Modern Marketing: Influencer Marketing in Aesthetics

It’s a simple fact that social media has become entwined in our lives. From posting pictures of our families, friends, and food to sharing news, struggles, stories, and reviews, there’s not much that isn’t shared online. Social media, such as Facebook and Instagram (among others) also provides a space for bloggers and vloggers to share their content and drive traffic back to their website. With this push comes more followers and influencers, and it contributes to the growing popularity of influencer marketing. 

If you’re wondering if influencer marketing should be in your aesthetic clinic’s marketing plan this year, here are some interesting statistics to consider:

• 86% of women look to social media for advice, with more than half of women reporting that they made a purchase as a result of an influencer’s post.
• 49% of all consumers say they rely on the recommendations of influencers rather than on a company’s marketing campaign alone.
• Influencers outrank celebrities in most engagement metrics, including 300% more views, 200% more actions, and 1,200% more comments.
• 59% of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets this year, with businesses reporting earnings of $6.50 for each dollar spent on influencer marketing—13% of companies even report earning $20 or more for each dollar.
• More than half of the marketers investing in influencer marketing consider the customers they have acquired to be better prospects as compared to more traditional marketing methods.

It’s clear that influencer marketing can offer significant opportunities for clinics to connect with more prospective patients. For aesthetic clinics that are able to forge a positive long-term partnership with a well-suited influencer, these people can become invaluable ambassadors to your clinic. They spread an authentic message and engage their following in a way that gains the trust of prospective patients. When an influencer shows that they trust your clinic, it helps boost your practice’s credibility. This attracts more valuable patients that are likely to offer a higher long-term retention rate. So, how do you get started?

The Three Key Steps to Influencer Marketing for Aesthetics Clinics

1. Find the Right Fit

There are many influencers open to marketing partnerships but not every influencer will prove a successful partner for your aesthetics clinic. To begin, note that for a local aesthetics clinic with just one location in a smaller city, partnering with a macro- or meta-influencer with 50,000+ followers is not likely the best choice, as their followers are more likely to be strewn across the globe and have a much more diverse set of interests and beliefs. Instead, a micro-influencer with 5,000–50,000 followers generally offers better benefits for more local partnerships as their audience is more likely to be in close proximity to the influencer’s home city and your practice’s location. The reach of micro-influencers may be smaller but it is more engaged and localized, making them a better fit for your aesthetics clinic. The bonus is that micro-influencers often prefer local partnerships as it’s more likely that their audience will follow up on the recommendation and test out the product or service themselves. This dynamic offers greater engagement for the influencer, builds trust between the them and the audience, and could lay the foundation for a strong long-term marketing partnership. 

Further to this point, an influencer’s following shouldn’t be the main determining factor in finding the right fit for your aesthetic clinic’s marketing campaign. Instead, you’ll want to make notes on some of the following factors: 

• Engagement with their followers: Do they reply to comments, share posts from their followers, and encourage them to ask questions?
• Follower comments: Do the influencer’s followers like and comment often?
• Comment quality: Are followers or the influencer taking time to craft their responses and do comments seem genuine?
• Shares and tags: Do followers seem to want to share the influencer’s post with their friends or followers? Do they tag other profiles in comments to draw attention to a post?
• Tone and style: Will the influencer’s tone and style complement your clinic’s branding? Do they often talk about aesthetics or the specific services that you offer? If not, would your services be a good complement to the influencer’s usual topics?

2. Request a Quote and Discuss a Formal Agreement

While it used to be the case that some influencers would partner with a brand if they were offered free products, that’s not the general case today. Those who put in long hours of work into building a loyal follower base, earning their audience’s trust, and engaging with their followers should be properly compensated, so keep your budget in mind before contacting an influencer with whom you’d like to partner. If the influencer is a good fit, this partnership could be lucrative for your business, so due diligence on your part for finding the perfect candidate negotiations will offer the best chance at a partnership that can make the most of your budget.  

First, when reaching out to your ideal influencer, ensure that you get to know them. Personalize a message with the specific reasons you want to partner with them, why you would be a good fit for them, and that you’d like to arrange a date and time to further discuss details. Include some information on your clinic, its brand and mission, your patients, and the service(s) you’re hoping to promote. Include a link to your social media or website where they can learn more. Don’t message them directly on the platform if they request to be contacted by email, and don’t email them directly if they list their manager’s contact in their bio. It’s poor etiquette and will only likely relegate your message to the trash bin.

Once they reply for more information, treat this like an interview process (from their side as well). Get to know each other and find the main thread that makes this a strong partnership. If you agree to work together, discuss rates and the details of your marketing campaign. Be sure to discuss what, where, and when content will be posted. If something seems strange, ask the influencer to explain their reasoning. You may also request information on engagement rates and some of their past campaign outcomes to get a feel for what you might expect. At this stage, it might be best to also cover any regional or industry regulations that the influencer may be unaware of but will need to follow for your campaign. At this point, you may also discuss whether you’d like to include a promotional offer in the campaign and whether you will be engaging in an affiliate program through which the influencer may receive a percentage of the profits from any suitable leads generated from the campaign. In all, for at least your first foray into influencer marketing, it is a wise choice to have a lawyer draw up a contract and review your negotiations prior to any commitment.

3. Putting the Plan in Action

Once the agreement is signed and your influencer marketing campaign begins, work closely with the influencer to ensure that you’re following all industry regulations and guidelines. As with any patient, let the influencer know what to expect in terms of sensations during and after treatments, any risks or limitations, and potential results. Ensure that you answer all of their questions thoroughly and stress the importance of post-treatment care. Managing expectations with an influencer is important as they will share their experience with a wider net of potential leads. A positive experience here could have a greater reach in attracting prospective patients to your clinic compared to several positive online reviews because followers treat the influencer as a trusted source.

Depending on the success of your influencer marketing campaign, you might have some easily measurable results in the form of new patient consultations. However, it doesn’t hurt to have more measurements to determine the complete value of your marketing campaign and determine if a long-term partnership is beneficial. Depending on what is included in your agreement, your influencer should provide a report that includes statistics on reach, engagement, shares, and other more specific metrics. If you have questions, they or their manager should be able to answer them and offer feedback on how you might improve your results on the next marketing campaign. If all goes well, your clinic may want to streamline your marketing strategies and invest more of your total marketing budget in future campaigns with this influencer and others.

Interested in learning more? Each Venus Concept subscription plan partnership comes with Venus Concept’s signature Practice Enhancement Program, designed to provide your aesthetics clinic with ongoing support for all aspects of your business, including strategic planning and marketing support. Additional marketing and advertising support from the 2Two5™ agency may also be purchased to complement your influencer marketing efforts and amplify your clinic’s digital reach with digital marketing strategies informed by analytics. To learn more, simply reach out to an expert today using the button below.