LAS VEGAS – One day, a delivery driver made a routine stop at the Richmond, Va.–based office of cosmetic facial surgeon Joseph Niamtu III, D.M.D., and made memorable remarks to the front office staff.
"He said, ‘I love coming in here,’ " Dr. Niamtu recalled at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. " 'It’s warm in here, it smells good, and it's a fun atmosphere; is a radiant, welcoming and energized atmosphere, which is very refreshing compared to most other doctor offices I visit.’ Now that’s a compliment. If you don’t feel that you have the best office in town, then you should send your patients to somebody down the street."
Courtesy Dr. Joseph Niamtu III
Dr. Joseph Niamtu III's office's waiting room
During a presentation about the essentials to marketing a cosmetic surgery practice, Dr. Niamtu said that in its purest form, marketing "begins with you and your staff. It’s really about what you say and what you do, and how your office runs. A huge marketing budget cannot compensate for arrogant or rude doctors and staff. The first step in marketing is to treat people better than anybody else."
While he noted that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing, he shared tips that helped him transition from a full-time oral and maxillofacial surgery practice to a full-time facial cosmetic surgery practice in 2004.
• Hire a marketing professional. "Even if you’re just starting out and your marketing budget is $200, you’ve got to have a plan," Dr. Niamtu said. Early each January he meets with his marketing representative to plan events for the entire year – including print ads, television ads, radio spots, and speaking engagements – all while being mindful of his target market, which he described as "women with money and wrinkles. This is planned out for 12 months. I wasn’t doing this 12 years ago." Now, he said, his annual marketing budget is 10% of his production.
• Create a way for people to remember you. Marketing "is creating a brand and a way to stand out from the crowd," he said. "Branding is consistency. We have postage stamps with our logo on it. And I have a trademark: ‘Making Virginia more beautiful ... one face at a time.’ That’s copyrighted, so nobody else can use that."
• Have interactive components on your website. Dr. Niamtu said that three features drive people to his website, www.lovethatface.com: a section called "Ask Dr. Joe," where visitors can leave a question for him, a tab that allows visitors to request a consultation, and a blog that he writes and strives to keep fresh.
Dr. Joseph Niamtu III
"Every day I get 20 or 30 people from all over the world asking about a procedure," he said of the "Ask Dr. Joe" section of his website. "If you do this, you’ve got to be able to answer within a day. It’s weird, but globally, if you talk to somebody you create a bond."
• Include plenty of before and after pictures on your website. When Dr. Niamtu asks new patients why they chose to visit his practice, many tell him it’s because his website contains so many before and after pictures of patients treated by him. "I have more than 6,600 before and after pictures on my website," he said. "Some of my competitors have three Facebook pictures."
Dr. Niamtu said that he had no relevant financial conflicts to disclose.