Those facts live in your calendar and your front desk's memory. Until the two are joined, you are choosing ads by the wrong numbers.
How do you trace a consultation to an ad?
You can do this with a spreadsheet if you are disciplined about it. The steps are the same whatever tools you use, and they take minutes a day.
- Give each campaign its own landing page or its own phone number, so the source is recorded automatically.
- Ask every new caller how they heard of you, and write the answer in the same place each time.
- Record each enquiry with its source, the date and whether a consultation was booked.
- Mark each booked consultation as showed or missed after the day.
- Add up monthly spend for each campaign and divide by the consultations that showed.
- Move budget toward the campaigns with the lowest cost for each attended consultation.
What are the common mistakes?
The common mistake is stopping at the lead. Cost per lead rewards ads that are easy to tap. Another is judging too soon: someone who enquires about LASIK this month may book next month, so look at each month's leads again later. A third is letting an agency own the account, so the history leaves when they do.
How does Margin report on ads for a LASIK practice?
Margin runs the ads in an account your practice owns, with a booking page for each campaign, so every booking carries its source. Calls and texts are in the portal with full transcripts, alongside the calendar and the leads.
Each month you get a report and a strategy call: what came in, what it turned into, and what changes next. The figure we work to is what each booked consultation cost in ads. Which consultations went on to a procedure is known to your team, not to us, unless you tell us.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an account you own
- Your portal: every call, text and booking
- A monthly report and strategy call
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for cosmetic and elective medical practicesSee the portal with a sample businessThe Surgery Accelerator, for plastic surgeons
Related questions
What is a good cost per consultation for a LASIK practice?
There is no universal figure. A LASIK practice should work out what it can afford from its own numbers: what a procedure is worth to the practice, and what share of consultations go ahead. That sets the ceiling.
Should a LASIK practice use a separate phone number for each ad?
It is a simple way to know which campaign made the phone ring. A LASIK practice should make sure every such number is answered the same way as the main line, or the tracking will only measure missed calls.
How long should a LASIK practice run an ad before judging it?
A LASIK practice should run an ad long enough for enquiries to become consultations, which can take weeks. Judge it on attended consultations from that period, not on the first few days of clicks.