Welcome to Part 1 of our 2026 Med Spa Marketing & Growth Series. This year’s series is a complete refresh of the frameworks, strategies, and systems we’ve seen drive real, measurable growth for med spas in today’s increasingly competitive landscape.

If you're ready to implement more efficient & effective marketing strategies for your practice, book your FREE strategy session & marketing plan: https://go.medspamagicmarketing.com/scheduleIn this episode, Ricky Shockley, owner of Med Spa Magic Marketing and host of the Med Spa Success Strategies Podcast, walks through how patients actually choose a med spa and what you need in place to consistently win that decision.In this series, we break down:✅ How to position your med spa so prospects choose you over nearby competitors✅ The core marketing and growth frameworks we’re using in 2026✅ What actually drives ROI and where most med spas misallocate marketing spend✅ How ads, offers, reputation, and patient experience work together✅ Why retention is the real growth multiplier in aestheticsThis episode introduces the foundational framework that everything else in the series builds on, including exposure, validation, and removing friction in the booking process. You’ll also learn why great marketing cannot compensate for weak patient experience, and how reviews, pricing, and branding influence buying decisions more than most owners realize.Whether you’re scaling an established med spa or tightening up your marketing strategy for the year ahead, this series is designed to give you clarity, direction, and a plan you can actually execute. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, where we break down pricing, discounting, and how those decisions directly impact new patient acquisition and long-term growth.If you want to download the free audit and planning resources referenced in this episode, visit:https://medspamarketing.com/2026Chapters:00:00 Intro to the 2026 Med Spa Marketing Series02:45 What’s Changed in Med Spa Marketing for 202604:40 Why Reviews and Patient Experience Matter More Than Ever08:30 How Clients Actually Choose a Med Spa11:15 The EVA Framework: Exposure, Validation, Affirmation15:20 Winning the Validation Process Against Competitors18:50 Pricing, Convenience, and Decision Tie-Breakers21:55 Removing Friction and Driving Bookings23:00 Action Items and What’s Next in the SeriesFollow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/medspamagicmarketing/https://www.linkedin.com/company/med-spa-magic-marketing/https://www.facebook.com/MedSpaMagicMarketing/https://www.tiktok.com/@medspamagicmarketing

Welcome to the Med Spa Success Strategies Podcast, presented by Ricky Shockley of Med Spa Magic Marketing.Stop losing med spa clients to the "Validation Phase." In this episode, we’re diving deep into Google reviews for med spas and why your star rating is only half the story. Most owners think that as long as they are above a 4.7 or so, they are "fine." The reality? Your potential patients are doing a deep dive into your reputation the moment they hit "submit" on your lead form. If they find a red flag, they ghost you—and you’ll never even know why.We discuss the EVA Framework and how to master review management for med spas to ensure that once a lead finds you, they actually show up for their appointment.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ The Psychology of the "Validation Phase": Why leads search for your worst reviews first and what they are looking for when they find them.✅ The ROI of a Refund: Why spending $500 to "make it right" with a difficult client is often the most profitable marketing move you can make.✅ Proactive Solicitation: How to use favor-based language and text-based links to ensure your best clients are the loudest voices on your profile.✅ Non-Combative Responses: The exact way to respond to a 1-star review so that future clients trust you more, not less.✅ The Internal Mirror: How to use your Google reviews as a diagnostic tool for your med spa’s internal operations.If you're ready to implement more efficient & effective marketing strategies for your practice, book your FREE strategy session & marketing plan: https://go.medspamagicmarketing.com/scheduleTimestamps:00:00 – Why Google reviews matter more than you think

01:54 – The “Validation Phase” of the EVA Framework

04:54 – How people actually read reviews (sort by lowest)

08:51 – The real risk of negative reviews

21:54 – Is it worth refunding a bad client?

32:51 – The one-week reputation challengeFollow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/medspamagicmarketing/https://www.linkedin.com/company/med-spa-magic-marketing/https://www.facebook.com/MedSpaMagicMarketing/https://www.tiktok.com/@medspamagicmarketing