Everybody loves a good deal — and that’s as true for cosmetic surgery as it is for clothes, cars and cosmetics. So says Regina Lewis of USA Today, whose article in the Money Quick Tips last week led off with the line: Demand for nips, tucks and wrinkle-free faces has consumers clamoring for bargains. The [...]
Tag Archives | RealSelf
Infographic Friday: Listen Up, Doc, but Don’t Be Intrusive
There’s a reason they call it the “art” of listening. Trying to ascertain what consumers want is definitely more of an art than a science and nowhere is that more true than in social media. As this infographic from NetBase.com suggests, such “social listening” is especially tricky, in large part, because consumers aren’t sure how [...]
More than Scores: Reviews Trump Ratings for Patients and Doctors
If you’re looking to score well with aesthetic consumers, the folks at PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) have a little advice: Stop! As the Institute notes in a new report, “Scoring Healthcare: Navigating customer experience ratings,” doctors who focus on stars, letter grades and other one-dimensional ratings miss an excellent opportunity to connect with patients, [...]
For Doctors, Providing Relevant Content is the Key to Social Success
If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by Facebook, you’re not alone. Between disappearing posts, questionable conversion rates and a steady stream of platform changes, it’s not surprising that many doctors find the site a mixed blessing at best. Case in point: The site’s latest update which entails giving users far more flexibility in determining what [...]
RealSelf 100: Socially Savvy Doctors Earn Honors for Helping Aesthetic Consumers
There’s no escaping the fact that social media has given aesthetic consumers greater control over their medibeauty decisions but that doesn’t mean doctors can’t play a major role in the process. In fact, smart doctors recognize that social media enables them to play a larger role than ever by facilitating engagement with consumers in the [...]
The 5 Cs of Social Healthcare: Choose your Channels to Connect with Top Prospects (Part III in a series)
When it comes to social media, all platforms are not created equal. And when it comes to marketing cosmetic surgery and other aesthetic procedures via social media, choosing the wrong one can result in a lot of wasted time, misspent marketing dollars and minimal return on your investment. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest — they all boast [...]
The 5 Cs of Social Healthcare: Enhance Your Authenticity by Encouraging Conversations (Part II of a series)
At RealSelf, we often hear from doctors who say they have a hard time convincing patients to post reviews after their procedures. Frankly, we’re not surprised; after all, having completed their aesthetic journey, what incentive is there for a patient to take the time to write a post-procedure report? Compare that to the non-stop stream [...]
Grow Your Practice with RealSelf’s 5 Cs of Social Healthcare (Part I of a series)
As the owner of a small business, you’ve probably heard of the 4 Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. It’s a time-honored concept that works well when you’re selling widgets or washing machines but it falls short when your “product” entails a medical service, an emotional decision and the growing influence of social [...]
Worth It Ratings Add Fresh Insights to ASAPS Cosmetic Surgery Statistics
More than 10 million procedures, consumer expenditures approaching $11 billion and a whole lot of satisfied patients. Those are among the key findings to be found in a just-released report from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). In fact, according to the organization’s analysis of multi-specialty statistics for 2012, the 10.1 million procedures [...]
Buzz Index: BBL Sisterhood Is Serious about Butt Lifts
Say what you will about social media but one fact is inescapable: When it comes to cosmetic surgery, what were once considered “whisper conversations” are being talked about like never before. And while the online dialogue is ongoing on dozens, if not hundreds, of subjects, you’d be hard-pressed to find a subject that inspires more [...]
Aesthetic Consumers Choose Doctors Who Respond to Online Inquiries
Funny thing about the Internet: despite its undeniable ability to supplant face-to-face contact, the people who use it still take their interactions on it very personally. In fact, when you think about, it may just be the medium’s depersonalized nature that makes personal interactions online so powerful. That’s certainly the case with doctors’ responses to [...]
New Report Highlights 2012’s Hottest Trends in Plastic Surgery
Less cellulite and a more shapely rear. It’s not surprising, perhaps, that better thighs and butts are atop many aesthetic consumers’ wish lists but new data puts some hard numbers to the anecdotal idea. According to the latest report from RealSelf.com, Cellulaze and Brazilian butt lifts posted the greatest increases in search volume among [...]
Buzz Index: A New Year, A New Body?
Maybe it’s the time of year. At a time when millions of people resolve to lose a little weight, those who have already lost a lot of it are more than happy to share their experiences. Case in point: aesthetic consumers who have had or are considering a body lift. In fact, according to the [...]
Buzz Index: Aesthetic Consumers Want More Permanent Makeup, Fewer Tattoos
In San Diego, a middle-aged woman wonders about the use of anesthesia for permanent makeup procedures, prompting responses from several doctors. In Ohio, a young woman wants to get an 11-year-old tattoo on her back removed, sharing her pre- and post-procedure concerns and advice with others seeking similar treatment. Two different patients, two different procedures [...]
User Reviews Trump Paid Ads for Patients — and Doctors
Perhaps you saw the figures released earlier this year from the number-crunchers at Nielsen. Looking at what sources of information people trusted most, the company found that less than half (47%) of the people surveyed trusted paid advertising. Depending on the outlet — TV, magazines or newspapers — that was a drop of 20–25% from [...]
The Seven Habits of Socially Savvy Doctors
In 1989, the FDA approved the use of Botox for select medical conditions; the Internet was a concept unknown outside research circles, and a first-time author named Stephen R. Covey wrote a little business/self-help book called “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Needless to say, much has changed since then. Botox is a multi-billion-dollar [...]
Doctors and Online Reviews: The Rest of the Story
If you’ve ever been interviewed by a newspaper reporter or broadcast journalist, you’ve probably experienced the dismay of seeing your in-depth, informative and comprehensive conversation reduced to a one-liner or 5-second sound bite. It happens to everyone, just as it happened to RealSelf CEO Tom Seery in a Reuters story last month on the evolution [...]
Buzz Index: After Braces, Patients Love to Grin and Bare ‘Em
Maybe it’s all those politicians smiling for the cameras or the models and movie stars sporting big grins at the newsstand — whatever the reason, a lot of aesthetic consumers these days are talking about teeth. In fact, according to the latest Buzz Index from RealSelf, dental procedures accounted for five of the 15 most-talked [...]
Patient Stories Make for Great Doctor Reviews
Here at RealSelf, we spend a lot of time talking about doctor reviews but traditional reviews actually play a very small role in our user community. Truth is, when most users write about the aesthetic procedures they’ve had, they’re not passing judgment on their providers, they’re sharing stories about their experiences. It’s a subtle but [...]
RealSelf Buzz Index: Interest in Male Tummy Tucks Is on the Rise
Tummy tucks — they’re not just for women anymore. They never were, of course, but according to the RealSelf Buzz Index, they’re becoming an increasingly hot topic among men, as well. Whether it’s the result of extreme weight loss or frequent close-ups of Olympic athletes like Ryan Lochte and David Boudia, doctors shouldn’t be surprised [...]
