Standing Out in a Busy, Unregulated Crowd: 7 Tips to Becoming the Go-To Aesthetic Clinic in Your Area

There are almost 1,000 aesthetic clinics in the UK today.To say it’s a fast-growing market is an underestimate and so standing out from the crowd is that little bit more difficult every time a new clinic opens their doors.

That said, every clinic owner has their own motivations for starting an aesthetic business and that’s what makes them who they are. Getting to the root of that is what will help put you on the map and make you the go-to choice for your client base.You just have to find it, and market it!

With 15 years industry experience and facing almost every adversity a clinic owner can face (including a world pandemic!) here are my 5 tips to keeping your ahead way above water and making a real impact in aesthetics:

Find Your USP and Shout About It

Whether it’s specialising in 1 service as an “expert provider” or perfecting your patient journey, find the one thing that you can confidently offer to clients above and beyond all those around you. This should be something that comes naturally to you and that you feel passionately about.

Prioritise Patient Care

When a patient comes to your clinic, they do so to feel better. Fact. With that in mind, there is no room for slack or mistakes – every element of the patient journey needs to be outstanding. Put yourself in your customers shoes, what does the journey with your clinic look like and where can you make improvements? Add exclusive combination treatments to your treatment menu for maximum patient results and to find an edge over your competitors.

Stick to the Clinically Proven

Give your business and clients the standard they deserve and only invest in the latest, clinically-proven, world-leading brands. In this unregulated industry, so many copy-cats and fake machines pop-up and claim to offer results that they just can’t deliver. Steer clear for your patient’s sake and look to those you can trust. Be ahead of the crowd and ensure your clinic is the first in your area to have a pioneering treatment. You want to work with suppliers that will be there to support you far beyond the machine sale.

Regulate Yourself

Whilst we do operate in an unregulated arena, there are opportunities to prove to your clients that you care about safety. Get your clinic CQC (or equivalent) registered and use this in your Marketing efforts to help instil trust in your patients that they are choosing somewhere that’s safe and with their best intentions at heart.

Never Stop Learning

Ensure your staff are as highly trained as possible. Every member of the team should be an asset to the business that can perform treatments, interact with customers and sell courses flawlessly. There’s always room to learn so invest in training wherever and whenever you can. Don’t forget to advertise this in your Marketing efforts too so your clients know you’re a wealth of knowledge.

Enter Industry Awards

There are plenty of notable industry awards that you can enter throughout the year. These can really help to your position your clinic as one of the best in the business and where patients can receive an honest and trusted service. Even if you don’t win, just being shortlisted can make all the difference.

Become a KOL

Working as a Key Opinion Leader or Brand Ambassador for some of your favourite brands helps to position you as someone ‘in-the-know’ and who keeps up-to-date with all the latest brand innovations. Showing you know a brand or treatment inside out again helps to instil that much-needed trust in your client base to keep them coming back to you. It also gives you a sneaky little edge over the competition around you. If you’re a true expert with experience and passion for a particular brand, you may even be invited to be a KOL and share this experience personally.

For more information on finding your business USP, it all starts with hiring an aesthetics coach like me! Email sara@clinicsuccess.com to start your journey.