Most "med spa marketing ideas" lists start with ads, influencers and before-and-after reels. They're usually written for the US market. In Canada, some of those ideas can get a clinic into trouble with Health Canada or a professional college.
This list is ordered cheapest first and starts with the clients you already have. They already know you, they've already paid you once, and you don't need an ad to reach them. At the end is a short section on the popular ideas to be careful with in Canada.
Start with the clients you already have
1. Win back clients who stopped booking
Every clinic has a list of clients who used to come in and haven't lately. Contacting them costs a few messages, not an ad budget.
- When each treatment is due again: how to spot who's overdue
- Win-back text and email templates: what to say to each group
- What your lapsed clients are worth: a calculator to size it
2. Book the next visit before they leave
The easiest rebooking happens at the front desk. When a treatment has a predictable return date, offer to book the next appointment at checkout. A client who leaves with a date in the calendar doesn't need a win-back message later.
3. Send reminders timed to the treatment
A reminder when a treatment is due again is more useful to the client than a monthly newsletter. Use the timing in the rebooking calendar. Keep reminders about the appointment, not about what a prescription drug will do for them (see the rules section).
4. Follow up on consultations that didn't book
Someone who came in for a consultation was interested enough to show up. A short "any questions?" message a few days later is often all it takes. Under Canada's anti-spam law, a consultation with no purchase gives you implied consent to message them for six months [1]. Don't wait.
5. Consider a membership
A monthly membership turns occasional visits into a routine and makes revenue more predictable. It's not right for every clinic. It works best when you have a treatment clients repeat on a regular cycle. More in Med spa memberships: do they actually improve retention?.
Fix what stops website visitors from booking
In August 2026 we scanned 536 established clinic and med spa websites across the Greater Toronto Area against the same checklist [2]. Online booking is mostly solved: only 9.3% couldn't be booked online. The gaps are elsewhere, and most are cheap to fix.
6. Answer questions after hours
78.4% of the sites we scanned had no chat of any kind [2]. The questions that stop people booking (what does it cost, am I a candidate, does it hurt) often come up in the evening, when the front desk is closed. A chat option, or even a clear "text us" number with a promised reply time, catches some of them.
More in AI receptionist for med spas: what it can and can't do.
7. Make it one tap to call
23.5% of sites had no click-to-call phone link [2]. On a phone, a number that can't be tapped is a number that has to be copied, and some people won't bother. This is usually a one-line fix on your website.
8. Give people a way to ask for a consultation
18.5% had no lead capture form and 14.6% had no clear consultation call-to-action [2]. Not everyone is ready to book a treatment. A "book a free consultation" button gives the undecided visitor a next step.
9. Show who does the treatment
54.9% of sites didn't show practitioner credentials [2]. People choosing an injector want to know who they are. In Ontario, nurses advertising aesthetic services are also expected to include their full name and professional designation, and ideally their medical director [3]. So this is good marketing and, for many clinics, a requirement too.
10. Mention financing, if you offer it
Almost none of the sites we scanned mentioned financing: 99.3% didn't [2]. If you offer a payment plan, say so on the pricing or treatment pages. If you don't, skip this one.
Low-cost ideas beyond your own clients
11. Keep your Google Business Profile current
Up-to-date hours, services, prices and photos of your clinic cost nothing to maintain. Ask happy clients to leave a Google review. Reviews on Google are the client's own words on a third-party site. Copying them into your own ads is different (see the rules below).
12. Plan promotions around the calendar
A simple year of reasons to get in touch:
| When | Idea |
|---|---|
| January | New-year routines: skincare and treatment plans |
| February | Valentine's Day gift cards |
| May | Mother's Day gift cards |
| September | Back-to-routine: rebooking reminders after summer |
| November–December | Holiday gift cards |
A note on gift cards in Ontario: most gift cards can't have an expiry date. A certificate for one specific service is an exception, and it can expire [4]. Put any conditions in writing where the buyer can see them.
13. Host an education evening
A small in-clinic evening on skincare, sun protection or "what to expect at a consultation" brings in people who aren't ready to book yet. Keep the content general. If it turns into a presentation on a prescription drug's results, it becomes advertising that's restricted in Canada.
Ideas to be careful with in Canada
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules depend on who provides the treatment (physician, nurse or another professional) and what the treatment uses. Check with your college or a lawyer before you run anything below.
Advertising prescription drugs like Botox. Neurotoxins are prescription drugs. Advertising a prescription drug to the public in Canada is limited to its name, price and quantity [5]. Health Canada specifically names these as problems when a clinic promotes Botox [5]:
- videos describing the procedure
- before-and-after pictures
- pictures alluding to what the drug treats
- testimonials about its benefits
"Botox, $12 a unit" is allowed. "Botox: look 10 years younger" isn't.
Testimonials. Ontario physicians must not use testimonials in advertising [6]. Nurses must not use testimonials about the effects of prescription drugs [3]. A glowing client quote on your homepage may be something your practitioners' colleges don't allow.
Before-and-after photos. For injectables, Health Canada treats them as restricted advertising [5]. For physicians, Ontario's college allows them only under conditions, and not in ads the public sees without looking for them, such as boosted posts [6]. For nurses, photos must be the nurse's own work, used with consent, and not retouched [3].
"Best injector in Toronto." Physicians must not claim a better service than other physicians [6]. Nurses must avoid comparative statements and must not guarantee results [3]. Titles like "expert" or "master" injector may also mislead [3].
None of this means you can't market. It means the ideas at the top of this list, built on your existing clients, are both the cheapest and the safest place to start.
Find out what your existing clients are worth
RelayOps' free lapsed-client report reads your booking-system export. It shows how many clients haven't been back in 3+ months, how long they've been away, what that's worth, and who to contact first. Get your free report →
Sources
- Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), s. 10(10)(e): implied consent from an inquiry lasts six months
- RelayOps, The State of Med Spa Websites: 536 GTA clinic and med spa websites, scanned 2026-08-14
- College of Nurses of Ontario, Aesthetic Services practice guideline (June 2026), Advertising and title-use sections
- Government of Ontario, Buying or using gift cards
- Health Canada, Illegal marketing of prescription drugs; Food and Drug Regulations, s. C.01.044
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Advertising policy