“Coronavirus has been great for me financially… I’ve saved so much money!”
I was talking to my nephew last week. In his mid-20s, he is on a management training program in one of the largest London hotels.
When the crisis began and tourism came to a complete halt, the hotel was used by the government to house healthcare workers. My nephew was one of a tiny number of workers who weren’t put on furlough, but kept on to keep the hotel running.
It was a tough assignment.
For three months, he was not allowed to leave the hotel at all. The guests were stressed and they had to maintain social distancing at all times.
And there wasn’t much to do in his free time. The hotel’s gym, swimming pool, restaurants and bars were all closed.
But there was a significant financial upside.
He was given a hotel room, so he no longer had to commute in. While he still paid rent on his apartment, his other bills were virtually non-existent.
Meals were provided. And as I said, the hotel bar was closed…
He must have saved thousands.
And his story is more common than you might think…
Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked a lot in my emails about how many of your patients may be financially stressed.
They may have lost their jobs – or suspect they’re about to lose their jobs as furlough ends and as the financial crisis hits. They may already have taken a significant hit to their income.
When you market to your patients, it’s important to be really sensitive to this reality, which will probably just get worse as the financial crisis deepens.
But there have also been financial winners during this crisis.
I’m not even talking about people whose businesses have boomed because of an uptick in demand (for example, anyone selling exercise equipment online, kids’ tutors, Netflix…).
There are also people who are going to come out of this lockdown or quarantine with a lot more money in their pockets than usual.
I mean, think about it.
People haven’t been able to shop properly for months.
They haven’t been spending on restaurants, theatre, movies, or going out.
They haven’t had all their usual aesthetic treatments, or had their hair cut or their nails done.
In some countries, they may have been able to temporarily put a hold on their mortgage payments. Many of their bills have shrivelled into nothing – for example, last week I filled up my car for the first time in nearly three months!
And probably the biggest saving of all – they may not be going on vacation this summer. For many people, that’s a saving of thousands right there.
All this creates an opportunity for you.
There are people who are going to come out of this lockdown or quarantine with a lot more money in their pockets than usual.
You see, lots of clinic owners believe that their high-value treatments are going to be a harder sell as we fall into recession.
And long-term, as the financial fallout of Coronavirus deepens, that may very well be the case.
But at this very moment, what we’re seeing amongst the clinics we work with and which have already re-opened, is that some patients have quite a bit of (unexpected) disposable income.
And some of them seem quite happy to spend that money on the aesthetic treatments they’ve always dreamed of…
There’s pent-up demand. But amongst some people, at least, there’s also pent-up spending power.
So while it’s tempting to play it safe and to focus your marketing on more affordable treatments…
And while it makes sense to talk to your patients in your marketing about how to afford the treatments they really want (There is an email already written for you in Inbox Express, doing exactly that)…
…You should also be marketing some of your highest-value treatments right now – because there are still people out there who can afford them.
If that’s something you’d like help with, get in touch with me today.
We help aesthetic clinics and med spas get patients through your patients through your doors again and again, with empathetic, persuasive, powerful marketing – and would love to help you do the same.
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.
