Harshal Limaye shares four keys to effective patient management for your aesthetic practice.

Harshal Limaye

It is no secret that it is more expensive to gain new patients than to keep the ones you have. It can be up to six times more expensive! That’s why patient management and marketing automation are so important. If you can effectively reach out to your patients using multiple touch points, you will be able to keep your schedules filled and increase your net profitability. In this article, I will discuss four keys to effectively managing patients and growing your aesthetic practice.

To ensure a healthy flow of patients coming into your practice, you need a good mix of new patients, returning patients, and patient referrals. The key to a successful aesthetic practice is patient acquisition and patient management strategy. It is important to understand the difference between the two so that you can focus your marketing efforts accordingly.

Patient acquisition is the process of attracting new patients to your practice. This can be done through online marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, or patient referrals.

Patient management is the process of keeping existing patients engaged and loyal to your practice. This can be done through patient engagement, patient loyalty programmes, or patient retention campaigns.

NEW PATIENT ACQUISITION

If you want to gain new patients for your aesthetic practice, you must understand the patient journey and the five different stages they go through before they become your patients.

The first step in the patient journey is Awareness. This is when the patient becomes aware of a problem or concern that they have. To reach out to them at this stage, you need to use marketing techniques that will grab their attention.

One way to do this is through search engine optimisation (SEO) keywords that target their specific needs. SEO and ranking your website on Google takes time and is a good long-term strategy.

Another way is to buy ads on Google, Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram and create your branding. Once you have their attention, you can then begin to educate them about your practice and what solutions you have to offer.

“By understanding the patient journey and using marketing automation for patient recall and reactivations, you can effectively manage the patients of your practice and increase net profitability.”

The second stage of the patient journey is Interest. At this point, the patient is interested in learning more about their options and considering possible solutions. To keep their interest, you need to provide them with relevant solutions that are tailored to their needs.

You can do this by creating valuable content such as blog posts, patient case studies, and even video testimonials. You can also reach out to them through email marketing and social media campaigns.

The third stage is Evaluation. At this point, the patient has decided that they want to pursue treatment and they are looking for a provider who can meet their needs. The patient is now comparing different options to see what would work best for them. This is the perfect time to offer them a free consultation or trial treatment so that they can experience the results for themselves.

The fourth stage is Commitment. The patient has decided on a treatment and is now ready to commit. To ensure that they follow through, you need to make the process as easy and convenient for them as possible. This can be done by setting up a patient portal where they can book their appointments, view their treatment plan, and even pay online. You can also offer them payment plans so that they don’t have to break the bank.

The fifth stage is Retention. This is the final stage of the patient journey and it’s when you want to make sure that your patients are happy with their results and they continue to come back for more treatments. To keep them happy, you need to provide excellent customer service and follow up with them after each treatment. You can also offer them loyalty programmes and discounts on future treatments.

By understanding the patient journey, you can reach out to new patients at each stage with the right message, keep them engaged throughout the entire process, and help them move along the journey to becoming your patients.

PATIENT RETENTION

Once you have a patient, it is important to manage them effectively so that they continue coming back for more treatments. One way to do this is by running patient recall and reactivation marketing campaigns.

Patient recall and reactivation are marketing campaigns that target your current patients who have not been in for treatment recently or patients who have had treatment way in the past but have not been back for a while. To reach out to them, you can use email marketing, retargeting ad campaigns, or even give them a call. The important thing is to let them know that you are thinking about them and that you are there to help. You can also offer them loyalty programmes and discounts on future treatments to incentivise them to come back.

If your aesthetic practice has 100s or 1000s of patients, it can be difficult to keep track of them all and manage them effectively. This is where marketing automation comes in. Marketing automation software helps you automate your marketing tasks so that you can focus on the clinical aspects of your business. With marketing automation, you can send automatic email campaigns, create patient portals, and even send SMS or WhatsApp messages to deliver a highly personalised message to each of your patients.

PATIENT REFERRALS

Patient referrals are a great way to grow your aesthetic practice because they come with a built-in level of trust. When your existing patient refers you to their friends or family, they are essentially vouching for you and your services.

Another way to get patient referrals is by using online platforms such as Google, Facebook, and others. These platforms allow your patients to leave reviews about their experience with you and your practice. A high rating on these platforms can help you attract new patients through word-of-mouth marketing. If you provide excellent service that makes your patients happy do not forget to ask them to leave you a review.

You can also run patient referral marketing campaigns. For example, you can offer your patients a discount on their next treatment when they refer a friend or family member to your practice. This is a win-win situation because it helps you grow your patient base and increase patient retention at the same time.

There are a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to patient referrals. First, make sure that you have a system in place so that patients can easily refer you to their friends and family. This can be done by setting up a referral programme. Second, show your appreciation for their referral by sending them a thank-you note and even giving them a discount on future treatments.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE (PX)

Clinical excellence is not enough and to be successful you must also focus on patient experience. Patient experience or PX is becoming increasingly important in the aesthetic industry. A recent study found that two out of three patients would switch to a new provider if they had a bad experience. This means that you need to focus on providing an excellent patient experience from start to finish.

Patient experience is the way your patients feel about their interactions with you and your practice, from the moment they first hear about you to long after they have received their treatment. Creating a positive patient experience is essential for patient acquisition and retention.

There are a few key things you can do to create a positive patient experience for your patients. First, make sure that your marketing materials are clear and concise. Second, offer a consultation free of any obligation or sales pressure so that potential patients can get to know you and your staff before making a decision. Third, be transparent about pricing so that there are no surprises down the line. Fourth, follow up with your patients after their treatment to see how they are doing and if there is anything else you can do for them.

There are many ways to improve the patient experience. One way is by using patient engagement software. Patient engagement software helps you manage your patient’s journey and keep them engaged throughout the entire process.

By keeping your patients informed and involved, you can improve their overall experience with your practice. The patient engagement software should allow patients to book appointments online, send reminders, and pay their bills online. It should also provide you with valuable insights into your patient’s needs and wants so that you can tailor your marketing and patient management strategies accordingly.

To summarise…

Here are some of the key takeaways to be successful in your aesthetic practice.

• Patient management is essential for the success of your aesthetic practice

• Use patient engagement software to improve patient experience and retention.

• Understand the patient journey and reach out to new patients with the right message using multiple touch points.

• Use marketing automation to automate marketing and patient communication tasks.

• Keep your patient database healthy by running patient reactivation campaigns.

• Measure results and optimise your campaigns accordingly.

By understanding the patient journey and using marketing automation for patient recall and reactivations, you can effectively manage the patients of your practice and increase net profitability. If you want to learn more about patient management or marketing automation for your aesthetic practice, we would be happy to help you take your practice to the next level.

HARSHAL LIMAYE is the Founder and CEO of Mktg.Doctor, a marketing automation platform for doctors that helps aesthetic practitioners attract new patients and grow their businesses. Limaye is also a Certified Aesthetic Consultant from The Aesthetic Academy USA. You can reach him at harshal@mktgdoctor.comTo learn more about how marketing communication, patient referrals, and patient engagement software can help your practice, send an email to help@mktg.doctor . More details at mktg.doctor