WiAM: What is amazing marketing?

Alex Bugg

Anna Hemming

Katie Hughes-Dawkins

Vanessa Bird

While recording a forthcoming episode of the WiAM podcast, the panellists shared their tips and tricks on marketing a new clinic. Vanessa Bird, an aesthetics business coach, has been working in the industry for 16 years, with experience in consultancy and sales. She believes that authenticity and consistency are the keys to good marketing.

“It has to be genuine; people pick up on it if it’s not. It has to be you, because you’re representing your brand day to day, and it’s going to drain your energy if you’re trying to be someone you’re not.”

“Be very honest and consistent with whatever you’re doing. One thing I learned fast in sales is that, when things are going well, that’s not when you stop marketing, promoting and pushing your message out there, because it is going to drop. Whatever you’re doing, you have to always be doing it, not just in the peaks or the troughs when you’re struggling to get patients.”

Dr Anna Hemming, owner of Thames Skin Clinic, shares in the belief of how important authenticity is.

“I think that that’s critical actually, to be genuine. It’s one of my core values for my clinic. It is about making sure that everything you post is something that you believe in and it’s part of your brand. It’s part of your vision. It’s part of everything that you want to portray.

“These messages are going out everywhere. You don’t know who’s going to see them. You just have to make sure that they are 100% true. Only broadcast what you’re capable of, and what you genuinely believe are your best possible and unique treatments, your service, and all the things that you want to share have to come from your vision and part of your personality.” Alex Bugg from specialist marketing agency Web Marketing Clinic shared her thoughts on video marketing as an option for someone opening a new business.

“I think video marketing is one of the best ways to create a connection with a patient before they step over the threshold into your clinic because they know you, they recognise you, they’ve heard your voice.

“Again, we’ve always got to be authentic. We’ve got to deliver those messages that are driven by you and your brand. You could be doing something as simple as creating videos in selfie mode on your phone, or you could be bringing in a production company.

“One of the great things about video is you can film loads of content in one day and then drip-release it over a month, two months, three months, six months. You can chop and change it in different ways to suit different platforms and placements.

"And I think that it is something that really elevates your brand.”

Katies Hughes-Dawkins has 23 years of experience in the medical aesthetics industry, and she called on her experience in clinic management to advise on diversifying your marketing efforts.

“We know that patients aren’t one dimensional. They don’t just watch TikTok or Instagram or just open emails. Everybody is going to be slightly different. I think it’s important to make sure that we’re diverse in how our patients find our services, as well.

“Don’t forget the old-school values of networking. Going out and speaking to your local area, and making friends with other businesses, with other business owners, with people that might be influential in the area as well. Groups in the area, whether it’s a Pilates class or a group of mums or something like that. Those are going to be free voices for you if they love what you do, and they come in and enjoy your services. They’re going to refer other people to you, and a referral turns into two, which turns into three or four.

“We know when people love something that they speak to their family and friends about it. They glow when they’re talking about it as well. I think that coming across from a completely unbiased perspective is really key.”