Marketing Is Not Always About Selling!

By Cait Muir

Is there anything more cringey than seeing a clinic posting “20% off for new clients only” or “$50 voucher when you book today + tomorrow” …ick. It’s hardly attractive to a high-end client, is it? It just SCREAMS of desperation and says “calling all discount, inconsistent, broke clients” …most of us don’t want those anywhere near our business.

No shade to our beautiful bread and butter clients, that is not who I’m referring to here. But discounts generally attract discount clients, and that’s a NO THANK YOU for most of us. Well thought out, precisely planned, and carefully executed marketing is the golden ticket to a booked-out clinic and a productive business.

So, what’s the solution? How do we better market our clinics and spas, and what strategies can we use to ensure long-term success?

First things first - DECIDE ON THE OUTCOME YOU WANT before you plan out the pathway to get there!

What this means is don’t just do what everyone else is doing because it looks like it’s performing on social media… makes their skin glow, or that it has great longevity; things that benefit the client.

For example, why are you running a competition if you want to get more bookings? Comps are for building brand awareness and social media engagement. If you want to get more bookings, why aren’t you looking into referral programs or incentivising bookings?

Another example of starting with the end in mind was for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas. We knew our clients wanted their treatments paid for (in the form of vouchers or memberships) so every year we used to market to the partners and families of our predominantly female clientele… how did we do that?

We asked for “hint drops”, so when our clients were in the clinic for their appointment, we would get them to write what they wanted on a card, with their name, their partners/family members name, and their contact details. From there, we would then send the “hint” to this nominated person, and they would then order it from us without our client having to buy it for themselves. Genius!

Next, SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE.

When writing marketing, STOP using too much technical terminology that will confuse and intimidate your ideal clients. Write in language that speaks to your clients like as if you were having a face-to-face conversation with them. What do they need to know?

What’s not relevant?

A good way of explaining this is FEATURES vs. BENEFITS…

A feature is where a product was made, its ingredients, that it’s got pretty packaging and looks great in your bathroom, for example, or that a service uses this specific tool, or piece of equipment that’s exclusive to your clinic, or this specific method.

A benefit is about the performance of the product or service and how it will help them – things like, that it removes their hair painlessly, it’s anti-aging, it

Sometimes the features aren’t very necessary to discuss or “sell” in your marketing, because after all – our job is literally to solve problems and to create a result for our clients. So instead of talking jargon with technical terms and irrelevant wording, instead talk about how they will feel, how they will look, and how much better their life will be after buying whatever service or product you’re selling.

Also, KNOW WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO.

You need to spend some time identifying who your ideal clients are. What are their demographics? Their age, gender, location, marital status, family, career.

What are their psychographics? Their lifestyle, hobbies, their style, their beliefs and values, their interests.

And following on from that, what are their problems? What causes their problems? What’s the solution to their problems? How can you solve their problems in your clinic? What result do they want? How can you make their life better with your products and treatments?

Get to know them on a deeper level so you know what they want and can create marketing that makes your prospects take action and convert into paying clients.

With marketing, you must always PLAN AHEAD!

What’s the saying – failing to plan is planning to fail? Yep, that! And this is where the ‘desperation marketing’ comes into play. When you don’t plan ahead for the busier and quieter seasons of your business that are upcoming, or the key dates like your business’s birthday, or holiday’s like Christmas that was abovementioned, all of a sudden you have unfillable gaps and low sales, and you try to do some cheap and nasty quick-fix-bodies-on-beds strategy that leaves you overworked and underpaid.

Marketing is a long-term plan; and with consistent effort, thoughtful input, and the mindset of attracting the right clients; helping them and making their lives better, you can’t fail!

• Why are you only sending an email twice a year to sell something, but you’re silent otherwise?

• Why are you only sending blast texts when you want to clear old products or fill your book quickly?

• Are you still doing the ‘we miss you here’s a $20 voucher’ texts for people who haven’t returned, opposed to actually spending the time and effort reaching out to your non-returners for feedback? How’s that working out for ya? Eek.

Try sending a monthly or quarterly newsletter just saying g’day to your database and staying in touch. Make the effort.

Try doing a ‘client of the month’ where you celebrate the people who support your business with a free treatment or product.

And of course, don’t just post and ghost on socials. Know the peak times to post and make it happen 3-5 times a week. Keep engaging with your people from all angles!

“Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” – MARKETING IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SELLING.

Okay so it’s a boxing term – if you don’t get it, look it up *insert winky face here* ha ha

No, really, with consistent contact you shouldn’t need to be selling something every time you contact your clients. You should really, really, not do this. Instead, try sharing advice, tips that will make their treatments last longer and their days easier, celebrate exciting milestones in your business, and build a community of fans who just wanna get amongst your amazing business. That’s the ‘jabs’!

Then once you’ve built rapport and a trustworthy relationship with your clients, and they love you and your vibe, and they’re excited to hear from you, and they’re engaging with you – THEN and only then sell something to them… that’s the ‘right hook’!

Constantly asking for money, and bookings, and sales, and just selling stuff for the sake of it (opposed to giving them something that they need) is the biggest ick-style bad salesmanship. A big no-no!

Track Your Gainz

What’s ‘the gainz’ you ask? That’s your return on investment AKA how much money you are making from the investment you made into the marketing strategy.

How do you know what’s working if you don’t know how your clients are finding you? Or you don’t track who’s buying from your online store? Or you don’t know who’s clicking your ads? Or you don’t know who’s referring to your clinic?

I once had a client paying $5,000 per year for a radio ad three years running, and once I made her track her ROI, she worked out that she only had one $250 booking from that $15,000 investment… worth it?

I think not. She could’ve saved herself and her biz an eyewatering $10,000 if she had’ve identified this and cancelled the radio at after the first year.

Track everything, queen!

Last but not least, you should always BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU’RE SELLING

If you and your staff don’t actually like what you offer in terms of your products and treatments, they literally won’t sell. Your clients will read between the lines of your faux marketing, and they’ll be turned off, or they’ll see it all over your face in the clinic and they probably won’t like them too. You’ve gotta love, love, love what you do, and love what you offer!

To finish this article off today, I just want to remind you to HAVE A LITTLE FUN with your marketing and client contact in general. Show your personality, let your freak flag fly, think outside the box and stand out from the crowd. If you’re bored with what you’re reading, your clients and prospects probably are too. Be real, be exciting, and enjoy the process.

X Cait Muir

Our books are currently open to new clients, inquire at iconiccoaching.com.au