I’m about to change how you look at your medspa Instagram ads leads.
This is something I’ve been thinking about after various ads strategy conversations with clients as we adapt to Meta’s recent AI changes. (I actually broke those down, and how they’re impacting your ads, in this blog and on my YouTube too!)
There is a fundamental difference between landing a referral client and landing a client through Instagram ads.
A Closer Look: Referrals
When a new client comes into your medspa through a referral, they are not a cold lead. They haven’t gone through the typical advertising funnel and become warmed to you over time, like they would via Instagram ads.
Referrals are already warmed to you because they’ve borrowed trust from someone they believe, and take seriously, to sign on.
Think about the things you’ve heard from these referral clients, things like:
- “Oh my gosh – I saw my sister’s results and I am totally in!!”
- “My doctor referred you!”
- “My friend goes here and absolutely LOVES you.”
All these people walk into your medspa or aesthetics practice with a trust that’s already established. Their skepticism is as low as ever. They’re not asking, “Should I do this?” Their mind is essentially already made up that they’re signing on. They’re just wondering, “When can I start?”
This is why leads from referrals show up at a higher rate. They convert a lot faster and need far less convincing. They literally skipped the entire front half of the buyer journey. No-shows are rare when they’re referrals.
Now, when you’re running medspa Instagram ads, it’s a different story. That leads us to thinking about cold leads.
A Closer Look: Cold Leads
Cold leads are those people who go through the advertising funnel set up in Meta. These potential clients see your ads and move from cold, to curious, to considering and then converting.
It goes without saying, but if they see your medspa on an Instagram ad, they didn’t hear about you from a trusted source. They either saw a video, read through your process carousel or were impressed by a transformation story.
They saw the ad and are thinking to themselves, “Well, maybe this could help me,” but that’s pretty much it. Then, they forget about it because they’re at the very beginning of the funnel and decision-making process.
When you’re expecting them to book right away, to trust you and buy one of your medspa’s high-ticket services right at the outset, it’s like expecting someone to marry you after you’ve gone on the first date. Crazy, right?!
Instagram ads do not create instant buyers. They’re creating awareness and they’re creating opportunity. Your medspa Instagram ads are introducing you to people who didn’t know you existed until they first saw your ad on their feed.
They’re problem-aware, but they’re not solution-committed just yet. They need to be nurtured quite a bit before they feel ready to take the next step with you, especially if you’re offering high-ticket services, common to medspas or aesthetics practices.
This is truly where most people who have never run ads before, and have built their business on referrals, go wrong in their mindset and expectations. If they booked, shouldn’t they be ready to commit and make a decision?
You’ve forgotten one thing: booking doesn’t mean that they’re ready to buy. While some impulsive buyers might be ready to buy (like yours truly!), other people need more convincing, more information and more nurturing.
For some people, a booking just means interest. They’re interested. And now it’s your job on the back-end to nurture, educate, build trust and create that reassurance so they will convert. You want to establish that reassurance that you’re the provider for them.
No-shows tend to happen more with Instagram ads than with any other organic marketing because they are still deciding. Maybe they got nervous. They started second-guessing. They think they’re gonna be sold to and have to spend thousands of dollars right at the outset when they’re not totally convinced of the transformation you can offer.
That doesn’t mean these leads are bad. It just means there’s a gap between when they first saw you and they were interested in you and the nurture process.
Many medspa owners or ads managers don’t realize this, but when you run Instagram ads, those ads:
- Get you in front of qualified people.
- Start a relationship with, and
- Fill the pipeline with potential patients.
With our strategy, we also add a nurture element to this, which keeps you in front of potential clients over and over again. However, your organic media and your follow-up process play a big role here as well.
Every piece of your marketing matters. Your website content matters. Your organic marketing matters. Your email outreach matters. Your billboards, TV spots and any other traditional marketing matters.
They all play a role in building that trust with potential clients and deepening that trust with referrals.
If you’re going into running ads thinking the clients are gonna convert like referrals, I need you to know you’re setting yourself up for disaster.
Think of it this way: Referrals mean high trust, low volume and easy conversions. But referrals aren’t the most reliable way to grow your practice. Instagram ads mean lower trust at a higher volume, but you have to have a system on the back-end to stay in front of them to nurture that trust.
If you’ve got questions, leave your comments below or contact me to get started running your medspa Instagram ads today!
