It’s an understatement to say that we are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted most businesses, including medical aesthetics practices. In some locations, stay-at-home orders may prevent your practice from opening. Even in areas where your practice can be open, some patients might be apprehensive about leaving home to seek any kind of care, including aesthetic procedures.
Fortunately, recent statistics from Realself.com reveal that many practices have bounced back, seeing about 80% of their pre-pandemic numbers. This challenging time also presents an opportunity for savvy business owners to capitalize on tried-and-true marketing methods that can attract patients to your practice when they’re ready. These techniques include:
Conduct Patient Surveys
Your patients may be more inclined to participate in a quick survey, as they likely have more time on their hands. Why not take this opportunity to focus on improving customer satisfaction? Work on building customer loyalty through following the suggested steps by HubSpot, OCCAM.
- Outline goals and plan.
- Create customer survey.
- Choose trigger or timing.
- Analyze the data.
- Make adjustments.
Thoughtful feedback will certainly help you understand what clients want and what is most important to them. Consider offering an incentive such as a discount on treatments to those who participate, and make sure to share the results of your survey with your clientele.
Run Social Media Contests
Social media contests and giveaways are relatively easy to organize and can help spread awareness about your practice. Encourage “sharing” and be sure to publicize the results of the contest, congratulating the winner(s). This is a great way to build your social media presence while growing your online following. With social media usage increasing substantially for users since March 2020, it makes perfect sense a tactic like giveaways to drive more interactions and engagements. It doesn’t cost much to run these campaigns, just the prize you are offering. Don’t be afraid to capitalize on the new normal during uncertain times like this.
Enhance Your Website
How robust is your website? Is it optimized for SEO? Internet traffic has increased by 50-70% since the first stay-home orders were given. It may be a good idea to optimize your site to make sure the right people can find it.
Search engine optimization involves adding relevant keywords to your home page and landing pages to help patients find your business when searching the Internet. Consider hiring an agency to audit your site, identify those keywords that are likely to attract qualified leads, and determine which of your pages need optimizing. Blogging frequently about topics of interest could also help drive more traffic your way.
Host Virtual Events
Tackle patient education in real-time with live stream tools such as Facebook, Instagram or webinar software like Zoom and GoToWebinar. The topics you could cover are nearly endless: In addition to educating patients on the treatments you offer and the benefits, you might demonstrate self-care skills that patients can do at home, including stretching, meditation or other stress management techniques. Simple skincare routines are another natural subject to address. Make sure to tie in relevant products to increase retail sales. Plus, you might consider offering free delivery on these products for patients who aren’t comfortable coming to your practice.
Market With the Present and the Future in Mind
While this is certainly a challenging time for many practices, it is also an opportunity to increase your marketing efforts and connect with both current and potential patients. Many patients are still seeking treatments and as the restrictions ease, more patients will follow.
Want more ideas about marketing your practice and getting through these turbulent times? Reach out to one of Venus Concept’s Practice Enhancement Managers. Our Practice Enhancement Program offers a variety of tools including business and marketing consultations. Plus, our program has gone digital, so we can work with you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more.
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