Stay at home orders are starting to lift and new patient inquiries are slowly starting to trickle back in, but the plastic surgery landscape looks significantly different than it did just a few months ago. From economic uncertainty to patients’ health concerns, the need for plastic surgeons to focus on sustainable branding and marketing initiatives is more vital than ever. 

While this new reality may feel quite uncomfortable, we’re excited to share that the strategies we’ve developed and implemented for our plastic surgeon clients are showing promising results. In fact, the vast majority of our clients are generating either the same amount or more new patient leads than they did in February; a pleasant surprise – even to us. 

Leads Generated for Dr. Ladner in Denver, CO (April 24th – May 24th)

56 New patient calls – 80% surgical / 20% non-surgical

102 New Patient Forms – 70% surgical / 30% non-surgical

TOTAL Leads (4/24 – 5/24): 158 new patient submissions 

Here’s the scoop – while several of our clients decided to ramp down during quarantine, those who followed our recommended strategies are coming out of the gate much further ahead of the game than those who paused campaigns completely. While we understand that not everyone had the luxury of maintaining ad spend during several weeks of nearly zero revenue, my team developed very intentional strategies based on the knowledge that we had available to us at the time and took immediate action. Below are key strategies we’ve used to get our clients immediately back on track and on the path to profitability:

BRANDING FIRST

The foundation of a successful marketing program always begins with branding and brand positioning. Particularly now, people seek a sense of control, comfort and empowerment. Cosmetic procedures often result in a newfound sense of empowerment for patients. In addition, many Americans who are holding their money tightly will only buy from those whom they deeply trust. Re-establishing your brand as an inclusive, transparent and safe experience for both existing and new patients is essential.

The first step is to develop a clear brand strategy and position your revamped brand according to our current reality. From one of the highest points in our recent economy to the highest number of unemployment claims ever recorded in a matter of just a few months – how does one promote luxury services in such an unprecedented time? By being nimble, open minded and inclusive. 

ALLOCATE AD SPEND TO NON-INVASIVE CAMPAIGNS ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM

We’ve witnessed a significant uptick in demand for non-surgical procedures, as many of us are beginning to crawl out of our houses desperate to re-up on Botox and filler. Most of our clients are booked out 2+ months in advance for injectables, but many of those patients are simply rescheduled from missed appointments vs. new patients. Once your current patient base has been served – you need to have a firm strategy in place to continue new patient volume for non-invasive procedures. If you’re like the rest of our clients, your profit margins from non-invasive options are much higher than that of surgery. Now is the time to develop an automated, step-by-step sales funnel that allows you to generate new patient leads for non-invasive procedures by running lead ads on Facebook and Instagram. By employing this method, you will have a scalable, cash flowing campaign that will support new patient volume and help you mitigate potential losses due to a decrease in surgical patients.

Here’s an Example of A High Performing Facebook Ad for Injectables:

Current Cost Per Restylane Lead: $40

Conversion Rate: 70%

All of the leads from this ad are followed up via automated multi-step email sequence with high value content, for example: THE ULTIMATE INJECTABLES GUIDE. This helps us optimize conversion rates and significantly reduce the office’s time spent on lead follow-up. 

The Full Blueprint for This Campaign Looks Like This:

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE SURGICAL PROCEDURES

Offering payment plans, in-house financing options and adjusting your pricing to suit the market trends is one of the most effective ways to generate new patient volume. Even during an economic downturn, people seek to feel empowered and confident. The increasing desire for plastic surgery is not going to change – thank you social media! Yet, in order to create sustainable demand – your practice needs to come up with creative solutions that allow people to access both surgical and non-surgical procedures with relative ease.

We’ve recommended that our clients offer a surgical payment plan program that allows new patients to put a 30% downpayment on their procedure of interest, followed by 2-3 additional payments until the procedure has been paid in full. Once the patient has paid in full, they are then able to schedule their surgery date. 

For those who are priced at the top of the market, consider adjusting your pricing if possible, as long as your margins are able to remain healthy and sustainable with your new pricing structure.

Another option is give patients the option to either pay in full for a small discount on the procedure or pay in installments with interest. Patients will appreciate that they now have options and that the procedure they thought was out of reach may actually be more accessible now vs. just a few months ago. #WinWin

STAY NIMBLE

While our ever-changing landscape may seem daunting, this is actually a call to action; to reevaluate the long-term vision for your brand and determine how you see yourself contributing to a greater cause. Your two biggest assets are the ability to remain flexibly strategic and creative, as these traits will serve as invaluable assets to the survival and success of your practice.