Helendale Dermatology and Medical Spa Goes “Social”
AMA|Rochester 2012 Online Marketer of the Year
Under the guidance of Sundance Marketing LLC, Helendale Dermatology and Medical Spa goes “social” to engage with patients on 
a new level. Social networks, which historically have not been accepted by medical professionals as a vehicle to communicate with patients, are now playing a role in healthcare conversations. Two patient-centered movements, e-patients (engaged and empowered patients) coupled with the Health 2.0, are driving the transformation that is broadening how healthcare professionals communicate. Patients want to partner with their healthcare providers in their care and discussions.
Sundance launched a comprehensive social marketing campaign for Helendale making it one of the first private medical practices in the area to engage with patients online in an open, two-way dialogue with physicians, caregivers, and medical practices. Social marketing allowed the dermatology practice to adapt to its patients’ communication needs, to personalized health care, collaborate with patients in preventative medicine, while promoting the medical spa. Helendale’s social networks quickly became a channel to get trusted information more readily and consistently from the practice.
Business Situation / Opportunity
There is an opportunity for Helendale in the local market to become an early adopter of social marketing in the medical field. Such efforts would allow the practice to connect and re-connect to patients inside and outside the exam room and engage with patients on a new level, while promoting the medical spa.
Objectives of the campaign include:
- Raise visibility of Helendale online
- Create opportunities for patients to engage directly with Dr. Arthur online.
- Attract new clients to the medical spa and increase sales revenue
- Increase the number of cosmetic consultations and conversion rates.
Measures of achievement include:
- Effectiveness of each social media channel – number of social media network profiles, total aggregate social reach, size of the online community, and level of engagement
- Number of new medical spa patients and percentage increase in medical spa sales revenue
- Number of cosmetic consultations and closing rate following consultation
Strategy and Approach
Developed an online social marketing campaign that allowed Helendale to expand its online presence, create a vehicle to communicate and engage with patients in a natural way online via two-way conversations. Targeted online promotions were launched in effort to create quicker ‘call to action’ by patients.
Tactics
Helendale is actively using five social networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype and YouTube – to engage in dialogue with patients (getting people to connect interactively), announce new treatments, guide patients to reputable sources of information, and promote their dermatology practice. An ‘Ask Dr. Liz’ feature was implemented where Dr. Arthur shares healthy skin topics on a weekly basis via social networks. Ongoing sweepstakes, contests and giveaways are created reward loyal followers and as incentives to increase the number of them.
Helendale also launched quarterly Live Chats, that offer an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, as an open online forum for patients to participate in a Q&A session with Dr. Arthur outside of the examining room on topics related to healthy skin. Dr. Arthur also accepts private instant messages during the Live Chats. The Live Chats are archived on the Helendale website for future reference by patients.
In addition, Helendale launched virtual video consultations via Skype for those interested in cosmetic procedures without having to come into the office for the initial consultation. This has expanded the geographic reach beyond the Greater Rochester area.
Traditional marketing tactics – TV advertising, magazine ads, website, email marketing, retail promotions, sweepstakes promotions, collaterals – were employed to promote Helendale’s social marketing campaign.
Results
As a result of social marketing, Helendale experienced a 15% increase in their spa business, a 7% increase in spa visits, a 10% increase in cosmetic consultations with a 100% closing rate, and connected with over 2000 of its patients and prospects on a new level.
Authors
Editor’s note: Dr. Elizabeth Arthur and Laurie Sagona co-presented this case study at the AMA | Rochester November 2012 meeting, along with winners Butler/Till and United Way. We’ve already showcased Brite Computers‘ case study, and will be adding more shortly including a campaign executed by The Verdi Group.
AMA|Rochester is accepting entries for the 2013 Pinnacle Awards, featuring Marketer of the Year. Submit your entry by February 27, 2013 at http://ama-rochester.org/Awards2013/ — and save the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2013 for the Awards Ceremony.