Hidden Pains of Med Spa Marketing

Marketing a Med Spa is a bit different than most industries.  The legal issues, advertising platform rules, trademark land mines, all contribute to some difficult challenges.  And many of these are not fully known until in the middle of a campaign. We can not make an exhausted list but though a post on some of the main issues that will help many to ask good questions going forward.

 

Google and Facebook Particulars

Google and Facebook both have certain rules in regards to Med Spa marketing. Google has all but eliminated Botox and even if the word is 2 or 3 pages away, the ads will still be flagged.  Google also wants to see a certain set up advisories or citing to be above board. Though there are guidelines, they are not very helpful and you will probably need a good Google rep to really narrow down the infraction to help you correct. This can be time consuming and very frustrating. Another issue with doing Google ads is that there is a balance between pleasing Google and having a good customer experience with a landing page. But that dance will always go on.

Facebook is similar in to what it will allow and not allow.  And again, a good rep may be your real answer to understanding as most of Facebook policies are vague at best to always allow them the right to terminate a campaign. Facebook image approval is also pretty strict and staying away from needles, before and after images, or anything that Facebook would deem as “body shaming”.  That last one makes sense from a morality stand point, but wanting to improve your image or body composition is hard to describe and sell without showing the “difference” your company could have. Because of this, you will need to be patient with Facebook and have many options moving forward.

 

Bidding on Branded and Trademark Names

A majority of services and treatments are actually called by their actual product name. Coolsculpting is a technique but is known by the trademark name versus a technical term for the service. This is great for consumers but can be difficult for Med Spa marketing. Google allows some, but not all trademark names. You can file for a review, and if you win, you can continue. However, there may be some limitations to the ads as they run.

You can still rank for branded keywords. Copy on your site, blog posts, and videos are all welcomed to compete in a ranking race. This is suggested in many areas but is less liking to as quick as many would want. Thus Google Ads would bring the more immediate traffic while you work on your SEO.

 

Images

Images are tricky for a variety of reasons. They may be accused of being too graphic, to medical, or too revealing. And though the before and after images do the best to educate a perspective client it also leads to complication with Google and Facebook. We do not have a single guiding piece of wisdom to share, except this: keep trying.

That really is it.  Keep trying. Use your personal favorites on the website and the “not as good but Facebook likes them” for your ads. It will be an ongoing trial and error because most advertising platforms change every 6 months. Let your website be the best it can be and settle in other peoples backyard.

 

Shame

There is nothing worst than shame. The feeling carries so much more than a temporal emotion, but creates an identity crisis.  No one intentionally goes to shame another human, but at times, the messaging and images can do that whether intentional or not. Work to make your brand and communication as positive and uplifting as you can. In the long run, people will return for where they are going, and not at how bad they were.

 

Partnerships

Another issue to cross is partnerships.  They can be tough to find and harder to negotiate a win/win for both parties.  But they do not have to be difficult. Partnerships can vary in many regards and should be revisited quarterly. A business partnership also does not have to be long term. In example: Work with a local golf course for a special discount for Mother’s Day. The partnership is easy to create, fast and not overbearing, and it creates good dialogue and other ideas for down the line.  These do need to be preplanned in advance, don’t spring this on anyone the week of.  But if you do this quarterly, those relationships and new “advertising” opportunities will spring up more and more.

 

Unfair Price

It is hard to lead with price. Discounts and coupons really drive leads, but make the sale a bit more complicated as not everything is straight forward once they come in for a consultation. If you do make price a compelling reason to come in, do so as simply as possible.  10% off all these things but not those services make for an angry customer.  Instead say 20% off this service or 10% this line of products.  Quick one liners that have boundaries and simple math terms really helps everyone.  The more tiers or complicated it becomes the less they are used and the more the customer feels they were conned into something.

 

Feedback Loops

At most Med Spas employees are hired for a particular job function.  But as the team fluctuates, so does the expectations of the current employees.  This is a necessity of life, but can also allow many priorities to fall through the cracks.  Feedback Loops are not hard to understand or execute.  They are one of the main marketing/communication issues to fall down.  And this lack of education adn awareness back to the Spa can be very costly.

Try and automate as much as possible.  Email surveys that go out 5 days after service, or a brand survey that goes out quarterly, or even a text message with simple question every 6 months.  These automations allow them to continue even if the team dynamics change.

 

Med Spa Marketing Summary

The many challenges of Med Spa Marketing represent opportunities for your team to communicate more.  It is a hard industry that requires personal skill, teach ability, testy clients, and high standards. But a marketing plan that understands these adversaries can be overcome with a good plan and a willingness to continue.