Marketing trends come and go, but a robust system to attract leads never goes out of style. To grow your business, your med spa should:
- Optimize your website for local SEO
- Develop a social media strategy
- Implement email marketing campaigns
- Create a referral program
- Optimize local lists
- Create paid digital ad campaigns
- Utilize videos
- Invest in community engagement
- Ask for reviews
1. Optimize Your Website for Local SEO
A terrific in-office experience is essential to running a med spa. The same goes for your med spa’s website — consider it your virtual office and make sure it delivers a terrific client experience. Without that, you may lose out on new clients, opportunities, and credibility.
As you build your med spa website, consider adding a homepage, an about page, a directory of staff, and a page that outlines your services. You may also want to sprinkle client testimonials and before-and-after photos throughout to enhance credibility and show the benefits your services can provide. To make it easier to book, embed an appointment portal that is connected to your practice management and EHR software.
As you create your website, keep SEO (search engine optimization) in mind. SEO optimizes your web pages so they are more likely to show up in online searches. Since med spas provide local services, you want to optimize for local SEO.
While hiring an SEO expert may be helpful, there are some tips you can use to improve your SEO performance (think: show up in more searches from key audiences) if you manage your website:
- Research keywords that are highly searched in your geographic area
- Add alt-text to all photos on your website (and include location in alt-text)
- Ensure the copy on all main pages mentions your med spa’s name, address, and phone number
How to get started: Ready to create your website? Start by exploring website hosting options (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, etc.) and decide which one fits your needs and budget. Usually, you can buy your website domain through these providers. If you want to buy it separately, you can use a service like GoDaddy.
2. Develop a Social Media Strategy
If your website is your virtual office, social media is where you (virtually) meet and greet potential clients. But while social media boosts brand visibility and increases leads, maintaining a TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook account can be a full-time job (and you’re already busy running a med spa).
To be more efficient with time spent on social media (and get better engagement), implement effective social media strategies and choose a platform that works for your target demographic.
“Before you create your social media strategy, clarify where your audience hangs out online,” said Nextech VP of Aesthetics Robin Ntoh. “Each generation has preferred platforms, so defining your target audience’s age group is a good place to start.”
Consider what generations you’re trying to reach as those around the same age tend to connect on the same social media platforms:
- TikTok: Gen Z
- Instagram: Gen Z and millennials
- X and LinkedIn: Millennials and Gen X
- Facebook: Boomers and Gen X
Take note: If TikTok is part of your social media strategy, be sure to repost videos on Instagram in case of a potential app ban by the government.
How to get started: Select one or two platforms where your audience hangs out online and set up profiles on them.
Each platform makes it easy to create a profile; click these links and you’ll be all set up in no time:
- TikTok: download the app on your phone and follow in-app instructions to create a profile
- Instagram: follow the instructions on Instagram.com or the Instagram app to set up an account.
- X: go to X.com/signup and follow the instructions on how to create an account
- LinkedIn: head over to LinkedIn and enter your name and email, which should trigger an email sequence to set up an account.
- Facebook: click Create New Account on Facebook.com and follow the instructions.
3. Implement Email Marketing Campaigns
Fifty percent of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month, according to HubSpot. This makes email a lucrative marketing channel. When emailing leads and clients, remember the golden rule of email marketing: Content should be useful to your clients first, and sell second (and subtly).
For example, let’s say a med spa wanted to book out their Botox services for the month. They could send an email directly advertising Botox, but it may not be valuable to email readers and will probably have a lower open rate.
An engaging alternative would be an email series detailing who benefits from Botox and specific success stories from past clients.
Other email campaign ideas that sell subtly and are valuable to your clients include:
- Personalized emails about pre- and post-care for specific services
- Reminders about appointments or when it’s time to book another appointment
- Explanations of complementary services
- Reminders about any referral or loyalty programs
- Updates on partnerships with local businesses, changes to your facility, community events, and new services or team members
How to get started: Look through email marketing providers, such as MailChimp, Klaviyo, FloDesk, or ConvertKit, and decide which suits your needs and budget. From there, create an email template (most providers make this process very simple) and jot down a few email ideas.
4. Create a Referral Program
If a friend recommended a product or service you were already considering, you’d be more likely to invest. Your potential clients are often influenced by recommendations and word-of-mouth marketing too.
To increase word-of-mouth marketing online and in-person, create a referral program. Each time another business or individual recommends your practice and the lead is successfully converted, they get a reward, such as a percentage of the sale or a complimentary service. Your current clients, local businesses, and local influencers often make great referral partners.
How to get started: Reach out to a few local businesses or some of your best clients and offer them an incentive in exchange for referring work to you. To track referrals, you may also want to start a spreadsheet to track who was referred, who referred them, and what services they purchased.
5. Optimize Local Lists
As a med spa, you want people in your area to find you — not people a few states over. A great way to optimize for local search results is to add your business to location-based directories, like My Business, Yelp, and NextDoor. Hands down, Google My Business is the most important listing, but having a profile isn’t enough; it should be optimized as well. When optimized, your business listing is more likely to show up in Google’s Local 3-Pack, the top three businesses that appear when someone searches for med spas near them.
How to get started: Google has a great guide about how to add or claim a business through Google Maps. Once claimed, add a thoughtful description optimized for SEO, photos, and any other details that provide more information to potential clients.
6. Create Paid Digital Ad Campaigns
So far, every marketing strategy we’ve discussed is free, meaning you don’t have to pay to show up in Google or social media search results. But if your business is newer, showing up in organic search (meaning, without the influence of paid efforts) is difficult.
Fortunately, you can pay to show up first in Google searches or someone’s social media feed. Pay-per-click (PPC) on Google is the most common paid ad platform. It allows your med spa to show up first in direct, relevant Google searches. However, it doesn’t build awareness or a community around your brand.
If the latter is your goal, Facebook and Instagram advertising may be a better option. Ads can be run on both social media platforms through Facebook Business Manager. While these are great for building community, people may not be ready to book an appointment while scrolling through their feed, resulting in fewer conversions than PPC ads.
How to get started: Start an ads account through Google Ads or Facebook Business Manager. From there, you can follow this guide for Google Ads or this guide for Facebook to complete your account setup.
7. Utilize Videos
Eighty-eight percent of marketers say video helps their business, and it’s easy to see why. Videos are an engaging tool that can be used on your website or in socials, emails, and paid ads. For better conversions and brand authority, videos should educate and set expectations about what someone can expect if they visit your med spa.
Videos also allow you to provide a behind-the-scenes look at your med spa. This could be through a video tour of your facilities, a look at how your team prepares before an appointment or a client video testimonial.
How to get started: Write down a list of video ideas and start filming them on an iPhone. When starting out, you don’t need fancy equipment, though you may want to invest in this down the line.
8. Invest in Community Engagement
In 2024, having an online presence isn’t enough. You also need to actively engage with your community. This may look like:
- Responding to Google reviews
- Responding to comments and DMs on socials
- Inviting people to interact when posting on social media
- Attending local events and hosting your own
- Partnering with local businesses and nonprofits
How to get started: Have an administrative staff member set aside 30 minutes a week to respond to Google Reviews and social media comments. They could also look at any local events that may be worth attending or sponsoring.
9. Ask for Reviews
Potential client Jane is choosing between two med spas. When she Googles them, one has over 100 raving reviews while the other has five. Most likely, Jane will feel more comfortable booking at the med spa with over 100 reviews, since these reviews validate the med spa’s services.
To be like the first med spa Jane was considering, you can actively ask clients for reviews — and make it easy for them to write them. While it’s best to direct reviewers toward Google to leave the initial review, they can then be repurposed for:
- Case studies
- Socials
- Your website
- Marketing promo materials for local events
- Emails
How to get started: Email 10 clients you know are happy about their experiences at your med spa and ask them to leave you a Google review.
Digital vs. Offline Marketing Tactics
Digital and offline marketing are often depicted as rivals, with digital representing the modern era and offline representing the past. But in reality, utilizing both marketing tactics will provide a comprehensive client experience.
Online Marketing
Most clients expect med spas to have an online presence, including a website, social media presence, and Google My Business listing. Meeting this expectation improves brand awareness, but an online presence on its own isn’t enough to increase leads.
To get more clients in the door, optimize the online user experience. This often starts with having clear calls to action to book appointments and having an easy-to-navigate client portal. This client portal should also be equipped to send out appointment reminders and follow-ups via email or text for an amazing client experience.
Offline Marketing
Let’s face it: Many of us spend more time online with each passing year. However, while your clients are plugged in, offline marketing is still impactful and can be leveraged to your advantage since fewer of your competitors may be investing in it.
Offline marketing can take the form of hosting in-person events, such as a spa day package or promoting your med spa at community events. In fact, as we get further from the Covid pandemic, 75% of event planners report hosting more in-person events in 2023 than in 2019. Offline marketing can also include direct mailers, sending press releases to local media outlets, and investing in outdoor advertising such as billboards.
Hybrid Marketing
While not an official term, “hybrid marketing” is similar to a hybrid job: You have some offline and online marketing tactics supported by a strong tech infrastructure.
Some hybrid marketing ideas that are particularly effective include:
- Client loyalty program: Develop a program to reward loyal clients with discounts or a free add-on service for their next visit. To do this effectively, you need a robust technology solution that can track someone’s visits and ideally show where they are on the rewards schema in the client portal.
- Business partnerships: Collaboration is important for any business, but especially for med spas. Partnership ideas include joining local networking groups and reaching out to adjacent businesses (such as dermatology or plastic surgery practices).
Even if you decided to do completely offline networking, you’d need a robust tech stack that allows potential clients to book appointments quickly and efficiently. That tech stack should include comprehensive software with features for the provider side and administrative side of your business, no matter your marketing split. Modern Plastic Surgery & Med Spa was able to grow their client base while saving several hours a week thanks to their all-in-one solution.
Data-Driven Decisions
No matter what marketing strategies you choose, your campaigns should be grounded in data and supported with the right technology. For ImageLift, their administrative software provided 24/7 access to data and data-driven insights on how to improve their practice’s workflow.
When you invest in the right administrative software, your marketing can be more powerful. Learn more about how advanced analytics and the right administrative tech stack can enhance your marketing. Nextech Med Spa is a comprehensive solution with built-in marketing features designed to help med spas attract, engage, and retain clients for a thriving business. Our platform offers end-to-end visibility and management capabilities to streamline workflows, enhance client experiences, and empower business growth. Schedule a short demo and experience it for yourself!
