How to deal with the economic crisis in aesthetic medicine with the help of a marketing plan based on communication, allowed advertising, and public relations.

Our Center of Aesthetic Medicine always stood out from the competition, because we have placed great importance on:
- The scientific quality offered to the customer through the customization of therapeutic programs
- Dedicating plenty of time to the customer
- The quality of our organizational structure
- Customer loyalty

THE QUALITY CARACTERISTICS OF OUR OFFER ARE:

- Informative encounter of 30 to 45 minutes, absolutely free.
- Customized "first appointment",1 hour for cosmetic medicine, and 2 to 3 hours for the dietetics
- Assessment of the client’s of metabolism
- Personalized study of the client’s metabolism
- Elaboration of a highly personalized client’s dietary program
- A "second appointment" to implement the therapy (in the case of aesthetic medicine), or to deliver the diet.
- The Luxury Edition dietary program.
- Close appointments, every 7-9 days at most, during which we deal mainly in psycho-emotional terms with the dietary customer, as well as continuing with “lessons in nutrition “for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Group psychotherapy with a psychotherapist specializing in nutrition,
once a week.
-Free lifetime after diet service, for weight checks every 2 or 3 months. The reason for this is that finding new customers costs 6 to 9 times more than keeping existing ones.
- Telephone contacts for customer support, either initiated by us, whenever we consider it appropriate, or by the customer.
-Appointment reminder calls, the day before.
-Using to the slogan, "because the diet is a medical matter ..." next to our logo.
- Business cards and brochures that are always distinguished by their originality
- Absolute courtesy, friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, whose attire is, among other things, checked.

ADDED VALUE

For added value we mean the qualitative perception, which is based on the customizations made to improve the output, and, thus, customer loyalty.
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POINTS OF ADDED VALUE IN OUR PLAN:

- The office is located in the center of one of the most well-known neighborhoods near the ring road, bus stops, taxi parking areas, and to two free municipal parking lots.
- It is located on the ground floor in the middle of an English style lawn garden and many flowers.
- The reception area is located just in front of the entrance, but relatively distant from the sound-proof waiting room.
- There are indicative signs outside each room.
- Candles are the only source of light along the central corridor
- The waiting room is equipped with:
• working fireplace
• fountain for the relaxation of the customer
• plasma TV, which continually projects our services
• a rack with all the articles about cosmetic medicine and obesity published by the undersigned
• self-service buffet, refrigerator with glass door, and water dispenser
• pleasant background music
• ambient lighting
- The rooms are "warm", with atmospheric lighting in the offices, and white “day" light in the premises of therapies.
- There are separate changing rooms with curtains or glass all the way up to the ceiling in every room.
- In the 'Endermology " room, the relaxation of the client is completed by:
• atmospheric lighting
• candles
• ceiling light therapy
• aromatherapy with warming essential oils
• relaxing background music
- We offer the client the possibility of having fixed recurring appointments.
- We offer continuous working hours from morning to evening.
- We accept credit and debit cards.
- We send name day, or birthday greetings via text messages.
- We send a bouquet of flowers to every customer who decides to stop treatment before completing it, accompanied by a written note where we express our views and suggest resuming the sessions.

THE COMMUNICATION PLAN

The communication plan sets out strategies for the development, growth and control of the communication activities of a business. It consists of the following several stages:
- Setting goals
- Identification of influencing factors
- Determination of the total budget
- Budget allocations among the various elements of the communication mix
- Projects
- Assessment of the effectiveness.

ADVERTISING

Advertising is an impersonal communication, performed by an identified sponsor to inform, or persuade, an audience.
Advertising enables organizations to communicate their messages in a widespread and repeated frequency, as deemed necessary to have an effect on consumers.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public relations are initiatives aiming to improve, maintain and protect the image of an organization, building relationships with consumers, shareholders, employees, legislators, and so on.
Propaganda is also part of public relations, and is made up of communications designed to get free exposure in the media. It is, in a sense, indirect advertising. For example, a medium publishes an article by a doctor, or a doctor is interviewed by a medium.

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY:

- Adding new cheaper treatment programs, in order to attract to our structure not only high-level social targets
- Moving the office in a building that is just in front of the old one, in order to reduce operating expenses.
- Organizing various events, such as:
• Inauguration of new premises,
• Office Birthday Party
• "Open House", where people can try a new service
• Workshops and seminars held at the office

- Communicating through print media:
• Welcome card where the customer writes all his/her data
• List of services offered by our organization
• Business cards for all the staff
• Brochures describing the various therapies
• "Newsletter" with the transcription of published articles, or interviews, or with announcements of news in the field of aesthetic medicine.

- Creating and improving the image:
• Release of radio and television interviews.
• Publication of articles in newspapers and popular magazines.
• Staff participation in conferences
• Display of attestations regarding skills, training courses, participation in conferences and so on.
• Participating in, or organizing conferences, not only in scientific circles, but also in cases of associations’ meetings, schools etc..

- Expanding the activity beyond the office, which now also serves as a center for processing services offered by satellite structures:
• The department of Nutrition-Overweightness-Obesity 'of "Bioclin", which is the more “central” general clinical in Thessaloniki.
• The medical office of Rome, which is housed in a multispecialty clinic in the capital and is operational for two days every two weeks.

WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED:

A very large advertising by word of mouth, thanks to high levels of customer satisfaction that we have always achieved.
Positive results in recent months of the international crisis, noticing a trend back to normal, with regard to both, the increase in encounters, and the clients’ easier decision to undertake aesthetic medicine treatment.
Satisfactory results in the last months of local crisis, succeeding for the moment to face the costs, and not to lay off employees.

What to expect:
We look forward to seeing even better results in the phases that will follow after overcoming the economic crisis that we are presently experiencing.