Establishing a med spa membership program drives serious value for both your practice and your patients.
It helps your practice establish loyalty and steady revenue, while patients get more for less.
Through membership programs, patients commit to doing repeat business with you by paying a monthly fee that unlocks exclusive perks and savings.
When it comes to designing your program, there are best practices you’ll want to consider, but the specifics are up to you.
The design process is an opportunity to get creative and build something your patients will be excited to be part of.
To get you started, here’s a framework you can use to craft an effective program as unique as your practice.
Answer some questions about your business
To tailor your membership program to your practice, you’ll need to consider your service offerings, patient base, and business goals.
Kick off the design process by answering the questions below. Your responses will help you choose the membership model and pricing that works for your practice.
What service categories do you offer?
What are your least and most expensive services?
What are your most popular services or service categories?
What (if anything) have your patients already expressed interest in regarding memberships?
What services are you trying to promote or sell more of (if any)?
What goals would you like your membership program to achieve?
Write these down and keep them handy. You’ll refer to them in the next step.
Choose a med spa membership model
Familiarizing yourself with popular membership models can help you understand what has worked well for practices similar to yours.
You can then use the questions you answered at the beginning of the design process to help you select a model and customize it to fit your parameters.
Tier-based and specialized memberships are two models to consider.
Tier-based memberships
Tiered plans offer 2-4 tier options that patients can choose from to fit their spending habits.
It's standard to price each tier at a flat monthly rate that increases as the incentives grow in value.
All tiers typically share some benefits and differentiate themselves by the monthly redeemables and percentage off your services and retail products.
Tiered models typically follow this formula:
Each tier is priced at a monthly rate that increases as the perks increase.
Each tier offers a selection of redeemable treatment options with about the same sticker price. Redeemable treatment options increase in value as tier price increases.
Additionally, patients get a discounted rate on other treatments and retail products that increases with the tier level.
Specialized memberships
Specialized memberships offer perks and discounts on a set of related services that patients typically come in for monthly. This model can be used to offer a specific type of service, like facials or tox, or help patients achieve a specific goal, like weight loss or clear skin.
Typically, specialized memberships are not tiered. Med spas offer them at a flat monthly fee redeemable for a few different treatment options of a specific type or that help achieve or maintain a specific goal.
Specialized memberships are good for businesses that might not offer a wide range of services or want to offer a membership for something they specialize in.
No matter what model you choose, an important rule of thumb is that the redeemables and discounts you offer should still make patients’ purchases profitable for you.
Learn what makes a med spa membership program effective
There are a few things effective membership programs have in common. Following the guidelines below can be the difference between a program that succeeds and one that flops.
Make your program simple
The clearer and more straightforward your program, the more eager your patients will be to invest in it.
Overcomplicating it or offering too many options can cause “analysis paralysis.”
In other words, if your program is difficult to understand, patients may struggle to see its value or identify which option makes the most sense for them. As a result, they may never sign up.
When your program is easy to understand, patients can immediately see its value. They will be motivated to enroll on their own without you having to convince them.
Make committing a no-brainer
You want to make it easy for patients to sign up for your program and stay onboard.
Shorter time commitments like 3-6 months are easier to say yes to. Offering shorter commitments can increase the number of patients who enroll. You can also incentivize members with a sign-up bonus.
To motivate patients to stay long-term, consider offering additional bonuses to celebrate membership milestones. You can also share regular reminders with members about the money they have saved and the perks they have unlocked since joining.
Put it all together
Now that you’ve chosen a membership model, look back at your answers to the initial questions.
Keeping the guidelines in mind, use your question responses to customize the membership model to your practice.
Here’s an example of how you could use this framework to formulate your med spa membership program from start to finish.
Customize your program to your practice
Say your med spa offers the following service categories: waxing, laser treatments, facials, and chemical peels.
Facials are your most popular category and the category your patients ask about memberships for most often.
Chemical peels are a service you’re trying to promote.
One of your business goals right now is to increase appointment bookings for chemical peels.
Some of your least expensive services are waxing a large area, your practice’s signature facial, and light chemical peels. These services are all priced around $99.
Some of your mid-range services include chemical peels, signature Hydrafacials, and DiamondGlow facials, all priced around $199.
Some of your most expensive services are laser peels, deep-action medical-grade peels, and deluxe DiamondGlow facials. These services are all priced around $249.
You decide on a tiered membership model. From lowest to highest, you call your tiers Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
It’s easy to join your program via your website and custom-branded RepeatMD app. Members only need to commit for three months at a time.
You motivate members to stay enrolled by tallying up their savings to date whenever they log in. Members earn bonuses when they reach certain milestones.
Price it based on the services you offer
Here’s how you decide to price your tiers:
Silver - $99/mo
Redeemable for one of the following $99 services each month:
Waxing a large area
Your practice’s signature facial
A light chemical peel
10% off all regularly priced treatments, packages, and retail products
Gold - $199/mo
Redeemable for one of the following $199 services each month:
A signature Hydrafacial
A DiamondGlow facial
A chemical peel
15% off all regularly priced treatments, packages, and retail products
Platinum - $249/mo
Redeemable for one of the following $249 services each month:
A deluxe DiamondGlow facial
A laser peel
A deep-action, medical-grade peel
20% off all regularly priced treatments, packages, and retail products
This plan fulfills the recommended guidelines — it’s straightforward and easy to understand. It’s easy to join, and members feel motivated to stay enrolled.
The plan is customized to your practice. It helps you promote your chemical peel service and satisfies patients' demand for facials by offering them at every membership level.
Memberships are a great way to increase loyalty and the amount patients spend, boosting your net profit.
Whether you’re starting your first-ever med spa membership program or revamping an existing one, the framework outlined here is a great starting point. Use it as your guide, and you’ll be well on your way to establishing the right program for you.
