Let’s do a little thought experiment…
Say that before Coronavirus, you occasionally went to a med spa.
You weren’t their highest spender or their most frequent client, but the receptionists recognized you and you had your favorite aesthetician. You liked the place.
During quarantine, your skin started looking dull and dehydrated, and you know that some microneedling or a good facial would really help. Actually, you can’t wait to refresh your skin and feel more like yourself again!
But now that the restrictions are being eased off, you’re anxious…
You have a couple of friends who had Coronavirus and you really don’t want to catch it. You’ve been to a few stores recently and social distancing wasn’t properly maintained – you’ve vowed not to go back until there are better arrangements in place.
You’re willing to go outside, but only very cautiously.
If your regular med spa announced it was re-opening, and then the next day sent you this email, would you take the risk?
….Chances are, the answer is “no”.
This email – which popped into my Inbox recently – is entirely typical of the emails I’ve been receiving from the aesthetic clinics and med spas that have re-opened so far.
They send out a warm, friendly email announcing that they’ve missed everyone and are thrilled to be welcoming their patients back…
The day after these clinics re-open, their marketing is back to normal – a frenzy of specials, promotions and offers
They say they’re taking precautions to keep patients safe.
Then the next day, their marketing is back to normal…
…A frenzy of specials and promotions and offers, which look exactly like the marketing they sent out pre-Corona.
Will patients come back into these clinics? Sure. Some will, at least short-term – lots of people are eager to fix their skin right now.
So the clinic owners may not even notice the patients they’re quietly losing…
And the long-term damage to their relationship with their database…
Meet patients where they are,
mentally and emotionally.
You see, the golden rule of marketing is that you have to meet patients where they are, mentally and emotionally.
But since last time clinics were open, the world has moved on.
Even once the restrictions on our movement ease, many people will still be recovering from what essentially amounts to a trauma.
They may have seen loved ones fall sick or even pass on. They have spent months worrying about their own health, their families’ health, their friends’ health.
Many people will still be struggling with lost income and job insecurity, ongoing uncertainty about the world economy…
They’re still reeling from being cut off from friends and family, especially those living in other towns or overseas…
Plus, many people will still be working under unprecedentedly stressful conditions, and may also be fearful of the virus and of the outside.
Your patients are still reeling from the trauma of Coronavirus. You have to be in tune with them to resonate – and sell
You need to be in tune with them, in order to resonate with them – and sell.
That means talking to them sensitively, reflecting their concerns and experiences…
Doing a ton of reassurance regarding safety standards (not just sending out a single email about this!)….
Showing them you understand what they’re going through…
And focusing on building deep, trustworthy relationships with them.
The problem is, these clinics’ chirpy, offer-driven marketing is stuck in a time warp.
I know it’s an uncomfortable comparison, but it reminds me of bereavement. When I lost my mother 11 years ago, everyone was enormously sensitive and sympathetic for a few weeks….
….And then suddenly everyone started behaving normally around me again.
They didn’t notice that inside I was still raw and sensitive – still mourning. I wasn’t the same person, and the kinds of conversations I would have previously loved felt hollow.
Don’t make the same mistake with your marketing, as we slowly emerge from Coronavirus lockdown.
Make sure that every word you write to your patients resonates deeply, and creates goodwill over the long-term – not “just”short-term sales.
And if that’s something you’d like help with, get in touch with me today.
We help aesthetic clinics and med spas just like yours get a lot more repeat business, by talking to their database in a compelling and authentic way.
And we can do the same for you, too.
Miriam Shaviv is creator of Inbox Express, the library of marketing emails for aesthetic clinics and med spas, designed to make your marketing effective and easy – and send the right messages to your patients as you re-open after Coronavirus! Find out more here.
She is Director of Content at Brainstorm Digital, which helps aesthetic clinics and med spas get patients through their doors again and again – without the headache of costly online advertising.
