Plastic surgery is an ever-expanding industry; according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s 2016 annual report on industry trends, American patients spent more than 15 billion dollars on combined surgical and nonsurgical procedures in 2016 for the first time ever. We’re guessing you’ve spent a lot of time and energy thinking of ways to attract some of this business, and we’re right there with you.
Building a patient base and growing your practice is the ultimate goal for any plastic surgeon, but patients today have a seemingly-endless pool of information to digest and providers to choose from. How do you make sure you stand out amongst the increasingly-large-crowd and attract new patients? With these plastic surgery marketing strategies.
Design a powerful website.
Plastic surgery is a big decision, one that prospective patients want to research and collect information about before even committing to a consultation – why not make it easy for them to find? The fact is, in our digital age, your website is often your chance to make a great first impression. A great site can be a powerful tool for communicating your brand, promoting your business and increasing your conversions, and a bad one can do just the opposite. A strong, well thought-out website should effectively communicate your professionalism, knowledge and expertise in your field.
When a patient lands on a visually appealing, professional-looking site, they’re more likely to explore and learn about your practice. High quality photos (including REAL before and after photos of YOUR patients), functionality (all the elements of your website work the way they should), usability (it’s easy to find what they’re looking for), and a clean, easy-to-navigate layout, will all work together to create a positive impression, but as they say, content is king. It’s more important than ever to share quality, applicable content on your website. The higher quality content you provide on your website, the better user experience your site visitors will have. As a bonus, providing well-written content will positively benefit your SEO rankings, and make it easier for patient’s to find you using search engines like Google.
Regularly post great blogs.
It’s been proven time and again that a regularly updated blog containing well-written, unique content and clear calls-to-action will attract and convert qualified leads. The longer you keep it up, the better your blog serves you. It really is one of the most effective plastic surgery marketing strategies to set you and your practice ahead of the competition.
So why is blogging such an effective plastic surgery marketing strategy? Regularly updating your website with relevant, interesting, and engaging content bodes well for your SEO rankings. You can use your blog as an outlet to write content tailored to attract exactly what people are searching for through strategic keyword research (an SEO best practice). Publishing regular blog articles also helps you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Timely and authoritative articles not only provide information, they give you an opportunity to establish trust and assist a prospective patient in their decision-making process.
Cultivate a strong social media presence.
A well-planned social media strategy can absolutely help you attract new patients. Social media provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase what it is your practice stands for. The content you share and the way you choose to interact with your audience gives potential patients a glimpse into the way your practice operates before they even meet you. This opportunity to create trust before a patient even walks through your doors is a potential benefit that is unique to social media.
With literally millions of users on these platforms, you have an opportunity to reach people who may have never heard of you otherwise. This statement rings even more true when you’re making use of social media advertising. Many platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, just to name a few) possess unique tools that allow you to advertise to a specific type of person (based on age, gender, interests, location, and sometimes even average household income). This means you can make sure your message is seen by those who are interested in seeing it, and tailor your messaging accordingly.
Make use of Google ads.
Google ads (sometimes referred to as “adwords”) is a very effective tool in targeting people who are specifically looking for a treatment that you offer within reasonable driving distance of your clinic. People are closest to booking a consultation when they have reached either the research or decision making stages of choosing a plastic surgery clinic; Google ads put your brand in front of the right people at the right time. Refining your plastic surgery marketing strategy to include Google ads can help significantly increase new patient acquisitions with a sensible cost per lead.
The best part of Google ads? Every little piece of data is tracked and recorded and can be evaluated and considered to ensure you are maintaining a profitable ROI month over month.
Encourage and respond to reviews.
In an age where we turn to the internet before deciding where to travel, eat, or get our next mani-pedi, is it any surprise that patients turn to online reviews as a first step in evaluating potential plastic surgeons? Essentially word-of-mouth on a large scale, reviews are increasingly being considered a reliable source of information, and it’s important that you view their management as a critical part of your plastic surgery marketing strategy.
The fact is, you’re working hard to deliver a perfect patient experience, and you shouldn’t shy away from encouraging your patients to share their honest experiences on sites like RealSelf, Yelp!, Google, Facebook, and more. Refrain from offering incentives to do so, and don’t let the fear of receiving negative reviews hold you back.
Once the reviews start rolling in, it’s important that you monitor and manage them. We always recommend responding to reviews in a timely manner, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative. If you’ve received a positive review, make sure you thank your patient for taking the time to do so. If it’s a negative review, leaving a polite response that acknowledges their concern (ask yourself whether this truly is something you can improve upon) and offering a solution can go a long way. Either way, responding promptly shows customers you’re attentive and lets others know you care about their experience with your practice.
Making use of these plastic surgery marketing strategies is sure to help you gain more patients. If, like many plastic surgeons, you feel there aren’t enough hours in the day to truly develop an effective marketing strategy that includes these elements and more, let us help; contact Victory Media today.
