Your free profile is the foundation of your RealSelf presence. It’s your chance to make a winning first impression with the 10 million consumers who visit RealSelf each month1, looking for information on treatments and referrals to providers who can help them transform their bodies and lives.
A great RealSelf Profile showcases your skills and empowers you to form deeper connections with current and potential patients. It also lets clients spread the love about the quality of your work. Our provider review pages are some of our most popular content on the site.
That’s a lot of power for a tool that takes just minutes to set up. If you haven’t claimed your RealSelf Profile yet, sign up now. You’re just a few clicks away from establishing a presence on the world’s largest aesthetics website.
Setting up your profile: The basics
Once your practice is verified, you’ll receive a link to your RealSelf dashboard. Start by clicking “Edit Profile.” You’ll see we’ve already pulled in some information from your website to help you get started. We may have also uploaded your profile photo; you can easily change it by clicking “Remove” and “Choose File.”
Pro tip: Pick a photo of you in your lab coat. According to Google, 70% of consumers prefer profile photos of doctors in their lab coats compared to any other attire.2 The coat makes you look more credible and compassionate, two qualities highly important to potential patients.
After looking over the information and making additions as necessary, it’s time to ensure you’ll show up correctly in consumer search results. You do this by selecting all the services and treatments you offer in the “Cosmetic treatments you perform” section, as well as information about consultation fees.
Pro tip: Upgrade to Profile Plus and start using RealSelf Spotlights. As a sponsor, you’ll get guaranteed exposure to local consumers researching treatments you offer, and have the ability to further personalize your RealSelf Profile.
Showing off your skills
Once your profile information is complete, start showing off your work and connecting with nearby consumers. Two ways to highlight your team’s stellar skills and compassionate bedside manner is with photos and videos. Our research shows consumers are significantly more likely to contact doctors whose profile features before and after examples of their work, with 10+ photo sets being the magic number to fully earn a consumer’s trust.3
Pro tip: In your before and after photos, make sure the patient’s face or body is the same size in each shot. If one photo is more zoomed in than the other, or the perspective was changed, it can make it harder to appreciate the quality of your work.
Videos are also a powerful way to set yourself apart from the competition. In our studies, one in three consumers say a provider’s videos (or lack of videos) affects their decision-making process.4 Record yourself answering common questions about treatments, recovery time, and results. Also, upload a few videos that are just for fun. A good mix shows you take your work—but not yourself—seriously.
Photos and videos can be added under the “Your Content” menu on your dashboard. Want to add more than 5 sets of before & after photos each month? Contact your RealSelf Advocate to upgrade from your free RealSelf Profile to Profile Plus for unlimited photos and other attention-grabbing benefits.
Interacting with consumers
One of our most popular and free tools is Patient Engage. This is our way of helping you get and share reviews from happy clients.
When it comes to picking a medical aesthetic practice, reviews are more important to consumers than your credentials. Our studies have shown that only 14% of consumers will even consider contacting a provider whose profile has no reviews. It takes at least 10 positive write-ups to make them feel fully confident in your services.5
With Patient Engage you can build up your review stockpile in two ways. First, we give you the tools to contact up to 50 patients every month via email and request their feedback. Or, if you’re looking for a more hands-off method, you can also add the Patient Engage review widget to your website. Just send the code to your web developer and existing patients visiting your practice’s site can start writing a review in one click.
Pro tip: Sponsors get additional opportunities to connect with consumers via our “Answer Questions” module. Position yourself as an expert on the services you specialize in by answering questions from the RealSelf community. You can even get consumer questions delivered directly to your inbox.
Ready for more than the basics?
Contact your RealSelf Advisor or Advocate to learn more about your RealSelf Profile, dashboard, or sponsorship opportunities. We’re here to help you establish your RealSelf presence, highlight your practice’s great work, and connect with more people who can’t wait to be your patient.
Sources:
(1) RealSelf site data, 2017.
(2) Google consumer survey of U.S. women, May 2016.
(3) RealSelf consumer survey, August 2017.
(4) RealSelf consumer survey, January 2016.
(5) RealSelf consumer survey, August 2016.
