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The times are a-changing. In the past, you might have placed a quarter-or half-page ad in the Yellow Pages and called that your marketing plan. Although you thought your ad was (and is) expensive, you probably got telephone calls regularly, so you were satisfied.
While that might have been enough of a marketing strategy for you in the past, it most likely will fall flat today. Even if you're lucky enough to get telephone calls, some of these potential patients won't show up. And some will just waste your time visiting, shopping around and negotiating with you.
It's important, however, to think about advertising and marketing from your patient's point of view. Today's consumers are bombarded by more than 3,000 messages every day. They're on overload. They can't take it all in, even if they wanted to, because there's just too much information to digest. 
You are fighting for the aesthetic patient's time and attention. What's more, you're not just contending with the aesthetic competitors in your area, you're competing with every advertiser who's vying for the attention and the disposable income of this consumer.
In essence, you're asking aesthetic patients to notice you. They have to give up their valuable time and money to stop what they're doing, drive through traffic and visit you so they can spend thousands of dollars to have a cosmetic service that may or may not make them feel better about themselves.
That's a tough row to hoe.
Realistic Results
I would almost guarantee that the results you get from your marketing efforts will probably not be as great as you want them to be. It usually takes longer than you expected, more money than you anticipated and more patience than you have.
Nevertheless, whether you get a good, great or excellent result depends on several elements.
Your audience. Do the people you're marketing to know you? Have they heard of you before? Have they seen you anywhere else so they have some familiarity with you? If this audience doesn't know you, then you have to question whether this is really your target market.
You need to have a clear idea of who your ideal aesthetic patient is and what she wants. You must know her demographics and psychographics, which are her emotional wants and needs. These are the underlying reasons behind her seeking cosmetic enhancement. Perhaps a woman is newly single and believes she'll feel more confidant if she looks younger. Or maybe her daughter is getting married and she wants to look her best in the wedding photos. Now you can address that group with messages that match her needs so she's more likely to respond. Here's a hint: Because you can't be everything to everybody, you need to focus on certain groups of patients who are most likely to respond to your promotional efforts.
Your message. Is your message full of benefits and emotional copy your audience will respond to? Most physicians I've worked with have been surprised that their "Name Recognition" ad-a photo of themselves and a list of their accomplishments-didn't get the telephone to ring. And they're surprised when they spend money for a special marketing effort only to learn that less than a handful responded.
Once you know who your audience is, develop a message geared to that particular patient base. Talk about specific concerns they have and the benefits you can offer them to address those concerns. (See page 21 for copywriting techniques.)
Your offer. In today's world, you cannot expect much of a response if you don't give your audience a compelling reason to respond and a deadline in which to do it. So many physicians pay for "Name Recognition" promotional efforts that are all about them. That's fine if you're not expecting anything more than a few patients telling you they saw your ad. But if you want new patients to come through your doors, it won't work. A well thought-out call to action will prompt the aesthetic patient to do just that-take action.
Consider adding a special offer if they respond by a certain day. This doesn't have to be a discount off your procedures. It can be a value-added benefit, such as a free skin care product, with the purchase of a service. The reality is everyone likes a good deal, and your aesthetic patients are no different.
What's a Good Result?
It really is tough to know ahead of time the result you should get from your efforts. So many variables, such as your written copy, the medium used, the call to action and the timing, can sway your results. You could get as little as .001 percent response or as much as 20 percent or more.
However, to help you decide if a specific marketing or advertising project is worth the cost, do some simple math. You would probably be on the safe side to expect a 1 percent to 3 percent response rate from patients who know you. You will get much less for external marketing efforts attempting to attract new patients. Then determine whether that response will, at least, cover your costs.
And, by the way, breaking even can still be a good thing. If you at least covered your costs, you were able to reach prospective patients who now know you exist. You are that much closer to making them your patients, so the effort was worth it.
Certain strategies, however, can help you increase your return on investment, among them:
Targeted messaging. The more patients feel you understand them and their concerns, the more likely they are to turn to you instead of your competitors. Rather than send out one general message to all of your patients at once, segment your patient database by areas of interest and then target a specific message to that particular group. For example, send your old collagen filler patients information and a special offer to try the newest, longer-lasting fillers. The point here is that you will get a better response because this group already knows about fillers and will most likely be interested in what you have to say.
Personalized care. The more aesthetic patients feel you care about them, the better your response will be. Personalizing the communication by adding the patient's name will help. If you're mailing something to them, handwrite the envelope and send a note. This personalization will not go unnoticed.
Multistep advertising. We all know about the one-step advertising process. You run an ad in your local newspaper or a spot on your local radio station. You're promoting your services and urge new prospective patients to act now by calling you.
As I've said earlier, it's getting more difficult to get a good response immediately from your one-time ad. The audience doesn't know you, so they don't trust you yet. It's asking a lot from them to see your ad, pickup the telephone and visit you for a medical procedure they hope they'll get a good result from. That's why it takes so much repetition to get a response in the first place.
A multiple-step process is a much more strategic way to promote your services. Think of it as "courting" a prospective patient before you go for the big close. It's a method of educating them by using multiple steps of contact so they see the first one, consider the second one and act on the third one.
For example, consider using advertising as a lead generator, rather than a one-hit sales pitch. Prepare informational advertisements that are newsy and interesting and then invite the patient to learn more by calling your office, e-mailing you or visiting your Web site. Offer them a free report with more details. Have them listen to a prerecorded message and leave their contact information so you can follow up. Or invite them to an informational seminar to learn more. The more points of contact prospective patients have with you, the more likely they'll feel more comfortable becoming your aesthetic patient.
Getting a Good Response
Certain elements have been proven to help get you the best response. This applies either to an ad or direct mail piece. They are as follows:
• Bold heading to get their attention
• Benefits as to why they need your help
• Proof so they're comfortable knowing you're the right one
• Testimonials from other satisfied patients like them
• Credentials to reassure them
• Offer that is compelling so they act
• Sense of urgency so they respond now rather than wait.
The best direct response ads use all of these elements. However, if you have to cut the ad down because of space considerations, it's best to address the benefits. Later, you can get into your credentials.
One small nuance can make a huge difference, so you want to test your efforts. Details count. Simple things like using a real stamp vs. a postage meter indicia can make a difference-or not. You need to test your promotional efforts to see which are resonating with your existing patients and prospective ones.
Getting a good response from your marketing and advertising efforts takes creativity, perseverance and the willingness to try, test and tweak accordingly. Then continue to do what works and drop what doesn't. It's as simple, and as complicated, as that.
Catherine Maley, MBA, is author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and president of Cosmetic Image Marketing. Her firm specializes in attracting patients to aesthetic practices using public relations, advertising and creative marketing strategies. For more tips, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
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