Physician, heal thyself.
The proverb may date back to the Bible (Luke 4:23) but in these digitally driven times, it also applies to marketing your practice. After all, if you want to give potential patients a good idea of what to expect from a procedure, one of the best ways may be to undergo it yourself. Capture it all on video and, as the examples below show, the result is compelling content that’s informative, reassuring and proof positive that you stand behind your work.
See the Doctor Perform CoolSculpting on Herself
Like many otherwise physically fit women, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Sheila S. Nazarian, MD is still bothered by what she calls her “stubborn” love handles, a fact she uses to share her personal experience with CoolSculpting. It’s an admission that’s bound to click with viewers, especially when she adds, “I like to do procedures that are doable on myself so I can empathize with my patients and let them know exactly what their experience is going to be like.”
See The Doctor Get Fraxel Dual Laser to Remove Brown Spots
Although San Francisco-based plastic surgeon Steven K. Struck, MD begins his video by telling viewers what they can expect to experience during their Fraxel laser session, he quickly segues to what he himself experiences once he gets in the procedure chair. Lying there with his eyes closed, he describes what his nurse is doing, how the laser works and what recovery is like, all while maintaining a regular conversational tone that underscores just how painless the procedure is.
CoolSculpting by Zeltiq – Dr. D’Amico Treats Dr. DiBernardo
Think of it as a tag-team testimonial. Working together, New Jersey plastic surgeons Richard A. D’Amico, MD, FACS and Barry E. DiBernardo, MD condense a 60-minute CoolSculpting session into a 10-minute video that walks viewers through the process from start to finish. The former shares what are essentially provider insights — concise, authoritative information — while the latter serves as the patient, undergoing the procedure while talking to the viewer about what he’s experiencing. They then wrap it up by reiterating the points most likely to resonate with viewers: there’s no pain, there’s no downtime and there’s no incision – and patients can be productive throughout the procedure.
Needless to say, such tactics are unlikely to work for more-involved, surgical procedures but for minimally invasive options, they help demonstrate that you’re both a doctor who believes in the services you provide and a real human being who accepts the potential need for “a little help.” In that light, perhaps the old aphorism should be modified to read:
Physician, heal thyself — or at least show patients that you’re willing to do so.
