Black Belt Digital? - An Excerpt.

Well, at the grand old age of 46, I finally did it! I've written a book! Black Belt Digital?

... and it combines my 24 years of experience with online marketing, my 15 years experience working in plastic surgery and medical aesthetics, and my passion for Taekwondo, all rolled into 250 pages of as much practical guidance, war stories, and check lists as I could muster!

In this edition of Digital In Aesthetics, I wanted to give you all a little taster of the book, in the form of an excerpt... starting with the Foreword, by the amazing Felix Bertram .

FOREWORD

Many of you reading this book will know me as the lead practitioner at

Skinmed, Switzerland’s most successful aesthetics brand.

And I do feel immensely lucky to have had the opportunities which

have made Skinmed the renowned practice it is today. But the journey to

Skinmed began almost 20 years ago, and I have never stopped learning,

evolving, and taking advantage of new technologies in every part of my

business.

Everyone in the profession will know that managing an aesthetics

practice is hard. From the one-person practice to the global leader, there’s

no substitute for long hard hours and an obsession with patient centricity.

That means there’s little room for error, and marketing is no different.

In fact, smaller practices with smaller budgets have the most to lose and

the least room for marketing mistakes.

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is critical for

businesses of all kinds, including aesthetic practices and clinics. From

social media to search engine optimization, there are countless digital

marketing strategies that can help you reach your target audience

and grow your practice. However, navigating the world of digital marketing

can be overwhelming, especially for those who are new to the

field.

That’s why I’m excited to introduce Rick O’Neill and his book, “The

‘Black Belt’ Guide to Digital Marketing for Aesthetic Clinics”, full of

BLACK BELT DIGITAL?

xii

actionable advice which every aesthetics business can follow, written

exclusively for aesthetic practices and the professionals who work in

them.

Rick is an industry icon and hugely experienced digital marketer who

has worked for over 30 years with numerous aesthetic practices and clinics

to help them achieve their marketing goals. In this book, he shares his

wealth of knowledge and expertise, providing practical tips and strategies

that you can use to take digital marketing to the next level.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your existing digital

marketing strategy, this book is an invaluable resource. Rick covers

everything from website design and development to social media marketing,

email marketing, and online advertising. He also provides insights

into the unique challenges and opportunities that come with marketing

for aesthetic practices, from unlocking the power of trust and authenticity

to offering real-world examples and case studies to illustrate his points.

As you read this book, I encourage you to take notes, ask questions,

and think critically about how you can apply these insights to your own

aesthetic practice or clinic. Guided by Rick’s expertise, you’ll be well on

your way to achieving your marketing goals, unlocking the keys to success

and growing your practice in the digital age.

Felix J Bertram, Founder, Skinmed

And to further whet your appetite, here's half of the Introductory Chapter...

INTRODUCTION

Hello, I am Rick O’Neill, FRSA, a digital consultant

to the medical aesthetics, cosmetic surgery,

and pharmaceutical sectors.

With over 24 years of digital marketing expertise

and 14 years as a specialist to the aesthetic

sector I have produced numerous successful

digital marketing and social media campaigns

for private practices, high-profile surgeons and market-leading aesthetics

brands.

I am Digital Consultant for Merz Aesthetics as well as the founder and

MD of the award-winning Silverstone-based digital agency, LTF.

Welcome to the Digital Dojo!

Now I know what you’re thinking . . . what is it with all this black

belt stuff? Well, whilst a lot of people in aesthetics know me for being

“that Digital marketing bloke”, I am also a black belt and instructor in

Taekwondo. I started out ten years ago by taking my then four-year-old

son to the junior Taekwondo class. After being persuaded to get off the

bench and join in, ten years later, my son has long since quit. But I stuck

at it and I am now a first Dan black belt. I’ve competed nationally, and I

was British Champion in the Taekwondo Power Test in 2019, taking home

silver in Sparring the same year. It’s something I’m passionate about, not

just as a hobby but as a way of life.

BLACK BELT DIGITAL?

xvi

I am also qualified to be a black belt in Digital Marketing. Having

worked in the sector for 24 years now and built two successful digital

agencies, I’ve learned what it takes to get real results from digital marketing.

And with 14 years in cosmetic surgery and aesthetics, I’ve looked

after marketing for numerous household-name brands and hundreds of

clinics.

What brings Taekwondo and digital marketing together? In Taekwondo,

we live by a series of tenets. We have to enact them consistently over

almost a decade in order to achieve black-belt level. And I’ve learned over

the years that a lot of the principles of a black belt apply to the creation

of a digital marketing strategy too; at least, certainly if you want real and

sustainable results.

It’s about having a focused plan – who exactly are you trying to reach,

where are they and for specifically what conditions or treatments?

You need to consistently show up. You can’t get a black belt by turning

up to just one Taekwondo class! Digital marketing is also not something

you do once: it’s a way of life, just like being a black belt.

It’s also about being flexible in your approach, having the ability to

think and act with speed, and having a power to your messaging and your

digital platforms that stands you apart from the competition. You need to

be able to adapt to the changing landscape of digital – platforms come

and go and what worked last year, may not work next year.

And just like a fighter, you’ll want to be efficient. In the dojo, energy

is at a premium. In business, it’s time and money which need to be conserved.

You’ll want to be efficient with your effort and investment into

digital marketing – especially as I have never met an aesthetician who

wasn’t time-poor!

And finally, like every fight, it’s a competition. Ultimately, it’s about

your digital presence being better than your nearest competitor’s.

A changing world needs a black belt strategy

In this book, I will walk you through my Black Belt Content Strategy.

It’s a methodology which will ensure that your website, blogs, social

INTRODUCTION

xvii

content, Google posts, and ultimately you as the practitioner, become

the go-to source for answers and services in your local area. We’ll talk all

things Google, from advertising to optimisation of your clinic’s presence

in Google Local Search results. And we’ll cover social media from TikTok

to Instagram.

But this is not just a guide based on completeness and best practice.

It comes from a place of understanding that nothing in business stays the

same – and marketing is faster-moving than most aspects of business.

There are five big themes any marketer in aesthetics should be aware of

today:

1. The Importance of Content: In order to attract new patients, you

have to be an authority on the topics of skincare and medical aesthetics.

Your potential patients are looking for answers to meaningful

questions, and if your content isn’t there to answer them, then your

competitors’ will. And by content, I mean more than an Instagram

post: I mean articles, guides, emails, videos and more, on your website,

on other social platforms, and on other relevant blog sites.

2. Changing Search Behaviours: In years gone by, the way people

used Google was not very sophisticated. They used single-keyword

searches and relied on traditional result listings. Today, we are much

more sophisticated and knowledgeable both about how Google

works and about aesthetics treatments. Potential patients will type

in, or speak into a voice app, an entire comprehensive question about

a skin condition or treatment type – and expect to find an answer. Not

only that, but they’ll go to local (Map Results) pages on Google once

they’ve decided to take action – so you need to be there every time.

3. Patients’ Digital Expectations: Look around you . . . Amazon Prime,

iPhone Apps, Netflix, Uber, Deliveroo – everything is super slick,

super convenient, and all of it is happening digitally. This means that

our expectations of other digital touch points – for example, your clinic’s

website or booking system – are higher than ever. You must invest

BLACK BELT DIGITAL?

xviii

to ensure that you are providing a seamless experience, optimised for

mobile phones.

4. Social Media Algorithms: My team has found that the ability to reach

and engage your existing or potential patients on Instagram is declining

rapidly year-on-year. Thousands of new clinics join Instagram

every year, and Instagram, therefore, prioritises paid posts – because

they have shareholders to impress. If you just use Instagram, especially

on a non-paid basis, you’re probably shouting into the wind.

5. Scaling with Automation: And lastly, in order to scale an aesthetic

clinic these days, you’ll need more than a paper diary and a

mobile. Automation of onboarding, reminders, and sophisticated

workflows that bring patients back via highly personalised, timely

messages . . . these are all business drivers, and we’ll look at them

here too.

THE HARD FACTS . . .

And it’s an arms race. Some competitors will be working hard on their digital

marketing and providing ever more sophisticated digital experiences.

This means that if you want to get your fair share of the market, you have

to raise your game too.

In 2022, I created The Digital Academy, in partnership with Merz

Aesthetics. Well over 100 clinics have taken the 12-week program; and

along the way, we have collected a lot of data (89 datapoints on each

clinic, to be precise, adding up to nearly 9000 datapoints so far), so we

know that a large percentage of clinics are lacking the modern marketing

strategies required to compete in today’s crowded market:

? 40% of clinics were getting less than 100 monthly views on their

Google Profile

? 46% did not respond to patient reviews online

? 40% did not have a blog section on their websites

INTRODUCTION

xix

? 39% did not have a web booking system

? 61% did not include video content on their website

? 83% are apparently too shy to ‘go live’ on video themselves

? 47% weren’t even using “before and after” on their website