June 21 marks the first official day of summer and while consumers are in full summer mode, planning beach days, family vacations, and outdoor parties, all the worries that come with those activities bubble to the surface of prospective patients’ minds. Sun spots, stretch marks, cellulite, lumps and bumps, and unwanted hair growth are just some of the concerns that come to mind. Ensure your medical aesthetics clinic is where these prospective patients turn to this summer with an effective marketing strategy and long-term treatment plans catered to meet their needs. Do just that with the following five steps to help you design an effective summer marketing strategy.
While it might be tempting to promote all of your medical aesthetics clinic services, it’s best to consider what is top of mind for your target clientele this time of year. Perhaps sun damage is starting to make a greater appearance for your more mature, discerning clientele. Photorejuvenation treatments are the perfect suggestion for these clients, so make that a focus of your marketing strategy. Similarly, for those looking to a younger clientele, your target prospective patients may be experiencing an increase in sebum production in the summer months, leading to pesky breakouts and the need for heavier concealers. In this case, intense pulsed light (IPL) acne treatments may be the perfect sell to reduce the appearance of acne breakouts and eliminate acne-causing bacteria. Whatever the focus, ensure that your choice aligns with what is top of mind for your target clientele and on-brand for your medical aesthetics clinic. Don’t copy the competition or cast your net too wide, as these practices are sure to fall flat compared to a focused, strategic summer marketing plan.
Make slogans, images, and text selections intentional. Every aspect of your marketing strategy should clearly link back to and support your focus. For text, don’t copy taglines devised by your competition—even if it’s a slight twist on their words—and don’t look to brands catering to a whole different set of clientele for marketing inspiration. Instead, consider what appeals to your target client and what maintains a consistent brand for your medical aesthetics clinic. For example, if you are focusing on maintaining a natural look, avoid notions of a “makeover” in your marketing materials, which may imply drastic changes your target clientele is not likely to find appealing. As for images, if your medical aesthetics clinic focuses on tweaking a patient’s curves, intentionally select images of women who have more defined curves. In sum, look to your ideal patients for inspiration and consider wording and image choices a reflection of them. Stay true to them and serve this target clientele for a summer marketing strategy that’s sure to meet your business goals and better appeal to the type of patient you’re after.
Consider where you’ll want to spread the word of your summer marketing initiatives and design marketing assets that are appropriate to that media format. For example, assets that include plenty of text will fall flat on social media, while assets displaying too many Before-and-After photos may not have the curb appeal you’re looking for when designing posters for the front of your clinic. In these cases, consider keeping text-heavy materials to brochures available at the reception desk or via a link on your website, and focus on light, summery stock imagery—think beaches, sun, and smiles—for social media and poster materials. For posters and flyers, you may also consider adding a set of your best Before-and-After images, but limit it to just one comparison. Too many images may risk making the poster appear more clinical than you may have hoped for, and you can certainly save additional Before-and-Afters for sharing during a prospective patient’s initial consultation, where they may have a greater impact.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to proofread all materials and double-check any contact information before sending assets to the printer’s! Sometimes, one little error can lead to a significant marketing flop.
Once you’ve created your assets, it’s time to spread the word. Have a strategy in play that determines how you will utilize your marketing assets to get the word out to more people. For example, if you’ve created brochures or flyers, consider stapling these materials to a patient’s receipt to keep these treatments top of mind, especially if they include a promotional offer available to current patients. Alternatively, text and image elements used to design print materials may be repurposed and reworked to create an email you can disseminate to your existing email list. If your summer marketing strategy focuses on social media, have a plan in place that balances the use of promotional assets with more general content. Consider re-posting patient images (only with their permission), sharing images of the office or staff, or creating posts that are in line with your brand and target patient’s interest, such as tips for sunscreens or how to choose the best bikini to flatter any body, to balance out your sales pitches. Focusing only on promoting your summer marketing strategy risks irritating followers, current patients, and prospective clients. Finally, don’t forget to include a call to action each time, which leads us to the final step.
After spreading the news, it’s time to push for consultations. With the summer months being a time more consumers like to be outside and keep busy, it can be hard to garner a commitment to a treatment plan that may mean they’ll be indoors when they want to be outside. Depending on what aligns with your business’s branding strategy, offering an incentive to book a consultation may be an effective way to thwart this. Consider offering a discount on a complete “summer-ready” treatment plan for new patients or when existing clients opt in to additional “summer services.” Alternatively, you may offer to apply the cost of a consultation, if you do charge, to their treatment plan if they make the commitment during the promotional period. Whatever incentive you may choose, simply ensure all details of the promotion are easily accessible and clearly outlined, either online or in fine print at the bottom of your printed assets.
Remember that timing is important! An effective summer marketing strategy takes time to develop, but there are some ways you may be able to speed it up to ensure you’re spreading the news about your top summer medical aesthetic treatments before it’s too late. In fact, to help you get a head start on your summer marketing efforts, we’ve designed a new collection of summer-themed marketing assets, fit for print or digital use, for each Venus Concept treatment. Head to our Download Center to access these valuable marketing assets and start promoting your services today!
