Easy DIY Marketing Tips For Your Aesthetics or Cosmetic Derm Practice
Marketing tips that cost you $0 and help secure your business.
You have the power to reach a large number of patient lives in a short time. I’m going to show you some quick ways you can button up your virtual presence to work on moving forward and continue to earn business if not now, soon.
Telemedicine
You may have already implemented a telehealth service so you can continue to provide care for your patients. Covid knocked us on our feet and the occurrence of stress-induced conditions increased for sure. Patients needed you more than ever and still do.
What Happens After Telemedicine: Tips to Improve Your Patient Reach
Update your information in Google My Business
When it comes to search engines, this is your first line of defense. Even if you already have a profile, keeping it up to date will increase your SEO (search engine optimization) and visibility to your online visitors. Google My Business drives patients to your website. People notice when your information is not current.
Things you should update:
Hours
Contact information
Services
Images
Tell patients how they can reach you. They may not contact you via phone, assuming you're not available — especially if your hours are incorrect, or they may not know you are approachable via email or social. Show them how to find you.
Highlight your new telehealth service. This is very important. Your potential patients need to know this is available to them and easy to use. They still need medical care and are feeling at a loss for their creature comforts. Put the information out there for them so they know you’re available.
Add new/updated images. Images are more attractive than text alone and will help you stand out from the rest.
Update Yelp, Facebook, and other social accounts
Make sure you include all contact information, hours, and services. If there is a better way to reach for a quick response, put it out there for your patients to see.
Being present and offering support go a long way.
Email your patients
Not every patient is on social media. Not every patient thinks to reach out to their physician in that way. And for those patients that are on social, their feeds are packed. It’s easy to have your post get lost in their feed.
I recommend reaching out via email. It feels personal and intentional. You can use this opportunity not only to inform your patients of your status and how you can continue to provide medical care, but you can also use it as a tool to earn more business. After all, everyone is trying to keep the lights on.
Here’s a quick sequence you could create:
Email 1:
Welcome email
Say a fresh hello and that you are thinking about your patients. Be positive and offer a level of support. Tell them how your practice is handling this. Tell them about your teledermatology program and give them a link/button to easily book an appointment. Provide a button so patients can opt-in to receive future communication from you. Just because they provide their email on their new patient form doesn’t mean they want to receive continuous communication from you — unless they consented. Ask them to follow you on social, where they can get the latest updates as your practice continues to stay at the forefront of this ever-changing situation.
Email 2:
Check-in with your patients. Inform them of any changes. Provide valuable information like an article link or a social distancing checklist. Add a testimonial to your email about a positive telederm experience with a button/link to book an appointment. Don’t forget to mention following you or subscribing to a newsletter. Provide an easy link or button in the body of the email for them to do so.
Email 3:
Let patients know you are still there and caring for them, even virtually. Include a survey asking them how you can help. Tell them how they can obtain products and gift cards. It’s a great way to support your business and still have their needs met. Offer concierge service (car delivery) or free shipping. This interaction feels simple and safe. If you feel comfortable, mention products and gift cards even sooner.
The purpose of an email sequence is to stay top of mind and start the expectation that they will hear from you regularly. An email blast comes and goes and may never be opened. Track your email openings and click-throughs from a sequence and see what message resonates with your patients.
Update your website
Typically considered a daunting chore, updating your website is a great task to check off your list. This is officially the front door to your practice.
Include a sign-up form to encourage them to subscribe for email communication. This is your opportunity to build a relationship. You used to be able to rely on your physical interaction to do that, now your online presence is the first entry point for many of your patients.
You build interest and improve retention by communicating regularly with your book of business. Start categorizing your patients based on their interests. This helps reach out in a more personal way down the road.
Post on social
This is important for visibility and interaction. Don’t feel like you have to be on social media, promoting your practice, all day.
Posting on social is an easy way to share and engage.
It does not have to be personal information unless you choose. Pick 3 things you’d like to post about and get started.
Tips & Tricks
Beautiful pics
Before & after
Motivational sentiments
Practice updates
Products you love
Here are fairly standard guidelines for posting if you want to increase your presence and grow your following. These are only suggestions. You don’t have to outdo your teenage kid on social. Get as involved as you feel comfortable. You might like it.
Post 1-2 times per day
1-3 times per day
Linked In
1-2 times per week
Many times per day if you’d like, 5-20 times per day