Once the Government lifts lockdown restrictions and begins with its COVID-19 recovery strategy, aesthetic businesses will certainly need a plan. Do you have one?

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly created a huge impact on aesthetic practices globally following the announcement of the need to enforce restrictions on people's movement, social gatherings as well as temporary closure of all businesses that aren't essential. The months following the strict regulations have been incredibly difficult for all industries, but especially so for medical aesthetics businesses. This is a result of the peculiarity of its operations – depending heavily on physical consultations and personal treatments.

Due to these challenges, many aesthetic practitioners are now faced with the uncertainty of what the future holds for their businesses, in which they have invested considerable time and money. For some practice owners, however, this period has been a time of sober reflection and a time to tap into their creative genius to come up with a way to make the most of the unexpected situation.

Post-Covid Strategy. Ready to Meet High Demand?

Some have decided to give back to the community at this time, some have returned to the NHS briefly, and some have devised ingenious ways to keep in touch with their clients to foster loyalty and commitment. Some have even gone ahead and acquired industry-relevant digital training to give themselves some much-needed edge over the local competition.

Every aesthetic practice is expectedly aware that the demand for aesthetic procedures rose significantly during the lockdown period, contrary to popular expectations— a phenomenon referred to as the zoom effect and owing to the increased use of virtual video apps for communication.

This means that aesthetic practitioners must be ready to meet this increased demand when things are completely back to normal. It also calls for them to up their game in order to remain relevant amidst the competition.

Whichever means you may have deployed to keep on top of the situation, here are a few steps you can take to best position yourself for a rebound from now to just before reopening:

"When you finally re-open, make sure you cross off the below from your checklist," Derma Institute advises.

8 Post-Covid Strategy Steps You Can Take to Best Position Yourself

1. Set up virtual consultations

Consider offering free virtual consultations to assess your clients and address their needs. This way, you can offer them advice and recommendations and even get them on your booking list for when clinic activities resume. You can promote this service on your business website and social media pages.

2. Continue patient education

Platforms such as Facebook Live and Instagram Live can be very useful for not only keeping in touch with patients but also counselling and providing value to them regarding various treatments and DIY health and beauty tips, among other things. This is also a good time to work on your email strategy and increase your blog presence for the same purpose.

3. Be creative – Discover opportunities that the pandemic has opened up

If there is one thing that most people have learnt in this period, it is the need to quickly adapt to change. This allows us to see opportunities where others continue to lament. For example, owing to the increased use of virtual communication apps, there has been a rise in the volume of enquiries regarding facial aesthetic procedures as people get more critical of their facial features, as highlighted by artificial lighting. Social media or email marketing campaigns could be targeted at this new trend and this will keep your business fresh in the minds of your clients up until when they are finally able to come in for their treatments.

4. Find a way to be a part of the solutions to the crisis

This involves being helpful, compassionate and simply human. A simple gesture such as donating gloves, masks, sanitation products, etc to the local community passes a strong message that you are not just after your gains but really care about the health of your clients. This is an excellent opportunity to push your brand and elicit trust and loyalty.

You don't have to be all about charity, however. You can also consider granting discounts and specials when you reopen in order to help strengthen your brand or instituting a payment plan schedule to help your clients foot their treatment bills without breaking the bank. This will help you ultimately to secure more business.

5. Provide support to your team

As is arguably common knowledge, the success of any business relies heavily on its team members. At this point, it is important to identify their pain points and see how they may be helped. This help could be as simple as allowing them a more flexible work schedule to care for a sick relative.

You can also appreciate them for any useful strides they have taken that will benefit the business in the long run, such as extra training and community assistance.

6. Be proactive about safety concerns

Preempt your clients' fears for environmental safety and allay them by creating in-office materials which very clearly showcase the steps you're taking to maintain recommended health guidelines. Seeing this bolsters their confidence in you and enhances trust.

7. Spread the word!

Use digital means to inform existing and prospective clients that you're back in business. You can achieve this through emails sent out to your existing list. On your social media platforms, announce your return and readiness to consult.

If you have planned any specials, welcome offers, free consultations or discounts, now would be a good time to remind them of it!

8. Remember to maintain flexibility with regard to appointments

Considering that things may take a while to return to normalcy, it would serve your business to be as flexible as possible at this time. Your clients may have to deal with a lot of new schedules as well, so not being rigid with your consultation and treatment hours will definitely help you retain more patients. Not to mention, it will put you across as highly empathetic—no small asset for your brand image.

Derma Institute is the UK's leading high-quality aesthetic training provider. It provides comprehensive aesthetic training to health professionals (Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Pharmacists, and others). The training spans a wide range of courses, including Botox training and dermal filler training courses, which uniquely feature intensive, practical, hands-on training on live models.

Interested in learning more about Derma Institute's aesthetic training courses for pharmacists? Visit our Botox training and Dermal filler training page for more details.