We received a call today from a concerned medical spa, unsure if they could continue funding their search engine marketing efforts. Curious, we asked what their marketing budget and plan looked like for Q2 & Q3. The phone went quiet for a moment before we heard the answer we dread: “There is no plan, and we don’t have a budget.” We then asked why they felt they couldn’t allocate funds to search engine marketing, and received another dreaded response: they had just unexpectedly spent a large amount on broadcast advertising.
Too often we see aesthetic practice owners fail to create a clear marketing plan and budget with distinct divisions for “marketing” and “advertising.” While advertising is typically the largest expense of a marketing strategy, it is only one small piece of the greater marketing puzzle.
Think about when you build a new home. The first step is hiring an architect to develop the plans. The contractors, electricians, and painters then work off the plans in a systematic approach to complete the overall project goals. Your practice’s marketing deserves the same approach. Without a strategic marketing plan, there is no way to track and measure a timeline of tactics to grow your business. This can lead to costly overspending and the implementation of impulsive, non-strategic tactics in lieu of more strategic marketing investments.
Long story short: you need a marketing plan with a defined budget that coincides with a sales forecast, taking historical financials and market data into consideration. Without these crucial elements in place, you will likely do more harm than good for your practice.
Along with our sister company, Reach Beyond Marketing, Acara Partners has created hundreds of marketing plans, sales forecasts, and budgets. We can help you avoid costly marketing mistakes and ensure that you have a robust plan geared towards practice growth. Call us today at 203-488-0028 to get started.
