First 100 customers · San Diego
How to get your first 100 customers as an AI automation agency for optometrists in San Diego
To win your first 100 customers for AI recall and booking automation for optometry and eye clinics in San Diego, go where ODs and their staff already discuss recall gaps and front-desk load instead of buying ads. The highest-fit communities are r/optometry and ODs on Facebook (where owners discuss annual-exam recall and no-shows), practice-management and optical-staff groups, and local channels — the San Diego County Optometric Society, California Optometric Association, and r/sandiego. Lead with 'fill your exam chairs with overdue patients', a recall number every clinic can see.
The 12 communities, ranked by fit
| # | Community | Why it fits | Engage | Self-promo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | r/optometry reddit · 40K+ members | ODs and practice owners discuss recall, scheduling and front-desk staffing here; you can find buyers by answering 'how do you handle exam recall / no-shows' threads. Build authority and DM, no hard selling. | 8/10 | strict |
| 2 | ODs on Facebook / Optometry practice-owner groups facebook group · 40K+ members | The largest community of optometrists and owners; threads on recall, no-shows and front-desk staffing are constant — the exact pain recall-and-booking automation solves. Be helpful, not promotional. | 8/10 | moderate |
| 3 | Optical / optometry front-office & staff groups facebook group · 15K+ members | Front-office and optician groups swap scripts for recall calls, reminders and booking — your automation replaces that manual grind, and staff are often the champions who recommend tools to the OD. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 4 | Private-practice optometry / cold-start OD groups facebook group · 20K+ members | Independent practice owners obsessed with growth and chair utilization — receptive to ROI framing like 'overdue recalls you reactivate pay for the month', the core sell for optometry automation. | 8/10 | moderate |
| 5 | r/sandiego reddit · 500K+ members | Local 'recommend an eye doctor' threads surface San Diego clinics by name; useful for local credibility and spotting which practices are growing, though direct promo isn't tolerated. | 6/10 | strict |
| 6 | San Diego County Optometric Society directory · Hundreds of local ODs | The local component professional body — its member directory and CE events are a warm, geo-targeted source of San Diego practice owners you can reach with a local angle and referrals. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 7 | California Optometric Association (COA) directory · Thousands of California ODs | The state association reaches California practice owners beyond San Diego; its events and member network are a credible, geo-relevant way to reach ODs ready to scale across multiple offices. | 6/10 | moderate |
| 8 | RevolutionEHR / Weave / optometry-software user groups facebook group · 10K+ members | Clinics already running practice-management and communication software are primed to add recall-and-booking automation; these groups discuss the exact scheduling gaps your service fills. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 9 | Optometry practice-management / ECP groups (LinkedIn) linkedin group · 30K+ members | Reaches multi-location and corporate-affiliated owners who can deploy automation across several San Diego clinics; better for thought-leadership content than cold posts. | 5/10 | moderate |
| 10 | Optometry practice-growth channels (e.g. ODs on Finance, practice consultants) youtube · Tens of thousands of subscribers | Their comment sections and communities are full of growth-minded ODs; collaborating on a 'recall reactivation' episode reaches your exact buyer with built-in trust. | 6/10 | permissive |
| 11 | San Diego / Southern California optometry CE and study events meetup · Local, recurring | Local CE gatherings put you face-to-face with San Diego ODs; sponsoring or presenting a short 'reactivating overdue patients' talk reaches decision-makers in person. | 6/10 | moderate |
| 12 | Nextdoor — San Diego neighborhoods nextdoor · San Diego-local | Residents recommend local eye doctors and clinics run Nextdoor business pages; a soft way to identify which San Diego practices are actively marketing and might invest in automation. | 5/10 | strict |
FAQ
Where do optometrists and eye-clinic owners gather online in San Diego?
Nationally, ODs and owners cluster in r/optometry and large Facebook groups like ODs on Facebook and private-practice OD groups. In San Diego specifically, look to the San Diego County Optometric Society, the California Optometric Association, and r/sandiego 'recommend an eye doctor' threads to find and warm up practices by name.
What's the fastest way to get the first 100 customers for an AI automation agency for optometrists?
Lead with one painful, measurable problem — overdue patients who never get recalled and no-shows — not 'AI'. Answer real questions in r/optometry and OD Facebook groups, offer a free recall-and-booking audit to a few San Diego clinics, and let those case studies (with reactivation numbers) drive referrals inside the same communities.
Do I need an ad budget?
No. These are organic communities and local optometric societies a founder with zero audience can engage for free. The winning motion is helpful problem-led posts plus a free audit, not paid ads.
Are these communities specific to San Diego?
It's a mix. The San Diego County Optometric Society, local CE events, r/sandiego and Nextdoor are San Diego-local; r/optometry, ODs on Facebook and the practice-owner groups are niche-global, so the same playbook scales to any metro you expand into.