DEFINING AND TARGETING THE IDEAL PATIENT FOR SUCCESS

Dr Kiran Gudray explores the importance and process of identifying and defining the ideal clientele

Understanding the characteristics, preferences, and motivations of the target audience allows practitioners to tailor their marketing campaigns, treatment options, and overall patient experience to attract and retain the most aligned clientele. Let’s explore the advantages of targeting an ideal patient and discuss a step-by-step guide for aesthetic business owners navigating the process.

The sector has enjoyed huge growth driven by technological advancement, evolving consumer preferences and an increased demand for non-invasive treatments.1 Current market research shows that the global market size is expected to exceed $5 billion (£3.9 billion) in 2025 in North America alone.2 Alongside this, there has been a surge in medical professionals offering these treatments.3 With more competitors, many clinicians are struggling to differentiate themselves in the crowded marketplace. Common difficulties include attracting and retaining patients as the traditional models of acquisition are no longer as effective. Practitioners are now relying on innovative strategies to stand out from their competitors who are also vying for the attention of new clientele.

As the sector continues its upward trajectory, one strategy to help practitioners enjoy similar growth in their businesses is to understand and define their ideal patient.3

With such intense competition it may seem intuitive to cast as wide a net as possible and target a broad range of potential patients. The reality is that implementing a more focussed approach is proven to be more advantageous to clinics.4 Targeting specific clientele allows for a highly focussed marketing strategy where a precise target audience can be defined. Resources can be concentrated on the channels and messaging that most resonate with your ideal patient. This inevitably leads to higher success in marketing campaigns which creates a high return on investment with regards to patient acquisition costs.

In addition to this, by understanding the needs of your ideal patient, you can create a service offering that directly addresses their concerns allowing for a more personalised patient experience. When clinics specifically cater to a predetermined audience, practitioners can develop a deep understanding of those patients’ expectations and ideal outcomes and implement changes that reflect this understanding over time. This focussed provision of treatment leads to greater success in marketing campaigns which creates a higher return on investment.

Furthermore, a highly targeted approach focusing on specific services eliminates the need for unnecessary equipment and overhead, leading to increased profitability.

Simply put, defining an ideal patient does not exclude potential patients; it intentionally aligns your clinic’s offerings and expertise with the segment of the market most likely to benefit from your services and become loyal advocates for your practice.

The process of defining an ideal patient begins with a period of self-assessment and reflection on your own and your clinic’s strengths and niche.4

Questions to answer include:

-Do you have a specific area of expertise, for example: laser treatments or injectables?

-What is your personal passion within aesthetics?

-What is the current demographic of your clientele? -Who do you enjoy treating? -Which new treatments are you keen to introduce?

-What are the benefits of your particular practice?

Identifying your core competencies helps narrow down the ideal patient who would benefit most from your skillset. It also ensures that your business is focussed around your passions which is crucial to a flourishing business.

The next step is market research.4 Gathering information about your target demographic including: age, gender, income level, geographic location, and lifestyle habits can give a nuanced perspective of patients you will be serving. In addition, using tools such as: surveys, online polls, and focus groups to understand the aesthetic goals, motivations, preferred treatment options, and preferred communication channels is particularly effective in “getting into the minds” of prospective patients. Taking this further, understanding the psychographics of your patients including aspirations and attitudes can particularly help target marketing campaigns and treatment offerings in the following steps. Attitudes to various treatments can vary greatly across demographics.

The next step is thorough competitor analysis and in particular examining your competitors’ marketing strategies and patient base. This can be done through online reviews, social media presence, and a thorough website analysis. Through understanding a competitor’s target audience, you can identify potential gaps in the market and tailor your ideal patient profile to a demographic not currently well-served. It is worth noting that this is usually the point where clinicians realise that the clinics they previously considered competitors, are not targeting the same demographic as them.

At this point you are ready to create your ideal patient persona which requires compiling all the information gathered from the initial self-assessment and market research stage to create a detailed profile of your ideal patient. Giving them a name, age, occupation, and even describe their lifestyle and aesthetic aspirations can help further define your ideal patient.5 This persona then becomes the central focus for your marketing message, service offerings, and overall patient experience.

Defining your ideal patient is an ongoing process. Continually gathering feedback from consultations and existing patients to ensure your profile remains relevant is a task that is encouraged. Alongside this, you should be prepared to adapt your ideal patient persona as market trends, patient needs and clinician’s skillsets evolve.

In following these steps, aesthetic business owners can create a clear picture of their ideal patient. This not only attracts the right patients, but also fosters long-term relationships, boosts prof itability, and solidifies a clinic’s reputation within the aesthetics industry. The ability to define and reach the ideal patient is not just a strategic move but, by remaining agile and responsive to evolving market dynamics, medical aestheticians can refine their targeting strategies and stay ahead of their competitors. By implementing the insights and strategies outlined in this paper, practitioners can empower themselves to navigate the complexities of the aesthetic industry with confidence, ultimately enhancing patient satisfaction, loyalty, and clinic success.

REFERENCES

1. Jansen L, Leclerc O. Here to stay: An attractive future for medical aesthetics. McKinsey & Company [Online] 2024. Available from: www. mckinsey.com

2. Joshi V. Aesthetic Injectables: Market Insights: North America. Clarivate [Online] 2023. Available from: www. clarivate.com

3. Future of aesthetics. Allergan Aesthetics 2022. Available at www. news.abbvie.com

4. Brunson R. Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Converting Your Online Visitors into Lifelong Customers. Hay House Business, 2022.

5. Hart-Davis A. Mastering Your Marketing: The Power of Personas [Lecture] 2024. ACE 2024 Conference