Social media for plastic surgeons has become a profitable patient attraction tool that has evolved beyond stock photos and a few inconsistent posts. These days social media marketing is centered around authentic storytelling and engaging videos. In fact, most plastic surgeons are already using social media, but are you getting the most value from it?
Potential patients are looking for information presented creatively, concisely, and clearly. Social media is excellent for promoting your plastic surgery skills and techniques so that new and existing patients can gain exposure to your work online. So how do you ensure that your plastic surgery practice thrives on social media in this competitive digital age?
It all begins with a strategic plan of attack.
Ok, that was a bit aggressive but you get the idea. Smarter social media marketing always starts with a plan. To ensure that your efforts do not go in vain, it would be ideal to map out your goals and objectives for each platform and the content that you share on them.
Here's a simple 6-step plan to help you get started:
Analyze the competition and research what's trending
Plan content in advance with a monthly content calendar
Create a strategy based on the customer purchase cycle
Focus your efforts on video content, creating a separate strategy per platform
Promote your best content using social media ads or influencers
Follow the data (it always provides the best insight!)
1. Analyze the Competition & Research Trends
A great deal can be learned from researching new trends and exploring your competition's social media: Analyzing the competition can help you refine your social media approach and make some well-thought-out decisions regarding your posts. Consider what works for other plastic surgeons and ask yourself why does it work for them?
What topics are they addressing on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube?
What social media techniques are they using to attract attention? Memes? Influencers? Reels? Live video and testimonials?
How many views, likes, and followers are they getting? Are viewers leaving comments?
Does your competition share their results? Do they share reviews? Do they focus on a video content strategy? What types of videos do they create?
Analyzing the competition certainly has its benefits, and researching the latest trends on social media will help you create more relevant content that your target audience would want to see.
2. Create a Monthly Content Calendar
Alright we should have a few plastic surgery post ideas after all of that social media research, now what do we do with that information? How is it organized and presented? The answer is a detailed monthly social media calendar that seamlessly integrates into your marketing plan.
When creating your social media content plan, remember that seasonality is essential in marketing plastic surgery services. Think about upcoming holidays and the activities that surround those holidays as well at which of your services might be higher in demand at specific times throughout the year. Think of what content is relevant, but also consider upcoming paid promotions that you can run and map it all out on your social media calendar.
Break your proposed ideas into monthly, weekly, and daily content. Unique content may include how-to’s, checklists, testimonials, demonstrations, and more. Check out this blog post for more social media content ideas for plastic surgeons.
3. Create a Strategy around the Customer's Purchase Cycle
A strategy carefully designed around the customer's purchase journey can give you a competitive advantage on social media. Simply put, not all of your social media followers are at the same point in the “purchase” cycle. Some of them may be considering a procedure and are just beginning to search for information on it, however, they are not ready to book an appointment with you as yet.
As a result, this type of person should be presented with content that is relevant for them at this stage within the cycle. While someone else may already be an established patient at your plastic surgery practice and is looking for specials to return for another appointment. Your content should reflect the various “rest stops” along the customer journey in order to be most effective.
Think of it this way.
An established patient loved the results of her skin tightening package and now is looking to experience dermal fillers but is waiting until the price is right. Since she's already a patient, the chances of her responding to a filler special on social media would be higher.
Another person may be considering a blepharoplasty but knows nothing about you or the procedure. However, after seeing a testimonial from one of your patients who had the procedure done, this person is now convinced that you are the right plastic surgeon for their surgery.
4. Prioritize your Efforts on Video Content
We're all victims of aimlessly scrolling through social media timelines to look at engaging videos, whether it's professional, informative, or silly cat videos. It's safe to say that engaging videos can be addictively entertaining. So why is it that more plastic surgeons are not investing in video content creation?
Let’s circle back to 3 critical reasons for wanting to grow on social media in the first place:
Increase brand awareness
Increase patient growth
Increase patient retention (loyalty)
Video content checks all of those boxes and is the most effective type of content to help you maximize your impact on social media.
It's important to note that each platform requires a uniquely different video strategy, for instance, what works on TikTok might not work on YouTube. For example, TikTok encourages short-form entertaining and engaging content filmed at a 9:16 aspect ratio, while YouTube encourages longer-form educational content filmed at a 16:9 aspect ratio.
5. Promote your Best Content on Social Media
The best things in life may be free but promoting on social media is not. This is why it's important to choose your paid content wisely, promoting only the best or most relevant posts. For instance, if you created a time-sensitive special like 25% of mommy makeovers for mother's day, or have a grand opening coming up for the launch of your new MedSpa, then it would make sense to promote content like this.
Now you can either run paid ads independently, hire a marketing professional, or partner with influencers. You’ve heard the word but may not be entirely sure what an influencer does. Influencers have clout and the trust of their peers. They are trusted authorities and have built a following on social media.
Influencers typically have a knack for connecting to their viewers as they are in similar stages of life. Influencers discussing their experience with plastic surgery bring it into their audience’s homes allowing social media users to connect and trust someone relatable.
As a result, some plastic surgeons offer social media Influencers reduced rates for services in exchange for postings. I will say that influencer marketing can be tricky with the rise in fake vanity metrics like fake followers and fake engagement -- so be careful! In this post 'how to find a quality social media influencer', I've addressed all of the red flags you may need to look out for.
Which promotional strategy do you prefer?
0%Social Media ADS
0%Social Media INFLUENCERS
On that note, let's get back to social media ds.
Here are a few guidelines to follow when running them:
Set a goal and objective for the campaign
Establish a budget and stick to it
Determine the best platform to place your ads
Do some research if you're attempting to do this without expertise
Create different versions and test them to see which is more effective
Check your data and adjust accordingly
Establish a budget
Prices vary from platform to platform. Establish an overall budget and then break it down to the amount you wish to spend on each platform. Don’t forget to include the amount it will cost you to develop any video you may choose to create.
Determine the best platform to place your ads
Lip fillers attract clients of all ages, but people interested in a facelift are older. TikTok and Instagram may be the best place to advertise for lip fillers, but you might get better results if you advertise a facelift on Facebook.
Understand the science of social media advertising
There is a science to social media advertising. It is vital to understand how consumers search for your services. Free tools like Meta publishing is an excellent way to see what plastic surgery social media hashtags are being used online.
Create several versions of your ads
It makes sense to create several versions of your ads to determine what works and does not. To confirm if your ads are working, check out your campaign's analytics. If you aren’t getting clicks, views (or whatever your objective was) then it may be time to reboot or consult with a professional.
If all of this seems like too much, feel free to book a virtual consultation with our team. We'd be happy to help you with social media advertising.
6. Follow the Data
Social media platforms make it easy to verify if your ads are working in a very user-friendly, simplified way. You can simply check your data analytics on your dashboard to see how well your social media ads are performing. Have you noticed more followers or engagement on your social media accounts? Have you received more email inquiries or website visitors? This information will assist you in making appropriate tweaks to your ads.
There is no time like now to get started
Need help putting these tips into action? Our team of expert video content creators, strategists, and marketers would love to help. Simply book your free virtual consultation with us to get started.