MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.
Issue link: https://medesthetics.epubxp.com/i/238490
JUMPHEAD The Bella Skin Institute offers an array of cosmetic and medical dermatology treatments. them, and they feel it. It's not just a business where you come in and get your procedures done. I know entire families—the little ones for warts, the older ones for skin cancer, and the ones in the middle are coming in for fillers and Botox." Building these types of long-term relationships starts by focusing on patient satisfaction. Dr. Guanche schedules every patient for a follow-up within one to two weeks of treatment. "I like patients to come back for a follow-up, because once everything settles down, they may want a little adjustment," she says. "I almost always do touch-ups at no charge. My goal at the end of the day is to have a happy patient who looks beautiful. I always proactively schedule patients instead of waiting for them to call, because I find that sometimes people are shy and don't call back. They may not want to complain but those are exactly the patients that I want to keep." Although a large percentage of her cosmetic clients are acquired through word of mouth, Dr. Guanche maintains an active marketing program that includes Google ad words, an SEO-optimized website and print ads in local magazines. She also writes for a local magazine, which increases people's familiarity with her business, and purchases space in backlits—which are similar to small billboards—in the local commons shopping area. "I have done more national advertising, but I find that local marketing is more effective. Some clips of me were on Oprah and, interestingly, when that happened I told my receptionist to be ready for a lot of phone calls, 32 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 | MedEsthetics but that exposure generated less phone calls than my appearances on the local KTLA news," says Dr. Guanche. "When you are in a local magazine, people think you are more accessible and actually call and come in. So I changed my marketing strategy based on experience. I would say, focus on your community first, and then slowly branch out. If you have a limited budget, market to your core audience and get a reputation going. It can branch out from there." "If you have a limited budget, market to your core audience and get a reputation going. It can branch out from there." Dr. Guanche uses a reminder program called SolutionReach (solutionreach.com) that sends reminders a minimum of once a year to patients in her database. It also sends email, text and phone reminders to alert the patient to upcoming appointments. "Working to get a new patient is a lot harder than retaining and keeping patients happy, so we reward the big spenders every quarter by giving them a discount for the following quarter," says Dr. Guanche. "It helps us show our appreciation and garners loyalty."