The biggest reason cosmetic patient events don’t work anymore is because you are missing something in the execution.
The reality is it takes time, money, effort, and strategy to pull off a great patient event; however, when done strategically, the benefits of a cosmetic patient event are numerous.
It can be a revenue-generating event worth many thousands of dollars to you in a few hours.
You solidify relationships with your current patients and start new relationships with prospective patients who came with them.
The attendees can spread the word about you to their social media channels, giving you even more exposure to new patients. It creates memories to help the aesthetic patient remember you when they’re ready for cosmetic enhancement….even years later.
To help you have a great event, here are three important areas to focus on to ensure a successful and profitable patient event:
CHOOSE A THEME
Answer the questions, “Why are you having an event, and then why should the patients come to your event?” Figure that out first, and it makes the rest easier to plan.
For example, do you want this to be a “feel-good” event that shows appreciation to your patients for supporting your practice growth, or is this the sales event to bring in extra revenues?
Personally, I suggest a combined event with “feel good” appreciation as well as the sales event offering your patients perks for attending.
And proven themes that work especially well are:
• Girls Night Out (leave the kids at home and shop, socialize, sip)
• Annual Patient Appreciation Event
• Holiday Event (must be held early November before the Holidays start)
Now you need very good reasons WHY your patients want to attend your event when they have so many other places they could be instead. For example:
• Raffle Free Products and Services
• 2 Extra Raffle Tickets for Every Friend they Bring Along (who is new to the practice)
• Food and Drinks
• Goody Bag for all Attendees (Value $X)
• Special Pricing That Evening Only
• Vendor Demonstrations
• Make-up Artist
• Computer Imaging
• Photo Booth
• Fortune Teller
• Chair Massage
• Photo with local celeb, author, artist
Now your patients are excited to come to your event since so much is going on. And, they want to bring their friends with them.
MARKET YOUR COSMETIC PATIENT EVENT
It takes a lot of marketing effort to spread the word, so everyone knows about your patient event.
That includes email, direct mail, in-house signage, posts, website banners, and text messages. Of course, you want to invite your current patients, but you also want to invite THEIR friends, family members, and colleagues. Add “bring your friends” to all of your messaging.
You even want to invite those patients who came in for a consultation but never booked and even long-lost patients interested in reconnecting with you. That is a great reason for them to re-engage with you.
And, of course, use all of your social media channels to promote your patient event to prospective patients who follow you on social and would love the opportunity to meet you in person.
PUT YOUR VENDORS TO WORK
Profitable Cosmetic Patient events work best when you have support from your vendors who can be extremely helpful to you.
Your vendors want to help you promote their products and services, so let them. Give them space to set up their displays, answer attendee questions, do demonstrations, and do the selling for you at the event.
In return, they can help you with food, printing costs, product and/or samples, and gift baskets, so work with them.
This way, you and your staff can relax and schmooze with your guests while the vendors do the heavy lifting of promotion.
Now you see why cosmetic patient events don’t work anymore if you don’t step up and use these strategies.
Have fun and make money!