BUSINESS

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Lisa Kelly delves into the emerging male aesthetics market, taking a leaf out of Dubai’s book, outlining how professionals can stay ahead of surging demand.

Take a look at the top aesthetic websites in Dubai, and you will immediately see that men are given equal standing with women, unlike the UK, where the typical clinic is trapped in the doom loop of marketing to women and directing them to websites designed for females. This was not always the case for Dubai, but the commercial pressure of intense competition meant that the evolutionary jump to capture the male market happened faster than in other geographies, resulting in the fact that there is a 50/50 balance between the sexes booking treatments. There is no doubt that this is going to happen here, and you need to start taking the steps to get ahead of the curve.

WHICH MALE GROUPS ARE BUYING THESE SERVICES

Mr “Corporate Executive” (35-45)

These are the Zoom generation who spend all day looking at themselves during video conferences and want to remain competitive in a youth-biased workplace. They are time poor, opting for lunch break procedures for wrinkles, frown lines and hair restoration.

Mr “High Maintenance” (18-27)

“Wannabe” social media influencers who want to be camera-ready 24/7. Hydrafacial or chemical peels are the type of procedures this demographic seeks.

Mr “You’re as young as you feel” (55+)

Mature men where the realities of ageing are well and truly apparent. This audience is interested in all types of treatment. Mr “Can you fix it?” These are men of all ages who have a specific issue they want to address, like acne scarring, spider veins or hair loss and are looking for bespoke solutions.

“WOMEN ARE BROWSERS AND MEN ARE BUYERS”

Reaching men is a much bigger challenge than marketing to women who actively seek out the latest trends and influencers. Men tend to be solution seekers, looking to solve problems and do not exchange personal experiences and information with each other. As a consequence, the industry has developed new approaches to appeal to this audience on a 1:1 basis. They associated aesthetic services as an integral part of a wellness lifestyle alongside fitness and nutrition. They use influencers – like gym coaches, athletes and prominent male ambassadors from the industry to demonstrate that using services is just a part of a normal, healthy lifestyle.

However, women play a crucial role, acting as the “Gateway Educator” to inform men of potential solutions and to destigmatise what has been traditionally perceived as a female service. Industry statistics suggest women are responsible for introducing up to 80% of new male clients to clinics.

The industry recognises the potential of the male market and is making big investments to reach them. In our earlier articles, we suggested the need for UK Aesthetic clinics to specialise in concepts like the “clinic within the clinic”, and this one area is worthy of investigation.

STEPS YOU NEED TO TAKE

To access this market, you will need to step back and take a comprehensive look at your clinic, the services you provide and how you market them.

Master the male look: Men are not looking for beauty; they are looking for solutions and results. Design specific treatments for one or more of the male audiences described above.

Design the experience: Ensure your physical environment is gender-neutral, with secure, private areas for both sexes. For many conditions, men are only comfortable talking to men, so this might need consideration in your hiring strategy.

Partner with local experts: Team up with high-end local gyms, coaches, fitness instructors, and nutritionists to design wellness programs tailored to specific male demographics, offering a holistic offering.

Once you have a male-appropriate offering to sell, you need to ensure that you have considered the following key areas:

Update your website and social media: This may require you to reconsider your branding colour palette to more neutral tones. Add a dedicated section on your website to list your male treatments and ensure you upgrade your imagery so that it is more balanced between the sexes.

SEO: Men tend to search for outcomes for the conditions they are trying to solve, so ensure that the search keywords you use on your website and in your treatment pages are issue-led, with terms like “improve hair loss for men” and “male acne scarring restoration” and that your website more generally states “Specialist in Male Treatments”.

Not convinced? Do as we suggested at the start of this article and take a look at the clinics in Dubai, then tell me you don’t see the very near future.

LISA KELLY

Lisa Kelly is the founder of Websites For Clinics by Salon Solutions, industry experts helping aesthetic clinics, doctors, dentists and nurses attract new clients and generate new bookings to grow their clinic business.