Protecting Your Business From Social Media Fraud


social-media-protection

If social media fraud sounds scary, that’s because it is.  Identity fraud and misrepresentation online are concerns for businesses everywhere, and especially for medical spas and doctors. The major issue of social media fraud rests in the dissemination of incorrect information by a patient or someone pretending to be one.  Although there are no actual statistics describing how frequently or infrequently this occurs, many business do not have the safety nets in place nor the training necessary to combat this issue when it arises.

How can you deter social media fraud?  There is no way to prevent someone from impersonating you and posting as a client or patient who visited your business, however, there are certain safety measures that you can follow.

Here at Acara, our client’s online reputation and safety is one of our top priorities.

Lauren Levy, our Digital Marketing Manager, states “I devote my attention to online review sites and verify that reviews are being posted by real people.  Because we actively monitor them, we have found fake reviews and have had them removed.”

In addition to actively reviewing sites such as Yelp, Facebook, and SpaFinder, we also use Google alerts on all clients and implement other SEO strategies to keep our client’s online reputation in check.

privacy-protect

If you manage your own social media — you need to aggressively monitor your social media footprint.  Be sure to Google yourself and your business to ensure that the desired results are correct.  In addition, one may set up Google alerts with your name and business name to audit the online dialogue.  Another important note — claim your business or personal name on any social media platforms that you are not using, so that no one else does.  Finally, be sure to have all privacy settings properly activated on all platforms that you are engaged with.

If you are not sure how to manage your own social media platforms or how to protect yourself from social media fraud, consult with our expert team at Acara to put your mind to rest.

Solta Acquires Sound Surgical Technologies


In February, Solta Medical acquired privately held Sound Surgical Technologies. The unification of these two companies creates, yet again, another global leader in the market of medical aesthetic devices for physicians and plastic surgeons.images

Sound Surgical Techologies has primarily focused on their VASAR body contouring product line, which use low-frequency ultrasound therapy to treat the fatty layer of the skin.  Solta has been the global leader in the fractional laser space,  focusing on skin rejuvenation and body contouring, such as Fraxel, Clear + Brillant body contouring, Lipsonix and Thermage.  The joining of these companies, not only creates a medical aesthetic powerhouse, but also expands the market reach and opportunity for Solta.

“With this acquisition, we have added another strong, complimentary product to our broad portfolio of leading aesthetic brands and we have expanded our market opportunity.”

-Stephen J. Fannins, Chairman, President and CEO of Solta

To read the full press release, click here.

Exciting Changes in Laser News


This has been an exciting couple weeks in regards to the world of lasers.  Two of the most newsworthy headlines are Cynosures launch of PicoSure laser for tattoo removal and the other is the acquisition of Palomar by Cynosure. Lets start with the acquisition.

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The joining of Palomar and Cynosure creates a undisputed giant in the world of lasers. Jointly the companies now have over 20,000 laser systems and a worldwide market in over 100 countries. They now combine the best of both worlds with IPL systems from Palomar and the range of aesthetic laser systems from Cynosure.

“We believe the acquisition of Palomar creates a substantial opportunity to generate profitable, long-term growth for our Company and drive value for our stockholders,” said Michael Davin, Cynosure’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  “Combining with Palomar complements our product portfolio and customer base, adding new product and service revenues, strengthening our global distribution network, creating new cross-selling opportunities and enhancing our intellectual property position with the addition of more than 40 patents.”

It was a strategic alliance that will yield continued innovation and premium products.

The latest of these new products is the launch of Cynosures PicoSure laser for tattoo removal and benign pigmented lesions. The clear advantage of the PicoSure laser is it creates less tissue heating due to the lasers short pulse duration. In a  recent study , the PicoSure was 50% more effective at clearing the tattoo and the short pulse was able to remove ink particles more effectively.

PicoSure’s ultra-short pulse duration goes beyond photothermal action creating an intense photomechanical impact, patented PressureWave™, resulting in greater disruption of the target for better clearance with fewer treatments, less fluence and without injury to the surrounding skin. Even dark, stubborn blue and green inks, as well as recalcitrant tattoos can be removed.

Cynosure will be at ASLMS in Boston this weekend demonstrating the new PicoSure  laser.laser2013_4c_000

33rd ASLMS  ( american Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery) Annual Conference
April 3-7, 2013                                                                                 

Sheraton Boston Hotel/Hynes Convention Center

This year is sure to bring continued innovations and new insights in the aesthetic world with the new venture between Cynosure and Palomar.  Here at ACARA we will be keeping on the pulse of the latest news at it unfolds.

Doctors Use Caution With Social Media


imagesSocial media is instrumental to building your business and clients.  However, there is a reason to be cautious if you are a medical doctor with a practice. Doctor’s inappropriate behavior using social media and social networking sites can lead to an investigation from the State Medical board resulting in unwanted lawsuits, letters of reprimand, license limitation, suspension  and possible loss of employment. Therefore it is imperative that medical practices understand the laws of social media engagement.

In a  2010 survey of Executive Directors at state medical boards in the United States cited the following as grounds for investigation:

      • Misrepresenting Credentials or clinical outcomes (60%)
      • Inappropriately contacting patients ( 69%)
      • Inappropriate prescribing ( 63%)

In another survey published Jan 15th -Annals of Internal Medicine, hypothetical vignettes were used to see what would prompt a medical investigation. There were 10 possible scenarios; the situations that prompted an investigative response were photographs of intoxication, discriminatory language and speech, violations of patient confidentiality on a blog. As a medical physician with an on-line presence, you need to adhere to the guidelines of proper social media engagement.

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At Acara Partners it is our job to always be up to date on best practices for medical spas. We stay on the pulse of the latest news regarding changes as they relate to social media with individual state boards. Our social media program for our medical spa practices lead by Lauren Levy, our Digital Marketing Manager, follows all guidelines to keep your business in compliance. We actively manage all our client’s social media in real-time, and respond  appropriately.

Don’t let seemingly innocuous on-line interactions put your business in jeopardy. Acara Partners can manage and protect your social media presence.

Medical Spa Society Launches First Ever Industry Research


The Medical Spa Society has contracted with an independent market research firm, Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., to perform a survey of MedSpa facility operations. This collection of information will be invaluable to our industry in establishing benchmarks and planning for the future.

Marketdata is a 33-year old market research publisher and consulting firm that has analyzed a wide variety of service and niche healthcare markets, working with many trade associations. All information submitted will be kept strictly confidential, used only to derive industry averages.

Please use the link below to get to the survey. Answer as many questions as you can. The deadline is June 25th.

Anyone who completes the survey will receive $75 off their next annual membership with the Medical Spa Society plus Marketdata will provide all participants with a free summary of the major findings. In addition, all participants will receive a significant discount off the list price of the final report when it is released. The complete report will contain information about the nature and size of the market, market segments, forecasts, competitor profiles, suppliers, customer demographics, operating ratios and more.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Please contact myself or Mr. John LaRosa, Marketdata’s Research Director, at: 813-907-9090 if you have any questions.

Take the survey now.

Francis X. Acunzo
CEO, Acara Partners
President, Medical Spa Society

Increase Aesthetic Medical Practice Revenue: Generate Leads and Optimize the Sales Process


Acara Axiom: Your marketing program generates leads while an optimized sales process maximizes revenue.

Need to grow your aesthetic business?  Wish you’re practice was generating an increase of $10K or more each month on the top line of your income statement?

What is the answer?  First, strengthen your marketing program and drive more leads; second, tighten your sales process and assure each lead is properly optimized to maximize sales.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure.  Here’s what Acara’s successful clients are measuring and monitoring in their aesthetic medical practices:

  1. Track lead source.  Implement a tracking system into your marketing program.  CallSource is a tracking system that many of Acara’s clients utilize with great success.  Through unique telephone numbers it tracks where each lead heard about your practice. (You will still need to ask each caller “how did you learn about our practice” since there are always the leads that call because of a referral and not an ad or other marketing communication).
  2. Track lead to consult conversion.  Track how many of the leads (telephone and internet) are converted to consultations. Acara Axiom: Do not qualify leads on the phone; focus on converting them to consultations.
  3. Track consult to patient conversion.  Track how many performed consultations are converted to new patients.
  4. Track average purchase per new patient.  Track what the average purchase per new patient.

If you have multiple sales consultants at your practice then the above numbers 3 and 4 should be tracked by individual consultant.

Now that you’re measuring these basic, but important, marketing and sales metrics you can begin to monitor the success of any best practice implementation that has an objective to increase your cosmetic medical sales.

Here are a few examples of sales and marketing best practices that Acara oftentimes implements for our clients:

  • Identify what marketing efforts are working and increase those budgets to drive more leads.  Example: if you’re local print ads are successfully driving leads then increase the frequency or possibly run 2 in the same publication one with a focus on body and the other on face.  Something to remember when advertising: Keep the message focused; don’t sell your practice, sell results (i.e. permanent fat removal) thus when an ad is focused on the face its generating telephone calls from people (leads) specifically interested the face work listed in the ad (wrinkle reduction, smoother skin, getting rid of age spots, etc.).
  • Identify your lead capture methodology (i.e. what info prior to passing the call onto the sales consultant, can the receptionist book a consults, etc.) and assure that all personnel answering the phone are fully trained.
  • Review the metrics on a weekly basis and coach your team to support their improvement.
  • Give your sales team incentive to encourage them to do a great job.
  • Review how you currently package your procedures.  Possibly adjusting the protocol to increase the standard number of procedures per package will provide the client more benefit and increase your average patient sale.  Dr. Patrick Bitter Jr, a highly regarded cosmetic dermatologist, believes that optimal benefit is achieved after five photofacials.  (He also offers an excellent training program that teach his laser techniques.)

All of the above are best practices that have to be implemented with rigor and discipline and a big dose of passion and drive in order to experience success.  It doesn’t happen overnight but with consistent implementation you should see a bump in your top line within 6 – 8 weeks.

FXA

Medical Spa Society Membership


The Medical Spa Society was just at IECSC we enjoyed meeting old and new friends at our booth on the trade show floor.  It was a very successful show for the MSS  as we welcomed many new members.

We’ve added many new member benefits. We have a new board and revitalized website.  Once again, the MSS is proud to be the voice of medical spas and aesthetic medical practices.

What’s more, we are pleased to extend the following special offers from our vendor partner members for any Medical Spa or Aesthetic Medical Practice that joins:

  • Receive a complimentary website assessment from Acara.  A $500 value.
  • Purchase Acara‘s A.S.K. (Aesthetic Sales Knowledge) sales training program and save $800.
  • American Health & Beauty, an online magazine for consumers interested in cosmetic surgery and aesthetic procedures, is offering 3 months of free advertising, a $447 value.
  • Cures by Avance, a curative and corrective skin care line, is offering members complimentary marketing materials (brochures, samples, intake forms, client cards, displays) equal to 10% of an opening order.
  • Medical Laser Dynamics (MLD) is offering 15% off any MLD activity (training, education, etc.).

In addition to the above we are launching our webinar series very soon.  Sign-up for a clinical and business webinar each month, with the archived webinars available exclusively to the members.

One of the best benefits of being a Medical Spa Society member is the opportunity to network with some of the top physicians and business experts in the industry.

Executive Board Members:

Francis X Acunzo, President
CEO, Acara Partners

Dee Deluca-Mattos, Past President
Vice President, Cures by Avance

Wendy Bosolavage, Vice-President
President, American Leisure Corporation

Angela Caponi, Secretary
COO, Juva Medispa & Laser Center

Paula Young, Chairperson Marketing Committee
Co-owner, Young Medical Spas

Patrick Clark, Chairperson Education Committee
CEO, Medical Laser Dynamics

Jim Larkey
Director of Product Development, Cannfield Imaging Systems

Keith Veseleny
CEO & Editor, American Health & Beauty

Kristi Rook
Associate Director of Professional Relations, Medicis

Medical Advisory Board Members:

Bruce E. Katz, M.D., Chairman

Eliot F. Battle Jr., M.D.

Fredric Brandt, M.D.

Michael H. Gold, M.D.

David J. Goldberg, M.D.

Monte O. Harris, M.D.

Doris Hexsel, M.D.

Gary D. Monheit, M.D.

Howard Murad, M.D.

Vincent C. Giampapa, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Please join the Medical Spa Society and be among the ranks of some of the most successful Medical Spas and Aesthetic Medical Practices nationwide.

FXA

JOIN NOW

Learn to Accelerate Your Practice


Join me on Saturday April 28th when I will be speaking with plastic surgeon, Dr. Jason Pozner at a Sciton Aesthetic seminar.  This event takes place at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway to promote the theme of accelerating your practice.

My topic will be “how to race past your competition by accelerating your practice with Best Practices in management, sales and marketing.”

Saturday, April 28th, 2012
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
1122 Route 106,
Loudon, NH
603.513.5700
Questions?
Contact:
Dan Sullivan
dan.sullivan@sciton.com
202.320.3219

Speaking at Sciton Aesthetic Conference in Raleigh


I will be joining Dr. Stanley J. Kovak to present a Sciton Aesthetic Seminar this upcoming Saturday.  This one takes place in Raleigh, NC.  Dr. Kovak will focus on the clinical results a medical practice can achieve with a Sciton laser and I will be discussing Best Business Practices for aesthetic medical practices and medspas.

It’s not too late to join us if you go to the Sciton website you can register.

Saturday, April 21st, 2012
9:00 am to 2:30 pm
Registration at 8:30 am
Breakfast, Lunch & Lecture
Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Marriott
4100 Main at North Hills Street
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 278-1275
Contact:
Greg Kile
greg.kile@sciton.com
704.577.2332

Speaking at IECSC (International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference) in NYC


Join me in New York this Sunday at the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference where I will be sharing my 30 plus years of development experience with attendees from throughout the country.

Implement Industry Best Practices to Open a Successful Medical Spa`

10:45am-12:00pm

FRANCIS X ACUNZO • CEO – Acara Partners

Join one of the industry’s top business leaders, Francis X. Acunzo, CEO of Acara Partners as he identifies the best business practices to successfully open your medical spa or cosmetic medical practice. He will share Acara’s methodology on how to develop, design and launch your business. With over 100 projects completed, Acara’s knowledge base of best practices contains invaluable essential elements that should be the basis of any successful new business development effort. In addition, Mr. Acunzo will share his top 5 medical spa tips for smart interior design that improves the bottom line – a critical element in the development of a medical spa.

Register for the show.

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