Pam's plane analogy helps to summarise the situation we find ourselves in more clearly and outline why clinics should communicate with patients
In the wake of the nationwide lockdown in the UK, I have received many questions from clients, and one of the most frequently asked questions was on the subject of patient communications.
Some examples include:
‘What is the best way to engage with and communicate with patients during this time?’
‘I don't know what to post on social media to keep people interested. Any ideas?’
‘How can I continue to engage with my patients so that they stay interested in my clinic and they don't forget me?’
‘Is it still acceptable to talk about what I do?’
‘I don't want to come across as pushy or insensitive. How do I avoid that?’
Now, the first thing I would say is these are all fantastic questions. However, as I have said to my clients, you are asking the wrong person—you should be asking those questions to your patients!
Understand, and then serve
Firstly, I encourage you to first seek to understand, and then seek to serve. Your patients will inform you on the right approaches to take. So, if you have not already done so, it is time to reach out to patients and start asking some of those questions to them.
» We have got to be human. In times of crisis, people crave connection. Use this time to be who you are, to be an individual and to build a connection with people. It is the single most important thing to do «
Begin by picking up the phone and check in with your highest spending clients—the top 20%. Find out what their biggest problems, challenges and frustrations are right now. Ask questions, listen carefully to what your clients are telling you and take lots of notes. Then, survey the rest of your client database and your social media followers (an online survey tool called SurveyMonkey is useful). When you are done, read through your notes and ask yourself these three questions:
- How could I be part of the solution?
- Who else might I need to involve?
- What would be the most convenient way for people to get the answers they are looking for?
There are a few clinics and practitioners who have decided not to do this, and instead, they have decided to press ahead with their own marketing agenda. They are putting a lot of effort into promoting things like skincare, in the hope that it is going to replace a fair chunk of the income that they have lost. While there is no right or wrong, all I can say is that they are likely to be disappointed with the results.
Flying high
To help you understand why certain things may not be very effective or appropriate at this time, let me share an analogy with you.
Bear with me while I talk you through this scenario—hopefully it will become clear.
Let's imagine you have just boarded a flight to go to an international aesthetics conference (pre-COVID-19).
You take your seat and, just by sheer coincidence, you happened to be sat next to two of your loveliest patients, with one sat on either side of you.
The plane takes off, and before long, you have got your drink and you are talking about aesthetics, updating them on all the latest developments in your clinic, sharing your amazing before and after photos with them and talking about all the exciting things you are going to be doing at the conference.
They’ are loving all the information, hanging off your every word and they cannot get enough of you. It is all lovely.
Then, all of a sudden, the cabin starts to shake—and it starts to shake violently. Everyone starts getting very nervous. Then, out of the blue, the plane starts to dive. It is plummeting… Losing altitude rapidly.
The stewardesses are taken completely by surprise; they do not know what to do.
The oxygen masks drop down, the baggage holders come open and there is baggage everywhere. Everybody is hysterical—but then the captain makes an announcement,
‘Don't worry folks. We've got this under control’.
Then, soon enough, the plane comes to a new altitude and normal flight conditions are resumed. Now, what you do next will determine the quality of the relationship you have with those two patients when you get off that plane.
Everybody is in an absolute state of shock and struggling to hold it together.
Imagine if you were to just pick up the conversation where you left off—scrolling through your iPad and showing them some of your amazing before and after photos.
If you did that, just imagine the look on the faces of the two people sitting either side of you as you act like nothing has happened?
Alternatively, you might handle it in a different way. You might decide it's best to say nothing and quietly withdraw to the back of the plane and sit on your own for the rest of the flight.
Again, imagine the look on the faces of the two people sitting either side of you as you stand up and walk away from them?
Let's just talk about the right thing to do, and what most people would do in this situation.
Immediately after that horrible incident, rather than try and pick up the conversation where you left off or running away to the back of the plane, you turn to your two patients and comfort them, human to human. Before long, you are starting to connect with them on a much deeper level. Maybe you are talking about your loved ones and sharing photographs with each other.
Before long, you have put a smile on their faces and maybe you have even made them laugh. You are really starting to bond and connect, and really open up and share with each other.
Just imagine, when you finally land at the destination and you get off that plane… Just imagine how much more enhanced those relationships will be.
Being human
In summary, we have got to be real. We have got to be human. In times of crisis, people crave connection. Use this time to be who you are, to be an individual and to build a connection with people.
One clinic owner sold more skincare products in day than normally sold in a month by sharing a video of her using them on social media platforms
It is the single most important thing to do. This should come across in all of your communication efforts and all of your marketing. It is no longer business to consumer, it is human to human.
Emerging after COVID-19
Think about how you want to emerge from all of this. Think about the Titanic, for example. When the Titanic set sail, it had a plan to get from England to America. The second they hit that iceberg, there was not a single person on board that ship who was thinking about what they were going to have for dinner when they got to New York. Their circumstances had completely changed. So, just think about that. Your old marketing plans and communication strategies may not be appropriate right now, because the situation and the circumstances have changed.
However, of course, there are always some rare exceptions. For example, one of my clients recently sold more skincare products in a day than she normally sells in a month—without even trying. She shared a great video of her using the products herself on her Instagram page and story, and she was thrilled with the reaction and results.
Naturally, all of your patients are going to have different priorities and preferences. Make sure you check in with them and take care not to make assumptions or generalisations about their financial situation and spending habits. Ask them what they want to hear more about and find out what would be really useful or helpful to them right now.
Connecting with patients
One of my clients discovered that many of her patients wanted to know more about how to support vulnerable family and friends from a mental health perspective. At the other end of the scale, some of her patients just wanted to make sure they were on the priority list for future bookings.
Another client was blown away by the response she received after sending complimentary skin care and hand sanitiser to a selection of her most loyal patients—it is not surprising to see lots of reciprocal gestures and future bookings flowing her way.
One client recently quadrupled the engagement on her Instagram stories, just by being genuine and being human with her patients and building that human connection.
Many clients have finally got to grips with video creation, and are actually having lots of fun with it as they seek to entertain, as well as educate, their social media followers to keep them engaged. This includes those clients who have been putting off video creation or using lack of time as an excuse—now there is no excuse!
One of my favourite Facebook pages is ‘Beauty rediscovered’ by aesthetic nurse practitioner Aly-Graham Gage and her daughter, Jade: https://www.facebook.com/BeautyRediscovered. They are very genuine, have fun with videos and posts and connect really well with their patients online. Their style may not suit everyone, so make sure you stay true to your personality and are congruent with your own brand online (and off).
Another client, world-renowned rhinoplasty surgeon Charles East, founder of Rhinoplasty London, with his wife Mrs Lydia Badia, has been getting a huge amount of engagement and success with live question and answer sessions on Instagram. They were both already very open, real and visible on Instagram, but now, with the addition of Live Q&A sessions, they are really connecting on a deeper and more personal level.
Staying connected
Please do bear in mind that your patients still have wants and needs, even if their priorities and spending habits have changed. First, seek to understand those needs and then focus on creating a communications plan that hits the right notes and keeps you visible at this critical time when patients need your wisdom and guidance more than ever.
In times of crisis, people need hope to cope, so it is your duty to spread hope to your people through multiple communication channels—by telephone, email, video, social media, even physical mail.
The overall objective is to stay connected to your patients to ensure that, when we eventually emerge from this, your relationships will be enhanced and stronger than ever. You never know, you may even attract new patients in your local area as a direct result of being so human and genuine in all of your marketing communications.
So, now is the perfect time to reinvent your patient communications. In many ways, for many people, you could be more valuable today than ever before.
Be safe. Be strong. Stay connected.