Editor’s Note: This guide is evolving. As web marketing changes and as we gain insight into offline channels, we will work towards making this the most comprehensive guide on how to market aesthetics effectively. Bookmark this page and return soon for future updates.

The medical aesthetics industry has seen steady increased growth over the past few decades, and reports show that there is no sign of this trend slowing down. In fact, experts estimate that the industry will grow more than 10% by the year 2023, with estimates putting the medical aesthetics industry at 17.03 billion dollars. This growth is driven by demand, as more and more patients opt for cosmetic procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical.

Plastic surgeons, med spas, dermatologists, and individual medical practitioners are taking advantage of the trend, as many aesthetic professionals are expanding and more practitioners are introducing aesthetics into their practice. However, with more demand and growth comes increased competition.

If you are an aesthetic professional such as a plastic surgeon, med spa owner, dermatologist, or individual practitioner you may be wondering how to capitalize on these industry trends and see your practice flourish.

With the right business and marketing plan, you can expect to see the growth you want and need for your practice. In this guide we give you the advice and resources you need to set your practice up for success. Read on to find out our best tips for how to effectively market your aesthetic services.

The most important place to start with your marketing efforts is within your practice. At the cornerstone of every great marketing campaign should be the quality, care, and experience you deliver to your patients, as this will benefit and propel all of your marketing efforts. Before determining your aesthetics marketing plan, it is important that you evaluate where your practice is and where you want it to go.

Some things to evaluate before embarking on a marketing campaign:

-What services you offer and what services do you plan to add? Do you want to add more staff or amenities to your current practice?

-Do you want to see your practice expand? (As the aesthetics industry continues to flourish many practices have branched out into second locations or even chains.)

-At what rate do you want to see patient acquisition grow?

By asking yourself these questions, you can narrow down your goals and begin strategizing your marketing efforts into a med spa marketing plan.

One of the best places to begin your marketing efforts is within your practice with your current patients, as client retention is key to your marketing efforts.

Happy clients can help bring in new patients and build your brand by offering referrals, leaving positive patient reviews, and trying new services. Word-of-mouth will be your most effective generator for leads, so highlight your patients and their experiences!

Make sure your staff is well-educated on the services you offer so they can offer information, answer questions, and perform comprehensive consultations with patients. Furthermore, a consultation alone offers a great opportunity for you to talk to your patients about ancillary services you offer and upsell on different treatments and/or projects.

If you're not already, consider offering med spa virtual consultations. This COVID-19 inspired surge is here to stay because many patients actually prefer a virtual consult option (less pressure, inconvenience, etc.).
Be sure that your practice boasts ample material that advertises your services and makes informational material readily available to your patients.

Most patients start online before they pursue a treatment or provider. Whether a patient is researching a potential treatment or looking for a practitioner, it is crucial that your practice ranks high on Google within your target market.

To rank well, you need to be search engine optimized. it is important that you have keyword-optimized pages on your website for all of your services that are targeted to your area. For example, if you were to create a BOTOX page and were targeting the Dallas area it should be optimized for the keyword “BOTOX Dallas”.

Your services pages need to be well-written, answer commonly asked questions, and showcase high quality images of your patients’ results.
While patient growth from organic traffic is integral to your long-term strategy, a great way to get patients in the door immediately is to utilize a paid search campaign. By using platforms like Google Ads, you can ensure that your practice will attain maximum and immediate visibility to the target markets that you want. When done effectively with strategic keywords, paid search can be a channel that drives the most traffic to your practice.

While many potential patients will start with a Google search prior to choosing a provider, they will often check social media as well.

Furthermore, with aesthetics procedures always trending, many providers are found based on their social media marketing efforts such as content, following, and follower engagement. Social media allows you to showcase your best work and interact with patients on a direct level through features like IGTV, stories, and live footage on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

When used effectively, social media can propel patient acquisition and help to increase brand awareness. Post content regularly and frequently to keep your followers engaged and be sure to answer any questions potential patients may have.

Furthermore, social media can be a great channel to reach both current and potential clientele about events or specials your practice is having.

Even if you have a steady clientele, it is important that you stay regularly engaged with them to ensure patient retention. Direct channels like email or text marketing can both be extremely successful in bringing new and returning patients into your medical spa.

Email and text marketing keep your practice accessible and at the forefront of patients’ minds when they are deciding on a treatment or provider. For most patients, text messages are virtually always read, usually immediately after they are received.
Both channels can also be a great way to keep clients up to date on changes to your practice, new treatments you are offering, and specials you are having. Timely email marketing, in particular, allow for a level of detail not possible in a text message.

Ready to see your aesthetics practice be at its best? A strategic, well-implemented aesthetics marketing plan is integral to accomplishing your goals for your practice’s growth.

At Med Aesthetics Group we are experts in aesthetics and digital marketing. We have helped both new and established practices increase their patient acquisition through targeted marketing campaigns that utilize SEO, PPC, social media, email, and text marketing.

At Med Aesthetics Group, our mission is to see your practice reach its potential, which is why 90% of our patients see results within their first day of launching with us. For more information about our unique aesthetic marketing services and how we can help you drive patient growth, give us a call or book a free demo to get started with us today!