Trust is the most important aspect of any doctor-patient relationship. Before someone even contacts your office, or before they schedule a repeat treatment, there are some basic levels of trust that need to be established. If not, they’ll look elsewhere for a provider who seems like a safe bet.
Are you screwing up patient trust before you even have a shot at connecting during a consult? Here are some common missteps we see from aesthetic practices online.
Your social media doesn’t feel real
People are already struggling big time with social media. More and more users realize much of the content is harmful to mental health, overly salesy, and creepily invasive. Don’t add to the negs by putting out lousy content just because you “have to post something.” You don’t. Your fans will appreciate you more (and you’ll be in the best position to grow your audience) when you say and do authentic things on social.
You spam them with marketing texts
We’re big believers in text message marketing. But use it, don’t abuse it. Folks who have opted in to getting marketing messages from you want to hear about killer deals, seasonal specials, and more. They don’t need a general reminder about your services or weekly blasts letting them know that appointments are available. Respect their time by only texting when you have something of genuine value to say.
You don’t have enough great reviews
When it comes to online review, volume speaks volumes. We have to talk a client off the ledge from time to time when some crank posts a nastygram on their Google Business page, but keep it in perspective: if you have 200 great reviews and 3-4 complainers, your average will still be super high and any reasonable person will see that you’re running an outstanding service business.
As we’ve covered before, there are so many ways to crank up your review pipeline. The method you use really doesn’t matter as long as it’s consistently building more and more reviews. Set a reasonable goal, track your progress each quarter, and adjust accordingly.
Your photo gallery is crap
Like it or not, before and after photos are still majorly influential for people considering cosmetic surgery. Follow these 3 rules to make your gallery stand out and show why you are the surgeon they should choose.
- Post plenty o’ cases, particularly for your most lucrative procedures
- Only show your best results and audit your gallery at least yearly
- Make sure photos are high quality and taken from consistent angles
Your website could be anybody’s website
Does your website truly showcase what you’re about? Your personality, your passions, your perspectives? It’s all too easy to put together a site that may look nice and function well, but doesn’t actually say anything about why you are special.
We recommend taking a few steps to ensure your site experience matches the experience people will have when they come into your office.
- Pony up for some good images of you, your staff and your office. These are all core aspects of your brand. If it’s been more than 3 years since your last photo shoot, it’s time to get another one on the calendar.
- Review your text content at least yearly and add specifics about your techniques and your surgical approach. Better yet, add a section for “In Dr. Soandso’s Words” and craft a personal message about each procedure you perform.
- Pepper in some video content. You can do the usual thing of talking right to the camera about your surgical techniques, or better yet, set up the video in more of an interview or consultation format where you’re talking to a staff member or real patient.
