Market value

Jemma Edwards, owner of deliveringdemand.com, looks at how marketing your treatment menu effectively can reap the rewards

A san agency specialising in helping clinics and dental practices grow, we’ve advertised almost every cosmetic treatment on the market over the years. Nine times out of 10, a clinic owner asks us to run a Facebook ad to increase their botulinum toxin and filler patients.

These are, of course, highly profitable, simple treatments. However, not all treatments perform well on all advertising platforms. Some treatments work best on Google, whereas others enjoy better engagement across social media channels.

During the strategy sessions I have with clinics, it’s my job to guide them on what to advertise and, most importantly, what not to advertise and have created a guide on ‘How To Market Each Treatment’, as it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. Spoiler alert – we advise never to run adverts for new patients for Botox or fillers.

Not all treatments perform well on all advertising platforms. Some treatments work best on Google, whereas others enjoy better engagement across social media channels

HERE’S MY GUIDE TO ENSURING YOU ADVERTISE TO YOUR BEST ADVANTAGE:

1. Introductory no-downtime skin treatments, such as carbon facial, laser facial etc., work well for Facebook ads if you focus on the problem it solves, such as pigmentation, with a discount off the first session.

2. Super facials, such as Hydrafacials, are best run as a Facebook ad, with a discount off the first treatment (ideally 50%) or a discounted taster session.

3. Skinboosters – Facebook ads work very well for treatments such as Profhilo, Sunekos orJalupro , especially if you target specific areas of the face (i.e. under eyes/dark circles or neck). Run a lower cost for the first session, such as 33-50% off and target a specific pain point that will grab attention.

4. Regular/classic facials are another good new patient offer. They are seen as ‘low-risk’ treatments, offering the perfect way for patients to check you out. Again, offer a discount on their first session with you.

5. Injectables – don’t advertise these on social media. You might get some enquiries, however, the conversion rate will be much lowerthan othertreatments, as outlined above. Ifyou are looking to increase your injectable clients, use anothertreatment, such as a skin peel or even a skin booster offer, to get new clients to book a treatment with you.

Once they are in with you, you can then upsell your higher offer orthose treatments that patients might be a little tentative about. It also pays to appear in local search results. And while you’re not allowed to advertise for Botox, it doesn’t mean people don’t search for Botox on Google.

The best strategy we’ve found is for clinics to appear in the ‘three-pack’ Google Maps with positive reviews, which we can advise on.

6. Body sculpting – 3D Lipo, EMSCULPT, Resculpt, and fat freezing (such as Coolsculpting or Cryostar) work well as Facebook ads but should be highly conditional on treatment and offer, such as free trial + 50% off or 50% off the first session. This is clear and concise, so avoid wording such as buy three get one free as people can’t work out the value.

7. Chemical Peels – this works well on Facebook and can be offered as a treatment to attract new clients, providing there’s no downtime. Offer 50% off the first treatment, upselling a course of treatments when they come in. Always focus on the problem they are looking to solve (such as acne) and the results they will achieve.

8. Laser hair removal. This is a highly saturated market, but we’ve had great success promoting laser hair removal all year round. You really need a great offer to get people through the door, such as a year’s worth of treatments for a certain price, a full-body offer or 50-60% off their first treatment and an offer on a course. This is a perfect low-risk treatment to attract new patients to your clinic that should be advertised using Facebook ads. It also allows you to upsell other treatments.

9. High-ticket skin treatments with no downtime (such as Morpheus8, NeoGen or similar, such as laser resurfacing, RF microneedling etc.) work really well with Facebook ads, with a no-brainer offer such as 50% off their first treatment. Don’t try and sell people a course of treatments in the ad, as it doesn’t work. People want to try one session first before they commit to a course.

10. Semi-permanent make-up can work well on social media, but you’ll need a great offer alongside a video of a treatment being performed with great results. Google ads for permanent make-up do work, but they need to be well written. We have found the best way to get more permanent make-up clients is to appear in the top three of Google Maps with lots of positive reviews because they need to be able to trust you.

11. Tattoo removal works really well with a discounted offer on social media, but be sure to show a video of the tattoo removal in progress.

12. Invisalign works well with Facebook ads if you run open days with a value stack offer, such as a discount and free whitening etc. Use real images from the clinic and not stock imagery.

13. Dental implants generally don’t work in social media ads unless you’re retargeting people who have already interacted with your practice. Google ads work but can be costly if not done correctly.

Appearing in the Google Maps’ three pack’ for local searches is a good way to get new local patients at a lower cost.

You’ll notice that we use discounts in our campaigns, and this is an objection we occasionally come across with some clinics that don’t understand marketing. Many businesses say they don’t do discounts or won’t devalue their business by offering free consultations.

What needs to be understood is the value of marketing, and while some businesses might rely on word-of-mouth clients right now, they’re only one bad review away from losing their only means to attract new customers.

Other businesses dismiss discounts after being burned by Wowcher or Groupon clients in the past. Simply put, you do not have a relationship with this type of customer – they are only ever looking for the next deal.

Running offers via your own ad campaigns means you have the relationship with the customer, which means that you can work on them and nurture them to become a ‘lifetime value’ customer.

WHAT IS A LIFETIME VALUE CUSTOMER, AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

Let’s say the average customer spends £200 per year with your business but stays a customer for 10 years. As a result, you’re adding £2,000 to the value of your business with each new customer you acquire. The lifetime value of each customer is, therefore, £2,000.

The key point to remember here is that when you’re advertising your services to a ‘cold’ audience, your sole objective is to get them to take the first step towards becoming a customer. Never forget that the people you are targeting with your campaigns have probably never heard of your business, so your goal at this stage is purely to get people in the door.

To do this, they need a reason to try your business, which means you need to provide them with a very simple, highly valuable offer (a ‘no-brainer’) to get them to start a conversation with you as a business. This is why we advocate a strong offer, such as 50% off your first treatment, in our adverts as this helps get clients through the door. Once there, they can find out how good it is, how good you are, and see for themselves the value in the services you provide. In order to get the full benefit of the treatment they have come in for, they need more, which is your opportunity to sell courses or other complementary treatments.

Too many businesses take a short-term view; you can’t expect every potential new customer to buy your most expensive treatments after one advert. In dating terms, this is proposing marriage on the first date. Play the long game. The measure of ad campaign success isn’t profit but how many new customers try the service you’ve advertised. If you break even or take a slight loss, remember that 50 new ‘lifetime value customers’ could significantly boost your bottom line. Acquiring customers is always good, but acquiring the right customers can change your business for the better.

JEMMA EDWARDS

Jemma Edwards is the owner of deliveringdemand. com, helping aesthetic professionals and cosmetic surgeons get more patients and grow their practice.