A Guide for Medical Weight Loss Marketing
Emphasis in marketing is often on social media and web content, including your site and blog. However, when patients are considering a practitioner for weight management, their first stop isn’t always your Facebook page or site.
Your prospective patients want to know your location, ensuring your medspa is nearby. When they find you on the map or through a local search, they also find your Google Business Profile, which shows a clean, structured snapshot of what your business is and what it offers. They then get a quick glimpse of whether they should choose you.
That’s why your medical weight loss marketing should include one of the most powerful and underutilized tools available: a Google Business Profile. It’s free and easily accessible to prospective patients.
But if yours isn’t being updated regularly, you might not be putting your business’s best foot forward. It’s not enough to have a page; you also have to continuously update the information to remain relevant. If not, you leave the doors open for your competition, who has an updated page.
We’ve compiled some information to help you understand the importance and how to go about updating your profile.
An updated Google Business Profile is complete and reflects the latest changes to your medspa.
Why Your Google Business Profile Matters for Medical Weight Loss Marketing
When someone searches “medical weight loss near me” or “weight loss doctor in [your city],” Google surfaces local profiles alongside a map. This is your Google Business Profile: a sneak peek at your medspa as well as a reference guide. The medspas that appear are the ones that patients actively looking for a provider are more likely to select. This is where the ones with incomplete, inactive, or inaccurate information may lose out to the competition.
However, when your Google Business Profile has images, contact information, and more, it increases your local search visibility, for one. Those potential patients can quickly access your information and see if there’s anything about your medspa that stands out to them.
Google’s search ranking incorporates credibility as part of its algorithm. A Google Business Profile shows your business is credible and active. From a medical weight loss marketing standpoint, this is valuable real estate that costs nothing but consistent attention.
Patients tend to research extensively before booking with a new provider, looking for any indication that the practice is professional, reliable, has approachable providers, and can deliver results. Your Google Business Profile is often where the research begins.
Setting Up Your Profile the Right Way
Before updating or inputting your information on this page, you’ll need to claim and verify your profile.
After you authenticate your page, you’ll need to fill out all the following:
- Business Name and Category: Use your practice’s official name. For category, select “Weight Loss Service” and/or “Medical Clinic.” You may choose more than one category to accurately cover the services you offer.
- Address and Service Area: Include the address of your weight loss clinic as well as the nearby regions you serve.
- Hours of Operation: Update your hours regularly. If not, you could have patients visiting the office when you’re closed or trying to call your office repeatedly to book, even though you’re closed. Besides permanent schedule changes, you should also update for holidays and any special closures.
- Phone Number and Website: Anytime you change your telephone number, update the information in your Google Business Profile.
- Business Description: This 750-character field is your opportunity to speak directly to your ideal patient. Be clear about what makes your practice different and what programs you offer (medical weight loss, GLP-1 management, nutritional counseling, etc.).
The Importance of Keeping Your Profile Updated
When your information on your Google Business Profile is outdated, it looks unprofessional and may cost you patients.
Put yourself in the patient’s shoes. You call a number for a medspa and get the “This number has been disconnected” message. You may search for a more updated number, but that’s not always, or even usually, the case. You’ll probably pass the business by and look at their competitors.
Imagine the frustration a patient would feel if they show up at your medspa at the wrong time because the Google Business Profile said it was open.
Another scenario to consider is if you were reading a medspa’s description. You’re impressed and book your first consultation, full of hope that you’ll finally lose weight. Then, you arrive at the medspa only to find that what you read doesn’t match what you’re experiencing. That erodes trust before a relationship ever begins.
An active profile generates stronger results, and Google rewards your medspa for actively updating your profile.
While you want to update your profile as necessary, you should do a quick audit at least once per month. Check to see that your hours and contact information are accurate. Make sure your photos reflect what your medspa currently looks like and the staff there.
This is an excellent time to read your reviews and respond accordingly.
Aligning Your Profile with Your Brand Voice
Although your Google Business Profile acts as a directory listing, it’s actually a much more powerful aspect of your brand presence. Your potential patients are seeing it first thing, in many cases, before they learn anything else about your medspa.
For that reason, you want the language, imagery, and tone to be uniform with all other channels, including your website and social media pages. If it’s not consistent across the board, your audience may be thrown off and confused.
One important note: It’s easy to launch a new website with refreshed messaging and overlook your Google Business Profile. If your brand voice has evolved, such as if your practice has grown or rebranded, revisit your profile and update it accordingly.
Using Posts to Stay Visible and Relevant
Although your Google Business Profile puts all your information out there for prospective patients, it also allows you to post short updates that appear alongside your listing.
Having a sale? Post about it. Taking a week off? Let everyone know.
Think of it like X or Facebook. Only for medical weight loss marketing, using this outlet, you’re reaching anyone searching for your business on Google, rather than just those who come across your social media posts or are following your medspa.
Here are some prime examples of how you can use your Google Business Page to your advantage and remain active:
- Specials and Limited-Time Offers: If you’re offering a special on free initial consultations or a low-cost weight loss peptide, let potential patients know. That might be what a prospect needs to become a patient.
- Before and After Results: Someone looking for medical weight loss wants to know they’ll get results. You can convince them better that you can give them what they need by showing them.
- Program and Service Highlights: Not every medspa has the same offerings. Some offer GLP-1s for weight loss, while others also offer Emsella and other body contouring procedures. Then, there are those that offer other beauty treatments like Botox. Let people seeking care know upfront what you provide.
- Seasonal and Wellness-Focused Content: New year, summer, back-to-school season, these are times when patients are thinking about their health and wellness the most. A timely, relevant post showing up in their Google search results can be the nudge they need to seek treatment.
Managing Reviews with Professionalism and Care
While word of mouth matters still, with all the advancements in technology, people can share their experiences with more than just their friends and family by leaving online reviews. Positive reviews act as confirmation, while negative ones can create hesitation.
Always thank patients for leaving reviews and extend empathy and a resolution to those who weren’t satisfied.
Photos and Visual Representation
Have recent, high-quality photos on your Google Business Profile. While what you present in print goes a long way, a picture is worth a thousand words. They let patients know what to expect from the time they arrive until after their treatment.
Keep in mind that profiles with photos consistently receive more engagement than those without.
Learn more here: Strategic Market Raiding Through A MedSpa Franchise Marketing Agency
A Note Before You Go: Make Your Profile Work for You
Medical weight loss marketing doesn’t always require a large budget. Sometimes, it’s as simple as being consistent and putting forth effort, which can enhance the results, even on a smaller budget.
A complete, current, and brand-aligned Google Business Profile can speak volumes for your brand. And it’s where many potential patients are searching, so it deserves some attention.
By the way, even if you have multiple locations or focus on hormone optimization exclusively, we can assist.
If you’re looking to enhance your brand and increase conversions, reach out Wellness Clinic Marketing today by calling (800) 401-7046 to book a strategy session. From your Google Business Profile to your blog, we can help get you the traffic and conversions your medspa needs for success.
