The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in how consumers interact with brands and businesses, including the med spa and wellness industry. These shifts in consumer attitudes have made it necessary to innovate marketing strategies and the customer experience to survive in a post-pandemic world. The most prominent challenge for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic was that the ability to have face-to-face contact had been stripped due to lockdowns and social distancing– a death sentence for businesses who rely on contact services.
While this has been true of many industries, the wellness and medical spa industries have substantially flourished and grown from this period of time, against all odds. This can be accredited to a number of reasons and it’s important to take note and learn from how these unlikely contenders has overcome these challenges and thrived.
How has the COVID-19 crisis affected marketing strategies?
Med spas and wellness centers adapted their marketing tactics to survive and thrive during these uncertain times. With the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading across the globe, businesses have had to change their ways of operating. The impact of the virus on consumers and the economy has changed the way companies operate. This means that marketers have also had to adjust their strategies.
Businesses have had to rethink their approaches to reach customers effectively. If they hadn’t felt the impacts and importance of social media marketing and other digital marketing channels, they definitely have now. The realization that traditional advertising methods have become inferior to new ones such as social media, email marketing, and now video marketing has become apparent in this competitive landscape.
Rethinking the value proposition
The constraints of the COVID-19 outbreak have forced businesses to rethink their value proposition to stay involved, maintain customer loyalty, and even foster new relationships. While providing in-person services was virtually impossible for extended periods of times, the necessity to align with patients was more important than ever to set up a stream of business for when businesses could finally reopen.
We are now, more than ever, able to meet our audience closer than ever before. Whether they’re out or at home, we are no longer bound by the physical limitations with how integrated technology has become. Social distancing and lockdowns made this avenue of digital communication much more apparent, even forcing those who were not as technology-driven such as older generations to adjust accordingly. This has largely influenced the way not only people interact with each other, but how businesses are run.
Consumers value this new sense of convenience, and it has been realized that physical interaction was not always necessary and at times, inconvenient. However, when it comes to wellness clinics and medical spas– treatments are at the heart of the business. So how did they come to thrive so well?
Nurturing online relationships
Although direct treatment was not a possibility in the COVID-19 pandemic, value and care was still able to be provided through free knowledge. During this time, self-care and health have been pushed to the forefront and a new mindset was birthed. Advice coming from medical professionals is largely valued and social media has demystified the patient-doctor relationship by allowing a peak into what goes on behind closed doors. This knowledge includes wellness tips, skincare facts, and more.
Breaking down these barriers has allowed patients to feel like they can ask questions without feeling judged or pressured. It’s an environment where patients can talk about anything from their concerns to their fears with complete comfort. As a result, many have started to seek advice and guidance from doctors and therapists online.
This newfound confidence to share personal experiences has led to a shift in the way patients view healthcare providers. They’ve begun to look towards them for support rather than just receiving treatment. Practices acquiring an online audience were able to form connections and nurture relationships with prospective patients, building their customer base for when it would be possible for them to return.
This dynamic was previously not possible with old ways of traditional marketing and has now become the norm and a part of consumer preferences. A business that doesn’t participate in adapting to consumer habits will not last long with the high levels of consumer awareness there is today.
How do Wellness clinics and Med spas move further?
With the adaptation of technology such as in tele-health and new patient-doctor dynamics, this has also opened up doors for many more to consider undergoing wellness and cosmetic treatments. They are able to receive virtual consultations from the comfort of their home, meaning there is less pressure to commit to treatments and procedures.
We also cannot forget that naturally, society always has an innate longing to feel beautiful, confident, and good about themselves. Coming out of the current crisis highlighted the importance of self-care and nurturing– aligning with wellness and medical spa clinics. This was further highlighted by the many Zoom and Skype videos calls where people had a lot of time to study their faces!
The unexpected resilience of this industry has been a showcase as to how much innovation is possible through advancements in technology and creative thinking. With the right approach, businesses can continue thriving even during uncertain times.
In recent years, the number of people seeking cosmetic surgery procedures such as Botox has increased dramatically. In fact, some experts estimate that nearly half of all women in America will undergo some kind of cosmetic procedure before age 50. While we are in a current ‘high-time’ for medical spas and wellness clinics, it’s important to know that riding the wave means you must embrace these changes to be successful.
