Marketing tools often come at a premium. However, there are free tools out there that can help you get started as well as support your marketing efforts at every stage of building your business. Marketing experts with decades of experience have put together a list of the 10 best free marketing tools for your plastic surgery marketing strategy.
#1: GTmetrix
GTmetrix—while offering paid options—allows you to check your website load speed and help diagnose potential problems. Each additional second of load page load time beyond two seconds lowers conversions by 4%. With GTmetrix, all you need to do is enter a URL and set the parameters of the testing algorithm (i.e. search location and browser). Whether you have concerns, or just want to monitor your website, GTmetrix is perfect for measuring page load speed and recommending actional improvements.
#2: Website Responsiveness Tool
This aptly named tool allows you to view your website from pretty much any device available on the market. Since the majority of web searches no longer take place on a desktop computer, this tool lets you optimize and design your website with mobile devices as a priority.
Google now factors mobile-friendliness into its ranking algorithm. Thus, websites that accommodate mobile devices rank better than those that do not. This tool is completely free and a web designer’s dream for checking website responsiveness across devices.
#3: Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is a free keyword marketing tool that lets you enter targeted keywords or domains and it provides keywords along with basic search volume and other metrics. There are daily caps for the free version, but it is unlikely you will need to search that many keywords a day. For the marketer just starting out, Ubersuggest is an amazing free keyword tool that can expand your vision and help you capture more searchers.
#4: Grammarly
Whether you are a content writer, hired a writer, or are writing the content yourself, Grammarly is a lifesaver when it comes to identifying basic typos and grammatical errors. While grammar is not a definite ranking factor, egregious mistakes and badly written content make people leave the page and increase the bounce rates. This can drive your website down the rankings. An occasional typo here and there is not usually a big deal, but Grammarly helps keep your content in check and vastly improve its quality.
Installed as a browser extension or as an app, it can check content written in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Grammarly even checks email copy and anything entered on a website that supports it.
#5: Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a website crawler that you can activate to review your website mechanics. It looks for ways your website may not be properly configured or sub-optimized, which has an impact on SEO rank. Scream Frog does offer a paid version, but with the free version, you can crawl up to 500 URLs for free. Therefore, the free version is still extremely helpful for identifying SEO issues and ways to improve.
Issues that the free version of Screaming Frog crawls for include:
- Broken links
- Duplicate pages
- Page titles and metadata
- Hreflang attributes
Download it and scan your own website. You’ll probably be surprised, and maybe even a little upset, with the website defects it will find.
#6: Tidio
People are impatient – they want answers to their questions now! Whether run by AI or a real person, chat apps have become essential for a successful, converting website. Most chat apps are paid, but there are some that you can install for free via a line of code or a plug-in download.
Tidio is one of the free versions that allow you to reach 100 chatters a month. For a brand new website, this is likely perfect to start driving conversions. However, for a larger website that is used to converting more, we recommend going with a paid chat option. Regardless, Tidio or other free chat options are great for starting out, or if you want chat to be a lower method of conversion.
Some other free chat apps include:
- FreeChat
- Smartusapp
- Tawk.to
- Crisp.Chat
#7: Pixabay
Every business will eventually need stock photos for marketing collateral. The most well known options are those like Shutterstock. If you plan to use a large amount of stock photos or have it in the budget, Shutterstock is a great option. However, there are multiple free stock photo sites like Pixabay.
The selection on these sites sometimes includes photos behind a paywall. Pixabay may have limited options, especially for some industries, so you may need to peruse multiple free sites to find an optimal photo. While not practical for all marketers, when done right, this can save businesses a lot of money.
Some other free stock photo websites include:
- Envato
- Pexels
- Unsplash
#8: Linktree
If you have been on social media, it is likely you have come across Linktree before. Since Instagram only allows you one link in your bio, Linktree was created to let you add multiple. This allows you to promote your website, products, and other ventures all in one place.
Linktree is completely free and while there are paid options, they are mostly aesthetic and not necessary for most people. Organizing your links is done on their website and is especially easy. It also tracks which links get clicked the most and provides some basic analytics.
#9: Google Suite
Okay, so Google Suite is not exactly free for businesses, but it is a powerful standard. If you have a Google account, you can use tools such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, and more for free. All you need is a Google email address, also free. The catch comes when you have a specific domain (email@businessname.com). These email addresses are not free, but the rest of the features are when using a Google account.
These Google tools are essential for any marketer. It allows you to track analytics, run ads on multiple platforms, optimize your content, and even do development work for your website.
#10: LinkedIn
Traditionally, LinkedIn is a networking platform for individuals. However, businesses now can advertise themselves—both figuratively and literally—by creating a business profile. While you can run ads, you can also post your blogs, company announcements, and even put up job listings.
Your business profile is simple to set up and does not require constant management. A few posts per week will likely suffice. It is unlikely that you will find any patients due to Linkedin, but it does give your business credibility and reliability. This is because prospective patients can Google your practice, find your LinkedIn page, and even potentially see a list of employees. This builds trust.
#11: Help A Reporter Out (HARO)
Public relations is not something often considered when it comes to plastic surgery marketing. Though, if you have seen plastic surgeons quoted in magazines or on TV, it is due to a strong PR strategy. One of the easiest ways to get your name and practice out there is through a free service called Help A Reporter Out, or HARO.
Three times per day, queries are emailed in which reporters need an expert comment or opinion. Topics range and can be anything, but there are often plastic surgery or cosmetic related topics that come through. Many well known publications such as the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and Bustle use HARO. If you review the queries and respond to relevant ones in a timely manner, you may get featured in a major national publication for free.
Final Thoughts
There is no shortage of many great free plastic surgery marketing tools out there to help you dominate your local market. This list of the 11 best free marketing tools for plastic surgeons only scratches the surface of the tools at your disposal. The plastic surgery marketing industry is tough and more competitive than most. Therefore, using a combination of paid and free tools sets you up for success.
Getting clicks for your plastic surgery website requires good use of marketing tools to achieve. All facets of your marketing: SEO, content, public relations, design, development, etc. all matter for getting more conversions. The free tools on this list are just the start to getting more plastic surgery patients.