Outlook Eye Centre Case Study
I’d like to introduce you to Shannon from Outlook Eye Centre. She joined Chromatical Club on the 29th of May 2020 and since joining has been an incredible action taker, resulting in results that I can’t wait to share her club perspective with you.
I’m really excited to share this case study because you wouldn’t think an Optometrist would be the type of business that would fit in with the creative client base Chromatical usually works with. But what you will read here speaks volumes. It’s not about what you do, it’s about the type of brand you want to be. You don’t have to be dull and medical-y if you’re in the medical field. You can be an exciting brand and attract an exciting client base. Creativity isn’t just there for creatives. It’s there for any business who wants to add a creative element to their businesses.
Shannon’s case study shows exactly how possible that is.
Why did you join Chromatical Club?
I have a friend who is an artist and in conversation she had dropped the word chromatical a few times. I probably didn't think too much about it but then another time she said that she had done an activity on the Saturday (and I still don't know what the activity was).
I think I asked her about it a week later and she explained that it was a group that gave marketing support and ideas.
I originally thought that it must have been just for artists and I said something like this to her and she said that another person that we know (who is an accountant) is also a member.
I messaged this person and asked what her impressions were and she was really positive about it so....... I started researching the club and researching Trish.
I LOVED what I saw from the beginning and there was a time consideration because she was closing the doors to the club because she was going to have a baby.
I probably just took a leap and subscribed once I knew because I didn't want to miss out. FOMO for sure.
What did you hope to achieve from joining?
I was hoping for inspiration probably from people who were creative and artistic.
It is hard to look at your business from the outside and most of the resources etc that we have had access to were very professional and health based and I thought - what if it was about style and colour.
My profession has two sides - there is the eye health / examination side but then also the style and glasses side and the marketing.
I love social media and also love the creative side behind it and thought that maybe this was something that the Chromatical club could help with.
I thought that if it was shit then I was only paying a monthly subscription and could really pull out at any time if I needed to and in the big picture, the subscription amount was just so small.
What were the biggest challenges you hoped the club could help with?
I think initially I didn't have anything specific that I thought - oh that will be the answer. To be totally honest - the two people who I knew who were already members were people that I really respected so that was truly my recommendation.
I thought how nice it would be to have a group of people (and I actually like that most of them were strangers to me) to have chats about business ideas and to be able to ask questions and get ideas that have worked for people or how they have overcome certain struggles.
I love that there are people in the group that have so many amazing different skill sets. I probably didn't expect that I would meet other people that I would end up working with. I probably thought that Trish was the 'teacher' and we were the students but it has been so much more than that.
How has Chromatical Club helped you?
The club has given me so many things.
Firstly it is just a place to go to receive advice but also to be able to give advice and help other people out. I also love hearing other peoples success stories because that motivates me to work harder and to push outside my comfort zone.
One of my best things that the club has given me is the permission to be different to other optometrists. It has given me the permission to have my own voice and to use that voice in the way that I speak to my patients and my audience on social media.
I have stopped conforming to society norms and been able to speak how I want to be heard. I don't have to be serious - I can be conversational and funny and quirky and that is what we are.
I also love that I can look at other peoples style (even though their areas are so totally different to mine) - when I asked questions about photography and instagram - Jena was recommended to me and I was able to look at her stuff and I totally loved that I had been admiring a particular instagram feed and all of a sudden I realised that she had done the design for them. I felt so comfortable then reaching out to her to help me with my vision and I LOVE LOVE what she has done for us.
I finally feel excited to use instagram again. I was always really into Facebook but my love for insta has grown. It has given me a creative outlet during the day as well that is often really clinical and serious.
My instagram feed is now so beautiful and I am so proud of it.
I also love that Trish has helped me personally with such amazing ideas that I am in the process of implementing in our marketing e.g. the before and after glasses pictures. I get really excited when I get help from Trish - it's like the cool girl is reaching out to me personally.
Has the club helped you more than you expected?
I am learning more and more as the time goes by in the club.
I am really trying to use the resources and people as much as I can. It has truly just given me a tribe of like minded people that I can chat to.
It has truly become this amazing creative community. I think I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be the right fit for the club but I can see how much it has brought out my creativity.
It has inspired me now to totally redesign my whole website and to bring our colour and quirkiness into that platform. What a huge job that is going to be.
What results have you achieved since joining the club?
I LOVE LOVE the appearance of our instagram feed now. It is beautiful and collated and interesting. I will add some before and after images in the attachments below.
The design side of this was inspired by Jena Dickson - she has made these amazing templates and given me direction in colour.
Our instagram following has also grown. We started with about 540 followers and have now grown to 587. That's probably not a huge growth but I am so very happy with it.
I have also changed how I am writing the content for my posts. I will add a pic of that before and after as well.
I have also changed the way I take my photos for my posts.
I have loved also the ebooks that I have purchased. Even though these were separate to my membership they are so amazing. They have given such great help with hashtag strategies in particular.
Do you think you'd be where you are now without the club?
Without the club I think that I would still be sitting in my old habits and the old wording and images.
I would know that I want more but wouldn't know where to find it in one place.
There are probably places out there that I could find it but I totally trust the voices in the chromatical club and I know that they aren't there to just promote themselves.
I don't know if I would have ever gotten to the same place to be totally honest.
How would you put a value on what the club has done for you and your business?
There is absolutely no comparison.
The value for money in the chromatical club far outweighs anything else we have ever done.
We once spent $4000 for a thing called Practice Acceleration and I am so embarrassed to say that we did that. It was almost a weird cult and so pushy. This is about putting the patients first and at the same time motivating me to do better.
I have also loved the ebooks that I have purchased from Trish - so much value.
The price of club membership is so very very affordable and such great value for money.
What part of the club has surprised you the most?
I think the most surprising but also one of the best things is the personal attention that I get from Trish.
She makes me feel like we are actually working in a one on one relationship with other friends just helping from the sides.
She is such an amazing cheerleader for business and growth.
The value I think are the connections that can be made with other amazing businesses and services and seeing how other people do things that are outside my industry.
Who would you recommend the club to?
I would recommend the club to people that I know are serious about their businesses and people that I know are looking for that missing link in their marketing / business plans.
What do you love about Chromatical Club?
The chromatical club has inspired me to be creative and to trust the voice that I wasn't listening to. It has connected me with like minded people.
The skill set of the other members is so very valuable and I totally appreciate being able to listen to other peoples suggestions.
The club has been everything that other marketing companies haven't been. In the past other companies have asked me - well what do you think that you should do? This has bloody frustrated me no end because that is why we have come to them - for inspiration and guidance. In such a short time Trish has taken the time to think about my business and come up with some great ideas which have inspired me to think outside the box.
Lastly, can you tell us a little more about your businesses and where we can find you online?
My name is Shannon Smith and I am an optometrist and business owner from Toowoomba Qld.
I have a business partner Andrew Speed who is not only my business partner but my best mate. He is an optical mechanic (so he is someone who fits the lenses to glasses) and basically does everything that I don't do. We are a two people show - we don't have any other staff, which is probably both a good and bad thing. We started our business almost 11 years ago now and have grown so much since then. We originally worked together at a different practice and I had never had any urge to open my own practice but.... sometimes the world has other plans in place. Andrew was always trying to convince me to do it but it just didn't seem right until it did. Circumstances changed at our old work and one day I just said - LET'S DO IT.
We think we are different from other optometry practices - we work really hard to build relationships with our patients and we actually give a shit about them.
You can find us at:
Website: www.outlookeyecentre.com.au
Instagram: @outlook_eye_centre
Facebook: @outlookeyecentretoowoomba