Are you effectively using social media for your med spa business? If not, you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to build not just a new clientele, but your entire brand.

Social media can be intimidating. Just what is social media and why is it something that your med spa business cannot ignore? We hope to take a bit of guesswork out of it on our blog today.

What is social media marketing?

Simply defined, social media is the use of social media platforms in order to promote a brand, product or service. Social media is here to stay, so it is necessary for your med spa business to spend time being active online. What was once considered optional for businesses is now a must in order to succeed. 91% of businesses use two or more social media platforms. The online presence of your medical spa is vital for its growth and success.

People are spending more time online than ever before. We’re not just limited to personal computers. Pause and take a look around. Nearly everyone has a mobile device at the tip of their fingers. There are now more mobile devices in this world than people and studies show that for every five minutes a person spends online, one minute of that time is spent on a social channel. 

According to Pew Research Center, 70% of Americans are actively using social media.  68% of all adults use Facebook on a daily basis. While the percentage is a bit smaller for Instagram, the platform boasts an impressive 500 million daily active users. Social media is not limited to just one or two websites. Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, and You Tube are all very important platforms. In fact, 94% of Americans in the 19 to 24 age group use You Tube regularly.

These websites are all solid platforms with which to start for your med spa business — although it is wise to talk with an experienced social media marketer to take a look at your target demographic to see if there are other platforms you want to invest your time on.

Key ways to use social media for your med spa business

Build a sense of community. 

The most important thing you can do on social media is to cultivate a genuine community. This is key. You will not have a large legitimate following overnight. While it may be tempting to buy followers, there are many drawbacks. For example, most of the paid followers these services offer are not located in the United States. If they are not local to your medical spa, this does not make sense. Establishing your presence is done by building real relationships with people located within a reasonable distance from your business. You would much rather have a small community of people who are likely to come visit your med spa than a large following of people who will never become clients.

Create informative content.

You can also use your social media accounts to provide clients and potential clients with meaningful content. For example, do you offer Hyaluronic Acid fillers at your medical spa? You can create an informational post highlighting the skincare benefits of Hyaluronic Acid. People enjoying learning and this type of content creation can help build your reputation as a trusted authority in your industry.

Share photos of med spa services.

People are very visual by nature. You have a great opportunity on social media to share photos that showcase your talents. Do you have an expert microblading technician on your staff? Show before and after photos on Instagram. You work in the perfect industry to build an online portfolio and gain new business. On social media, posts featuring photos are proven to generate a higher level of interest. On Facebook alone, posts with photos earn 120% more engagement than posts using only text, so be sure to post photos regularly.

Use social media to listen.

It is important to remember that social media is not a one way street. Where businesses tend to go wrong on social media is by simply posting to their social media networks and believing that their work is done. The person managing social media for your med spa business needs to focus on monitoring comments and questions to stay engaged. If you post about microdermabrasion and someone asks a question and it goes unanswered, it will reflect poorly on your business. Be a good listener. Potential clients are much more likely to become new clients if they feel that you genuinely care about them and are listening to their needs.

Be authentic.

People want to get to “know” the brands and businesses they spend their money with. On social media, you will see CEOs of cosmetics companies using Facebook Live to chat about products in a down to earth way. Companies often fall into the trap of scripted social media, forgetting that real life is unscripted. Your med spa may benefit from videos sharing more about the services you offer and a bit of candid interactions with the people performing them. Remember, social media marketing is really about establishing meaningful relationships. 

Is your medical spa using social media? Stay tuned, as we will soon be discussing how to leverage influencers on social media.