You can optimize your website for the search engines and bring in more traffic. You can create great content that helps you to rank high in the search engines while also keeping visitors on your site and coming back again and again. You can ensure that your website is easy to use and navigate to further satisfy your visitors. But just how do you convert those visitors into actual patients?
There are many tips out there for increasing online sales, or conversion rates. But when it comes to Internet advertising for cosmetic surgeons, you’re not really conducting sales online. Your visitors can’t purchase a facelift directly from your website like they can purchase a book from Amazon. And even if you could add a shopping cart to your site and let your visitors do just that, it’s probably not the best idea and likely wouldn’t do much for your credibility.
Nevertheless, many tips for increasing online sales can be adapted to website advertising for cosmetic surgeons. Though it may require a little creativity, the efforts are sure to pay off with increased conversion rates and more sites visitors turned patients.
- Tip #1: Encourage Impulse Buys. While this may work when selling a piece of furniture or art, it doesn’t quite work when it comes to cosmetic surgery. In fact, you most likely don’t want to encourage impulse decisions and instead encourage potential patients to take time and put a lot of thought into their decision to undergo cosmetic surgery. However, you can and should encourage patients to contact you and set up a consultation. To do this, make it easy for people to contact you by including your phone number and email address or mailto link on every page of your website. You should also have a contact page that has your phone number, email address, physical address, fax number, a contact form and/or mailto link, and any other necessary information. A Q&A forum can also be a great way to encourage contact.
- Tip #2: Offer Online-Only Specials. A free rhinoplasty with every facelift! It’s probably not a good idea. Still, there are online offers that you can make. For instance, you might provide visitors with an online consultation, allowing them to detail their particular problem and even email photos to you. This need not replace an in-person consultation but can simply be an added, convenient benefit. Another great idea is to offer a travel discount for out-of-town patients.
- Tip #3: Offer Free Shipping On Larger Orders. Again, this doesn’t apply to a cosmetic surgery practice. As mentioned above, however, you can encourage out-of-town patients by offering a travel discount and even having your staff help to coordinate travel.
- Tip #4: Be Up-Front About Pricing. If you’ve ever tried to buy anything on the Internet, you know how important this is. It’s also important when it comes to cosmetic surgery. In fact, rhinoplasty cost’, plastic surgery cost’, breast enlargement cost’ and the like are all fairly common search terms. Of course, listing procedural costs isn’t always possible as there are typically many different aspect that can effect the price. You can, however, give visitors to your site an idea of the costs by providing them with statistics on average procedural fees from associations and organizations like the ASPS.
- Tip #5: Provide Excellent Customer Service. This, of course, you can do. It’s also something you should do. Make sure that visitors can easily contact you or your staff with any questions or comments they may have or if they want to set up a consultation. Have your contact information on every page of your website and provide a contact page and mailto link or contact form. Make sure, too, that you respond promptly.
- Tip #6: Provide Compelling Copy. This, in particular, can be applied to Internet advertising for cosmetic surgeons. Detail your specific expertise and skills that make you the right choice for your visitors. Let some great testimonials and before-and-after photos from previous patients speak for you. Further, because some 75% of Internet users use the Internet to conduct medical research, be sure to give those users what they want. Provide visitors to your site with lots of good, valuable content and make sure that it reflects how people read online.
- Tip #7: Provide Complete Product Information and Photos. As mentioned above, be sure to give visitors to your site the information they’re looking for by providing them with good, valuable content. Include detailed information about the procedures your perform, along with before-and-after photos of previous patients that show just what can be achieved with each procedure.