Why do some surgeons charge 3-5X more than other surgeons… AND have a waiting list?
Why do vendors in our industry pay a ton of money to celebs to tout their lasers?
Because they know social proof marketing works!
What is Social Proof Marketing – Marketing for Plastic Surgeons?
According to Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, “We view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”
That means when prospective cosmetic patients are uncertain about what to do, they look to other people around them they trust (or want to be like) such as experts, celebrities, friends, etc.
People also make judgments based on their overall impression of someone. For example:
Think anything that experts use is great because they are probably more knowledgeable than us in their area of specialization.
We trust user reviews because they have experienced the product or service, unlike ourselves.
5 Types of Social Proof
Expert: Expert social proof is when an expert in your industry recommends your products or services or is associated with your brand. Example: Another trusted plastic surgeon endorses you.
Celebrity: Celebrity social proof marketing is when a celebrity endorses your products. Example: Any Kardashian sings your praises.
User: User social proof is when your current users recommend your products and services based on their experiences with your brand. Example: Your current patients boast about you on their own social platforms.
The wisdom of your friends: This type of social proof marketing is when people see their friends approve your product or service. Example: Seeing their friends use your services and/or following you on social media.
Certification: This type of social proof is when you are given a stamp of approval by an authoritative figure/group in your industry. Example: Voted Top Doc or Castle Connolly endorsement.
Knowing these strategies is interesting but how do you incorporate them to make a difference in your own brand and status? Coming up….
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A Complete Guide to Understanding Your Aesthetic Patient and Growing Your Aesthetic Practice. Catherine Maley, MBA went straight to the aesthetic patient to get the answers you need to succeed with your patients.
Be creative and don’t be afraid to share your successes. Things you take for granted are a big deal to prospective cosmetic patients trying to figure out who is the BEST choice so implement these strategies to stand out:
Celebrate Milestones
Show gratitude for your user or follower milestones. Reaching milestones is a fun occasion to celebrate and a great time to thank the patients who have helped you achieve that.
Here are some of the milestones you can celebrate with your audience:
Reaching X patients served
Milestone of X surgeries performed
Reaching X followers on your social media profile
Practice Anniversaries
Spread the word by sharing on your social media platforms, send e-blasts to your current patients, display in-house signage, and highlight on your website.
Use Micro-Influencer Marketing
Since you probably can’t get a Kardashian to be your celebrity social proof, here’s the next best thing.
Use your current patients with a strong social media influence in a niche area. It’s way more authentic when they actually had work done by you. Give them special pricing for helping you grow your practice.
Have your staff ask your patients about their social followers in a conversational way or check out their stats on Instagram and Facebook and ask them how they got so many followers. They will be happy to brag about it
Reviews
Patient reviews are huge in our industry. The most effective way to get reviews is to ask for them once the patient is healed and ecstatic about their new look.
But make it easy for them. If they don’t have a Gmail account, set one up for them. When they don’t know what to say, give them starter sentences like these:
I wanted plastic surgery because I was unhappy with my ______________
The reason I chose Dr. Smith because _______________
Dr. Smith and his staff were __________ during my surgical journey.
How I feel now ____________________
It’s the patient’s story that is so interesting to other prospective patients who want to experience that story also.
Before/After Photos
Cosmetic patients love to “see” your work and “the more the merrier”.
Develop a protocol (just like you do for surgery) for your processes to get your patients before AND after photos, along with consent.
Set up a photo room or corner/closet in your practice with the same lightening and angles so your photos are uniform and professional looking.
Even if they won’t agree to broadcast their photos all over the Internet, they may be ok if you show prospective patients during their consultation.
And here’s a tip about photos…a prospective patient wants to see themselves in your photos so have a variety of ethnicities and ages for them to preview.
Turn Your Staff into Walking/Talking Testimonials
People tend to adopt the opinions or actions of people they trust so turn your staff into your free sales ambassadors.
There is nothing more compelling than a prospective patient seeing another cosmetic patient standing in front of them who has already experienced plastic surgery from you.
Your staff can share her story and show would-be patients their results.
Have your staff consent to the use of their photos, written testimonial, and shoot a video testimonial to use in social media and YouTube.
TESTIMONIALS
5/5
"Catherine outlined a plan that put key metrics in place, gave us a clear plan to follow throughout the year and trained our staff to increase their conversions by at least 10%. Since engaging with Catherine, I’m happy to report that revenues are up 15% over the last three months - 22% in the last month alone! I highly recommend Catherine’s consulting services to any practice looking for “best practice” additions to their operation."
"I have finally tapped into the most efficient way to grow my cosmetic practice and that is to “fish in the pond of my own patients”. When patients return to my practice, over 85% will purchase another service, product, or procedure. Not only was it worth over $200,000 in revenues this past year, it also reminds my patients I’m still around so they don’t wander off to my competitors. Catherine’s group has far exceeded our expectations and goals we had set up for them to achieve."
"Our consult conversions were running at 40-50%. Then we attended Catherine’s online training and implemented her strategies. They immediately increased conversion rates to 75-80%."
"I know how to run a profitable practice; however, it was not without major staff issues, inefficiencies and unproductive drama. With Catherine's guidance, I reorganized staff, set up processes for them to carry more of the workload and hold them accountable so I have more time to focus on patient care. The changes we put in place and the staff training to convert more callers and consultations will easily increase my revenues by 15% as well as save us time, money and costly mistakes. "
"Working with Catherine and her team has been very profitable. We’re only half way through the year and I’m up $200K and I’m booked out for the next 2 months even though we typically go into our slow summer months now. Her recent promotion brought in an extra $63,782 with more surgeries scheduled. I never realized how much money was sitting in my patient list but I’m a believer now!"
"Catherine Maley has one of the best Marketing Minds in the aesthetic industry, bar none. She understands the aesthetic patient and she also understands the challenges and frustrations we face as aesthetic surgeons. You will benefit from Catherine's tools whether you are new in practice or a seasoned professional.Turn to Catherine for guidance - she knows what she's talking about."
“Catherine’s Cosmetic Patient Marketing Service has been a great addition to our practice-building overall plan. While we still invest in our online presence, we also found immense value in the internal marketing efforts. We especially like that all results are tracked so we know we are getting a great return ... last year it was 1,148% and no staff time was used. That’s a much easier way to grow my cosmetic practice.”
"Catherine Maley turned our practice around. We converted more consultations in one week than we did in an entire month. Our practice went from a painful 50% no show rate to a remarkable 85% show rate. Even more impressive was our close ratio - from 35% to 80% and still increasing. We would recommend her to any practice that’s looking to not only increase their profits today, but sustain a healthy flow of income for many years to come. Thanks Catherine!"
"Catherine found me the best patient care coordinator I could have asked for. She worked out a payment plan that was fair to me and motivating to my coordinator. She also provided training tools to help my coordinator convert better, even though she was already experienced. The results have been phenomenal. So good, in fact, that my income increased 250% and I’m booked out for 3 months. Don’t waste any more time or money doing it yourself. Outsource to someone you trust!"
"Since we’ve been working with Catherine and her team for the past 5 months, we’ve brought in $79K in surgeries and have booked an additional 17 surgical procedures and 20 non-invasive body procedures since then. This does not include the additional new patient referrals and revenues we are seeing from the on-going nurturing of my current patient database."
"I had given my staff the goal to convert at least $35K per week in surgeries AND I gave them the tools to help which was Catherine’s Online Learning Center at More Patients Academy. They watched Catherine’s modules and implemented her strategies and converted $80K! That equaled a 2,550% ROI. Nice!"
When a prospective patient is in for a consultation for a particular procedure, have that staff person spend a minute with the prospective patient showing off their result.
That’s how you convert more surgical consultations the easier way.
Want to learn more about social proof marketing for your practice? Schedule a 30 minute consultation with Catherine Maley.
Catherine is a business/marketing consultant to plastic surgeons. She speaks at medical conferences all over the world on practice building, marketing and the business side of plastic surgery. Get a Free Copy of her popular book, Your Aesthetic Practice: What Your Patients Are Saying View Author Profile.
