By: Aly Boeckh
Digital Marketing is Key
As a millennial myself I spend the majority of my work day connected to the virtual Med Spa world, and in doing so I've started to notice some clear distinctions between the businesses that are succeeding in the digital realm and those that aren't. It's really no secret that in order to gain a millennial's trust Digital Marketing is a MUST.
The most successful Medical Spas use digital marketing as an integral part of their monthly budget because they understand how large of a scope the digital world has become. Med Spa Industry Expert Louis Frisina states that, "79% of people use the Internet to search for doctors, and 96% of consumers say site reviews are the deciding factor when choosing a doctor.” In millennial terms that means...
"If you're not on the Internet, you might as well be non-existent."
Digital Marketing equates to transparency for the millennial consumer, and it is the greatest amount of leverage you can have when competing within this industry. People can get botox anywhere and they can choose the cheapest option available, but
millennials will choose you over their neighbor's botox party if you can instill that trust in your online presence. Dori Soukup from
InSPAration Management says that you need to cultivate trust by building your online presence. "It's all about trust, When people trust you they're going to come back and spend money with you."
Some questions you should candidly ask yourself include: Is my site outdated? Mobile-friendly? Does it take longer than a second to load any page? Does every link work, including links to social media pages (VERY important to millennials)? Is there an email or contact form available? Are the images authentic and real representations of my practice (stock images are a big no, no)?
Promote Your Expertise on RealSelf
Ask yourself, "Are you an expert in your industry and willing to share your knowledge to make a difference in a consumer's life?" If you answered yes, then joining
RealSelf is your solution to 1) promoting your expertise, 2) advertising your practice, and 3) making a huge difference in a consumer's life. RealSelf is the world's largest community for consumers to learn and share information about cosmetic surgery, dermatology, dentistry, and other elective procedures. Stephen Weber, MD, FACS says, “RealSelf continues to be our most reliable source of referrals.” It's mutually beneficial for both Consumers and Doctors, and it builds that trust with millennials, a.k.a the skeptics to internet forums.
Include Testimonials
Whether you have
Yelp reviews or testimonials included in your site, you MUST have some form of reviews page that is easily accessible to consumers. Millennials want to hear what people are saying about your practice because they are no fools to marketing/advertising. They will also analyze how a practice is responding to consumer's reviews on Yelp, especially the negative ones. Ask yourself, does your business ignore the negative comments or worse, respond defensively? Millennials interpret the response from the company as something that makes all the difference during their decision-making process.
Offer Online Booking
Millennials LOVE short-cuts. They are the do-it-themselves of this world. If there's an option to online-order they will choose it over picking up the phone because to them it feels like they are cutting out the middle-man. So offer online booking! Unless of course it's someones first visit, then instruct them to make an initial phone consultation. However, for your repeated loyal customers, allow them the ability to book online or even on their mobile-device. It makes millennials feel that the practice is running smoothly and is organized enough for virtual appointments to continuously be made on top of the regular scheduling process.
Social Media
The Social Media world is very transparent to millennials. It's no doubt that millennials will often times start their research on social media and eventually work their way to your website from there. Millennials will judge the aesthetics right off the bat. Stock imagery to them looks irrelevant, overdone, and fake. They want to see photos that make them FEEL a certain way, like real before and after images that genuinely show a huge difference from a procedure. Or real-life videos demonstrating the procedure process. They want to know more about the doctors and your company culture, so do staff highlights and include captions that connect to consumers and engage with them.
Be authentic, present, and honest and the millennials will come to you.
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