Keeping your clients on-board during coronavirus

Being forced to close for an unpredictable period of time has led to many aesthetic clinics cutting back on outgoings. In some cases, this has meant putting paid-for services such as PR, marketing and social-media management on hold.

We are living in uncertain times and while it’s understandable that this unknown territory is creating a lot of fear for businesses, it’s also really important to think long-term. This is a crucial time to keep communicating with clients as well as increasing pipeline generation so that, when things go back to normal, your business is still thriving.

In recent weeks, we at Cosmetic PR have certainly seen some clients embracing this window of opportunity, with an increase in demand for digital marketing, such as generating successful social media campaigns, updating websites and blogs, creating and distributing e-shots and newsletters and creating content and graphics ready for when their business gets back to normal. We’ve also been spending time planning in influential PR campaigns for bigger projects in the future, as well as perfecting our strategies and working on some exciting behind the scenes launches.

Taking the right actions and finding the right message can be challenging, especially in a fast-changing situation such as this. If you’ve had to put a pause on PR and marketing activities for the coming months, there are some things you can do yourself to keep at the forefront of clients’ minds. Being on lockdown is also a great opportunity to do those things you never had time to do, such as planning and creating quality content for your website, writing blogs or planning in your relaunch for when things settle.

Continuing with PR and digital marketing through this period could potentially be the deciding factor in whether businesses make it through the tough times ahead. Whether you have a hired PR team or you’re attempting it solo, here are a few things you can do to keep on top of your game throughout this time.

Open a virtual clinic

One thing that’s already proven to be successful for many is setting up a virtual clinic where doctors and therapists can log in and perform remote consultations with patients from the comfort of their own home. Arranging FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp video calls is a great way of letting clients know they’re still important and keeping a part of your business alive during this time. Home skincare plans are becoming increasingly popular too and are a great way
of helping clients keep on top of their skincare needs. Video consultations will allow you to formulate treatment plans, resulting in sales of skincare products and supplements, which you can post direct to clients at home. You could also link your virtual clinic to social media and do live Q&As, online treatment demos (on yourself or a family member) or create lots of brilliant educational videos for clients.

Keep your social media going

With so many people spending more time at home, internet usage is even higher than normal. Keeping on top of social media and delivering compelling content is key for communicating your updates during the covid-19 pandemic. It’s also an effective way for you to keep in touch with clients and give them engaging content. If you’ve had to cut back on paid-for social media services, it’s important you continue to update your social platforms regularly (at least once a day) with quality content that entertains, inspires, educates, and informs. These tactics will help you create an ongoing relationship during, and even after, the coronavirus pandemic. Social media channels are also a great way of getting in front of the press as many journalists look to social media as a source of inspiration and feature ideas.

Send newsletters

If you already have a strong client database, newsletters are a brilliant way of getting your message to clients, and also a perfect opportunity to keep them informed on clinic updates for when things get back to normal. Staying in touch will also likely prompt them to come back to the clinic in future. When creating the content for your newsletter try to keep it simple and catchy. Think about what you want your newsletter to accomplish – this should be the first question you ask yourself before you start writing.

Generate your own PR

By developing a relationship with industry journalists, you can become one of their go-to practitioners for advice on the latest industry developments and trends. An important part of getting your brand into the press is knowing your target market and how you can get your business in front of them. Think about who you want to reach – what do those people want to read? What do they want to watch or listen to? Once you have this in mind, you can start compiling a database of target media titles. While the bigger national newspapers and magazines that you read might be top of your agenda, don’t forget about including some local and regional outlets which can be really beneficial if you’re looking to target people in a specific area.

I’d recommend contacting press by email rather than phone to avoid catching them at a busy time or when they are working to a tight deadline. An email usually works best, as you can also ensure you include all the information in one go, rather than missing anything out. Getting a strong pitch idea together and making sure the story angle is right for each publication is key to securing press coverage. Most journalists receive hundreds of press releases and email pitches every day, so making yours stand out is really important. Try to think outside of the box. What does your clinic bring that’s different? Do you have a niche or specialism in terms of treatments you offer? What is your unparalleled expertise?

Start by researching the kind of stories that particular publication usually covers, and keep in mind that different titles have different lead times (monthly magazines work three to six months ahead, whereas online magazines and national newspapers work approximately one to seven days in advance).

Building relationships with the press can take months or even years, so don’t be disappointed if your PR efforts aren’t an overnight success. Just keeping churning out brilliant content and great feature ideas. This challenging time won’t last forever, and when business returns to normal you may want to consider using a PR agency as they will already have a bank of contacts, excellent creative mindset and many years of experience in the aesthetics sector.

Get creative

Remember, this time is an opportunity to sit back, reset and reflect on your business goals and how you can move forward in future. Try to spend time each day working on furthering your business, whether it’s creating new treatment packages, researching treatment systems, new products you’ve been interested in, working on your personal brand, or perhaps setting up the YouTube channel you’ve been thinking about doing for months. It can be difficult to find the time for marketing your business, so try to look at this period as a gift of the perfect time to get started.

 Lucy Hilson is founder and director of Cosmetic PR, founded in 2015. She has more than 15 years’ experience in beauty PR, working with some of the world’s leading beauty and aesthetic businesses. Hilson is also experienced in developing aesthetic and skincare businesses and has helped many clients take their ideas into reality, from initial concept and brand development to the PR launch and business growth. She has contributed her PR knowledge and experience to publications and websites including Glamour, Metro, MSN, Pure Beauty, Yahoo and Health & Wellbeing Magazine.