Over the last two decades, plastic surgery marketing has moved almost exclusively to digital marketing platforms. The fact is, people are doing their online homework before committing to either a cosmetic procedure or a plastic surgeon. This means plastic surgeons need a solid digital marketing plan in place to educate potential clients.
A digital plastic surgery marketing plan not only includes paid ads but also an optimized website. And your optimized plastic surgery website should include detailed posts on all of the surgical and cosmetic procedures you offer. Every aspect of a plastic surgeon’s online presence needs to engender trust and project competency.
Digital marketing for plastic surgery practices has evolved over the last decade. If you are not up to date with your online marketing strategy, it’s hurting your practice.
First Things First: Branding your Plastic Surgery Practice
People need to recognize your name and remember that you are a talented plastic surgeon. Your ads might reach someone who isn’t seriously considering plastic surgery right now, but might in the future. With a well-defined brand, you’ll be the first plastic surgery clinic they look at.
Understanding the emotional needs of your target audience is the first step in effective messaging. Your branding message needs to have an emotional appeal to your target audience. They need to know that you have the solution to their problem. At the same time, you need to be realistic about the patient’s expectations and what you can actually deliver. People value honesty, especially in their doctors and their healthcare.
Plastic Surgery Before and After Pictures
People love looking at before and after pictures. This is where you can really shine. Make sure that your before and after pictures reflect the actual work you’ve done. Along with before and after pictures, you’ll need to include patient testimonials.
While almost everyone wants to look like a movie star, the before pictures should be of average-looking people. Posting nothing but fabulous photos of people who look like supermodels can make you look too exclusive and too expensive. That can turn away potential patients of more modest means but who are equally committed to enhancing their lives.
Your prospective patients want to see what you can realistically do for them. With this in mind, it pays to post before and after photos that demonstrate real results.
An Optimized Plastic Surgery Website is Vital
Search engine optimization (SEO) features should be baked into the structure of your plastic surgery website. Having a very stylish website that is not search engine friendly is pointless in this day and age.
This is because people will be searching for a plastic surgeon in their area, and your website needs to pop up in the searches. That means your internal linking structure, title tags, metatags, and content need to be optimized for search engines.
Once people do find you online, treat them with a fast-loading, easy-to-navigate modern design. And remember that many people use their mobile devices to search for everything online. That means your website needs a mobile-friendly design. Make sure that your photos load quickly, while still looking fabulous.
Website Content for Plastic Surgeons
Your website needs much, much more than your office hours and contact information. Seeking out a plastic surgeon is a life-changing act for your patients. Your website needs to clearly and honestly outline the procedures you can perform, including both benefits and side effects. Your website is an opportunity to educate potential patients about the procedures that interest them.
It’s important to use conversational language and avoid technical medical terminology. Explain things in layman’s terms. Explain what they need to know about a procedure and why they should choose you as their surgeon.
Also be sure to include your bio, along with the bios of any other professionals working in your office, such as aestheticians. While you must list your education, degrees, and licenses, keep the bios personable and friendly. People not only want to know that you are qualified, but also that you are relatable as a person.
Finally, make your content visually appealing and stylish; the very nature of plastic surgery is related to beauty and fashion, so your site should reflect that.
Plastic Surgery PPC Landing Pages
Landing pages are specific to your digital advertising campaign. Each landing page needs to center around the keywords featured in the ad. For example, a landing page for a PPC “cool sculpting” ad needs to talk specifically about the benefits of cool sculpting. Landing pages are where you convert clicks into clients.
An important feature of any landing page is the “call to action.” In the context of plastic surgery, this could be something like, “call now for your consultation” or “fill out this form to learn more.” The point is to encourage the potential patient to make an appointment or to send their contact information.
Landing pages are designed not only to provide the information the person was searching for but also to elicit a response. When your landing pages are done right, you’ll have many prospective clients. Finally, make sure that all of the content on your site complies with HIPAA requirements.
Social Media is a Must for Plastic Surgery
Social media sites like Instagram are natural for your plastic surgery practice. The followers of beautiful fashion influencers are naturally potential plastic surgery clients. In fact, teaming up with social media influencers could be a good marketing strategy for plastic surgery practice.
Video platforms like YouTube are is a great place to post videos explaining certain cosmetic procedures, and Facebook can be an excellent source of personal referrals from former patients. Take full advantage of every social media platform that feels appropriate to your practice.
Digital Marketing for Plastic Surgeons
Once you have your website set up, you’re ready to promote your plastic surgery practice with pay-per-click advertising. This is a highly cost-effective and targeted way to reach people actively looking for a plastic surgeon.
PPC ads usually work in an auction format, based on bidding on keywords. If your bids win, people searching with your keywords will see your text ads. When they click on your ad, prospective patients will be sent to your landing page and you’ll be charged for a successful click.
The concept is simple, but according to Digitalauthority.me, executing an effective PPC campaign can be complex. Not only will you need to choose the right keywords, but you’ll also need to analyze a lot of data. The data available in your Google AdWords console can help you to set the best times to display your ads, as well as the best bids. This is a skill that can be learned, but it’s more efficient to outsource this work to a digital marketing specialist.
PPC ads can also be purchased on social media sites like Facebook. These ads are highly targeted; you can display your ads to people in your local area and refine your demographics. For example, you could target women in Los Angeles, between the ages of 25 and 45, who follow certain celebrities. This can guarantee that your ads will be seen by the people most likely to have an interest in your services.
In addition to PPC ads, plastic surgeons can also benefit from local banner ads that are displayed on websites in the ad network. These ads can be targeted to specific demographic groups and geographic regions.
Online ad platforms allow you to both evaluate and track your results. Your digital marketing professional can use this data to fine-tune your digital advertising campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
In Summary
A great, search engine-friendly website and a paid digital advertising campaign can be extremely helpful in lead generation and in converting website visitors into prospective clients. At the same time, it’s also complicated and requires a degree of expertise to be effective. This is why having a digital marketing agency handle your online advertising campaigns is a good idea. They’ll relieve you of the responsibility and stress, and get you the results that you deserve.
