When you perform elective medical and cosmetic services, marketing is essential. Often, people have the procedures in mind, but they might not know how to get started: who to contact or what the procedure will likely look like, for example. Your marketing could be just the information they need to take the next step. Here are nine creative ways for you to market your services.
1. Run a commercial
TV ads help reach a wide range of consumers who might be interested in your procedure. Include a look at some of your staff members or an example of what you do. Speak to your patients' pain points: the concerns or issues that most frequently bring patients through your door, looking for the services you offer.
Consider the types of programming your target audience will most likely watch. Are they interested in the news? Consider sponsoring a segment. Is there a specific program they watch most often? Connect with a media partner who can help get you in front of that audience.
2. Put an FAQ page on your website
Fifty-one percent of customers expect the businesses they connect with to be available 24/7. While you may not be able to keep someone on the phones all the time to answer new patient queries, your website can provide that same valuable service. A great FAQ page helps answer potential patient questions. You can provide information about questions like:
- What services do you offer?
- What specific procedures does your practice perform?
- What does the recovery process look like after this procedure?
- What do some of your past results with this procedure look like, especially in the case of cosmetic services? You may, with permission, use photos from past satisfied clients, for example.
- Is cosmetic surgery covered by health insurance?
- Who is a good candidate for your procedure?
- How does a patient need to prepare for a specific procedure?
- Are there any specific expectations regarding pre-procedure milestones?
On your FAQ page, you may not want to address the question of cost directly. Often, cost varies due to multiple factors. Instead, invite the patient to contact your practice to learn more.
3. Highlight testimonials
Prospective patients want to hear from those who have endured the procedures you perform and have positive things to say, both about the procedure itself and about your results. Place them both on your website and within ads. Ninety-one percent of consumers today trust reviews from online sources just as much as they trust more personal recommendations.
4. Share before and after photos on social media
Those before and after photos could prove just the incentive people need to move forward with their goal of having an elective or cosmetic medical procedure. Show how much of a difference the procedure has made in the lives of past customers. Focus on the transformations that are most likely to be appealing to patients who are considering these procedures or dealing with the problems these procedures are meant to solve. Seeing these end results can prove incredibly powerful to prospective patients. Of course, you want to make sure that you maintain patient confidentiality. Display your images without breaking confidentiality laws or codes.
5. Deploy a digital campaign
Display digital ads on websites that are relevant to your target audience. You might want, for example, to highlight the results of weight loss surgeries on a website that focuses on helping people lose weight. Or place your cosmetic surgery practice on websites that highlight makeup or focus on physical standards of beauty in some way. A media partner can help you decide how to place your digital ads on the ideal websites in order to reach the right audience.
6. Incorporate video marketing
Place video ads on your website or use them on social media. Many people will watch video ads where they might prove less likely to read through testimonials or content alone. Viewers retain 95% of a message they see in a video, but just 10% of a message that comes from text. Video also continues to gain in popularity: 72% of today's customers would rather learn about a product or service through video than text.
7. Utilize OTT
OTT services continue to grow in popularity. More than 2/3 U.S. households with broadband services use streaming platforms. OTT also allows you to highly target your ads to get them in front of the right audience, which means you can cast a narrower net and more effectively reach exactly your target audience.
8. Post ads on social media channels
By the end of 2019, around 80% of the US population used social media. Social media ads remain a highly effective way to reach your target audience, particularly since many social media channels allow for increased ad targeting. Craft ads that speak to users' pain points and encourage them to visit your website to learn more.
9. Use email campaigns to target existing customers
Send out emails to past patients or those who have had consults, but never followed through. Consider how you can bring those patients back into your office. You might, for example, give patients a new reason to come in, provide them with information about new services, or remind them that the sooner they act, the sooner they can experience the results they've been hoping for. Encourage referrals from past patients. Stay in touch with patients who might need to come back to you for future services. These continued communications can keep you top-of-mind and encourage patients to return.
As a healthcare clinic, designing a solid marketing plan can contribute to your success, bringing new patients to your doors and helping you keep up with old ones. A media partner can help you keep up with all of your advertising needs, from designing a comprehensive marketing plan that will help you focus on your target audience to helping to design the creative material you need.
