Avoid the Black Friday Freak-Out. Here’s How.

While you’re immersed in all things pumpkin spice and spooky movies, a busy marketing agency like MeyCo is already way past October 31st. Right now, we’ve got our sights set on November 24th—A.K.A. Black Friday. Arguably one of the most profitable times for your medical aesthetic practice, Black Friday can generate record-breaking revenue that will better position your business toward success in the new year. However, when planned at the last minute, Black Friday may not yield such incredible growth…

…Which makes “Black Friday Freak-Out” an all-too-common occurrence. In theory, BF sales seem like a great opportunity for financial gain and building a stronger patient base, but, let’s creep it real here; year-end holidays can really sneak up on you! It’s like you blink, and Halloween quickly turns into Valentine’s Day! That is why this month, the MeyCo team really reflected on what all of the successful (and unsuccessful) Black Fridays that we’ve seen have taught us, and we put together a few key elements that can help your medical aesthetic practice OR medical device manufacturing company throw a killer Black Friday sales event.

First things first: Will your business be open on Black Friday? If so, you may want to consider adding a little extra BF pizazz by hosting a special event. Decorate your location with balloons, streamers, eye-catching signs for passersby, bubbly drinks or refreshments, and plenty of social media advertising to get the word out. You get the idea. Make this Black Friday sale a true experience that patients won’t want to miss out on. Plus, this is a great way to solidify your brand identity against other competing practices.

If your business will not be open on Black Friday, consider making orders placeable online. So while you’re relaxing at home or doing some serious shopping of your own, your patients will have an easy way to book their wishlist treatments or purchase top skincare products without visiting your practice. Of course, these certainly aren’t your only two options. Depending on what works best for your holiday operations, you could even opt to run Black Friday sales from Monday through Wednesday—before the Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday chaos even begins.

Now, which products and procedures should be offered on discount? Again, this may vary depending on the unique needs of your medical aesthetic business; some will base this decision off their current inventory by surveying product overstock, expiration dates, or even treatment/product popularity… or lack thereof. In this regard, Black Friday sales can be entirely geared toward whatever you need more—or less—of. But no matter what, your practice will still generate revenue. (Yes, please!)

Over the years, some of the most common offers that we’ve seen patients jump at include neurotoxins, Hydrafacials, medical-grade skincare products, and chemical peels. These are all relatively simple, minimal downtime, yet effective treatments, making them highly desirable for patients.

You may even consider adding additional value propositions to your on-sale goods and services. For example, patients receive an additional 10% off their Hydrafacial when they book online on Black Friday, or patients who book three chemical peels also receive a free SPF product after each treatment. For overstock items, sell those in bundles as stocking stuffers or in bulk supply as patients’ long-lasting glow factor. In essence, adding that extra cherry on top of your existing BF offers can really make all the difference in driving a sale home.

To avoid a freaky *Black* Friday, we advise that you 1) plan ahead of time and 2) get every last detail in order. All other factors for potential success, like adding more value to existing sales, are intended to make your Black Friday deals stand out against the competition. Those “other factors” may include:

Hosting a social media contest with a BIG Black Friday promo as the prize
Extending your Black Friday sales
Opening BF deals early to select patients (i.e., those who have memberships or who participated in an online or in-person raffle)
Gifting complimentary goodies to VIP or all patients

The MeyCo team also brainstormed what the “ideal” timeline is for you to follow to hopefully host a successful Black Friday. Enjoy!

Black Friday can bring fantastic growth to your practice, but it is still important to note that not every medical aesthetic business will benefit from these annual sales. Many of our clients are plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and medical device manufacturers. For them, Black Friday sales aren’t always logical. (Besides, consumers may question a provider who offers a 60% discount on an invasive surgical procedure.)

Black Friday sales are not essential for success, so always consider if they would truly fit your practice offerings–as well as your patient base, first.

In case your business may not benefit from a Black Friday sales event, here are a few other important dates to keep in mind: