The beauty, aesthetics, and wellness industries are some of the fast growing and competitive markets in the world – brands and clinics alike are vying for consumer attention as they bid to stand out from the crowd. Generating positive PR for a clinic is an effective way to raise its profile in a trustworthy manner, with the aim of engaging target patients and driving bookings. However, relatively few clinics invest in PR as this requires specialist knowledge and expertise. At Kendrick, we’ve devised and delivered numerous winning PR strategies for leading clinics including D Thomas Clinic , The Private Clinic of Harley Street, The Clinic at Holland Park (pictured above), Dr Stefanie Williams , and The Cavendish Clinic x John Lewis Partnership.
In this article, we explain the importance of PR for clinics and share our top PR tactics to help get your clinic noticed by the media and your target customers.
What is PR?
Our favourite definition is:
“PR represents what other people say about you when you’re not there.”
The role of PR, or a good PR strategy, is to protect and enhance the reputation of your business. Yes, PR is all about reputation! And for your clinic, PR has the potential to influence:
- How others, including your target patients, see your clinic
- What people hear or say about your clinic
- What people see in the media about your clinic
- Partnerships with relevant brands, businesses and individuals in your field
- And more!
An effective PR strategy that is tailored to your unique clinic will enable you to showcase your brand how you want it to be seen. Any clinic that is serious about getting the attention of the media, industry professionals, and their target patients should consider investing in PR as part of a holistic marketing strategy.
Why is PR important for clinics?
In crowded and competitive industries like beauty and aesthetics, there are many voices shouting to be heard, and clinics can get lost amongst their competition and fail to stand out. PR is a valuable long-term business strategy which can help clinics find and establish their position in the local market. The three key benefits of PR for clinics are:
- To build and grow brand awareness and visibility, which can increase sales and grow your reputation. For example, when launching a new clinic or treatment PR is a very effective tool for generating that much needed ‘buzz’ and instant visibility. This initial buzz soon translates into demand and more bookings which in turn can boost revenue, profits, growth, and opportunity for your clinic.
- To add credibility and become the ‘convincer’ for your clinic, PR in the longer term can give potential patients reasons to choose YOU over a competitor. For example, when your clinic is regularly featured in local or industry press, or a prominent influencer talks about a great experience with your team, it will help build trust and persuade your target audience to move from ‘consideration’ of a treatment to ‘purchasing’ or engaging with your clinic.
- To grow sales and profits, once the above points align in your long-term PR strategy you can expect to see a steady flow of new patient bookings and repeat bookings from your growing loyal customer base.
In short, a great PR strategy for your clinic can build and grow brand visibility, trust and engagement – and of course, sales! To get started, consult with an experienced PR agency with proven results in your field of aesthetics.
When should a clinic utilise PR?
PR is not a pick-up and drop activity – it is a long-term consistent tactic which can drive great results and media coverage but takes time, effort, and skill. Ideally, you will deploy creative and engaging PR tactics consistently at timely intervals throughout the year to keep your clinic on the radar of your target customers and in the media. However, there are a few key moments when utilising PR is essential:
- Clinic opening (i.e. host a PR event for key media, influencers, and VIP customers)
- New treatment launch
- Seasonal events which resonate with your treatments and clientele (i.e. summer ready skin, Christmas or New Year party prep)
- Clinic growth, awards and good news!
8 effective PR tactics used by successful clinics
PR is about building trust and visibility, alongside authentic relationships with your target audience which includes everyone who touches your business, from prospective and existing customers, to suppliers, the media, influencers, and even employees. Below are our top 8 PR tactics to help you get your clinic noticed:
1.Define your USP
A compelling USP (unique selling point) is vital in a crowded market like aesthetics and skin clinics as it will set you apart from the competition and help you clearly position yourself to journalists, influencers, and your target customers. Trying to define a compelling USP that accurately portrays what you do is a difficult task, but once your USPs are set they will shape all of your future messaging – read our advice to help your develop your USP.
2. Give your clinic a personality i.e. you!
Alongside your USP(s) you have the power to set your clinic apart from the competition. Your unique experience, expertise and style of service should all be harnessed into your brand to help build trust and a great reputation with target audiences.
3. Respond to the news agenda
When you spot a story in the news that is relevant to your business or its services, then why not share your opinion and comment on it to raise your clinic’s profile? For example, if a celebrity raves about a treatment offered at your clinic why not remind your customers on social media that you offer it and boost enquiries. If you have existing media relationships, you can also reach out to your contacts as they may be intending to cover this story and looking for an expert opinion.
4. Collaborate with brand ambassadors and influencers
Ambassadors for aesthetics and skin clinics are often celebrities, industry experts (i.e. MUAs) and influencers, and they often play an integral part in PR tactics. Partnering with the right ambassador who taps into your target audience and aligns with your brand is crucial to building an authentic and credible brand profile for your clinic. Finding and onboarding the right partner for your brand can feel overwhelming and you may wish to appoint a PR agency who specialises in influencer marketing and brand ambassador management, and have relationships with the top influencers in your industry, like Kendrick PR.
5. Create and share patient case studies
Let your patients help you promote your clinic and its services! Sharing success through well written case studies is a proven PR and marketing tactic to engage audiences and stimulate demand for products and services. A case study can help solidify your reputation for providing a great service – they are essentially a method of storytelling, it’s your opportunity to remind customers of a problem and then explain how well you can solve this problem by sharing a visual example.
6. Win awards and gain accreditations
Associating your clinic with a reputable industry award and or accreditation is a great way to differentiate what you do, how you do it, and attract new audiences. Awards are an effective PR tool for building trust and assuring customers of high standards and they can help you outshine your competitors. With this in mind, why not enter your clinic and see what you can get shortlisted for or win!
7. Host a press event
A press event is the perfect tool to get press, influencers, and industry leaders talking about your clinic and it’s treatments. Well planned and memorable events drive brand engagement, create buzz with your target audiences, increase bookings, secure media coverage, and are your opportunity to bring your brand to life in an interactive and immersive way.
8. Be social media savvy
As an aesthetics or beauty consumer your target patients are going to be active on social media, particularly Instagram and TikTok, so it’s time to get involved and showcase your clinic’s expertise. Social media enables you to reach and engage with your target audiences with content that builds trust and aligns with your brand values, it’s not just about pushing your services in a bid to boost bookings or sales.
Clinic PR Case Study. The Clinic at Holland Park: Launching a London ‘Super-Clinic’ in a Saturated Market
Kendrick PR were appointed to position and launch The Clinic at Holland Park as a new London super-clinic, founded by duo Mr Richard Scawn, oculoplastic surgeon and AllBright co-founder Debbie Wosscow OBE. As a new player in the saturated London region, our key goals were to differentiate their clinic brand, attract industry leader partners and host a media-attention worthy clinic launch event.
Our team devised an innovative PR strategy which incorporated our brand consultancy and event planning expertise to:
- Secure 22 pieces of coverage with a readership of 22 million for the launch
- Secure coverage in the coveted Tatler Cosmetic Surgery Guide
- Name The Private Clinic at Holland Park as Women’s Health Awards Best Independent Skin Clinic
Read our full case study to learn more our expert and approach, campaign activity and fantastic results.
Appoint an award-winning PR agency to elevate your clinic PR strategy
At Kendrick PR, we thrive on creating winning formulas of strategic and tactical support for premium beauty brands, aesthetic clinics, practitioners and entrepreneurs. We lead with our values: passion, professionalism, and authenticity!
Founded in 2015 by award-winning communications expert Julia Kendrick, Kendrick PR are an experienced and passionate team who thrive on creating tangible success for every client. Since launch, we have delivered outstanding results for some of the industry’s most innovative brands and exciting entrepreneurs, such as ALLÉL, Debbie Thomas, The Private Clinic, The Clinic at Holland Park and Medik8 – and we’d love to support your brand. Please do get in touch to book your complimentary discover call with our expert team.