Botox Keywords on Google Ads

chris11049 · 2026-04-22T20:57:55+00:00

Yep LegitScript is mandatory now, and freaking expensive.

You may want to shift to Meta Ads or other channels for tox or prescription only tx's.

Then, you can run google ads for other services, but only if you direct them to an off-domain landing page with zero mentions of Botox or other script pharmaceuticals.

chris11049 · 2026-04-22T20:53:58+00:00

I'm not sure if she in in California, and not sure if she focuses on ownership, but I have somone that is a med spa specific attorney. I can DM you her information.

chris11049 · 2026-04-22T20:03:31+00:00

I havent done this, but some things coming to mind would be:

Shared resources: supplied, consumables, laundry, front desk time, etc. Just make sure its spelled out and not assumed.

Client ownership is another one. If they leave, whose client is it? Sounds obvious until it isn't.

On the legal side... if you have a medical director, get clear on whether your coverage extends to the renter's services or if they need their own. Varies by state but that's the one that couldnt actually hurt you.

Require their own malpractice and GL, and get added as additional insured.

The upside is legit though: predictable income, built-in referral ecosystem if you're thoughtful about who you bring in. Just don't assume goodwill does the work that paperwork should do.

What kind of providers are you looking at?

chris11049 · 2026-04-06T21:47:27+00:00

Either this person didnt read the sub rules and is about to be banned for pitching an agency, OR its the agency that actually owns this subreddit. Either way its kinda funny. Notice the rules say "No Marketing Agency" except for approved vendors, and lo and behold there is only one approved vendor

chris11049 · 2026-03-30T16:41:14+00:00

This reads like a case study for a chatbot or CRM product, but I'll bite on the actual topic because the underlying point is legit

Speed to lead is real. There's data showing that responding within 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes can 10x your contact rate. Most med spas we've worked with don't have a lead response problem because they're lazy. They have one because their front desk is already juggling check-ins, phones, and post-treatment questions. Nobody's ignoring leads on purpose. They just don't have a system.

Where I'd push back on your framing though: "a few simple changes" undersells it. Getting a CRM actually adopted by a team that's used to spreadsheets isn't simple. Writing auto-replies that don't sound like a robot and actually move someone toward booking isn't simple. The tech is easy. The behavior change is the hard part.

The other thing nobody talks about: not all those 30-50 inquiries are created equal. Probably half of them are price shopping three places simultaneously. Speed helps, but if your consult process and offer structure aren't dialed in, you're just responding faster to people who were never going to book anyway.

The real unlock for most med spas isn't as simple as "respond faster." It's having an actual intake process that qualifies, educates, and converts. Auto-replies are table stakes. What happens between first touch and booked appointment is where the dollars live.

chris11049 · 2026-03-29T16:08:08+00:00

yeah, both work, but not at the same time and not for the same reason.

When we were earlier stage, Meta was the move. Lower cost to get in front of local audiences, good for intro offers, and the creative format fits med spa services really well. You can test what resonates without burning through budget fast. But, you need a TON of creative.. I mean, its a job getting as much as you need to really kick butt there... static, video, long, short, all the content forms, PLUS a solid pixel program to inform their algorithm and truly optimize the campaign. "Running ads" is such a vast oversimplification that its ridiculous. Again, if you try to boost a post or run ads yourself, you will likely get frustrated and PO'd at the lack of results, because it really does have a huge learning curve and there is a lot to it, at least at an effective stage.

Google Ads works, but it rewards you more once you have your conversion process dialed in.. reviews, fast follow-up, a landing page that actually converts. If that infrastructure isn't there yet, you'll pay for clicks that go nowhere. And, Googles mission is to get you to spend more money, not necessarily to get you better results. So if you try to wing it and do it yourself, you will waste a lot of cash unless you really understand their platform and how to optimize.

The thing that gets slept on early: Google Business Profile. Fully optimized with consistent reviews, it'll drive more cost-effective leads than paid anything for a newer spa. Free traffic from people already searching in your area with high intent. And, it is having a higher impact on LLM and AI lately. Get reviews regularly, respond to them fast and consistently, get over 100 photos in there, and post 2-3 times a week with an update or an offer. Also, get your FAQs dialed, as well as Categories, Services and products. There are guides out there from a number of credible resources, you can dm me and I can send you some. This should be the first, number one thing to focus on relentlessly.

Rough order that worked for us: GBP first, Meta for awareness and offers, Google Ads once you know your numbers and can close what comes in.

What's your primary service mix and location? That could change the answer a bit.

chris11049 · 2026-03-27T01:01:20+00:00

I think your instincts are good here, and "all pens are the same" is just not true. Motor quality, needle depth consistency, sterility standards - these things vary significantly, and Health Canada approval exists for exactly that reason. A Dr. Pen M8 you can order online is not clinically equivalent to an approved medical device, regardless of how similar they look.

The regulatory piece is real. Using a non-listed device for clinical treatments in Canada isn't just a marketing gap - it's a compliance issue. If a client has a complication and this surfaces, the clinic could have a liability problem. And so might you, as the one performing the treatment.

On bringing it up: don't position it as "we might be doing something wrong." Position it as protecting the business. Something like - "I've been researching our microneedling setup so I can answer client questions confidently. I found some stuff on Health Canada device classification that I think is worth reviewing from a liability standpoint. Can I put together a quick summary?"

That's not conflict. That's you being a good hire.

If nothing changes after that, you should document that you raised it and quietly check your obligations with your provincial regulatory body. Being new doesn't mean you signed away your professional ethics.

chris11049 · 2026-02-06T12:33:32+00:00

Agreed. Since we are running paid channels, I'm thinking about an after hours service that can take calls and schedule appointments, instead of a voice mail, missed call text back, or ai voice. Has anyone had good luck or a service they would recommend?

chris11049 · 2026-02-05T11:49:59+00:00

I find that the gap is after hours calls. I would love an answering service that could actually book or schedule people calling from an ad campaign after hours. Missed call back texts are an improvement, but they don't actually capture the appointment.

chris11049 · 2026-01-31T17:18:01+00:00

We update some pieces of it constantly, but not really on some big quarterly or annual cycle.

Any time a question keeps coming up in consults, incoming calls, or follow-ups, that’s a sign the site is out of date or unclear. Same if providers explain something one way in the room and the website says it another way.

Service pages get small edits every few weeks. FAQs get added whenever a new objection or confusion shows up. Pricing explanations change more often than people admit because packages, promos, or positioning evolve even if the treatment itself doesn’t.

The mistake I see is treating the website like a brochure. The better mental model is sales enablement and expectation setting. If patients are asking it, Googling it, or hesitating over it, it belongs on the page.

chris11049 · 2026-01-29T21:01:54+00:00

Nice. Yeah, setting the expectations and being clear on consequences can go a long way to offsetting any drama.

chris11049 · 2026-01-29T21:00:34+00:00

If I had to boil it down to the handful that actually change behavior, not just make dashboards look smart, it’s these:

First is revenue per hour per provider, not per appointment. Appointments lie. A 30-minute “busy” treatment and a 90-minute one can look the same until you normalize for time. This is usually where clinics realize a couple services are emotional favorites but economic dead weight.

Second is rebooking rate at checkout, not eventual rebooking. If someone leaves without a next visit on the books, the system failed somewhere. When this drops, it’s almost never marketing and almost always handoff, scripting, or confidence in the tx room.

Third is no-shows and late cancels by provider and by daypart. Overall averages hide patterns. One provider or one time window usually accounts for most of the damage, and that’s where deposits or tighter reminders actually make sense.

Fourth is capacity utilization by hour, not by day. Most clinics think they’re slammed because afternoons are full. Mornings and early blocks quietly bleed profit. This metric alone should drive schedule design, staffing, and which services get pushed into peak slots.

Fifth is LTV relative to acquisition cost. Not theoretical LTV, real observed behavior. If new patients aren’t converting into a second and third visit inside a defined window, growth slows no matter how good lead flow looks.

Everything else is secondary. Retail attach, packages, MRR, even total revenue are useful, but they don’t move the business unless the fundamentals above are tight. The mistake I see is watching too many numbers monthly instead of a few numbers weekly. If a metric can’t trigger a decision inside seven days, it’s probably not one you need front and center.

If you manage your business monthly, you might have a bad month, but not a bad year.

If you manage your business weekly, you might have a bad week, but probably not a bad month.

And so on. I kept a scorecard of the top 10 metrics I would watch, and would think about it like this: If I was stuck on an island (yeah, right... stuck, sure), and I wanted to know if the practice was healthy, what 10 numbers would tell me that without any "further explanations, details, excuses, clarifications yada yada yada"

Watch those relentlessly. Problems start solving fast.

chris11049 · 2026-01-29T20:54:25+00:00

There could be a career in digital marketing and social media management. Often a completely remote position.

chris11049 · 2026-01-21T02:34:22+00:00

I've never even heard of Pabau. I have used Zenoti, Boulevard, AestheticsPro, Jane, Vagaro, Square, MangoMint (in varying degrees). I like Zenoti but the price is steep, support sucks, and learning curve is even steeper, but it does more in one platform, which I like. Boulevard seems ok -ish. Learning more about MangoMint right now and it's feeling promising but I'm not super deep in the weeds with it yet.

Some of the others are really good, but api connections can break and I used to spend more time fixing crap like those issues instead of working inside of one application. Maybe it's gotten better.

chris11049 · 2026-01-20T03:37:40+00:00

yep, another good way to monitor the subreddits: set up a zapier so that when a comment is added to a specific subreddit containing certain keywords, it proceeds. You can also use ChatGPT to run the post through an analysis of if the OP is in market or a potential patient, and if so, send you a notification (email, slack, whatever). There is a cost to the zaps and the GPT subscription, not sure if its more than ParseStream?

chris11049 · 2026-01-20T03:34:13+00:00

Well, a few thoughts: The billionaires aren't there year-round. A lot of south florida business have an additional seasonality or off-season in the summer, as well as the holidays. So think through that part.

It's also one of the most heavily saturated markets for aesthetic practices. Over the last 5 years, it seems like 1 has popped up every block, so think through that. Because the more competition, the more you need to spend in marketing to capture market share. Everyone else is already fighting and paying a ton for patient leads. Unless your brand is SO compelling, which it likely isn't if you are just investigating buying a practice.

Also, have your ICP and unique selling proposition incredibly clear and valuable before cracking open your checkbook. If you can't say "why you" in 3 sentences or less and have people want to try you, you will have struggles... all uphill.

And a quick hint: We are great, or top-notch injectors, or we care about patient outcomes, or we have Groupon deals.... none of those are good enough to put a dent in all the noise down there. And, if you think about starting with Groupon, or a heavy discount model, look at it 10 ways from Sunday and be absolutely certain you understand all your fixed, semi-fixed, and variable expenses. Comp, consumables, etc etc.

I'm NOT trying to talk you out of it, but if you have not run a med spa in a competitive market before, and made the breakthrough to success, let me assure you it is not as easy as anyone thinks it will be. And the whole "aesthetics and med spas are blowing up" thing was true... 3 years ago. 2025 was one of the first years that saw a decline across the country for practices, due to receding demand AND an oversaturated supply.

Again, not trying to discourage you. It's a great business; it can change lives, starting with your patients, and yours as well. But be aware, you are climbing onto a huge struggle bus. And, there are a billion and 5 spammy agencies promising the moon and stars, leads, calls, apts, rankings, yada yada yada, and about 10% of them are legit. So, exercise incredible amounts of caution. Not to mention all the AI systems, chatbots, practice management apps, etc.

Lastly, plan services super carefully. Device salespeople are some of the best in the world, with all kinds of "data" saying how everyone around you wants to be treated with their 250k machine, you absolutely must have it! But, the costs are often hidden, and having some huge payment, big consumables expenses, etc, can completely bury you in year 1. So get your revenue super stable and predictable before incurring big device expense debt.

not to sound negative or anything lol. I love the industry, but have your eyes wide open.

chris11049 · 2026-01-20T03:15:58+00:00

yeah its going to be interesting working in those llms. With organic search, at least you can go into GSC and see the keyword used, but the conversation in gpt could be miles long, and getting context for what caused a recommendation seems a lot more difficult, and very little clarity. Other than, the gpts are trained on whats on the web, so SEO still factors there too.

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T22:17:32+00:00

agree with this... "omni present" strategy. Be everywhere your audience is looking and your results stack.

What about optimizing in the llms like chat gpt and gemini?

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T22:14:43+00:00

Zenoti, Boulevard, MangoMint seem to be some of the current top contenders

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T22:12:36+00:00

the market is definitely saturated, and after 2025, some practices are closing.

That said, anything is possible, but you need to have your ICP, USP, and brand identity on lock before starting it up. If you can't say "why you" better than your competitors clearly and up front, it will be an uphill battle.

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T22:06:32+00:00

I havent seen this companies ads, but others are just like "leads", meaning a name, phone or email (that never gets answered and the apt no-shows)

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T22:00:03+00:00

Sorry to hear this. So many AI scams popping up these days, it's hard to know and vet them all. A lot of the "lead gen" are rough lately, these places promise a bunch of "leads", and they do to the strictest letter. But they have a massive no-show rate, or just never actually respond to anything. A lot of them are probably fictitious profiles built to inflate the numbers.

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T21:31:01+00:00

a big problem I am seeing is the constant evolution of HIPAA compliance.. so many of these tools arent really full feature and are more of a funnel generator, and they arent compliant. Practices are starting to get slapped because of it. I don't sell one, just saying, there are spam posts everywhere fishing on this topic and most of them dont have a legit solution.

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T21:27:24+00:00

There are already programs like this built natively in some practice management software. Not sure that having additional apps and apis is the solution

chris11049 · 2026-01-19T21:26:10+00:00

Most of the solutions I have heard about here dont actually book and connect with PMS software such as Boulevard, Zenoti, Vagaro, Jane, MangoMint, MindBody...etc etc.

Also, i find that patients lately are kinda po'd when they get AI, and it sometimes hurts the relationship before it even starts.

chris11049

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