Archive for November, 2009
The Power of The Aesthetic Receptionist
Posted by: | CommentsThe internet is full of aesthetic patient stories. The positive stories offer insights to what the aesthetic patient wants in her physician and his/her practice.
This story (see link below) is a great example of how powerful your receptionist is in attracting or repelling patients. Here is a woman who was already interested in the physician based on credentials and experience, but only really knew she was going to get her rhinoplasty from him when she ‘instantly connected’ with the receptionist. Also, the receptionist quickly positioned the physician when she said, ‘You are getting yourself a GOOD one!’ Of course referring to the doctor.
I encourage you to read Laura’s story on how she found the right doctor for her rhinoplasty HERE.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
How To Follow Up With Prospects Without ‘Scaring’ The Patient Away
Posted by: | CommentsIf you have spent the time to bond with the patient and truly listen to them, they’ll tell you what they think, how they feel and where they’re at in the buying decision. It’s when you haven’t built a relationship with the patient that you feel like you’re chasing them down for an answer.
If the patient tells you they have to “think about it”, try to think with them. Ask what their sticking points are so you can address them. Then, ask if there’s anything else since it often takes a couple of questions to get to the real objection. If that doesn’t help, set up a follow up day and time before they leave the office, while they are sitting in front of you, so they expect your call.
Another follow-up idea that works well is to leave out one important point from your consultation with the patient so you can follow-up and let them know you forgot to tell them something. This could be just what they needed to jump off the fence.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Print Ads From Your Local Plastic Surgery Society Are Not Necessarily Effective
Posted by: | CommentsThe ads I typically see from the medical societies are not effective for a few reasons. These types of “branding” ads tell the reader why you’re the right choice. Hence, the problem. It’s all about you and not the patient!
The patient only cares to learn about solutions to their problems and what’s new in aesthetic enhancement. For now, they just want to know more about what they can do about something that bothers them. Later they’ll want to know more about you – after you have educated them on the possibilities.
So, while I realize the intent is to forewarn the patients to stick to the board-certified specialists, you’ll get a much better response by answering the question, “What’s in it for me?” First.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Who Gets Plastic Surgery and Why
Posted by: | CommentsI recently read an article that includes statistics on who gets plastic surgery, and why. It is a great reminder that the aesthetic practice is not just selling a procedure, they are selling hope for a better feeling future. Patients want to feel better about themselves, they want to look in the mirror and no longer dislike a part of what they see. They believe revising, rejuvenating or renovating something that bothers them about their appearance will make them feel better and increase self-esteem. So, in essence, they are buying hope from aesthetic physicians. Hope they will get the result they want and hope they will feel better. To learn more about the aesthetic patient, read my book…
If you would like to read the full article, Who Gets Plastic Surgery and Why, click HERE
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Optimizing Your Aesthetic Practice Website
Posted by: | CommentsMake it as user-friendly to the prospective patient as possible. Include a major benefit statement that depicts the patients’ vision – not yours. Keep it simple, add credibility such as medical association logos and any PR you’ve gotten and add a video of you welcoming them to your website. The more interactive, your website, the better.
And give your visitors a good reason to interact with you Allow them to ask you a question download a special report or submit their photos for a virtual consultation.
Prospective internet patients are typically looking on the Internet for a solution that bothers them. They are frustrated, tired of, or disgusted with something and want to change it – now. They are super motivated at the moment so you want to leverage that to your advantage. And, the patient will turn to the physician who answers their questions now and who made them the most comfortable to go the next step to learn more. So, how do you do that? Your website:
- - Includes benefit statements to tell the patient what they will experience when they choose you
- - Video of you welcoming them to your practice
- - Video introducing each of your staff members they will meet when they call, visit and have surgery/procedures performed.
- - Other patient videos saying how great you are and how they love their result
- - A downloadable special report to answer their burning questions
- - A downloadable gift card to experience your practice for the first time
The better and most complete experience your prospective patient has on your website, the more chance you have of them converting to a call, then an appointment and then a procedure.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Non-Invasive Procedures: How To Stand Out Amongst Competition
Posted by: | CommentsThe secret is: You don’t compete – you differentiate! You make sure your old, current and prospective patients know why you are different, specifically why you are perfect for them. That starts very early on and continues indefinitely. The aesthetic patient is always asking, “Is the price worth the time, money, effort or can I get the same result for less elsewhere?” To keep the, you must show them why they chose you, and show them often.
Since patients buy emotionally and then justify logically, it’s your job to remind them (in subtle ways) you are more qualified, more experienced and more skilled than others. Or perhaps you are faster, offer extended or special hours for appointments, or offer a guarantee. You never want to criticize your competitors, so focus on how you go above and beyond.. Build yourself up so your patients come to the logical conclusion on their own.
How do you build up your image? Print your medical association and hospital affiliation logos on your website, your business card, your letterhead, practice brochure and everywhere else your patients will see it. Be sure they see testimonials from other physicians who sing your praises since that’s super credible to a patient. Go above and beyond your competitors. “Sell” services you can perform that others cannot such as hospital privileges “just in case”.
Better yet, address the issue head on! Write a special report called “5 Things You Should Know About Your Aesthetic Physician” or “The Truth About Injectables” and then write it with a slant that would be only favorable to you. Now offer this special report in your advertising, your promotional materials as well as your Website to attract your preferred patients.
One last note, you have to know who you want to attract. Adding qualifiers to your promotional efforts helps you weed out those patients you don’t want and attract those patients you do want.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Aesthetic Patient Data: The Key To Target Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsYour current patients are always your most effective target market because they already know, like and trust you. And, they are much more apt to respond to your promotional efforts.
The secret to marketing to them effectively is to give them a personalized message they will respond to. How do you do that? The answer is you customize your message based on your records.
For example, tell your Botox patients that other Botox patients also loved the youthful effects they got when adding fillers to smooth wrinkles. Tell your veteran wrinkle filler patients there are new, long-lasting fillers and restructuring fillers available to not only smooth facial wrinkles but to also rebuild the cheek area to give you a mini jowl lift.
Use your records to flag patients who haven’t been in for awhile and offer them a “Welcome Back” gift when they return to you.
For those who came in for a surgical consultation but didn’t book, offer them a very special one-time-only, on-the-fence offer they can’t refuse.
And, lastly, by all means, use your patient data to thank anyone in your database who has referred friends to you They love to be acknowledged, and your appreciation encourages them to refer others.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Increasing Aesthetic Revenues In A Challenging Economy
Posted by: | CommentsGive your patients affordable solutions for their concerns .
Your goal should be to keep your aesthetic patients coming to you no matter what is going on in the economy or your practice. Trust me, if they were interested in looking good last year, last month and yesterday; they are still interested in looking good this month and this year and next year, but you need to help them! They need cost-effective interim solutions to hold them over while money is tight.
This is the perfect time to offer them “beauty on a budget”. So, for those who were considering facelifts should be educated on fillers. Those who were interested in fractional resurfacing should now be educated in microdermabrasion and peels.
The point is to keep them returning to you and your staff. You never want them to wander off to someone else since they may never find their way back to you.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com
Remember the rule in marketing – it’s not what did it cost – it’s what did it bring you in terms of new patients, revenues and credibility/name recognition with those who already know you?
With that said, you gotta look at your ad design. If it’s all about you and your services – don’t count on your phone ringing. If it’s all about the patient and their interests and you give them a reason to want to learn more – it should more than pay for itself. By the way, breaking even on an ad is successful IF you and your staff do everything you can to keep that new patient coming back and referring their friends.
Another advantage that is often overlooked when advertising in print is the “long legs” effect of your ad. It can be framed and hanged in your office so your patients and prospective patients see it and are impressed. It can be turned into a press release and uploaded to PR websites to increase your SEO rankings. It can be turned into a personality piece that is added to your patient information packets for added credibility and it can be uploaded to your website. Print is permanent so use it strategically to keep it alive.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
How To Determine Effective Marketing Modalities in Your Geographic Area
Posted by: | CommentsFirst, define your perfect patient. If you could handpick the patient you most want to fill your reception area, who would they be in terms of age, geography, gender, income, and socio-economics such as married, with or without kids, professional or stay-at-home moms and so on.
Now you need to survey them to learn specifically where they go for information. Learn what they read, watch, listen to and visit on the internet. Learn if they belong to certain groups, attend certain events and hang in certain corners. Once you have this information, you know where you need to focus your efforts.
You may learn the majority of your patients still read your local newspaper every morning so advertise your in-house seminars until the response diminishes. You may also learn the young mothers in your area are all on one e-newsletter that is circulated amongst them weekly, so you really want a banner ad there.
It is important to track all of your results by conversion rates since they can be misleading. You may get several calls but they don’t convert to appointments. You may get prospective patients to visit you but not book. That is a clue that something is wrong – your message, your market, your media, or the way your staff is interacting with the patient. So, you’ll want to test, track and tweak.
Sorry to say it, but advertising today is a moving target and one ad does not fit all patients; however, if you held a gun to my head and made me pick one medium – it would be the internet. I would work with professional SEO experts who can back-end code your website to help ensure you get ranked by Google and then set up a system to work those internet leads so they pay off.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com . Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
