Advertise Smarter and Outperform the Competition

08.27.2019 Cox Media

Marketing for Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery, Dentistry and Medical Enhancement Businesses

The global market for cosmetic plastic surgery and minimally invasive procedures will rise to $27 billion by 2019, a 35% increase from 2015.1 How can cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists, dentists and medical spas capture some of that spending to give clients the selfies of their dreams?

To attract clients to your practice, you need to go beyond the “same old, same old” print ads that you (and your competitors) already use. Go look at your waiting room. Are your clients flipping through magazines or staring at their smartphones? I would guess the latter.

Today, your potential clients research cosmetic surgery and procedures online: A whopping 92% of cosmetic surgery patients own a tablet, so it’s quite conceivable they’re researching procedures by watching videos, searching online, visiting websites after seeing a TV commercial, scrolling through before/after pics on Instagram, and texting their friend with the amazing new breast implants.2

TV is still important, too: 83% of consumers “multiscreen” by using a mobile device while they watch TV.3 You can take advantage of the way they switch between screens by presenting ads across devices and on TV, so that your practice is top-of-mind when prospects decide to take the plunge.

And, with today’s digital advertising options, you can not only reach people where they spend the most time — looking at screens — you can have your ads delivered to those most likely to visit you for a service. Imagine serving ads only to people who have already shown interest in the types of procedures you offer, live in a specific ZIP code or even housing development, and earn the appropriate income.

Use the following multiscreen advertising tactics to bring your ads directly to your target clients so you can book more appointments:

ONLINE ADVERTISING

Consumers researching cosmetic surgery or dentistry procedures want lots of details — that’s why 57% of plastic surgery patients go online to search for information.4 What if your practice’s ads were displayed to them?

Online advertising enables you to narrowly target local customers who are searching for the procedures you offer. If someone has searched for keywords like “liposuction,” “dermabrasion” or “lip injections,” or clicked on a competitor’s site, your video ads can be served before any video they watch as they continue to surf the Internet. (These ads are called pre-roll, and they’re trackable, so you can see how they’re reaching and resonating with your audience.)

For people researching cosmetic procedures, visuals are key. Use video to highlight your local customers: Show a liposuction patient before and after her procedure, or film a patient’s testimonial about how whiter teeth helped him look younger and land a new job. Demonstrating procedures such as facial microdermabrasion or filler injections can also ease prospects’ anxiety by showing them exactly what to expect. By being transparent and giving them a real look at the process, you’ll likely convince them to take the plunge and make an appointment.

How can you create such effective videos? Cox Media can help you plan a professional shoot — from planning the story to using the best lighting and backdrops. You can repurpose the video in many ways: as online video ads, longer videos for your company website and YouTube, shorter TV commercials, brief clips for social networks like Facebook and Instagram, and even to play on TVs in your waiting room as patients learn about the different doctors and procedures in your practice. Done correctly, you’ll have video that can last you for years. And, Cox can also help you place your online video and display ads with the right target audience.

TELEVISION

Despite consumers increasingly reaching for their smartphones for entertainment and information, TV still reaches more than 93% of Americans, significantly more than any other video device.The branding power of TV commercials can help ensure that people search for you, rather than the procedures that both you and your competition offer. Air your commercials during programming for viewers interested in improving their appearance, such as makeover shows, dating shows or celebrity-themed reality shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” on the E! network or the “Real Housewives” series on Bravo.

Get the most value from your advertising investment by targeting your commercials to specific customer niches. Cable TV enables narrow targeting of consumers by demographics, lifestyle, geography, ethnicity and more. For example, a medical spa that offers chemical peels, lip injections, laser hair removal and other minimally invasive procedures could appeal to brides by positioning these procedures as a “bridal package” and advertising during wedding-focused shows like TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” Be sure to direct viewers to your website for more information and a limited-time discount.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Given their higher price point, the sales cycle for cosmetic procedures is often months or years long. Building a relationship with prospects on social media helps keep your practice top-of-mind during that journey.

Post photos and professionally shot videos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, answer user questions, or share information prospects may not know. For instance, explain that you offer financing to make cosmetic procedures affordable, or spotlight the techniques that your practice offers.

Boost social media results by adding paid advertising. Did you know more than 45% of cosmetic surgery patients have taken action in the past 30 days based on advertising within social feeds.6 Social media advertisements help you get the most for your ad dollar by targeting very specific groups. For instance, you could target affluent women in a nearby affluent ZIP code who are under 30 and have liked posts about cosmetic procedures or follow cosmetic surgery-related accounts.

GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A LIFT

As you can see, you can get really creative in your marketing, using video to tell prospective customers — targeted because they are the most likely to purchase cosmetic surgery and other procedures — why you are the best at what you do.  Click here to see how others in your industry have put videos to work to grow their practice.

It’s easy to get started: Contact Cox Media online or at 1-855-755-2691 to speak with one of our local advertising specialists in your area. We have the research that will help you find the most likely cosmetic procedure clients, the advertising know-how to reach them, and the expertise to professionally tell your story so they know why you should be their practice of choice. Your cosmetic surgery practice, medical spa or cosmetic dentistry practice will see a real lift!

 


1American Society of Plastic Surgeons, “More than $16 Billion Spent on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery,” April 12, 2017.

2AudienceScan, Cosmetic Surgery Patients, 2016.

4Modern Aesthetics, “Cosmetic Surgery Marketing: The Future Is Online,” January/February 2014.

5Video Advertising Bureau, Reigning Champ: Television Knocks Out the Competition, February 2017.

6AudienceScan, Cosmetic Surgery Patients, 2016.

 

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