Clinic Quiet? 20 Things To Do
“My clinic is quiet!?” “I’ve never been so quiet!?” “Is it just me, or is everyone quiet?”
I hear aesthetic practitioners say things like these often. And often they then go bonkers posting on Instagram to try to drum up some bookings. If this sounds like you, here’s some advice…
Firstly. Don’t panic. Get some perspective.
Panicking has never solved anything! And a healthy dose of perspective is often needed.
So here’s a dose of perspective…
This is a graph of the transactions through Glowday since we launched Glowday.com in July 2020. As you can see, there is definitely a seasonality to how busy aesthetic clinics are generally. It’s not steady or linear. There are peaks and troughs throughout the year.
Of course, this is dependent on a particular clinics location and patient demographic. The data above is probably representative of the “average” clinic that attracts stereotypical aesthetic patients - knackered women, 30+, probably with a kid or two, working. If your demographic is gay men with a decent disposable income, then it’s likely your bookings fluctuate less!
But here’s what the payments data via the Glowday platform shows us:
November is manic.
The two weeks in December are as busy as the whole of October.
January and February are quiet.
Things pick up in March.
They tail off in July…kids holidays.
And build again to a mega November.
So, instead of panicking, get proactive. The quieter months are the perfect opportunity for you to work on your business.
Limit the time you spend procrastinating “on the app” and instead use the hours you’d spend scrolling, posting slightly desperate reels and panicking with intentional actions that move your business forwards.
Notice that NONE of the suggestions below are “train in a new treatment”!
Here are 20 things you can do during the quieter months, that will help progress your business in the longer term.
1. Re-visit/create your patient personas - these are crucial to honing perfect marketing messages that resonate. If you don’t know WHO you are trying to attract, how can you market to them? Here’s a handy guide.
2. Audit your branding - does it need a refresh? It is looking tired? Do you even have a set of brand colours, fonts and logos? Here’s how to drill down your brand.
3. Sort/update your Google Business Profile - it’s not difficult and doesn’t take very long. Here’s how to do it.
4. Get professional photos booked in - just book it! You can figure out what to wear after! If you can’t find a photographer, check out perfocal.com and give this blog a read.
5. Standardise your before and after photos - before and afters are one of your most powerful marketing assets. Make sure you get them right. Set up a dedicated space to take them, with a ring light and props for patients to look at for you to get the right angles. Set up templates on Canva (grid, story and reel) include your brand colours and logo in these templates. Update your website and Glowday booking page with fresh before and afters. Set aside time every couple of months to update these photos.
6. Write and send a newsletter - if you have a blog, link to some articles. Always include a CTA - Book Now. Find out more. Ask me a Question.
7. Get blogging - it’s always a good time to get a blog written! I can’t emphasise this enough!
8. Sit down and get your financials into a spreadsheet - set a reminded in your diary to track them each month/quarter. Here’s one you can use to see how profitable your treatments are.
10. Audit your whole business to see where the gaps are.
11. Get to grips with Canva…it’s such a powerful design tool. Every small business owner should know how to use it!
12. Refresh your policies and update them on your website and social media highlights. You need a cancellation and no show policy, a data protection policy and a complaints policy.
13. Build/update your website. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this blog.
14. Set up a referral programme - here are 5 things to consider when setting up a refer-a-friend programme
15. Send out a customer feedback questionnaire to inform your plans for the coming year
16. Reach out to other local businesses that serve your demographic and get chatting to them about potential collaborations/events
17. Join local Facebook groups with your relevant patient demographic - comment, offering advice and guidance in a non-salesy way!
18. Design and print leaflets, distribute them locally. Canva is a great tool to do this.
19. Get in touch with your local advertiser/magazine, enquire about prices to advertise, ask whether there are opportunities to become a guest writer for them
20. Get comfortable on camera - Buy yourself a ring light and a camera stand and get comfortable with recording content where you’re answering the most commonly asked questions patients have. Write 5 questions for each treatment you offer & answer them in under 2 mins.
None of these things require you to post anything on Instagram, none of them require you to train in a new treatment, very few of them require anything except your time…but all of them are essential, foundational pieces of your business.