I’m not sure about other industries but within the healthcare space, cosmetic practices are generating leads from many different “channels.” By that, I mean we get leads through our website contact submission form, a BuildMyBod Price Estimator wishlist or questions through social media. Some leads go somewhere, others go nowhere. Patient leads coming in after midnight are the ones going nowhere!
Advertising only works if it generates leads
Patients are exposed to marketing constantly. Let’s try to name all the ways they’re bombarded with our messaging. TV commercials. Google AdWords. Retargeting with pop up ads and banners. Radio commercials. Sponsored ads in social media. Billboards. Print (newspaper/programs/brochures/magazines) advertising. Press releases. Product placement and general PR. Probably forgetting a few.
Anyway, the point is that all of that advertising is pointless unless you provide a call to action and drive folks to your website or phone number. But getting them to your site still isn’t enough. You still have to convince them to provide their contact info. You have to give them a reason to reach out. That’s why I’ve argued that the most useful call to action is the consumer’s need to determine price on a particular service before they come in for a consultation.
Our office gets literally hundreds of leads every month. Mostly through our BuildMyBod Health Price Estimator. This allows consumers to add procedures-of-interest to a “wishlist” and then submit that wishlist along with their contact info. Instantly and automatically the consumer receives an estimate for those services. Instant gratification. At the same time, our office receives the consumer’s contact info, the lead.
Patient Leads after Midnight
Along with the wishlist leads and leads through the contact submission forms, we’ve noticed that any leads late at night, particularly after midnight go nowhere! Whether it’s alcohol that drove the consumer to contact us through one form or another on the website, or boredom, the act of spontaneity was fleeting. They weren’t really serious. At least not when we followed up with them.
Which is why it’s all the more reason to filter serious vs non-serious consumers in an automated and efficient way. Whether it’s an automated price estimator or an e-book that answers the consumers’ question, it’s important to not put patients in an awkward situation wherein they come in for a consult for a procedure they can’t afford or divulge their deepest insecurities for a procedure they’re not a candidate for. So while leads after midnight may lead nowhere, better the patient knows that in the privacy of their mobile device or computer, rather than taking time off work to learn their procedure-of-interest isn’t an option in a 45-minute to an hour long consultation.
Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan for BuildMyBod.