On the spectrum of obsession, you can go all the way from a harmless first crush in 3rd grade to….well, boiling rabbits. While some might feel that any attention is good attention, and we certainly want to help our clients build rabidly loyal patients, there are limits.
Many of you (rightly) put a line in the sand on what personal deets to share on social and in offline patient interactions. We’re all for it. And we’d never want you to do anything that might attract wackadoodles or indulge the unhealthily obsessed. But there are downsides in keeping too much distance between yourself and your patients, and failing to make the deeper personal connections that get those emotional juices flowing.
Frankly, ho-hum, forgettable service is just not acceptable in a marketing environment that feeds on glowing 5 star reviews, patients talking you up constantly on social media, and people having a true passion for touting your brand.
So what can you do to build your team of superfans and delight your current superfans? The foundation of superfandom is excellent results. If you aren’t delivering unbelievably good outcomes for patients, everything else is window dressing. But even if you are delivering great results, there are many more components that go into turning happy patients into superfans. Let’s take a look!
Provide a Consistently Excellent Experience
This one is far easier said than done. You need a consistent message and experience every step of the way, from the first time a person sees you on Google or social media all the way to their final post-op consult (and beyond).
We encourage a very deep dive on this. Leave no stone unturned.
- Your physical office space – Over the years, we’ve seen some beautiful offices. And frankly, we’ve seen some offices that felt sketchy as hell. Remember, folks – you are in the aesthetics business! What your office looks like matters. So does the area it’s in. You might be used to the way things are in your office and feel comfortable there, but that’s the trap! Always look at your office with a critical eye and ask yourself what a patient might not like about it. Set aside a remodel/refresh budget each year and force yourself to make updates, even if it doesn’t feel all that out of date to you. This last point is a great tip for your website, too.
- Your staff vibe – Again, we’ve been to offices where it immediately feels like we’re part of the family. And we’ve been to offices that might as well have had a “No F*&%s Given” sign on the entrance. Wake up and smell the dysfunction! If there is tension among staff members, your patients will pick up on it. If your staff doesn’t truly embrace a customer service model, your patients will feel unimportant. If your staff turnover is high, your patients will miss the consistent connection.
- Your demeanor – Plastic surgery offices, for better or worse, tend to mirror the personality of the surgeon(s) who head them up. We could write a book on surgeon egos (don’t make us!), but let’s just leave it at this: you very well may be the best cosmetic surgeon in all of the land. Good for you. Now be a great human being, too.
Be Respectful with Contact Info
The quick guide here is simple: don’t be a creep. Don’t scrape info and start contacting your patients in ways they didn’t OK or ask for. Ask upfront how your patients prefer to be contacted, and follow it 100% of the time. It’s true that the majority of people now appreciate an appointment reminder text or two. But some don’t. So don’t just sign up every person who schedules to start getting text messages. Ask, and adapt your processes to accommodate patient preferences.
82% of consumers favor a brand’s messaging that uses their data responsibly. This is an 11% jump just in the past year. Along these lines, it doesn’t hurt to take a fresh look at your privacy practices and flip the script on your HIPAA notifications. Instead of just making it another intake form to complete, actively engage with clients about what you do to maintain privacy and keep their data safe.
Start or Beef up Your Loyalty Program
Happy patients are loyal patients. And even if you’ve positioned your office as a premium brand, people are still people – and that means they like free stuff. A loyalty rewards program sends a signal to your existing patient base that you value their repeat business.
The best loyalty programs we’ve seen are often the simplest. For instance, get a $500 gift card after your 5th injectable treatment. Or buy 4 laser hair removal sessions and get the 5th free. We discourage requiring yet another signup or login for patients to track their progress toward discounts. Yes, we know the popular Allē program and several others work this way, and some patients love it. But for many others, it feels like a hassle. Instead, drop an email or text on a regular basis to share their loyalty reward status, and also remind them every time they book or show up for an office visit.
Another angle is to offer exclusive raffles or discounts to people in your loyalty program. For instance, hold a random drawing (which you’ve promoted heavily on social media, of course) to give away a free Morpheus skin rejuvenation treatment to a lucky member of your loyalty program.
We’re not encouraging you to turn your practice into some carnival of discounts, but we are saying that it pays to ensure your loyal patients know just how valuable they are to you.
Connect Personally
If your practice is at all efficient, you’ve automated many of the more routine tasks like patient reminders and intake paperwork. But watch how much automation you sign up for. Many of our most successful clients are still extremely high-touch both before and after a procedure. They contact prospects personally, spend a bunch of time with them in consult, check in to answer questions the day before a procedure, and follow up regularly afterward.
The personal connection doesn’t necessarily have to be with the doctor alone. This is where a highly skilled and empathetic patient care coordinator is worth their weight in gold. The bond they forge can make the difference between a patient who is happy with her outcome and one who is ecstatic.
The personal connection you and your staff make is critical in achieving two of the most important online assets you can get from a patient: a great review, and candid photos showing them enjoying life after their surgery. It’s WAY easier to get a review when a patient is over the moon and looking for a place to share their happiness. The same is true when checking in with them 6 or 12 months down the road and asking them to share some of their favorite photos.
The Road to Superfandom
You likely already have many patients who simply love their results and take the opportunity to share their story with whoever will listen. You can build your fan base by empowering these superfans and creating more through the continually good service and results you deliver. While you won’t have patients lining up with their faces painted waiting for your autograph as you leave work for the day, building your lineup of superfans is just as important to the success of your brand as it is for any sports team. It’s time to play the game!