There is certainly an appeal to offering medical aesthetic treatments that are on trend, but it’s imperative to understand the risks you may be running to do so. As with every business decision, there are pros and cons to adding the latest trendy aesthetic treatments to your services menu. In fact, it’s likely you’ll still be wondering if you’ve considered all the factors even after you’ve made your final decision. While there will always be plenty of information to take into account—and your clinic’s pro-con list will certainly vary from another clinic’s list based on your unique business situation and model—the following are just some points to weigh out before committing to adding that trendy treatment to your list of aesthetics services.
Con: A Bad Gamble Can Be Costly
Blindly stepping into a new treatment trend can end up losing you more than you may have bargained for. It’s best to temper timeliness with research. If a trendy treatment piques your interest and seems like it could be a good fit for your business, take a moment to create a list of pros and cons. Thoroughly research the effectiveness of the treatment, the suggested treatment protocols, and potential alternatives that could offer patients the same outcome but with a longer product cycle that benefits your business. Based on the information you’ve then gathered, strategically adopt only those new treatment trends that appear to be backed by proven technology and results, and further still, favor those that offer more pros than cons.
Pro: You Could Be a Leader
It may feel safer to sit back and wait to see how a trend may play out in the wider market before jumping in. However, if a trend ends up sticking, adopting the new treatment later than your competitors could earn your clinic the reputation of becoming a follower. By getting in at the beginning of a potentially long-standing trend, your clinic establishes itself as a leader and innovator, increasing patient trust if you play your cards right. Of course, jumping on and off of every new treatment wave could suggest that your clinic lacks specialization. For those clinics interested in adapting a new trendy treatment, choose wisely. Consider how you can market it in a way that feels natural to your clinic and aligns with your branding to strengthen impressions among past and prospective patients. Your clinic’s mission will come across as much more authentic if you adapt trendy treatments that align with your business’ patient base and branding.
Con: New Treatments Require New Training
To be fair, certification and training are always required when working with new modalities or even upgraded versions of the same technology, plus continued education can help keep staff happy and feeling challenged. It stands to reason, though, that for those clinics attracted to the latest and seemingly greatest new treatments, a constant flow of new services may bog down your schedule and staff with ongoing training and certification, making for little time to properly market and treat patients with the technology you’ve introduced to increase bookings in the first place. If your clinic does not take a measured approach to gradually introduce new treatments in balance with your booking schedule, the trendiest offerings are unlikely to grow your business. Patients simply won’t wait around for an opening with you if the competition offers a next-day appointment.
Pro: New Treatment Offerings Attract Attention
It should not be overlooked that expanding your clinic’s treatments menu can certainly revive past patients’ interest in your business. Trendier treatments may also offer a higher search volume from new patients online. For those clinics strategically adopting the new treatment trends, these new options can pull the attention of more prospective patients to your website through search results, particularly if you have properly optimized your website’s SEO information. Adding an announcement of the new offering to the clinic’s Google My Business account may also increase rankings in search results, offering a sort of temporary spotlight on your business.
Con: More Marketing Dollars May Be Required
A lean budget may no longer do the trick. For clinics that tend to switch up treatment options often in favor of the latest aesthetic treatment trends, it may be necessary to increase the size of your marketing budget to accommodate all of those pivots. New brochures and website pages, banner ads, and other graphics will be required to help announce your new offerings to past and prospective patients alike. As well, you may need to offer discounted rates to loyal patients or free treatment trials to select family and friends in order to be able to offer those patients who are paying in full a few high-quality before-and-after images.
Of course, don’t focus so much on marketing that you let your clinic’s equipment become outdated for fear of investing in something too new or trendy. Ensure you keep one step ahead of your competition and prevent your technology from becoming obsolete, alongside a stronger marketing strategy and ongoing clinical education support—all benefits of a Venus Concept partnership. Whether you’re looking to add a facial rejuvenation treatment device to the mix with Venus Glow™ or are looking to upgrade your various devices to one multi-treatment platform capable of all the most commonly requested treatments with Venus Versa™, you can be sure that your clinic makes use of industry trends while planning for a greater ROI and long-term success.
To learn more about our medical aesthetics machine lineup or to get started with a new Venus Concept partnership today, contact an expert using the link below.
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