By Bryan Durocher, Founder and President of Durocher Enterprises

Marketing and advertising techniques for medical spas are key to bringing new patients into your practice. Since med spas are medical practices there are specific compliance concerns regarding truth in advertising, social media marketing, and your website that you need to know. Once your legal bases are covered, though, there's still the business of getting patients into your doors. Continue reading to learn the keys to creating your med spa marketing plan.

The Web 24/7 Shopping – Are You Waking Up with Money in Your Inbox Every Morning?

Your website IS your first impression! Is it easy to navigate and can your customer or prospect easily drill down to what they are most likely to be interested in? Almost all small businesses use their own website to motivate consumers.

We use WooCommerce and their e-commerce platform for our clients when designing in WordPress. It is a plugin that allows you to sell anything, beautifully, and it is built to integrate seamlessly with WordPress.

A typical consumer will visit your site 5-7 times before making a point of contact. If they are looking to buy a product make it easy for them.

Think like Amazon! Why did they develop the "One Click" option? They knew people were leaving millions of dollars in their shopping carts and not coming back. Whether it's a move of the mouse or a call to action icon or incentive, have something in place to not to lose the sale.

Make sure your site is Mobile responsive! Mobile searches now exceed the desktop. Consumers want all the functionality on their phone just like in their home or office.

Social Media and Cashing In

Companies are on trend to spend over 20% of their advertising budget on social media in the next few years. It's no mystery that social media is a popular way to promote offerings.

Facebook now has 1.6 billion users and a vast number only on mobile. 66% of all shares on "i" devices are delivered via Facebook. Users on this platform are more likely to have completed college or have advanced degrees than any other social media platform, according the Pew Research, and are more likely to have higher incomes.

Pinterest gets the dollars in. Pinterest allows businesses to create pages aimed at promoting their businesses online. Such pages can serve as a "virtual storefront". In one case study of a fashion website, users visiting from Pinterest spent $180 compared with $85 spent from users coming from Facebook. These users spent less time on the company's website, choosing instead to browse from the company's pinboard. People may be more attracted to pins of products and images than of people.

Have a YouTube channel and have videos on your own site. Almost 50% of online consumers look for a video of a product before visiting a store, according to digital marketing platform Hubspot, and video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines.

Are you using Instagram to buy the items pictured with the tap of a finger? It is a terrific platform for building your brand. Mobile shopping takes a few clicks, but the only thing you have to do is "heart" the photo.

Vogue is using a platform called LIKEtoKnow:IT, a RewardStyle offshoot for Instagram, that shows users where to purchase the outfit or item they "hearted" as soon as you sign up with the platform. In the past two years since launch, LikeToKnow:IT has generated more than $100 million in revenue, with 1.5 million users subscribed to the system and more than 1,000 LTKI posts created every day. Though RewardStyle has been operating under the radar, it has grown to generate more than $1 billion in sales for its 4,000 retailers and 575,000 brands worldwide since launching in 2011.

The Reviews are In!

You don't have to be number one organically on the page to attract the most attention. Have five star reviews show up on your Google My Business page which in turn shows up next to your Google search listing and even though you may rank number 4 for a term you will be your prospective customer's 1st choice!

It's impossible to overstate the importance of collecting testimonials and reviews from your patients, with companies like Demandforce making it easy to get feedback from your customers to use as a marketing tool. Be mindful though as Google likes original content and you should have your own reviews on your site and not a link or duplicated reviews from somewhere else.

Online directories and review sites are also popular, with potential patients using portals like RealSelf to gather information on treatments and providers before making their purchasing decisions.

Community Connection

83 percent of U.S. consumers prefer dealing with human beings over digital channels to solve customer services issues, according to new research from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

The report also found that 52% of consumers have switched provider in the past year due to poor customer service, with banks, retailers, and cable and satellite television providers being the worst offenders. This is striking because new patient acquisition can cost 3-5 times as much as current patient retention, and in the U.S., the estimated cost of customers switching due to poor service is $1.6 trillion.

An increasing number of consumers are seeking premium products and services with a connection to a group/community to discuss the information, uses, and satisfaction around them. People want to feel a sense of community and be connected to your brand. Facebook is great platform for connection, and a forum or comments section on your website creates a place for your customers to ask questions, post reviews and be part of your community.

Forget the Competition

"You compete with Your Client's Lifestyle Choices." Many times it's not the guy down the street you have to worry about. It's about convincing your customer to choose your service to bring them personal happiness and satisfaction over a vacation or other lifestyle investment.

Selling Points Matter

What are your USPs? It's your "Unique" approach or offerings of products and services. They can be simpler than you think. Do you have late hours for busy working professionals? Do you have ample and available parking so your clients don't have to drive around for 30 minutes like a vulture eyeing for the elusive parking spot? Do you customize a unique experience just for them? Perhaps you are the only one to retail a certain product in your geographic zone. These are selling points and should be highlighted in all of your detailed marketing materials.

It's all About the Bennies

People only buy for two reasons: You are offering a solution to their problem or you are providing the opportunity for good feelings. If it isn't one of these they are not going to buy.

What are your business' features and benefits? Remember the features and sell by the benefits!

Loyalty rewards programs are used by some of the most successful businesses including GNC, American Airlines, and others. We do not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to these programs. Offer clients acknowledgement and value added incentives for being your best clients and they are more likely to keep doing business with you.

VIP Programs not only create client loyalty they can be an excellent source of cash flow. Gift card companies can custom make VIP cards with your business name and logo which you then can retail to your clients.

Why Clients Consider Your Products or Services

Why are clients considering you? Is it Ageing, A Self Esteem Boost, A Special Occasion, Lifestyle Change, or Work Related? Key in to their need and plan a strategy with them to win. Include the timeline and steps it will take to get them to their finish line. This is also very helpful if they have their own deadline date. Be their coach!

Communication Fast or Slow? You Will Market Better by Understanding Who You Know

One size fits all communication doesn't work! Some people buy into the latest products and services immediately others take their time to see the results from the early adopters. You need to know how to communicate effectively to your potential consumer to close the deal.

Have you ever talked with a friend, client, co-worker, or your boss and felt what you were saying was going right over their heads? You are not alone. Some of our biggest frustrations communicating with others is not being heard correctly or misinterpreting someone else's message. This is the classic example of relating vs. relatedness, which means moving from simply observing someone's communication to truly walking beside them and understanding their perspective.

Being an effective communicator takes more than just listening. We have to listen contextually and hear between the lines of our communication partner to understand where they are coming from. This can be a great challenge unless we know what to look for.

It's about people, communication and the four natural styles. When we understand and recognize another person's natural style of communicating, we can mirror their style and produce a more positive result, avoiding the barriers that breakdown communication, cause frustration, and take away from your personal and professional quality of life.

Consultation Closer

Tell the client what to expect. If there isn't a magic wand handy give them the idea of the real results they can achieve. Provide before and after and or testimonials to show your prospective client all the happy people who have enjoyed the results of what you have provided.

Quote the investment and be confident about it! People with a lack of confidence or people who truly don't believe in your products or services don't close sales! If your staff member thinks it's too expensive for example they are going to "mind your client's wallets" and not make a recommendation in the first place.

All team members need to believe in the quality and experience of your service and products and that they enhance your client's lifestyle. Provide a lot of training and feedback with this aspect of your business. Spot check with secret shoppers and record calls with programs like CallHub, RingCentral, InContact. Follow up! It may take more than four follow ups via phone, mail, or e-mail before a client makes a buying decision.

Let's review how you can take your business to the next level:

1. Create or tweak your website so it works for the user
2. Establish your presence on social media because that is where you customers are talking about you
3. Get your reviews on your Google My Business page so they show up in search results
4. Use social media and your website to create an interactive community for your present and future customers
5. Position your services and products as a lifestyle investment
6. Write a USP (unique selling proposition) that all your staff knows and when anyone asks why your services and products, the USP is the official answer
7. When writing your USP, mention the features but put the focus on the benefits
8. Identify your customers by their needs and cater to them
9. Learn your communication style and how to communicate more effectively with clients and staff
10. Train everyone to sell everything

For more information on systems and best-practices to build your medical spa profitably and legally, attend one of AmSpa's Medical Spa & Aesthetic Boot Camps.

Bryan Durocher is the author of Wakeup Live the Life You Love in Beauty, and is the founder of Essentials Spa Consulting and Durocher Enterprises. Durocher was named one of the "Top 20 People to Know in the Beauty Industry" by Global Cosmetic Industry magazine, and provides coaching, consulting, global industry trends, and marketing solutions for medical spa, spa and industry professionals internationally. He has published many articles and has provided business education internationally at a variety of national and international industry events including AmSpa's Medical Spa & Aesthetic Boot Camps and The Medical Spa Show.