“So, what shall we offer as a bonus?”
I was talking to the marketing manager at one of the clinics we work with…
We were planning an Instagram Live to promote one of their facials, as part of an email campaign we were running about the treatment.
(‘Live’ events are working really well right now… And when you can get your email subscribers to attend, it’s a great way to get maximum value from your list!)
Because we’d already talked about this treatment at length, we’d already built up a ton of value…
…So rather than ruining all that by discounting, which would automatically devalue it…
…the plan was to make the treatment more irresistible by giving away an attractive bonus to people who book through the Instagram Live.
Anyway, the marketing manager started rummaging through their cupboards…
“Well, we have quite a lot of stock of this SPF… We need to get rid of some toner… What about this eye cream?”
It was a classic mistake.
You see, bonuses are a good way to make your treatments even more desirable to your patients (without price-cutting). In some cases, the right bonus can become such a powerful incentive that it tips your patients’ decision over the top.
But for a bonus to do its job, it can’t be random…
And you definitely can’t just give people the products which you want to get rid of… Or additional treatments which suit you…
…Because that’s never going to be really attractive to your patients.
A good bonus helps your patients achieve better results… Or get the same results more easily or faster. It’s all about giving your patients even more of what they want…
That’s what will turn your bonus from “nice” to “deal-maker”.
For a bonus to work and actually help your sales, there are four golden rules.
1. It has to be something your patients actually want. This goes without saying… but I’ll say it anyway! There’s no point giving away something that your patients aren’t crazy about – it won’t be tempting for them.
Find something that your patients take one look at and say, “Yes! I want that” – not something they’ll barely pay any attention to or which will be met with a “meh”.
2. It has to have real perceived value. If you’re selling a $1,000 treatment, throwing in a $30 cream they can pick up anywhere just isn’t going to help. Your bonus actually has to be valuable – and be perceived by your patients as such.
In fact, it should be something that patients would happily pay real money for as a stand-alone offer…
3. It has to be congruent with your main offer. They have to fit together!Think about it… Your patients are interested in a specific treatment… That’s where all their attention is. If you start offering them something completely different, it’s not only a distraction, you also don’t know how relevant it is to them at that moment.
If you’re selling them CoolSculpting, they want an extra cycle or a skin tightening treatment – not a facial!
If you’re selling them a treatment for hair loss, they don’t want a CoolSculpting cycle – they want Nutrafol or something to help with their hair growth.
The closer your bonus matches the original offer, the better.
4. A good bonus helps your patients achieve better results… Or get the same results more easily or faster. It’s all about giving your patients even more of what they want.
That’s what will turn your bonus from “nice” to “deal-maker”.(And the exact same rules apply to your upsells, by the way…)
The bottom line is that when it comes to bonuses, you might be tempted just to throw something random into the mix, without giving it much thought. (“Hey, why don’t we include…”)
That’s just money down the drain, because it won’t increase your conversions.
You need to be much more strategic about it, thinking carefully about what will genuinely add value to your patients – not just give the appearance of it…
…In order to maximize conversions, sales and profit.
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.
