As a full-circle agency, specifically and exclusively operating within the cosmetic, aesthetic and beauty sector, we’re tasked with delivering quality patient leads through to the clinics in which we represent.

This is no mean feat of course! Consumers now have even more choice when choosing aesthetic treatments; the treatments on offer are vast, and as there’s new clinics opening up all the time; this further dilutes patient leads for those existing and new clinics too.

So, how do you cut through the noise and succeed in driving quality, high converting patient leads through to your clinic?

There are many ways to drive patient leads through to you.  However consumers have become increasingly fickle, and often have little loyalty when responding to online advertising that’s price driven, and invariably, as I’m sure you’ll agree – these are the worsts patient leads to have anyway!

Most people spend a lot of time researching the most suitable treatments with the best clinics.  So with this in mind it’s imperative that you’re in front of them not only during their research, but also when they’re ready to enquire too.

Thomas Smith, a famous 19^thcentury publisher published a book called ‘Effective Advertising’ he talks about these themes, and coined this process ‘effective frequency’ – the ability to be visible all the time to your target market.  Whilst the book was written in 1885 where the limits of advertising were only available in print, its widely still relevant today:

The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
The second time, they don’t notice it.
The third time, they are aware that it is there.
The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
The sixth time they thumb their nose at it.
The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
The ninth time, they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.
The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.
The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what is offering.

Herbert E. Krugman who wrote ‘Why Three Exposures may be enough’ obviously has a slightly more conservative approach on the number of times your potential customers need to see you, but the general theme of ‘effective frequency’ is widely accepted in maximising patient leads through to your clinic:

MORE FREQUENCY = MORE EFFECTIVE!

Coca-Cola is a case in point. They continue to spend billions each year on advertising to maintain their market share – its all factored in on the cost of the sale of their products, and we all know the holiday seasons coming when the red truck appears on our TV screens!

Fast forward to today.  We now have so many ways to communicate our offerings to our customers, – in a multi-channel way.  And whilst only a handful of business’s have a marketing budget comparable to Coca-Cola, there are many cost-effective ways to consistently reach out with targeted PR and marketing drives to generate new patient leads through to your clinic.

We’re also not selling carbonated drinks of course, we’re in the self-improvement business – which requires a high level of skill and expertise, so your potential patients will need to validate this before they enquire – a level of trust must be forged way before they reach out to contact you.

So how can we do this?

Build trust whilst also consistently engaging with your audience via ‘effective frequency’? We’ve so many channels at our disposal now, lets briefly explore them and how, in tandem we can address both of these challenges, which in turn will drive quality patient leads through to you:

PR

Press relations is an important part of any comms strategy to reach your target market. PR can be national or local; trade or consumer. There’s no one size fits all quick fix and each client needs a bespoke approach. Building your brand through PR drives sales, customers and brand visibility – all vital in marketing drives. PR can be frustrating as you don’t always see results immediately, but being consistent with your messaging is important – find out more about our press relations services here.

SEO

Blog writing and efficient SEO of your website content is incredibly important. It helps you build your digital footprint and gives you a strong position online. They key to this is beating the competition – we help through content creation and SEO management to ensure you’re being seen online by the right people.

PPC

Pay per click advertising can be an effective tool when building your online presence. It can cost a little or a lot, but knowing how to manage it effectively is the key. We offer PPC management to take the stress away from you.

Social media

It’s important in the digital age to have a handle on your social media output. That means consistently providing quality, relevant content to build and educate your audience. Whatever your niche or business, having a reliable and steady presence on apps like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and so on will only help to engage your potential customers, reminding them why they need YOU above others.

Next steps

From effective PR campaigns that reach millions of consumer eyeballs in national and local media, SEO and PPC efforts that help our customers get found in search, and social media strategies; getting quality patient leads through to you, requires a multi-channel approach. Not only validating you as the best option for their aesthetic needs, but also by being multi-channel it.

Ask us for more information if you’re looking to improve your patient leads.