Medical aesthetics professionals must regularly acquire new clients and cultivate lasting relationships with existing ones to grow their business. However, as marketing becomes increasingly challenging due to privacy laws and email remains an oversaturated communication channel, medical spas are seeking better ways to cut through the noise and reach their target audience. As a result, a new communication channel is entering the clinic for medical spas: text messaging.
With impressive 98 percent open rates and 45 percent response rates, text messaging enables medical spas to reach their clients with promotional and informational messages. In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into the topic of how SMS is helping medical spas boost sales, drive loyal clients, and improve response rates.
Jump right to:
- Top benefits of med spa texting
- Do I need HIPAA-compliant SMS?
- How med spas use texting to grow and improve operations
- Best practices for medical spa SMS marketing
- How Textline is helping med spas thrive
<h2 id="Benefits">7 core benefits of med spa texting</h2>
Text messaging offers several core advantages for medical spas. Let’s explore the core ones, supported by data.
- Access faster communication. Texting offers med spas a quick and convenient way to stay in touch with clients. The average text message is read within three minutes of receipt, and is responded to in 90 seconds. In comparison, people often don’t check their email for at least one hour, and don’t respond for 90 minutes.
- Get on a preferred channel. Customers want to text businesses. In fact, 90 percent of people prefer to get a text message from a brand versus a phone call. This is even more prevalent today as the number of spam calls continues to rise, and fewer people pick up calls from unknown numbers.
- Ensure your messages are read. A standard text message is opened 98 percent of the time. This far surpasses email open rates, which typically range from 20 percent to 30 percent. This ensures that the messages you send via SMS are opened and read.
- Increase response rates. Are you struggling to get the responses your med spa needs from customers and leads? Text messaging is helping businesses solve this problem. In fact, several Textline customers have seen their response rates close to double by switching to SMS.
- Improve client satisfaction. In the med spa industry, client satisfaction is a critical measure of success. Text messaging can help your medical spa improve client satisfaction. Why? It provides an easier way to get in touch with clients, stay in touch with them after treatment, and respond to them promptly. Clear, regular, and transparent communication leads to better client satisfaction, according to a 2023 study.
- Grow your client base. From a marketing standpoint, SMS offers a strong return on investment. You can use text marketing to run promotions on services to get more bookings and grow your client base. One industry report states that SMS marketing can drive as much as $71 per $1 spent.
- Reduce missed appointments. Missed appointments leave money on the table and create strange schedule gaps. Instead of losing out, use text messages to cut no-shows. A simple appointment reminder text message can help reduce instances of missed appointments due to forgetfulness. Remember that a text is opened 98 percent of the time, so your quick reminder will get in front of your clients.
<h2 id="Do">Do I need HIPAA-compliant SMS for my med spa?</h2>
While some cosmetic-only spas may not be subject to HIPAA, some clinics that offer medical treatments or insurance billing must comply with the healthcare data protection law.
For med spas that must comply with HIPAA, they will need to use a HIPAA-compliant SMS software like Textline to text their patients. These HIPAA-compliant med spa SMS tools offer necessary protections, including:
- Data encryption. HIPAA-compliant software will encrypt data within the platform, ensuring that patient data is protected.
- User access controls. These platforms will enable brands to set access controls, such as who can access sensitive data.
- Login controls. These platforms will use tools like single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and automatic sign-out to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- Methods to collect and store patient consent. The key to texting in a HIPAA-compliant manner is getting consent to text patients. In this consent message, med spas must state the risks of texting to gain patient consent. The best HIPAA SMS platforms will automate and help you with this key component.
- Business associate agreements. A core element of choosing a vendor is ensuring that they will sign a BAA. Ensure that you select an SMS platform that will do just that.
<h2 id="How">How med spas use texting to grow and improve operations</h2>
Medical spas use text messaging in many ways. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.
Med spa text marketing
SMS marketing is gaining popularity due to its strong return on investment. You can get your promotional messages directly into the pockets of your target clients. But what types of campaigns can you run effectively via SMS? Here are a few med spa marketing ideas for your SMS campaigns.
Promote a new client offer
Give new SMS subscribers a discount on their first service or their next appointment to encourage a second booking.
Hey Kaya! Thanks for joining GlowHaus’ SMS marketing list. Book your first service today and get 20% off. Book now → glowhaus.com/book-now
Introduce a new service
Oftentimes, your med spa will add new services as it expands and learns about its clients’ needs. Use a promotional text message to share the exciting update with your clients.
Hey SkinTheory babes ✨Looking to improve skin texture, firmness, and overall appearance? Try our new microneedling with radiofrequency service. Book today: skinglow.com/book-now
Run a limited-time deal
Are you looking to boost bookings during a particular season or boost service bookings during a slow month? Use text message marketing to promote a limited-time deal or seasonal sale.
❄ ️Do the winter blues have you feeling down? Treat yourself to warm, glowing skin with our Winter Rescue Facial – 15% off this month only! Reply RESCUE to book.
Encourage joining a loyalty rewards program
Gaining repeat clients is core to any successful business, including med spas. One of the most effective ways to encourage clients to return is to launch a loyalty program. SMS is a great way to promote the program and keep loyal customers in the know.
Hi Remi! Do you want to earn points for every dollar spent at Bright Med Spa? Join our loyalty rewards program today and get a little freebie from us: brightmedspa.com/join-now
Med spa appointment booking and reminders
One of the top use cases for SMS involves appointment management. Use a text message to book client appointments, reschedule appointments, share quick confirmations, or send reminders ahead of the service. Here are a few core examples for this SMS use case.
Appointment reminders
One of the top cited reasons for missed appointments is forgetfulness. Instead of having clients forget, send a series of appointment reminders to ensure clients show up.
Hi Jenna! Your injection treatment at Med Spa East County with Dr. Shaw is tomorrow at 4pm. Please reply C to confirm your appointment.
Consultation reminders
Another common reminder message for medical spas is a reminder about consultations. Sometimes these take place in person, while other times they can occur via video call. Use a text to remind clients of these consultations.
Hey Annastasia! Your consultation with Gene Woods is tomorrow at 10am via Zoom. Please remember to join 5 minutes early to test your computer hardware.
Book appointments
Booking appointments or encouraging follow-up bookings is seamless via text. Simply text a booking request to your patients or encourage them to reach out to schedule an appointment.
Hey Ken! Are you ready to schedule your next tattoo removal appointment? We have a few openings this week. Just reply to this text.
Reschedule Appointments
Sometimes emergencies happen, and you need to reschedule patient appointments. A text is a great way to reschedule appointments with clients because it gets to them quickly.
Hi Ivy. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I need to reschedule your appointment at Revive Medical for today. Your provider had a family emergency. Can you come in Friday at 10am instead?
Post-treatment communication
Text messaging is a great way to stay in touch with clients post-treatment. You can use a text message to share after-care instructions or request feedback.
Post-treatment care instructions
Use a text message to share proper after-care instructions with clients following their service. You could share how to get in touch if something feels wrong or activities to avoid post-treatment.
Thanks for stopping in today, Lauren! Please remember to avoid any vigorous exercise for the next 48 hours. For full after-care instructions view this PDF: [link].
Feedback and reviews
Medical spas need positive client reviews to encourage new customers to join. In fact, the majority of clients look at online reviews before choosing a medical spa. Use a text message to get more of these online reviews.
Hi Carol! I hope you’re feeling fabulous and revived! Would you mind leaving a review of our med spa? Your feedback helps us improve greatly: [link]
<h2 id="Best">Best practices for med spa SMS</h2>
Here are some guidelines medical spas should follow to get the most out of their SMS campaigns.
- Get consent to text clients. A core component of business texting is getting consent to text your customers, known as an SMS opt-in. These opt-ins are required by law and protect customers from getting unsolicited text messages to their private numbers.
- Know if you need to follow HIPAA. Some medical spas and use cases must follow HIPAA. If you need to comply with this law, you must select a HIPAA-compliant business texting platform that will sign a BAA with your organization.
- Ensure messages are relevant and valuable. Nothing increases your unsubscribe rate faster than irrelevant and non-valuable content. Ensure every text you send has a purpose and is useful to your patients.
- Keep messages short. Texting was built to exchange short, digestible messages. Ensure the messages you send adhere to this shorter format.
- Text during business hours. When messaging clients, stick to your business hours. Clients will not want to receive business-related messages outside of these hours on their personal devices, which they use to communicate with friends and family.
- Let them know SMS is a two-way channel. Ensure that your clients are aware that they can text your phone number to contact your office staff. This opens up a two-way channel for clients, helping you build stronger relationships.
Check out other best practices specific to SMS marketing.
<h2 id="Textline">How Textline is helping medical spas thrive with SMS</h2>
Textline helps medical spas get in touch with clients quickly, boost response rate to promotions and reminders, and streamline workflows. Here are a few core Textline features that make it a great fit for medical spa SMS marketing.
- SMS inbox for easy message sorting and faster responses. Textline’s inbox is highly intuitive and easy to use from any mobile device, computer, or tablet. Textline’s inbox is organized and sorts individual conversation threads to make it easy to see new messages and respond quickly. It also mirrors what users see on their native cell phone texting apps, ensuring a minimal learning curve.
- Two-way text messaging for relationship building. Textline was built for teams to manage two-way conversations with customers at scale. All text message threads with customers will show up in a simple-to-navigate inbox. Users can simply click any message thread and reply at their convenience.
- HIPAA-compliant messaging for those in need. Textline was the first texting platform on the market to be HIPAA compliant. Textline signs a BAA with your organization so you can text without worry.
- Native integrations to improve workflows. Textline offers a suite of native integrations. You can connect Textline to CRM tools like HubSpot and Salesforce or social media channels like Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
- Webchat-to-SMS solution to capture more leads. Do you have a website and want clients to reach out via web chat? Textline offers a webchat-SMS hybrid solution that enables you to message via webchat or text.
- Built-in text surveys for easy client feedback. Textline’s platform has built-in CSAT, NPS, and custom surveys, making it simple for medical spas to collect valuable feedback from clients. You just need to update your business name and upload your contacts. From there, Textline handles the rest and tracks your overall score, response rate, and total surveyed.
Unlock better client communication in 160 characters - Try texting today
After reading this blog, it’s no secret that text messaging can help your med spa attract new clients, keep appointments scheduled, and build loyalty. Are you ready to elevate your med spa’s client communication? Try Textline today, the industry-leading SMS platform that enables med spas to text without worry and at scale. Textline offers mass texting and two-way texting from a simple inbox accessible from any web browser.
Plus, if you require HIPAA-compliant med spa software, Textline is the best choice. Textline keeps your client data safe with our top-notch platform safeguards and patented HIPAA consent technology. Curious to learn more? Book a demo with our team of experts.
