Medical Spa Marketing - Spa Marketing

Spa Marketing > Strategies for Medi, Day Spa & Salon Professionals

April 10, 2007 |

Creating Buzz: Top Tips for Spa Marketing:

Best practices include understanding your niche, emphasizing your brand, and looking beyond the spa next door…
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By: John Jesitus
Cosmetic Surgery Times
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National report… As Nancy Trent sees it, effective medical spa marketing starts with a clear idea of what it is you want people to say about your spa practice.
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FIRST THINGS FIRST As president of Trent and Company, a New York based public relations (PR) firm specializing in medical spas and healthy lifestyles, Ms. Trent tell s Cosmetic Surgery Times that she urges her clients to do some self-reflection: “What makes one’s medical spa practice special? Is it the trendiest? Does it provide the best results?”
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Only after the formation of that desired end-image and message does she recommend employing the following PR tools and strategies to successfully disseminate it:
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A PRESS KIT This should include backgrounders, bios and plenty of before-and-after patient photos.
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AN EFFECTIVE SPOKESPERSON “You wouldn’t go into a trial without getting training from an attorney,” says Ms. Trent. Nor should you enter a media interview without learning through mock interviews how to be succinct, organized and engaging, she says. Tips here include limiting focus to only three main points, smiling and being “absolutely honest” if you can’t answer a question on the spot.
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FREEBIES “It’s very useful to make sure that media representatives come to one’s medical spa to get treatments,” she adds. And when they show up, she says, “Treat them like rock stars. If they write an article or do a television segment, your phone is going to ring.”
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A PR CASE STUDY When Juva Skin & Laser Center launched about seven years ago, “Not only did we invite media, but we al so invited local physicians of other specialties because they can be another great referral source,” reveals Angela Caponi, Juva’s chief operating officer and co-founder of the Medical Spa Society.
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“Many people have lasers now, so one must be more innovative” in separating oneself from competitors, adds Michael H. Gold, M.D. Other necessities include a marketing plan and perhaps a PR agency, he says.
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“One doesn’t want to come out in the newspaper and say, ‘Botox special — one dollar a unit.’ That’s not going to [help] in the long run. One needs high-class, high-profile advertising,” particularly in the beginning, plus internal advertising as one’s client base grows, he says.
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At Juva, “We’re very big into branding our name,” says Ms. Caponi. “Juva’s name is all over when one walks into the Center,” even on candy wrappers and bottled water, she says.
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GOING MULTIMEDIA In keeping with these efforts, the medical spa publishes a quarterly newsletter for its 40,000 patients, highlighting happenings such as research studies or equipment additions. “It’s quite costly to do,” Ms. Caponi says, “but many of our vendors have put ads in our newsletter” to help offset the expense.
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Juva management then tracks its newsletter’s impact by offering discounts for patients who bring it to the spa. Computer software likewise tabulates how many new patients the newsletter attracts, she says.
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And soon, Juva will provide all new patients with a take-home DVD covering topics including doctor bios, accreditation and press coverage.
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“This way,” Ms. Caponi states, “the next time they come in, they can ask questions based on that.” The DVDs cost relatively little, especially in bulk, she adds.
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Other patient-education tools include two waiting-room TVs that constantly run video regarding procedures the medspa offers, Ms. Caponi says. “While patients are waiting to see a physician or go into the medical spa, they can write some questions down” based on what they’ve seen, she says.
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH The medspa’s Gold Leaf program spreads the word further, targeting local employers with special offers.
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“For example,” she explains, “they’ll get 20 percent off services and 10 percent off products. It costs them nothing to join this program, but it creates awareness that we’re located nearby.” Juva also offers local companies free skin care lectures.
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In addition, the spa schedules monthly “Skin Chats” — free and open to the public — on topics such as plastic surgery versus dermatology, she adds. “It’s a nice way for patients — or people who aren’t patients yet — to speak to the physician and build a comfort level,” Ms. Caponi states. The gathering typically ends with a raffle, she adds, “And everybody leaves with a Juva gift bag” that usually includes product samples.
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“It took us a while to build up” the spa’s marketing efforts, she reveals, “but when one puts some thought into how to market one’s practice, it’s worth the time. Do your homework, and don’t rush into anything.”
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RECOGNIZE THE COMPETITION Nor should one ignore competition from national brands, advises Eric Light, International Medical Spa Association president.
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“The spa industry tends not to look outside itself,” he explains. But in addition to scoping out neighboring spas, he says, medical spa owners should view retail giants such as Procter & Gamble as competitors — a firm which spends $150 million annually on its Olay line.
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“What advantage does the medical spa have over Procter & Gamble? Education,” says Mr. Light. Forgetting this fact represents perhaps the greatest source of med spa marketing misses, he adds.
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When this happens, Mr. Light says, physicians make the mistake of marketing technology rather than their ability to analyze and treat patient problems. “Rather than selling clients a laser hair removal treatment,” he states, “one must focus on selling a program of skin care that will bring them back.”
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John Jesitus is a medical writer based in Westminster, CO. Cosmetic Surgery Times.
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