As the demand for Aesthetic treatments grows, more and more nurses and doctors are looking to start an aesthetic clinic business because their qualifications and skills can be easily transferred to many of the procedures and treatments being developed in this rapidly growing industry. This represents an opportunity for many to improve income prospects or better still start an aesthetic clinic of their own. However, a medical professional's core skills and experience typically do not usually include how to start an aesthetic clinic, draft an aesthetic clinic business plan or have experience to run and manage an aesthetic clinic profitably as an ongoing concern.
The latest forecasts indicate that the industry will grow more than 14% year on year. This is due to a number of factors including an ageing population, new capabilities with technology and advances in the treatments and products available today. This means as a doctor or registered nurse thinking of starting an aesthetic clinic the opportunities are very real and there has never been a better time to start an aesthetic clinic. While starting an Aesthetic business may be daunting the first step is to draft a business plan. In this article, we will provide an overview of the key steps you need to take to create a business plan for your aesthetic clinic.
For a much more comprehensive guide on how to start an aesthetic clinic download our free e-book “How to Start an Aesthetic Business - A Practical Guide For Nurses and Doctors”.
You will need to conduct detailed market research using surveys, focus groups, and online research and you will use this data to begin to answer key questions about your target audience:
Understanding and analysing what competition you face in your catchment area is the next key step and foundational to ensuring success in your aesthetic clinic. After your research you will need to answer the following questions:-
Conducting a SWOT analysis will help you identify your clinic's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
After you have conducted your market research regarding your target audience and you understand the existing competitive landscape you should be in a position to identify gaps and opportunities that will enable you to start defining your value proposition. They will include one or more of the following:-
At this stage, it is essential that you are able to articulate who your target audience is, what their needs are and how your Aesthetic Clinic will address them. A good way to capture this information is to create a client persona of who your target client is. For more information go to HubSpot's site “10 Easy Steps To Creating A Customer Profile” where you can use lots of information and templates to help you develop this persona.
The ethical foundation and service substance of your clinic both today and where it aspires to be in the future needs to be contained in a well-crafted vision and mission statement. A vision statement is a concise declaration that describes the desired future state that your clinic aims to achieve through its actions and values and is designed to give clients, employees and all other stakeholders a clear understanding of the clinic's purpose and direction. At the core of a strong brand is a clear vision supported by a mission statement that captures the essence of your Aesthetic Business.
Example Vision Statement
“Commitment to Excellence: Striving to be the premier destination for exceptional skin care services, utilising cutting-edge technology and techniques to achieve remarkable results.”
While a vision statement focuses on the future ambitions of the client the mission focuses on providing direction to everyone in the here and now.
Example Mission Statement
We will leverage the latest advancements available today in skin care technology and industry-leading techniques to consistently deliver results that exceed client expectations.
Now we know what we are selling, to whom, and how we will differentiate ourselves from our competitors, it's time to create a brand that will resonate with our target clients. A company brand is a unique and distinct identity that encompasses the combination of a company's name, logo, design elements, values, and messaging, representing its overall image and perception in the market. Designing your brand is an essential step to create an image that can form an emotional connection between your clients and your clinic.
It's important to invest time and resources into developing a strong brand identity. A well-defined brand is a key component to attract and retain clients and build a loyal customer base. Your brand should reflect what you and your clinic are about. In the end, your brand is the representation of your ideas, values and objectives. There are many elements needed in the successful construction of a brand image.
Your brand needs to resonate with your target audience and differentiate your clinic from your competition. Consider the following when creating your brand identity:
Your Brand is not just built around physical assets and imagery but also in how you and your staff engage with your clients at each interaction with your clinic. The end-to-end emotional journey that your client experiences will determine whether they become a fundamental part of your business model generating repeat income and driving new business to you with referrals and testimonials. To create a successful customer journey you need to consider each interaction that a potential and existing client has with you and your clinic.
Designing an efficient and effective back-end management system determines the quality of the service you provide and how cost-effective and profitable your clinic will ultimately be. They are the optimal mix of people, processes and technology and they impact every step in your client's journey, designed correctly they will be invisible and seamless to the client. However, bad management systems have the power to destroy all of the good work you have undertaken to date and cost you a lot of money. Specifically, you need to ensure that you have the capabilities listed below. Most of the better systems today have already embedded best practice processes into their workflow so you do not need to re-invent the wheel and make needless mistakes learning. Some technologies on the market contain more than one of the requirements listed below and this should be a key factor when making your investments:
An effective marketing strategy is a mechanism that attracts new clients and helps retain existing ones. It requires that you develop a digital presence for your clinic using a variety of different media, mediums and channels. Each of these needs to be co-ordinated so they work in tune with each other and it is essential that they all follow the same branding principles you designed earlier in the process. Your marketing and digital presence can be summarised as follows:-
Generating Awareness and a Need - Educating future clients that they need or want your services requires the use of a combination of approaches all working together as an orchestra each delivering a specific element of the overall message. All people follow a buying process and have to move through each step. To achieve this you are going to leverage webinars, public events, marketing emails, social media magazines and brochures. The client will be exposed to different elements of your message at different times and the combined message will begin to resonate.
Addressing the information needs - Once your client begins to take notice of your message they will inevitably have questions, especially with something that requires a physical interaction with them and their body. All of the communications used to date have been designed to drive the potential client to your clinic website so that you can begin addressing the information requirement and answer some of their questions. Making sure your clinic is easily found via search engines like Google is a key step. Your should ensure your clinic has an up-to-date Google business profile and your website has been optimised so that it appears near or at the top of the list with a Google search.
Having a well-constructed website that addresses the needs of your potential client is crucial. To this end, your website needs to anticipate its information requirements and ensure that this information is readily available. To learn more about designing your aesthetic website read out blog “ Website Design For Aesthetic Clinics”
Call To Action - Make a Decision - Ultimately your marketing strategy is to get a potential client to make contact with your clinic. This usually happens after they have interacted with your website. As a consequence, it is essential that your website has strategically placed “call to action or CTA’s” These are menu bar options and buttons placed on your service and treatment pages that enable your potential client to book or call directly from your website. Helping them make that final decision may require an incentive such as a promotion or discount.
Finally, starting a successful Aesthetic clinic means you have to evolve and adapt. The aesthetic industry is changing rapidly and if your clinic is moving at a different pace you will be left behind. In addition to responding to the industry, you also need to solicit and act on client feedback. By doing this you will gain a better insight into the needs of your clients and over time incrementally improve the services you provide to the community.
The required actions for each step detailed in this article to start your aesthetic clinic can seem very straightforward but the reality is that it requires a great deal of commitment and focus. Spending the time and resources at the start in creating a comprehensive business plan for your aesthetic clinic is in fact the difference between success and failure.
Ensure your Aesthetic Clinic Business Plan includes detailed market research, a comprehensive marketing strategy, a solid financial plan, a clear operational framework, and a thorough risk management analysis. This plan serves as a roadmap for the successful launch and ongoing management of your aesthetic clinic.
When crafting your USP, consider offering specialised services not commonly available, providing competitive pricing, ensuring an enhanced customer experience, and targeting underserved subgroups. A well-defined USP can help differentiate your clinic by highlighting the unique value it offers, setting it apart from competitors.
Develop a comprehensive Aesthetic Clinic Marketing Plan that highlights your unique services, target audience, competitive advantages, and key marketing strategies, such as online promotions, social media campaigns, and community engagement initiatives. Incorporate measurable goals and performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Prioritise creating a detailed business plan, conducting thorough market research, understanding your target audience, defining your clinic's unique selling proposition (USP), and establishing a robust brand identity. These foundational steps lay the groundwork for a successful and sustainable Aesthetic Clinic Business.
Incorporate a detailed financial projection in your Aesthetic Clinic Business Plan, including startup costs, operational expenses, and revenue forecasts. Consider equipment costs, staffing expenses, marketing budgets, and anticipated cash flow to ensure the financial stability and sustainability of your clinic.
Implement targeted marketing strategies, such as content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), email marketing, and social media advertising, to promote your Aesthetic Clinic effectively. Utilize digital marketing tools and platforms to engage with
your target audience, build brand awareness and drive client engagement and retention for your clinic.
Establishing a robust brand identity is vital as it reflects your clinic's values and objectives. Focus on choosing a memorable clinic name, designing a distinctive logo, selecting appropriate colours and fonts, and maintaining consistent brand elements across all touchpoints. An effective brand identity can resonate with your target audience, fostering an emotional connection and enhancing brand recognition.
