Marketing Your Cosmetic
Surgery Practice: How Private Practices Will Survive - and Thrive in
the 21st Century
by Angela O'Mara
It has been estimated that
the average person is bombarded with over 3,000 different marketing
images each day. The proliferation of junk mail, diluted media outlets,
and the in flux of medical doctors competing for patients is enough
to make the average doctor seriously question the effectiveness of their
marketing and the price they have to pay to promote themselves.
With the influence of managed
care, an aggressive push has been made by aesthetic surgeons to diversify
their practice and expand upon the services they offer. Although this
increased competition may have put a squeeze on marketing budgets, it
is all the more reason why a doctor must continue to promote his or
her practice. Why? Because a prospective cosmetic surgery patient who
is prepared to spend money on elective surgery must have some way to
distinguish your professional skills, experience and services over several
other surgeons in the area who are competing for the same piece of the
pie.
Given this environment, even
thriving, established practices realize that marketing is a necessity
for continued success. The majority of surgeons are dabbling with marketing,
but only a minority have the tools to implement a sophisticated, disciplined
marketing strategy that will effectively pay off well into the 21st
century.
Backed by our agency's twelve
years of experience in this highly specialized field of aesthetic medicine,
I will first describe the most solid, effective marketing practices
that have stood the test of time and introduce proactive marketing tactics
for the 21st century that will attract a previously unchartered group
of patients.
Image is Everything
Many a doctor has said that word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
Therefore, the first item of importance is the images you portray and
how you are perceived by your patients. Your image via the media, direct
mail, postcards, newsletters, brochures, stationery, your office layout,
furniture, your staff's appearance, and demeanor over the telephone
are all vital elements that stimulate positive (or negative) word of
mouth. First impressions make a big difference and go a long way in
making prospective patients feel comfortable and confident in your services.
Why Publicity Pays
Publicity is defined as a marketing function designed to educate and
increase public awareness to the internal functions and distinctions
of an enterprise Simply put, media exposure gained through TV, newspapers,
magazines, radio, and the Internet is indispensable toward the success
and image of your practice.
Securing publicity involves
a dedication of time, thoughtful planning, a unique concept, a well-written
news release, and a working knowledge of the media. As most news coverage
is not by coincidence, publicity is a detailed process that attracts
new patients via interviews in newspapers, television, magazines, radio
and the Internet.
Once a story is deemed as
newsworthy by a reporter, news exposure can be one of the most lucrative
means of promotion and reputation building. When your marketing person
or agency secures local or national news coverage, the third-party endorsement
from the news media creates instant credibility. Publicity has definitely
proven to a valuable and lucrative way to distinguish a medical practice.
Unlike an advertisement that
is paid by the physician, publicity is more challenging in that the
news media do not have to accept your message. They have a right to
be discriminating as they want to insure that the most informative and
legitimate medical experts and resources are utilized. A surgeon has
a good chance to secure publicity and/or serve as a resource to the
media if they match several aspects of the following criteria:
- Appointment to a leadership
position within a distinguished cosmetic surgery society
- Frequent lecturer/instructor/University
Professor of revolutionary cosmetic procedures
- Implement new procedures,
technology, and ideas into your everyday practice.
- Published in a peer-reviewed
journal
- Inventor/developer of
a new surgical method
- A member of a Surgical
Advisory Board or panel
- You receive an award for
excellence in some professional society or endeavor
- Participation in clinical
research, independent studies
- You have a book published
The All-Important Newsletter
The newsletter is still one of the best ways to inform existing patients
of new techniques, technologies and services in your practice. The healthy
investment of a new laser technology does little to attract the patients
who already know you unless you inform them. A well-written newsletter
is educational and informative and keeps the lines of communication
open.
Your newsletter should be
exactly as it sounds- a letter filled with news! Do not commercialize.
Simply report the latest developments taking place in your field, and
explain how your practice has applied such developments. Repeat procedures
that require follow-up treatments such as a new laser hair removal or
microdermabrasion system are excellent services to promote in a newsletter.
It is important to treat
the production of a newsletter as an event. That is, the message should
be communicated far beyond your database of patients. Your newsletter
should be sent to the press as it may stimulate interest and be worthy
of news coverage, as well as other people within your community.
Advertising 101
Current legislation will likely change the way cosmetic surgeons can
advertise their services in the 21st century. The rules are changing
regarding the use of before/after photos, listing of credentials, pricing
and other copy issues. As advertising is an image-builder, start with
the truth Once you have determined your budget, ad images and copy should
verify the consumer's belief in your services, not insult their intelligence.
Here's the top ten rules
to follow for believable, effective advertising:
- Placement -- Is
it easier for you to find the competition's ad in the newspaper than
it is to find your own? Ask where the best possible location is and
request it.
- Design -- Regardless
of budget, good design will contribute to your ad being seen. Good
photos, fonts, and use of color are helpful.
- Medium -- Choose
the proper medium to communicate your message. For example, a new
procedures and educational seminars will not get a great return rate
if advertised in the yellow pages.
- Audience -- Who
is your target audience? Only when you define who you want to reach,
then you can define how to reach them.
- Message -- What
characteristics or services distinguish your practice from the competition?
Be sure your message comes through loud and clear in your advertising
copy.
- Creativity -- Establish
a creative identity- an original concept or slogan attracts attention
and contributes to success in advertising.
- Timing -- The most
creative advertising campaign is useless if initiated at the wrong
time. Have a plan to allow for enough time to respond.
- Consistency --
Especially when running a regular advertising schedule, maintain consistency
in ad design, location, etc. Research has indicated that at least
nine business-card impressions are required to motivate a buyer to
make a purchase.
- Size -- Depending
on budget, there should be a happy medium between size of ad and number
of impressions.
- Evaluation -- Unless
there is a tangible means of tracking the success of your ads, how
can you justify spending money the next time? Have a means of tracking
responses via a questionnaire, which leads us into our discussion
of permission-based marketing.
Permission-based Marketing,
Please!
One of the most underestimated, yet profitable ways for surgeons to
break through the message clutter is to implement permission-based marketing.
The idea is to ask potential patients for permission to send carefully
targeted, incentive-based messages to encourage patient-doctor interaction.
The average direct mail piece
is considered successful if it draws a two percent response. Even if
the number of potential patients you try to reach is significantly smaller,
a customized, permission-based marketing message through print, electronic,
or infomercial mediums is a smart and effective future marketing strategy.
It is not uncommon to draw a thirty-five percent response rate from
permission-based marketing- that's a lot of bang for your buck! How
do you implement such a strategy?
Every business has permission
opportunities with customers. Give people an incentive to initially
contact you with no strings attached. Even the wealthiest of individuals
likes to receive something for nothing. Perhaps it is a video, a newsletter,
or an online survey to win free products or treatments. Be a friend
and encourage dialogue. Once dialogue is established, then sell your
services with the permission they have given you.
For example, you have established
a dialogue with an individual who tells you her appearance concerns
through a questionnaire, complete with name and address. She tells you
that she would like to remove the unsightly wrinkles around her eyes.
She has just given you permission to offer solutions to her specific
concern.
Having cosmetic surgery is
a very personal decision. Therefore, your marketing must also be personalized
to ensure success. Even subtle approaches like personal greeting cards
on a patient's birthday speak volumes in reaffirming that you are focused
on their well-being. These personalized impressions give the doctor
permission to contact the patient because she has illustrated good judgement
and has made the effort to cultivate the doctor-patient relationship.
As in any business, illustrating your unique characteristics insures
loyalty.
Permission-based marketing
materials should include a call for action, whether by fax, 800 number,
e-mail, or web site. Make it clear that you intend to talk to them one
to one, or at least create that impression. By encouraging interaction,
you are building a friendship. Those who volunteer time to speak to
a surgeon are investing their time. When a surgeon freely reciprocates
and dedicates time to address their concerns, permission-based marketing
operates on the ideal that the prospective patient will later invest
their hard-earned dollars with that surgeon.
Cause-related Marketing
Innovative marketing leaders have and will continue to implement cause-related
marketing as a valuable addition to their overall strategy. The donation
of time, resources, services or products to charitable causes, related
organizations, or events identify you with very personal issues. The
public recognizes that you give back to your community, which is admirable.
Prospective patients are more inclined to seek the expertise of a surgeon
who they can relate to.
The corporate world has embraced
cause-related marketing with much success. For example, Saks Fifth Avenue
holds shopping events where a percentage of the sales are donated toward
breast cancer charities. General Motors holds a sweepstakes that gives
away a car to encourage donations toward breast cancer research.
There are cause-related marketing
opportunities for individual surgeons. If there is a personal cause
you support, let your patients know in a newsletter or the public know
through the media.
Any Questions?
Filling out a questionnaire before or after a consultation is not only
an excellent permission-based marketing tool, but it also personalizes
the patient and reiterates the patient's concerns. The purpose is to
learn and research just what it is in the personality of your practice
that appeals to those who come to see you. The following questions address
relevant patient questions and determine if your practice is projecting
the right image:
- How did you hear of us?
- What appealed to you about
our practice?
- Were the staff and surgeons
responsive to your needs and requests?
- Do you feel that you were
given several options?
- Are their any surgical
issues that need clarification?
- Do you feel that you were
able to make an educated decision regarding your surgery?
- What do you hope to accomplish
through surgery?
- What are your major concerns
about this facility?
Utilizing the Web
Many cosmetic surgery practices have maximized the Web's potential for
new business, but it requires a dedicated effort and your own set of
aggressive, attention-getting tactics. Avoid elaborate, unnecessary
graphics that take a long time to download. The underlying benefit of
the Web is expedient access to information. If the site takes too long
to download, the prospective patient will not wait around to see your
site and simply cancel the downloading process.
An important marketing strategy
when promoting your practice on the Web is to consider a professional
search engine. As cosmetic surgery patients turn to the Web to search
for relevant information, web-savvy firms are positioning surgeons as
among the first to be found on the more popular search engines such
as Yahoo and Excite. If your database of patients includes people from
out of state, a listing strategy may be an option. However, do not completely
rely on search engines to help prospective patients find you. Traditional
marketing methods are necessary to secure the success of your site.
One of the easiest, least
expensive ways to promote a site is to link your page with every other
non-competitor that shares the same interest, be it an association,
referral service, etc. For example, the American Society for Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery (www.plasticsurgery.org) allows a number
of associated plastic surgeons to link with its site. The American Academy
of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (www.AAFPRS) offers a
similar cross-linking service.
While your Web site should
serve as an information piece for patients, it should also double as
a virtual media resource outlet. Give local journalists your name and
Web site address for reference as reporters are increasingly turning
to the Web to search for experts and story ideas.
Whatever your future promotion
goals may be, keep in mind that marketing requires dedication patience,
and persistence. Like the field of cosmetic surgery, success and increased
traffic is achieved in marketing only by implementing innovative ideas,
benchmarking effective practices, and then promoting these services
with a relentless commitment.
Angela O'Mara is President
of The Professional Image, Inc., a medical-specialty public relations
and marketing agency located in Irvine, California. Through the
implementation of patient-oriented marketing and publicity campaigns,
Angela's company has become an international authority in the field
of aesthetic medicine. Angela can be reached at TPI4PR@aol.com
or at www.theprofessionalimage.com.
The above article is reprinted
with permission of Cosmetic Surgery Times.
