I’m sure you are feeling the urge to cut down on your marketing and advertising efforts during the dog days of summer.  Please resist that urge!  It’s actually time for you to step up your promotional efforts to avoid dips and inconsistencies in your aesthetic patient flow.

Let your competitors slack while you actively engage in attracting new patients and re-engage current ones.  That will give you a leg up now and set you up for a profitable end-of-year.

Here are easy-to-implement creative marketing strategies bound to heat up profits:

1. 1. On-Hold Messaging

Update your on-hold message so callers learn what’s new in your practice.  Magic words are Introducing, Now Offering and Ask Us About.  Also mention a very special offer this month to prompt the caller to start a discussion about it and then change the offer every month to keep your message fresh.

1. 2. In-House Signage

Design and display huge, eye-catching posters in your reception area, exam rooms and restrooms so every human being who walks through your office knows about every single procedure, treatment and product you offer so you never hear the dreaded, “I didn’t know you did that!” and they had it done down the street.

1. 3. Involve Your Staff

Involve your staff in building your practice.   Get their input.  Nobody knows you and your patients better than your staff so when they feel a part of things, they are more likely to go out of their way to help you achieve your goals.

Turn it into a fun 30-day contest.  Set a goal and display it in the lunchroom so everyone knows where they are and how much further they need to go to achieve the goal.

However, they will most likely be asking themselves, “So, what’s in it for me to step up?”  Give them two compelling reasons:

#1)  Set aside time at the end of the day to treat your staff to  Botox, Fillers, lasers, microdermabrasion, etc. so they look great.  They will be your best walking/talking testimonials since they can now relay firsthand experience to your patients and help promote you and your services since they’ve had them.

#2:  Make it worth their while to excel so when they reach the designated goal, they win a girl’s night out or a catered lunch brought in.

And, by all means, show you appreciate them and their efforts.  The number #2 reason staff leave their jobs is because they feel under-valued and under-appreciated so go out of your way to say thank you.

1. 4. Cosmetic Questionnaire

Add a simple cosmetic questionnaire to a clipboard and leave it for the patient to fill out while they are in the exam room waiting for you.

They have the choice to ignore it or to fill it out to learn more about solutions to their concerns.

It’s more effective if the heading says, “What Bothers You?” and then list all the negative things that could bother them such as wrinkles, crepey skin, leg veins, etc.

The point is to help your patients identify everything that bothers them so you can help them now or later.  This will also help to ensure they stay with you for all of their skin concerns rather than turn to you for one service they know you for and go elsewhere for other services.

1. 5. Skin Analysis

In my book, Your Aesthetic Practice, 96% of the patients surveyed told me they liked or would have liked computer imaging and/or skin analysis. Make it a part of your aesthetician’s or patient care coordinator’s process to do this with every prospective patient if they want it.  Nothing is more compelling than a would-be patient seeing their own skin damage.

1. 6. Mirrors

Have mirrors everywhere!  Display big mirrors on the wall but also hand-held mirrors within arm’s reach so the aesthetic patient can study his/her skin concerns while waiting for you.  And, don’t hide them in the drawer.  You want your aesthetic patient to really see what bothers them so they can start that discussion when you enter the room

It’s also strategic to have an 8 ½ x 11 mirror on display facing the patient at the desk where your staff is preparing quotes.  The more the aesthetic patient can see and be reminded of what bothers them, the more procedures you will close.

1. 7. Financing

Be sure your patients know you offer financing.  Have a sign or plaque on or near the desk where you give quotes that say, “Ask Me About Financing” or “Ask Me About Affordable Monthly Payments”.  Then be sure to add that to your brochures, networking cards, ads, etc.

Some of the vendors offer these cool website calculators so use them.  It makes your website interactive since the patient can easily determine what their monthly payment could be and it brings it down to a more palatable number – so, rather than it costing $3,000, they can have what they want now for only $80/month.

——

Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.