When it comes down to marketing change is inevitable, and medical spa marketing trends will evolve right along with it. In this post, we're going to break down the latest social media marketing trends for medical spas in 2023. Every year there are new medical spa marketing trends to keep track of, making it more important to keep up to date with all of the latest platforms, tools, and strategies to ensure that your business stays on top in 2023 and, beyond.
In fact, there are medical spa marketing strategies that you can start implementing this week to amplify your reach online and ultimately attract more patients. Stick around until the end and I'll highlight a few of them for you!
When we look back at the year of the COVID pandemic, what most medical spas realized was the importance of investing in online marketing. The pandemic forced most businesses to adapt in order to survive, whether they were ready or not; because if they didn't, they would lose customer interest and struggle to acquire new leads and patients online.
In 2023 medical spa marketing is all about meeting your patient's needs by adapting outdated marketing strategies for more online engagement, authentic communication, and accessibility that enhances the patient experience.
So let's get right to it, here are the top social media marketing trends for medical spas in 2023 that will be most effective in delivering results.
Short-form videos are in High Demand
It's important to understand why social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram do so well. The answer is short-form content. Videos that are short, simple, and have a concise message tend to outperform longer videos over a minute in length.
In fact, because short-form videos have such a great impact, all of the major social media platforms have created the video 'short-stories' format to encourage users to create more of this type of content. For instance, Instagram has reels and shorts which both encourage up to 90-second video posts and even YouTube has its own version called YouTube Shorts. The authentic and lower production nature of these short video stories is part of the bigger appeal to social media viewers, making short-form videos one of our top social media marketing trends for medical spas in 2023.
Tik Tok is here to Stay
TikTok is popular because it encourages its users to create short-form video content. TikTok provides its users with simple video editing tools, audio libraries, and interactive features built into the platform, making content fun and easy to create and share online. A few years ago, no one expected Tik Tok to become as big as it is today with 1 billion monthly active users.
As more and more people continue to move onto the platform, the social media company continues to develop the platform making it more effective for business owners to use as an effective online marketing tool.
62%–over half–of all U.S. TikTok users are aged 10-29, proving that the younger generations are the most avid TikTok users. TikTok is here to stay, so we might as well get on board especially if you want to attract Gen Z and younger Millennials. Depending on your target audience and business goals you may want to consider developing your TikTok video strategy because this is yet another social media marketing trend for medical spas in 2023.
Develop a Crisis Plan for Social Media
Social media isn't always a bed of roses. It can have a significant impact on your brand's reputation if it isn't used effectively. A lot of brands tend to overlook negative feedback online or view it as an insignificant problem in the grand scheme of things. The truth is, that social media risk management is extremely important, especially in medical aesthetics making it another social media marketing trend for medical spas to develop as we head into 2023.
These situations can happen in the blink of an eye and are difficult to prepare for. Can you imagine how a comment as small as this (below) managed to affect a new medical spa that was struggling to grow its patient base? In short, some patients that ended up coming in for an appointment asked about it and some were even disappointed that the medical spa didn't respond to it politely.
"This customer service here is terrible, run don't walk away from them!" - Unhappy Patient
"I don't see why you're writing terrible things on here when you didn't even want to pay for the service. Please remove this comment or I'll report you!" - Medical Spa
Negative feedback is not the end of the world, you can overcome it if you take the time to develop a solid social media crisis plan. Gather your team and have a discussion about the brand reputation you would like to uphold online. Aim to respond to every positive and negative comment that you receive, especially on Google reviews. To help save you time in the long run, consider creating HIPAA-compliant templated responses that avoid addressing the patient's treatment or their name.
Reels are Essential to Grow on Instagram
Recently Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, said that the platform is embracing a paradigm shift where users are asking for more entertaining video content. Video must now become a core component of your strategy—but simply hitting record and throwing up a plain video is no longer enough. It must be creative, innovative, and entertaining to stand out in today’s digital marketing landscape.
Instagram Reels: These short-form videos are getting the most organic reach of any type of post. Plus, you don’t have to use the wildest effects and transitions to take advantage of the exposure reels can provide making it another social media marketing trend for medical spas in 2023.
However, it’s critical that all video and reel content you create provides value to your target audience and is strategically tied back into the services that you offer. At the end of the day, your video content strategy needs to be profitable. Hopping on random trends without making that content align with your overall marketing goals won’t take you anywhere and could end up being a huge waste of your time.
AR Filters and Story Stickers will become more Mainstream
Augmented reality filters are now being used on several major platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These were introduced to enhance the visual content shared on social media and are widely popular.
In addition to AR filters, story stickers are another interactive feature that will continue to grow in popularity on social media in 2023. Medical spas can use these stickers to increase social media engagement through story posts.
Topics you can address with story poll stickers:
How are you feeling today?
Decide my day...
Let's play THIS or THAT
Let's play would you rather?
Did you find this helpful? Yes - No?
Topics you can address with interactive quiz stickers:
What was our last giveaway?
Guess how long it takes to _____?
My favorite _____ is?
What would you like to see more of?
Create industry\niche specific quizzes
Topics you can address with question boxes:
Share your opinions - get feedback
What are your thoughts on (products\services\trends etc.)
What is your biggest struggle with (insert a niche, industry, or technique)
Topics you can address with the countdown sticker:
Share an upcoming product launch
Share an upcoming Instagram LIVE
Share a virtual event launch happening soon
Share new discounts or giveaway launches
Topics you can address with the slider bar sticker:
Ask your viewers how much they love your work
Ask them how much they love a product
Let them rate industry\niche specific topics
YouTube Shorts is not where you should Focus
Long-form videos on YouTube tend to have a longer shelf life and have proven to be more successful. Success with YouTube shorts is higher with brands that have an established following on the platform. The smarter investment of your time for this platform would be to focus on long-form content which converts to better sales, grows a stronger community, and encourages sustainable long-term organic growth.
Ultimately, if you want to grow on the platform you'll need to develop a long-form video content strategy and focus on using YouTube SEO techniques with each post.
As we head into 2023, tags hold very little importance in being found in search. The key to dominating search lies more in using the right keyword, your title, and your description. If you want to learn a bit more on how to optimize YouTube content for search then definitely check out this article where I cover how to rank YouTube videos fast in 5 simple steps.
Do you need help putting these tips into action?
Our team of social media strategists, content creators, and creative marketers would love to help. Book your free virtual consultation with us at any time.