There’s a reason why marketers bump up their advertisement spending by as much as 50% during the holiday season. These last few months of the year tend to get everyone in the spending mood. Even in the world of aesthetic medicine, this is the time of year when current and prospective patients are searching for gift ideas and even gifting themselves with a treatment package. How will your practice get these faces through the door? Here are six easy tips that won’t cost you much, if anything at all, but will keep the bookings coming this holiday season. 

Millennials tend to be the biggest spenders during the holidays , compared to other age groups. According to AAFPRS, 67% of practitioners saw an increase in cosmetic treatments in patients under age 30 in 2015. Simply put, neglecting the millennials means you will be missing out on a massive, growing market. In addition to their loose spending habits, millennials also tend to be more accepting of aesthetic treatments, thanks in part to social media and celebrity influence. Consider refreshing your online presence as a first step to attracting this group. Keep in mind that this demographic is extremely resourceful, so they will likely scope you out online first. Make sure they can easily find you and that all of your information is up to date.

Did you know that half of all patients on RealSelf.com reported social media as an influential factor when considering cosmetic procedures? The desire to look good in one’s own social media photos is also a key motivator for aesthetic treatments today (especially with all the holiday parties, dinners, and get-togethers coming up).  Since the aesthetics industry is highly dependent on visuals, Instagram is the perfect platform to showcase your stunning before-and-after photos. To get started, consider hosting a social media contest or treatment giveaway to attract potential customers and generate some following. Another creative way to use social media is to broadcast on Facebook Live or IGTV (on Instagram) to show some behind-the-scenes footage of your clinic, staff, and treatment rooms. There are plenty of great features on each platform, so be sure to take advantage of these free tools.

It shouldn’t come as much surprise that 90% of all online searches are done on Google. As such, it is essential that your practice is listed under Google’s directory with Google My Business. When potential patients search for aesthetic services in their area, you’ll want to come up in the top results. (Don’t worry if you haven’t set up a Google My Business listing yet; you can still catch that holiday wagon if you start now.) Be sure to include a good description about your practice, photos of the location, and even a direct booking option. It is also best practice to encourage some of your existing patients to leave reviews on the directory as a reference for any new patients coming in. (For safe measure, make sure to ask patients whom you know are satisfied with your services and their results.)

Building an authentic brand for your practice, something that people can personally connect with, is an important part of a patient’s experience. When you make genuine connections, patients are more likely to listen to your comments and suggestions, leaving more room for upselling other services. And if you give your current patients great service, they will be more likely to bring in future referrals. The holidays usually tend to put people in a cheerful mood, so this season is the perfect time to up your customer service game and improve your overall patient experience. Start with a warm greeting, make them feel special, and take good care of them every step of the way. Sometimes the personal factor can be as important as treatment results when it comes to the overall experience.

Everyone has packed holiday schedules, so it is a good idea to keep the angle of non-invasive with no downtime at top of mind when promoting to patients this time of year. People want to get on with their holiday plans, which means they don’t want to worry about recovery and want to see the results faster. So, promote these treatments as the ideal solution to their aesthetic concerns. This will work especially well for first-time aesthetic patients, as they are more likely to dip their toes in the world of aesthetic treatments with something that is painless without any downtime.

A tried and true trick to building business over the holiday season is strategic messaging. Tailoring your marketing messages to focus on the holidays will help put your products and services at front of mind for patients. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you update your social media pages, website, and in-clinic materials to reflect the season. But this doesn’t mean you need to spend a big chunk of time or money designing brand new assets. As a Venus Concept customer, you have access to our new collection of holiday-themed promotional assets, now available to download for free. If you are not yet a Venus Concept customer, contact us to learn about what other values we can add to your business. We wish you a busy holiday season!