CHAPTER 1 Marketing Aesthetic Procedures to Men
Summary
As an increasing number of men are undergoing aesthetic procedures, aesthetic surgery centers need to familiarize themselves with proven techniques for marketing to the male client. This chapter covers general marketing techniques, such as brand positioning and content generation, as well as how to develop a revenue-generating social media presence.
Introduction
X Factor Media was approached by Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech in late 2013 with a new initiative. He wanted to roll out a website dedicated to male aesthetic surgery. At the time, we were a bit skeptical. Our research showed that men only constituted for roughly 9% of all aesthetic procedures in 2012. We were tasked with creating a website or an online resource (more or less). Male Plastic Surgery New York was born (www.MalePlasticSurgeryNewYork.com) ( Fig. 1.1 ).
Our Approach: Build the Platform
X Factor Media started the campaign with reviewing the top procedures for men. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS),1 they are:
Liposuction.
Gynecomastia (removal of breast tissue).
Eyelid surgery.
Rhinoplasty.
Facelift.
Our focus initially was to create robust website content. Our criteria included that each service and landing page contain at least 600 words along with rich content (photos, graphics, videos, etc.). While building the website, we ensured that the site was a responsive design, which means it could conform to all four platforms: mobile, tablet, laptop, and desktop. In addition, it would also render symmetrically on smart TVs, which were launching at the same time as the website.
Our content-first strategy, along with a mobile-responsive design, made us first-to-market with a male-focused site on men’s aesthetics. All of the copy included male aesthetic procedures, as we also geo-targeted the platform to ensure SEO (search engine optimization) within Google, Yahoo, and Bing ( Fig. 1.2 ).
Getting Past the Stigma
Aesthetic surgery has long been considered a female endeavor. Most, if not all, of the marketing had been focused on women (think Botox cosmetic, breast augmentations, and Brazilian butt lifts).
With the increasing popularity of “metrosexual” men, defined as young, urban, heterosexual men with liberal political views, interest in fashion, and a refined sense of taste, men’s grooming has become acceptable and mainstream. Men are beginning to get manicures, pedicures, and even “manscaping.”2
With waxed chests, self-tanner, and copious amounts of Rogaine along the way, American men are looking into even more drastic ways to improve their appearance.
The reasons behind the increase in male patients undergoing cosmetic procedures are multifactorial: (1) males have a desire to be more competitive and youthful in the workforce, (2) the growing social acceptability of cosmetic procedures, and (3) increased awareness of the safety and efficacy of aesthetic surgery procedures.3
Capturing the Wave
According to ASAPS, an increasing number of men are undergoing aesthetic surgery. Between 1997 and 2012, there was a 106% increase in male aesthetic surgery. The most popular procedures showcase the areas that men are most interested in improving, as well as offer helpful guidance to men considering getting some work done.4 When we launched Male Plastic Surgery New York, we were well equipped to catch the wave. Not only could the website drive business, but it also could become an online resource for any man researching aesthetic procedures. At this point, it was the right content, at the right place, at the right time. We doubled down on an organic program to earn favorable ranks in Google without having to rely on pay-per-click (PPC), which can be an expensive proposition over the long run.
An organic program is an SEO-centered program where visitors will find you organically through search. This is not a paid channel like PPC or advertisements. We doubled down as we felt this channel provided the best return on investment versus PPC and other channels.
How to Market to Men
Testing, testing, and more testing was our motto in the beginning. Although our team was a group of tenured professionals, we had no idea exactly how men would react. We had all the tools in place: Google Analytics, optimizing conversion software, social media metrics. However, we had our own opinions on various matters regarding messaging, layout, user experience, and user interface. We did allow the data to speak for itself. But, inevitably, we needed to take some risks.
Our first risk was to make the site background all black, which is historically a “no-no” when it comes to websites. We initially featured an attractive female on the bottom fold. However, we removed this as we discovered it was off-putting to male visitors that came to the site. Whether straight or gay, the men that visited the site were less likely to “convert” or submit an inquiry for a procedure when there was any female likeness of any kind. The content needs to focus strictly on the male.
We decided to continue our content-first strategy off-site as well. Our goal was to establish Male Plastic Surgery New York as the premier platform for men’s aesthetics. We created an infographic, which is a popular marketing tool that displays simplified content in an eye-catching way. Our infographic shared facts and figures about male plastic surgery and syndicated it to the public5 ( Fig. 1.3 ). It spread like wildfire, garnering republications in a number of online media outlets, such as the SFGate, the San Francisco Chronicle, Babble, Jezebel, and the Business Insider. These critical mentions either used the infographic or used the content and attributed the information back to the site. This served as both public relations and SEO. The placements would create a buzz around the brand while building authority in SEO. High authority citations will have a positive effect on search rankings within Google and other search engines.
Men are less likely to speak to other men about aesthetic concerns; therefore, becoming the “go-to” resource online was critical to make the platform a success. Therefore, we established brand leadership for male aesthetic surgery. We maniacally targeted male clients by offering male-only content featuring male-only case studies. “Even though male stories are deemed less enticing than female stories within the media, case studies are still a proven formula in driving consumer inquiries. Online marketing is another crucial tool when setting out to market to male patients.”6
Roadmap to Marketing to Men
Internally, we had a roadmap that we laid out to lead us to a successful campaign for Male Plastic Surgery New York. The roadmap included7:
Brand positioning: we took an efficacy-led approach.
Website: establish Male Plastic Surgery New York as the hub.
Landing pages: create geo-targeted content that resides on-site and would convert (submit an inquiry) patients. We geo-target by adding the location—city, county, and state—into the copy.
Blogging/articles: ongoing content generation to support educating the visitor on male aesthetics.
Social media: the new “word of mouth,” as we incorporated Instagram to gain greater awareness of the brand.
Email: an ongoing marketing tool.
PPC: immediate results as we worked to manage the customer-acquisition cost to drive new leads at a price that makes sense for the client.
With the roadmap in place, we then segmented our promotions into the four types of men getting aesthetic surgery: male model, body builder, athletic dad, and boardroom executive. We believed these categories covered at least 90% of men visiting the site, as visitors could relate to at least one of these “pillars.”
We then would wrap content around each category. In addition to text, we would specifically focus on video content. Our first video earned more than 300,000 views at the time of writing.8 Since then, we have added 20 more videos to the site, several under each category.
Male Model
Male models are men who make their living by their looks. We would cater to either these men or men who aspire to work in these fields. They are fashion and trend conscious, as looks are very important to their overall persona.
Body Builder
This archetype is in great shape, works out frequently, but hits, as Dr. Steinbrech calls it, “a genetic wall,” as working out is simply not enough. These may elect for focused liposuction or assistance in getting the ab results they desire.
Athletic Dad
This is a guy who has been mainly focused on his family and life got in the way. He may have let himself go a bit and needs some assistance in returning to the aesthetic that he is more comfortable with.
Boardroom Executive
This is the captain of industry who is competing with younger colleagues. The boardroom executive wants and needs to look less tired and haggard. They come in because they want to appear fresh and natural for their age range.
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