The plastic surgery market is booming. Thanks to the influence of Zoom Meetings during the pandemic and beyond, facial plastic surgery procedures saw a 40% increase in 2021. After so many Americans found themselves on Zoom calls for hours each day, we’ve had ample time to over-analyze our imperfections and be motivated to seek aesthetic procedures like never before.
Pair the “Zoom Effect” with a more flexible, work-from-home environment that allows for an easier recovery from surgical procedures, with a surplus of disposable incomes saved from almost two years of being mostly at home, and you’ve got a steady stream of patients who want to look better on and off camera.
Are your marketing strategies effective enough to captivate this audience of potential new patients? These six digital marketing tips for plastic surgeons can help you stand out from the competition, attract and retain new patients, and grow your practice.
What is digital marketing for plastic surgeons?
When it comes to digital marketing for plastic surgeons, strategies for managing reputation, online optimization, and content are major drivers of your practice’s success. These elements help establish relationships with future patients, make it easy for them to find you online, and offer valuable, educational content for men and women in your area who are considering plastic surgery.
It’s important to take an integrated approach to attracting new, high-value patients, so digital marketing strategies drive traffic to landing pages or your website, and prompt patients to call you, schedule a consultation, or enter their contact information so your office can reach out to them. A successful digital marketing strategy also helps establish your unique brand and credibility in your specialty areas.
Consider these tips when you need to establish or rethink your digital marketing strategies.
1. Establish a presence where your audience spends time.
Since the internet is where the majority of your patients and prospects spend their time, it makes sense that you reach your target audience in the digital space through the following ways:
- Brand ads help your practice appear at the top of search results when prospective patients search for you by name.
- Provider reviews improve your online reputation (see more about this topic below).
- Social media advertising can help you reach even more potential patients who are scrolling through their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
- Google Business Profiles, when they are well optimized, can help your practice rank higher in organic search results.
2. Create a user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing website.
Part of your digital marketing strategy should include a user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing website. You are asking patients to trust you with their health and personal aesthetic needs, so your website should reflect this. It helps build your brand as a trusted physician and expert in your field.
Make it easy for patients to find what they’re looking for, such as the types of procedures you offer, and invest in professional before-and-after photos for your website. Photos speak volumes about your work, and allow new patients to see the success of others who have undergone similar types of plastic surgery procedures.
3. Keep your site up to date with educational blog content.
Educational, search-engine-optimized blog content that answers common questions about the services you offer is another valuable piece of your digital marketing strategy. New patients often turn to the internet to look for answers about procedures such as what’s involved, length of recovery time, and outcomes. Provide this type of content using common language—not too technical or clinical—so patients can find the information they need on your website. Keeping your blog content current also helps your practice rank higher and get found more easily by search engines.
4. Manage your reputation.
As a plastic or cosmetic surgeon, your reputation precedes you—perhaps even more so than it does for other healthcare specialists. If your practice and provider reputation doesn’t accurately reflect your level of expertise and care, new patients won’t be motivated to schedule consultations.
Online reviews are the first step in choosing a new physician for three out of four patients. Before someone even visits your practice website to learn more about you and your providers, they read reviews to see if others had a good experience. Reviews are third-party proof that your practice is reputable.
Reputation management means your online presence accurately reflects the care your practice provides. When you use an automated review platform like SocalClimb’s, patients automatically receive a text or an email asking for feedback within 24 hours of an appointment. This feedback gets pushed out to Google, Healthgrades, and other review sites so you can be found in searches for reputable plastic surgeons in your area.
5. Choose a HIPAA-compliant digital marketing platform.
As a physician, you already know the importance of maintaining HIPAA compliance. With the right digital marketing platform, you can still send HIPAA-compliant text and email review requests. SocialClimb’s healthcare marketing software was designed with HIPAA compliance at the forefront. We keep your PHI safe while making it easy for you to deploy an industry-leading digital marketing strategy.
6. Measure your marketing results.
As a final tip for your plastic surgery practice, remember the importance of measuring your digital marketing results. How else will you know what’s working and find areas that need some adjustments? SocialClimb’s platform makes it easy for you to measure results, including your patient acquisition costs—an essential piece of information that impacts your bottom line.
Need help with any of these tips? Give us a call at 801-304-3155 or click here to schedule a few minutes with one of our experts, and see how SocialClimb can help grow your practice.
