A Quick Guide to Developing Effective Patient Personas (Personas Part 2)

This part of the series is where we will straight up teach you how to create your own patient personas, in detail, for your medical practice. It won’t be like other online guides that paint in broad strokes, either — we are in the weeds with you on this.

But because of that, you got a hefty bit of homework ahead. But if you stick with it, in less time than it would take you to explain the underlying themes of the new Barbie movie, you could become a patient persona pro.

Step 1: Research and Data Collection

Without a solid understanding of your patients' needs, motivations, and behaviors, your personas will be little more than guesswork. You wouldn’t guess with a patient’s health, and we shouldn’t be guessing with any of these either. (You know, if you value your money.)

That's why it's crucial to gather as much data as possible from a variety of sources. 

Now you might be thinking “hey man, I went to med school, or something similar to med school, I don’t need you to tell me how to research properly.”

Listen, come in closer — respectfully, and with all due respect — remember, I said respectfully — yes you do.

Properly researching your patients, potential patients, and audience-at-large is a lot different than the kind of research you do in college and med school. 

But don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying you can’t do it — if you can study and research to pass the USMLE, or any of the other medical licensing tests out there, you can definitely do this. It’s just a matter of learning how to do it and what to focus on.

Basic Demographics

Understanding your target’s age, gender, income, education level, and other demographic information is the first step in helping you design powerful patient personas.

Here are some ways you can tap into that data:

1. Use Online Tools

There are a number of online tools available that can help you gather data about your patients and potential patients. Google Analytics can give you information about the age, gender, and location of people who visit your website, while social media analytics tools like the insights on Instagram or TikTok can provide similar information on the people already interacting with your practice.

2. Conduct Surveys

Surveys are a great way to gather data directly from your patients and potential patients. You can conduct surveys in person, via email, or through online survey tools like SurveyMonkey. Make sure to ask questions about the basics, as well as questions about their interests, concerns, and goals while you have their attention.

3. Analyze Your Patient Database

Your patient database is a rich source of information about your patients' demographics. Compile that data (in line with privacy laws) to have primary data on the type of people who are most likely to visit your practice and have treatment.

4. Research Your Local Market

Do some research on your local market to gather data about the demographics of your potential patients. Look at census data, market research reports, and other sources to get a better understanding of the people in your area.

Spending Habits

In addition to gathering demographic data, it's also important to understand your patients' spending habits as they relate to aesthetic treatments. 

This information can help you tailor your services, specials, and marketing efforts to better meet their budgets. It also reassures that your business and marketing goals can be well aligned.

Here are some ways to research spending habits for aesthetic treatments:

1. Breakdown Your Patient Database

Again, your patient database will be a huge tool here. It can provide valuable information about each of your patients' spending habits, particularly in line with their demographic information. Look at the types of treatments they have received, and how often they have visited your practice. This can help you identify which treatments are most popular with certain groups, and which patients are willing to spend more money on aesthetic services.

2. Conduct Market Research

Market research can provide you with insights into the spending habits of your target audience. You can conduct surveys, focus groups, or interviews to gather information about how much your potential patients are willing to spend on aesthetic treatments, and what factors influence their decision to do so. Be careful about primary sourcing yourself though — all the things that can go wrong with medical research can happen in market research as well.

3. Use Industry Data

There are a number of industry reports and surveys available that can provide data on spending habits for aesthetic treatments. For example, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery publishes an annual report on industry trends and statistics, including data on consumer spending habits. (Although those fools haven’t updated it in a couple of years.) Luckily, there are plenty of other options you can pay for if you find yourself in need of large data sets. 

4. Monitor Social Media

Social media can be a great source of information about your target audience's spending habits. Look for conversations and posts about aesthetic treatments, and pay attention to which treatments people are talking about, and how much they are willing to spend on them at other practices. RealSelf is a great place for these conversations, but remember that every market has its own rates, so make sure you're looking at information that is geographically relevant.

Lifestyle Factors

In addition to demographic and spending data, it's important to understand your patients' lifestyle factors when creating patient personas as well. 

Lifestyle factors can include things like their hobbies, interests, values, and attitudes, which can all play a role in their decision to seek out certain voices or personalities in a practice. 

Here are some ways to understand your patients' lifestyle factors:

1. Conduct Patient Interviews

One of the best ways to understand your patients' lifestyle factors is to conduct one-on-one interviews with them. Ask them about their hobbies, interests, and values, and how those things relate to their desire for aesthetic treatments. This can help you identify common themes and motivations that you can use to inform your patient personas. A great chance to do this is during the consultation process, either during the initial paperwork or as an opt-in option afterward with someone else in the office.

2. Observe Patient Behaviors

Observing your patients' behaviors can also provide insights into their lifestyle factors. For example, if you notice that many of your patients are interested in fitness and health, you might tailor your services and marketing efforts to appeal to that demographic. If your patients are all mysteriously into gardening and houseplants, you can definitely find a way to work that into your persona in some small way.

3. Use Social Media

Social media can be a powerful tool for understanding your patients' lifestyle factors. Look at your patients' social media profiles to get a sense of their interests, hobbies, and values. You can also monitor social media conversations to identify trends and common themes. Look beyond your own social media connections. Visit a practice you admire or respect to see what their patients are doing. What are they discussing in the comment sections? Nothing wrong with doing a little snooping around a public profile. 

4. Analyze Industry Trends

Keep an eye on industry trends and developments to gain insights into your target audience's lifestyle factors. For example, if there is a trend towards more natural-looking aesthetic treatments, that might indicate a broader cultural shift towards a more natural and holistic lifestyle. Industry trends are often covered extensively by research organizations, so look around the web for some specific data that applies to you.

Treatment Motivations

Understanding your patients' treatment motivations when creating patient personas is arguably one of the most important parts of the research process. 

Pain points and irritations are what good marketing content is based on, so if you are going to focus on any aspect of your research disproportionately, make it this section.

And, to be frank, many medical professionals struggle with learning about these details because they get caught up with the daily routines… and it ends up showing in their online reviews. 

Treatment motivations can include things like their desired outcomes, concerns, and goals, which can all play a role in their decision to seek out aesthetic treatments — all of which need to be a priority for you to know.

Here are some ways to identify your patients' treatment motivations:

1. Conduct Patient Surveys

Surveys can be a powerful tool for understanding why patients consider aesthetic treatments. Ask them about their motivations, concerns, and goals related to treatment directly and face to face, if possible. You can also ask about their previous experiences with treatments, and what they liked or disliked about those experiences to get a better understanding of how they are feeling.

2. Analyze Patient Reviews

Patient reviews can also provide valuable insights into why patients consider treatment. Look for common themes in reviews, such as desired outcomes, concerns, and goals. This can help you identify which treatments are most effective for addressing specific concerns, and which treatments might need more attention in your marketing efforts.

3. Utilize Patient Consultations

Utilizing patient consultations as an opportunity to figure out motivations for treatments can also provide insights into why patients consider treatment. Listen carefully to their concerns, and ask questions to clarify their goals and desired outcomes. During this point of the consultation, you can keep your own form on this topic specifically to then compile at a later date.

4. Use Industry Data

We are beating a dead horse here, but again, industry data can provide valuable insights into why patients consider treatment. Look for trends and statistics related to motivations, and use that information to inform your patient personas.

Obstacles and Objections

I am not talking about the “I read online that they put microchips inside of you when you get a tummy tuck, so there’s no way I am getting treatment” kind of objections. 

I am talking about the people who might have saved up a lot of their income to have the treatments performed, or have sensitive skin and are worried about triggering a bad reaction. 

You know, not the lunatics.

These obstacles can be about a lot of different things: concerns about recovery time, fear of negative side effects, and uncertainty about the outcomes of certain treatments or, ultimately, their satisfaction. 

Here are some ways to identify patient obstacles and objections:

1. Conduct Focus Groups

Focus groups are a great way to gather information about patient obstacles and objections. You don’t necessarily need to worry about getting a bunch of people together at once — instead, whenever you are intaking a patient, ask them what would stop them from having the procedure and what potential roadblocks they are concerned about. Then, group those responses by treatment type. This can give you results similar to a focus group if you don’t want to try organizing patients to get together at the same time.

2. Talk to Your Staff

Your staff members can provide valuable insights into patient obstacles and objections. Ask them about the common concerns and objections they hear from patients, and use that information to inform your patient personas. Get them involved in the process from start to finish, maybe even offering some kind of incentive for being able to get a patient to participate.

3. Anonymous Surveys

Some patients may be hesitant to reveal reasons they would reject service if they think it could come off as insulting. Providing a way to anonymously provide feedback can help overcome that hurdle and round out your research with unfiltered feedback.

4. Join the Community

Getting out in the community and having conversations with people can provide valuable insights into patient obstacles and objections. Attend local events and talk to people about their experiences and concerns related to aesthetic treatments. This can help you identify common themes and areas where you might need to provide more education or reassurance.

Step 2: Identifying Patterns and Trends

Once you've collected a substantial amount of data on your patients, the next step is to identify patterns and trends within that data. These patterns and the correlations they illustrate will ultimately serve as the framework for your patient personas.

Here are some strategies for identifying patterns and trends across multiple platforms and data sets:

1. Use Data Visualization Tools

Data visualization tools, such as graphs and charts, can help you identify patterns and trends more easily. These tools should be the first step you take in this part of the process because they allow you to see data in a visual format, making it easier to identify correlations and relationships. You can use these tools to visualize data from multiple sources, such as patient surveys, website analytics, and industry reports. It is typically a good idea to create a comprehensive report for review by everyone who will be working on your persona development. 

2. Look for Common Themes

You will find in your research that there are some ideas or patterns that transcend demographics or platforms. Be open and actively looking for those common themes. For example, if multiple surveys and conversations indicate that patients are concerned about the cost of certain treatments, and your website analytics show that those pages have high bounce rates, it's likely that cost is a common obstacle for potential patients. You can then work that into your personas as an obstacle that needs to be addressed early and often — something at the front of your marketing to overcome.

3. Identify Correlations

Look for correlations between different data sets. For example, if you find that older patients are more likely to be interested in wrinkle reduction treatments, you can use that information to develop your persona. Maybe you have found that a large percentage of your patients are under 35 and largely come into your office during their lunch hour for treatment. Either of these, or the hundreds of other correlations, could be a significant point to include in your personas.

4. Machine Learning

Stop rolling your eyes — it’s more than just a buzzword. Although I admit, this one is definitely “advanced tactics” stuff. But with all the drastic leaps in technology, artificial intelligence will likely continue to have a bigger role in many parts of your marketing. In terms of identifying trends specifically, machine learning tools like RapidMiner or Google Cloud AutoML can help you sort out these patterns and trends very quickly. It will take some time to get running on these programs, but the investment will pay off well as you continue to create and update your personas over the years. Plus, how dope is it to say you use “machine learning” to optimize your marketing plans?

Step 3: Creating Your Patient Personas

Let’s delve into crafting detailed patient personas after conducting thorough research and then parsing it out and identifying trends and patterns within that data. I reiterate that obvious point because too many people skip right ahead to this fun part before putting in the work. 

Powerful patient personas are both easily referenced and full of useful information, so I would recommend using the following sections in your personas: basic demographics, probably treatments, probably concerns, motivations, and average spending power.

Basic Demographics (Name, Age, Sex)

Start by giving your patient persona a name and specify their age and sex. This will make it easier to visualize and relate to them as real individuals. Be sure to base these demographics on the data you've collected, so the personas accurately represent your target audience.

Example:

Name: Jane Doe

Age: 35

Sex: Female

Probable Treatments

Identify the treatments your persona is most likely to be interested in. This should be based on the data and patterns you've observed during your research. By understanding their treatment preferences, you can tailor your marketing content to better resonate with your target audience.

Example:

Probable Treatments: Botox, lip fillers, chemical peels

Probable Concerns

List the potential concerns or apprehensions your persona may have about undergoing aesthetic treatments. Addressing these concerns in your marketing materials will help reassure potential patients and make them feel more confident in choosing your services.

Example:

Probable Concerns: Pain during the procedure, downtime after treatment, long-term side effects

Average Spending Power

Determine your persona's average spending power based on the data you've collected. This will help you understand their financial capacity and willingness to invest in aesthetic treatments. Knowing this information allows you to tailor your pricing strategy and promotional offers to better appeal to your target audience.

Example:

Average Spending Power: $3,000 per year on aesthetic treatments

Probable Motivations

In this section, identify the key motivations that drive your patient persona to seek aesthetic treatments. These motivations can help you tailor your marketing messages to address their desires and aspirations, making your services more appealing to them.

Example:

Probable Motivations: Restoring a youthful glow by getting rid of dull skin, boosting self-esteem with a rejuvenated appearance, achieving a harmonious facial balance with proportionate features

Putting It All Together

Now that you have created each piece, you can combine them all to create your profile. I would also recommend finding an image of someone who you feel best represents this persona to really drive home the idea that this should be treated like a real patient at your practice.

The end result should look something like this:

Patient Persona: Jane 

• Sex: Female
• Age: 35
• Probable treatments: Botox, lip fillers, chemical peels
• Probable concerns: Pain during the procedure, downtime after treatment, long-term side effects
• Probable Motivations: Restoring a youthful glow by getting rid of dull skin, boosting self-esteem with a rejuvenated appearance, achieving a harmonious facial balance with proportionate features
• Average spending power: $10,000 - $15,000

Step 4: Developing Persona Narratives

Now we'll explore how to go the extra mile to give your patient personas a more in-depth narrative that represents a typical experience for that patient type. You might not use this every day, but your creative and marketing team might reference it pretty often. 

This, in turn, will help you create content that resonates with your audience on a more intimate level.

The Power of Narrative

Crafting a narrative around your patient persona involves describing a day in their life or recounting a specific event that leads them to consider aesthetic treatments. This exercise allows you to step into your persona's shoes and empathize with their journey, which can provide valuable insights into the kind of content that will appeal to them.

A well-developed narrative should include:

• A description of their daily routine and lifestyle
• The triggers or events that motivate them to seek aesthetic treatments
• Their decision-making process, including research and consultations
• The emotional ups and downs they experience throughout the process

Benefits of Developing Persona Narratives

Humanizing Your Personas: By giving your personas a life story and experiences, you make them feel more like real individuals rather than mere collections of data. This humanizing effect can make it easier for your team to relate to and empathize with your target audience.

Understanding Emotional Drivers: Crafting a narrative allows you to explore the emotions and feelings that drive your persona to seek aesthetic treatments. By understanding their emotional drivers, you can create content that speaks to their desires, fears, and aspirations, making your marketing efforts more impactful.

Guiding Your Marketing Strategy: Persona narratives can help you identify the most effective marketing channels and touchpoints for reaching your target audience. By understanding their decision-making process through narrative, you can optimize your marketing efforts to guide them smoothly along their journey towards choosing your services.

Example of Persona Narrative

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Jane's Narrative:

Jane, a 35-year-old law firm manager, starts her day early with a workout and a healthy breakfast. Always on the go, she balances her busy professional life with her passion for skincare and beauty trends. She is conscious about her appearance and likes to feel confident when meeting clients or attending social events.

However, recently, Jane noticed that her skin looks dull and tired, making her feel less confident in both her professional and personal life. She realizes that it's time to take action and find a solution to rejuvenate her appearance.

Determined to restore her youthful glow, Jane begins researching non-surgical treatments in her spare time. She spends evenings browsing beauty blogs, watching TikTok and YouTube videos, and joining online forums like RealSelf to gather as much information as possible. Soon, she discovers that chemical peels could be the answer she's looking for.

Intrigued by the potential benefits, Jane carefully reads reviews and testimonials from people who have undergone chemical peels. She also consults with friends who have had similar treatments, seeking their advice and recommendations.

During lunch breaks and casual conversations at work, Jane chats with her coworkers about their experiences with aesthetic treatments. She learns about lip injections, Botox, and other non-surgical procedures that some of her colleagues have tried. Hearing their positive experiences and seeing their results, Jane feels encouraged to explore these options further.

These conversations provide Jane with valuable insights and help her create a list of potential treatments that could address her concerns. She continues her research, comparing the benefits and risks of each option, and gathers a wealth of information that will ultimately help her make an informed decision on the best treatment to achieve her desired results.

Step 4: Reevaluating Persona Accuracy

Equally as important as creating your personas is keeping them updated and relevant as years pass. The trick here is to not get lazy deprioritize. While I recommend updating them at least annually, any major shift in your practice is also an opportunity to take a look at your personas with a critical eye. 

The Importance of Regular Reviews

People's preferences, needs, and expectations change over time, and so should your personas. Conducting regular reviews allows you to:

• Stay in tune with your target audience's shifting needs and desires.
• Identify any gaps or inconsistencies in your marketing strategy.
• Adjust your messaging and content to better resonate with your audience.
• Adapt to new industry trends or market changes that may impact your patients' preferences.

Evaluating Persona Performance

To assess the effectiveness of your patient personas, take a close look at the performance of your marketing campaigns and content. Analyze key metrics, such as engagement rates, conversion rates, and customer feedback, to determine whether your personas are resonating with your target audience. If you notice any areas where your campaigns are underperforming, consider revising your personas to better align with your audience's needs, especially if you start to notice the engagement you are getting is coming from groups outside of the personas.

Identifying Misreads and Mistakes

During the review process, be open to identifying any mistakes or misreads in your initial persona creation. These could include incorrect assumptions about your audience's motivations, inaccurate demographic information, or overlooking certain segments of your audience. By acknowledging and addressing these errors, you can refine your personas to more accurately represent your target audience.

Gathering Staff Feedback

Your staff, particularly those who interact with patients regularly, can be an invaluable source of information when reevaluating your personas. They can provide insights into the real-life experiences, concerns, and preferences of your patients, which may not be apparent from data alone. Encourage your staff to share their observations and feedback on the accuracy and effectiveness of your personas. This input can help you make informed decisions on any necessary adjustments or improvements.

Moving Forward with Accurate Personas

By regularly reviewing and updating your patient personas, you'll ensure that your marketing strategies remain aligned with your target audience's needs and preferences. This ongoing process of reevaluation will enable you to continuously refine your marketing efforts, leading to more effective campaigns and ultimately, a stronger connection with your patients.

Want to See Persona Examples?

I know that it is easier to emulate than to read through an instruction booklet sometimes, so don’t fret — the next part of this series is all about sample personas and how they can provide real world benefit to your marketing program. 

Not to mention, we tell you all about how one group of patients is easily the most overlooked and underserved demographic around… and how very few practices really focus on tapping into their potential revenue.