Analysts predict that the business will grow by more than 10% by 2023, with the medical beauty market estimated to be worth $17 billion.

In this article, we will provide recommendations and tactics to successfully market your medical beauty clinic, build up your business and to reap the benefits of these trends.

Understand your business and profit

It is important to start the marketing process from the inside of your practice itself. The quality, integrity, and competence you provide to patients is the cornerstone of any excellent marketing campaign for beauty treatments. This will ultimately drive your marketing efforts and make people enthused about the treatments you’re offering.

Defining your business goals is the first step before beginning on a marketing campaign.

“Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used by all successful businesses to assess performance, and medical beauty clinics are no exception.” Says Elissa Doyle, Project Manager and Content Director at Geonet.me. “KPIs will paint a clear picture of where there is profit and perhaps loss in your day-to-day operations. This allows you to determine what makes you the most money and what may potentially lose you money.”

Medical beauty clinics can and should take full advantage of sales KPIs to determine whether or not you will reach your sales goals.

Average Client Spend

Average client spend is about knowing your client base, how much they are willing to spend. and where you can maximize revenue. For example, premium services (fillers, thread lifts, body sculpting) can range in the thousands, while facials and IPL treatments are more affordable.

That way, you can find the right mix for your different audiences.

Client Retention

Client Retention is the percentage of existing customers that continue to use your services over a certain time period. It’s important that while you are working hard to attract clients, your team is nurturing existing clients by providing a positive client experience and creating a loyal client base.

Therapist Revenue Goals

It is essential to look at how your team members are performing and contributing to your revenue goals. Set weekly or monthly targets for each team member, in relation to hours worked as well as the salaries paid.

This will help you to maximize the earnings for each team member, which can be maximized through training sessions on new treatments, adding new skills, and educating them on upselling techniques.

Client Retention

Client retention is critical to the success of any marketing campaign. Studies have found that repeat or loyal clients not only spend more, but they are also easier to sell to. According to Stitch Labs research, recurring clients spend 120% more each year than new ones. 

There are several ways to keep your happy clients coming back to the clinic:

• Make sure the client receives a warm and welcoming experience every time they walk into the clinic, this can include using the first name basis and offering welcome refreshments.
• Create client loyalty programs that encourage repeat visits
• Reward your loyal clients with exclusive offers and thank you gifts
• This may seem trivial, but never underestimate the value of a simple thank you card, or a happy birthday and holiday card.  

Optimize The Benefit of Digital Marketing 

82% of patients interested in medical aesthetics will begin their search on the internet, so it is important to make full use of the tools the web has to offer.

But, where can you start?

Build a strong brand

To succeed, you must cut through the clutter, capture your target customer’s attention, and show why your clinic is the place to go to enhance their beauty. Creating a strong brand is the most effective method. Successful brands are built on three essential elements:

• Consistency: Customers will know what to expect from you if your branding is focused and consistent. In multichannel marketing, customers should see consistent visuals and messages across all platforms, whether it’s your website, social media, email, advertising, signage, or in-store experience.
• Community: With a well-defined and consistent brand experience, you will attract not just like-minded clients, but also followers within social networks, building a community around your brand.
• Content: Content is one of the vehicles to achieve your goals. With suggestive and aspirational content and visuals (for example, Before & After photos, top treatments etc) you can increase client engagement and frame how they will use your services to fulfill their needs or desires.

Build trust

Obviously, getting your patients to trust you will go straight to your bottom line. You can gain trust through social media. Showcase your expertise with before & after photos, bio posts on team members, training sessions and awards won.

It’s all about building trust so followers eventually feel confident to pick up the phone or book online.

According to a survey, 59 % of customers say personalization impacts their shopping decision. Your clients will expect a tailored, personalized experience at every level. This could start with a thorough, professional and free one-on-one consultation.

Not only does this help you tailor the best treatment, it also makes the client feel valued. Ensure that your team is well-versed in the services so that they can provide advice, answer questions, and conduct comprehensive consultations with your clients.

Increase Engagement Through Social Media

Celebrity culture and social media increasingly impact numerous aesthetic treatments trends, which frequently translate into patient desires. Have a strong and consistent presence across a range of platforms, so they can find you before they reach your competitors.

Social media can be used to reach and convert potential clients. Social media advertising is an effective approach to nurture leads and convert prospective clients into loyal ones. This is because, unlike any other advertising channel, social media allows you to engage and communicate with customers.

Facebook

Being the world’s largest social media site, Facebook provides access to an infinite pool of potential patients. You may showcase your services on Facebook, create an online following of actual clients, and launch paid advertising campaigns to generate appointments.

However, it is important to note that the medical beauty industry is heavily regulated by Facebook advertising guidelines. Some Facebook ad restrictions are as follows:

• Before and after images
• Zoomed in images focusing on certain body parts
• Sexually suggestive videos or images
• Nudity in ad creatives
• Misleading claims (e.g. weight loss)
• Implication of personal attributes (e.g. race, name or criminal record)
• Sale of prescription pharmaceuticals
• Over the-the-counter medicines

Instagram

According to surveys, 60% of users claim to find new products and services using Instagram, and 75% of them take action after seeing a brand’s post. Instagram is all about visuals. While you want to make sure that your brand is consistent, you also can use Instagram to give users something to expect from the clinic. Here are some post ideas for your clinic:

• Photos of you and your team
• Before and after photos of your clients
• The inside and out of your clinic
• Current promotions
• Lifestyle and educational posts

YouTube

When it comes to social media marketing for beauty clinics, YouTube does not appear to be the obvious choice. But, videos are the future, and you need to embrace them if you want to build your brand, your client base, and your social media engagement. 

According to statistics, YouTube has 2 billion active viewers on a daily basis in 2021. Creating and publishing unique video material on YouTube is an excellent method to increase your clinic’s visibility and reach new potential clients.

In general, there are 4 types of content that you can post on YouTube:

• Inspirational content: Post client’s transformational journey videos, with the clear narrative of before, during and after the treatment.
• Educational content: Give your viewers some tips and information about your services that can trigger your viewers’ desire to know more about you and your clinic.
• Promotional content: Showcase your current promotions and featured treatments. A good promotional video can really convert a potential client into a real one.
• Up close and personal content: This includes behind-the-scenes videos, live streams, Q&As with celebs and influencers. Intimacy and authenticity are the keys here, so do not worry if your videos are not polished or the lighting isn’t perfect.

Get found on Google

“If there is anything that is as important as social media in your digital marketing plan, it has to be Google,” says Doyle. “You need to ‘be seen and be found’ on Google by potential new clients. Because if they don’t see you, they will see your competitors instead.”

There are 3 main ways to boost your chances of being seen on Google:

Check your listing on Google My Business

Optimize your Google My Business account so both Google and potential clients can instantly see what treatments you offer, your opening hours, your location, your phone number and your website. You also can add some attractive photos to showcase your clinic, services and team, so potential new clients can see what to expect.

Encourage clients to write reviews on your profile. Remember that your brand is shaped by the people who experience it. Reviews that are posted on Google My Business will appear in searches and it is the first thing that most people are going to read.

Improve your rank using organic SEO.

According to statistics, 33% of us click on the first search result displayed by Google. Only 18% click on the second result. The traffic just gets worse from there.

Many business owners tend to think that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a fast and dirty fix. However, ranking high on Google, Bing, and YouTube is difficult and requires continuous work. Having a beautifully designed website alone will not boost your Google rank, you also need relevant information that is properly optimized for search engines. If not, your prospective clients will struggle to find you online.

One of Geonet’s clients, Fresh Faces Cosmetic Medicine, a leading cosmetic clinic in Perth, has experienced how powerful SEO is. This doctor-owned practice is now on the first page on Google for keywords related to their tear trough fillers, and collagen lip fillers. The result? The clinic increased the Average Client Spend by 61% over the past 6 months and total sales by 54%.

Pay to advertise with PPC

PPC or Pay Per Click is the process of buying keywords or phrases relevant to your business in a Paid Search platform such as Google AdWords or Bing Ads. Specific keywords and phrases can be used to target consumers using the search platforms.

Identifying the right keywords and listing them in a managed PPC campaign is essential to reaching new clients, driving revenue and achieving a solid ROI.

Develop a communications plan

All the above means nothing if you do not maintain the communication between you and your clients. It is critical to manage consumer expectations proactively by creating a pipeline of information and communications.

Direct channels of communication, such as email or SMS text marketing, can be extremely successful in bringing new and recurring patients to your clinic.

Here are some direct marketing ideas:

• Weekly or monthly update emails should be fun, engaging, educational, and build relationships. They may also include promotions and sales, but this should not be the main focus.
• Special messages for birthdays, anniversaries and more. This is a great way to build personal relationships with your clients. You can give them a special voucher on their birthday too!
• A simple follow-up after appointments. You can use email to ask for their feedback, and also provide the link to your social media platforms or Google page to leave you a review.
• A special limited time offer can encourage fast bookings and spread the word.
• Refer-a-friend programs can boost loyalty through referrals and recommendations. 

When it comes to successfully marketing your beauty business, it’s not a system where you can cherry-pick only a few platforms. Nowadays, you and your brand must be everywhere.

Our recommendations above are the start of an effective marketing plan, and all tools must work together like a well-oiled machine. To find out more about how Geonet can provide full-service digital marketing, contact us.