Danny Star, CEO and Founder of Website Depot Digital Marketing Agency, has helped hundreds of small businesses grow and expand.
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Every industry is different. What’s an effective strategy for one industry (or even one company in one industry) could be completely ineffective in another. That said, there are some connectors.
What we do for one client in one industry may not translate directly to another company in a different industry. However, something similar may work. A strategy or method could resonate across many industries, reaching customers of all kinds and elevating completely different companies.
I’ve found that there are some SEO and digital marketing lessons that many companies can take from one of the industry’s we serve, plastic surgery, during this time.
Figure out how what your business can offer to folks looking to ‘get out there’ after the pandemic.
As of this writing, more and more people are getting vaccinated all across America and the world. Hopefully, we all are soon. This has essentially limitless benefits for business owners of all kinds.
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However, business owners should make sure they’re in a position to get as much out of reopening as possible.
The plastic surgery industry is instructive here. After all, research and studies show that people want to get plastic surgery now — they want to look their best when they reemerge and get back out there (so to speak).
The plastic surgery industry needed this. It took it as hard as any business last year, with many folks getting fewer procedures.
When the pandemic began, I talked to many of our clients about conserving their resources, staying afloat and waiting for the time to strike.
Now is the time to strike.
You might read that and think, “OK, that’s easy to say for a plastic surgeon, sure. But my company has nothing to do with that.”
Perhaps not. But in all likelihood, there’s something that your company can do to take better advantage of folks being out and about more.
Restaurants and stores that removed all of their indoor dining and sitting options could benefit from bringing those back (while, in many cases, still upholding social distancing and the like). Walk-in and in-store deals/specials can make a comeback, particularly if you’ve seen your online services drop.
Essentially any business can benefit from bumping up their exterior/outdoor advertising. I advised many clients to take that money and use it for digital advertising during the pandemic. Digital advertising is and will always be important, of course, but you can reach (or soon will be able to reach) more and more people by putting your company “out there” (literally) more and more.
Mix ‘idealistic’ content with realistic content.
The cosmetic surgery industry, perhaps even more so than most industries, sells dreams — the dream of looking your best. The dream of being as beautiful as you ever were (if not more). Additionally, you can get it quickly — in a few months, weeks or even days. That will always be an important part of plastic surgery marketing.
However, our most effective cosmetic surgeon clients have just as many Instagram and social media posts of “perfect” models as they do of regular people right before (and right after) surgery.
The truth is that plastic surgery can make folks a bit squeamish. That’s with good reason; it is changing a person’s body. Many of the procedures can be dramatic as well as invasive.
We’ve found that it can increase engagement, branding, trust and so much more to include pictures of real people along with the models. If there’s one thing that we’ve learned during the pandemic, it’s that folks are looking for more honesty in their marketing. Just showing pictures of flawless models on the beach isn’t good enough for a cosmetic surgeon anymore.
There’s a lesson in here for other businesses, as well. If you sell products, show how they actually work. If you provide a service, show yourself doing it.
That said, don’t be afraid to show the parts that might make folks a bit squeamish — that might feel a bit too “real.”
That’s not to say that you should disgust them, gross anyone out or anything of the sort. But it’s one more way to build a real, tangible connection. You can mix the professionally taken pictures of your products and services in with real people doing real (potentially dirty) work. That can only make you more of a resource.
Show; don’t tell (except where it’s OK to tell and not show).
One of our clients includes many pictures and videos of models in their marketing as well as testimonials from real folks who have used their services. This has a real “show; don’t tell” ethos — real people talking about what really happened to them, showing their actual results.
However, interspersed with this, you’ll see videos of the plastic surgeon himself. It’s just him, talking about what he does and what he offers. It’s the opposite of “show, don’t tell.” It’s “tell, without a whole lot of show.”
It’s also very effective.
These videos let you get to know the doctor. To trust him. To realize that this guy really knows what he’s talking about. Moreover, he’s a real person. After watching a couple of them, folks trust him to literally transform their bodies, to put their health as well as their well-being in his hands.
When you’re creating your content, don’t be afraid to do something similar.
There’s nothing wrong with filming one employee or another talking about themselves, what they do and how they can help. They don’t have to do it for a long period of time, nor do they have to have a perfect sales pitch or anything like that.
Show that they’re real people who know what they’re doing, that the customer can trust. That can help immeasurably.
The above can help your company today as well as in the future, regardless of whether you’re in the plastic surgery industry or not.
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Author: Danny Star, Forbes Councils Member
