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The cosmetologist makes the procedure Microdermabrasion of the facial skin of a beautiful, young woman in a beauty salon.Cosmetology and professional skin care.
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Apr 26, 2017

How to Get More Clients (and Keep Them) for Your Medical Spa

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by Karly Sandsmark
The medical spa market has grown exponentially over the past fifteen years and shows no sign of slowing down.
By the end of 2015, the U.S. spa industry grew to  in annual revenue. With rising popularity in elective medical procedures (hair removal, Botox®, microdermabrasion, etc.), the demand for these services is rising at a steady rate. However, with over 21,000 spas operating in the U.S., the industry is becoming increasingly competitive.
In order for your medical spa to get more clients, you must have a firm understanding of your business’ needs as well as your target market and how to best reach them. But the work doesn’t stop there—it’s no longer enough to merely get a new client, you need to know how to satisfy and convince them that it’s worth their time to continue coming back.

GETTING NEW CLIENTS:

Whether you’re brand new to the medspa world or you’re an established business looking to expand, chances are, you’re always looking for new ways to gain more clients. If you frequently check in with marketing trends, then the term inbound marketing may sound familiar to you. It’s a strategy that allows potential clients to opt-in and choose to get to know your brand rather than forcing your product offerings on them, whether they asked for it or not. To get more clients at your medical spa, consider these elements of your inbound marketing strategy:

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Marketing takes research and planning in order to be effective in any industry, so it’s important to make sure you know exactly who your target audience is before you begin developing content (and spending money on expensive advertising outlets). You also need to know what your audience is looking for and how they most frequently search for answers to their questions.
The first step is developing buyer personas, or characterizations of your ideal clients. They include things like age, gender and socioeconomic status. You may also consider looking into your target audience’s consumption habits, including how they spend their time online, including social media, mobile application, etc. In the medical spa industry, you should aim to develop around three personas. This will ensure you can cover multiple bases with your marketing efforts.
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2. DEVELOP A STRATEGY THAT CATERS TO YOUR AUDIENCE

With your buyer personas in hand, you can begin planning and developing a content strategy best suited to fit your target audience’s needs. Start by creating a list of common questions potential clients may have about your industry and what they might search for online to find that information. For example, a potential medical spa client may ask:
  • What does a facial peel process entail?
  • How long do lip fillers last?
  • What are the risks of Botox®?
  • How many sessions does laser hair removal take?
With those topics in mind, consider the best ways to deliver the information. Consider blogs, social posting, e-newsletters, infographics, eBooks, etc. to turn those individuals who fit your personas into clients. But that’s not all—in order to effectively track your marketing efforts, you need an automation/management system (like  or ).

3. USE A COMBINATION OF TACTICS

Just because inbound marketing tends to focus on digital and online content doesn’t mean you can completely ditch all other marketing methods. Finding the right balance of marketing content is key. Consider a mix of inbound, digital and traditional marketing methods. Print materials, such as in-office brochures, print ads and in-store graphics can be just as beneficial as social media marketing, and if you’re new to the area, hyper-local print advertising can help you get the additional exposure you need.

KEEPING CLIENTS:

Getting clients is hard enough, but you know what’s even harder? Keeping them. Luckily, several medical spa procedures are repetitive or series treatments. Botox®, waxing and laser hair removal are all examples of procedures that involve regular upkeep, but how do you ensure that first-time clients come back to your spa for additional appointments?

1. EMAIL

Start with your client intake process. When a new client comes in for the first time, you should have a system in place to maintain contact with them after their initial appointment. The easiest and most effective way of doing so is through email. If you’re practicing the inbound methodology, you may already have email marketing in place. (If you don’t, make sure to check out our  to medical spa online marketing.)
Consider having clients fill out an intake form that asks for their contact information, especially their email address. With that information, not only can you send appointment reminders and receipts, but your emails could include anything from surveys to offers to new products and services. It will help keep your brand in the front of your customers’ minds and will encourage them to keep coming back for more!

2. LOYALTY PROGRAM

If you want to take your client retention strategy one step further, consider developing a loyalty program. Studies show it is more cost-effective to maintain clients than acquiring new ones (current customers spend  than new customers). One of the best ways to keep current clients returning to your business is by offering them an incentive to come back.
You don’t need to outrageous deals to encourage clients to return. Rather, consider a  that fits your business’ needs. It can be as simple as buy ten massages, get the eleventh free, or refer a friend and receive 20 percent off of your next visit. A loyalty program offers another way to keep in touch with clients and allows you to offer exclusive content to that will help build their loyalty while encouraging them to invest more in your services.
We’d be lying if we said marketing your medical spa, or any business, wasn’t a full-time job. While some medspas can afford to hire an internal marketing director, it can sometimes be much more efficient to have a  create and manage your marketing efforts. The most important thing to remember is that you need to think of your clientele first, but within a scope of marketing that your business can afford to implement. With the right combination, you can get new clients and increase the number that return to your medical spa.

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