Did you hear about that new med spa that just opened up down the street with the awesome membership program?
Everyone is talking about it and the members are constantly posting about the cool perks on Instagram.
If your practice isn’t already generating this kind of buzz, it’s time to change that.
When you generate buzz, you tap into people’s innate Fear of Missing Out, or, FOMO.
FOMO originates from the human desire to belong or be in the know.
As a business owner, you can leverage FOMO in your marketing to drive demand for your products and services.
FOMO marketing motivates your existing patients to keep coming back and new patients to seek you out over other practices to see what the hype is all about.
Read on to learn how FOMO marketing works and how you can use it to become the hottest med spa in your area.
How FOMO marketing works and why use it
FOMO marketing is a strategy for generating and promoting buzz around a product or service that makes consumers feel like they must take action to avoid missing out on a great opportunity.
It works through a combination of three mechanisms:
1. Scarcity: When a product is only available in limited quantities, you view it as more valuable.
2. Urgency: When time is limited, you feel pressure to act quickly.
3. Social Proof: When other people demonstrate that something is desirable, you like or want it too.
When integrated into your marketing strategy, FOMO marketing fosters a sense of excitement and anticipation, boosting customer engagement and sales.
A 2015 study showed that 68% of people ages 18-30 made purchases in response to FOMO marketing.
It even helps you stand out from competitors and increases retention by creating a unique sense of exclusivity and belonging that customers can’t resist.
2 ways to generate FOMO at your med spa
1. Make your your membership program the talk of the town
When you give your VIP patients desirable perks only available at your med spa and promote them effectively, other patients will naturally want them too.
Your VIPs will also brag to their friends about their experience and they will be eager to enjoy the same experience.
Here are some of the best ways to create value for your VIPs and FOMO for everyone else.
If you have a membership program, use these tactics as perks. If you don’t have a membership program, you can use them to reward your most loyal patients.
Exclusive access
Make certain opportunities available only to your VIPs.
You might consider offering your VIPs special treatments or products. For example, you can create a signature facial or serum they can’t find anywhere else.
You can also offer them exclusive promotions, like 10% off all treatments or a free skincare sample with every appointment booked.
Invite-only events or events that offer perks for VIPs are another great way to reward your members or most loyal patients. At the events, you can give them an opportunity to try a new treatment, attend a talk or intimate discussion with an industry guru or influencer, enter a giveaway, or receive a swag bag.
As long as the exclusive access is valuable, your VIPs will feel like they’re getting something special and your other patients will experience FOMO and wish they were part of it. It will be difficult for other med spas to compete with what you offer.
Early access or skipping the line
Waitlists are another powerful tool for generating FOMO. You can offer early access to VIPs only and put all other patients on a waitlist. You can use waitlists for anything from product launches to events.
This exclusive sneak peek will make your VIPs feel special and build word-of-mouth buzz.
By restricting access or eligibility through exclusive or early access, you create scarcity that makes your membership program desirable. Other med spas may not have a membership program or the perks may not be as good.
Non-VIPs and prospective patients will fear continuing to miss out on signature treatments, product launches, promotions, and fun events. This fear will motivate them to join your program–or at least check out your med spa–before they miss out on more.
Your VIPs serve as social proof that being a member or loyal patient is worthwhile. They have access to exciting opportunities, are saving money, and are having a better experience than the average patient.
2. Create promotions that patients can’t resist
Promotions are another area of your business where it pays to generate FOMO.
You’re likely already running promotions, but using these tactics will help you create more buzz than ever before and may make your med spa appear more desirable than others.
Limited time offers
When your promos have an end date, your patients will feel pressure to make their purchases before the deadline. You can even consider adding a countdown timer to your website or app so patients know how much time they have left to make a decision. Patients will worry that if they don’t act now, the deal will be gone forever.
Real-time updates
Sending real-time updates on remaining stock or appointment availability can also create a sense of urgency. Try adding a ticker with the quantity remaining or the number of people viewing or buying the product to your website.
When you set a time limit or show that stock is dwindling, you create a sense of scarcity and urgency that makes your patients fear missing out on a great deal. Showing the number of people viewing or buying the product also provides social proof that the item is desirable.
How to generate FOMO through your marketing
In order to generate true FOMO, you have to promote your med spa’s one-of-a-kind membership program or once-in-a-lifetime promotion effectively.
That means any time you host a VIP-only event, offer limited-edition facials to members only, or have an amazing sale that only happens once a year, post about it on your practice’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Here are a few ways to build anticipation and hype and leave your followers with serious FOMO.
Use teasers
Leading up to an event, promo, or other special opportunity, post previews or sneak peeks. By giving followers just enough information to pique their interest, they’ll be curious and excited for the big reveal. Then, when the event or promo starts, that excitement can turn into a rush of engagement.
Post or stream live
During a promotion or VIP event, post or stream live updates. By showing off how much fun event attendees are having or how much money other patients are saving through your special sale, your followers will feel motivated to become VIPs too or buy something from your sale.
Showcase testimonials
Satisfied patients are one of the best forms of marketing because people naturally trust what their friends and community have to say. Testimonials offer social proof and give patients a deeper sense of what their own experience with your med spa might be like. You can post a combination of static and video testimonials to illustrate what makes your med spa so special.
When you leverage a combination of scarcity, urgency, and social proof to build your membership program and promotions and market them on your social accounts, you create FOMO that makes your med spa stand out.
Over time, FOMO marketing elevates your brand positioning and differentiates your med spa from your competitors. It helps patients understand why they should pick your practice over others.
When combined with expertise and a standout patient experience, FOMO marketing is a powerful way to rise above other practices that just don’t offer the same.
