The millennial audience is changing the game of healthcare marketing. Gone are the days of visiting the doctor’s office at the first sign of a cold and waiting for a face-to-face appointment with a doctor to hear a diagnosis. Now, millennials practice new methods of defining health, uncovering medical answers and deciding upon treatments. They conduct their own symptom research, asking the online community for advice along the way. With busy schedules, limited time to sit in waiting rooms and a strong sense of independence, millennials have abandoned the traditional route of hospital visits and doctor referrals in favor of more convenient practices, such as speaking with their doctors online.
So how do modern hospitals reach this demographic? By meeting them where they are. Not only does your business need to focus on the millennial desire for individualized healthcare advice, prioritizing convenience and instant gratification in the process, but it also needs to ensure resources provided to patients are easily accessible via online and mobile devices.
Millennials thirst for quick answers and quick results. If your healthcare business is keeping millennial healthcare needs in mind, focusing on social and online reputation in your marketing efforts and ensuring patient satisfaction via your mobile and technological healthcare services, you are on the right track to tapping into effective millennial healthcare marketing.
So, you ask, what is the new name of the millennial healthcare marketing strategy game? Convenience, clarity and open communication.
Online Reputation & Social Media Diligence
The importance of your healthcare business’ online reputation and social presence is constantly growing among the millennial audience. When selecting a healthcare provider, potential patients within this demographic turn to the internet, studying online reviews and researching comments from previous patients before deciding upon a healthcare option.
Reaching out and responding to reviews shows past and prospective patients that you value your patients’ opinions and want them to feel heard and validated, building trust and promoting communication along the way. Encourage and respond to reviews from your current patients. Remember to comply with HIPAA guidelines when crafting your responses.
Perhaps your business is producing original blog content, sharing important healthcare information on your website or email list. Bring this promotion to the place your millennial audience is most likely to see it: social media. By promoting your content on a professional social network, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, you can encourage content engagement from your millennial market, address the need for credible healthcare materials and give audiences easy access to trustworthy facts. Create a posting schedule, continuously sharing helpful content on your platforms.
Mobile/Technology
Self-diagnosing is common among the millennial generation. Looking up symptoms online before visiting a doctor is a regular practice, with 58% of millennials searching Google for health information. Most often, millennials turn to their smartphones for online search. To effectively promote your resources to this audience, ensure your website is mobile-friendly and equipped with lots of FAQs and question-based blogs. These tips will increase your website’s SEO – when patients are scrolling through their search results looking for quick answers, you will have them readily available. Be sure your content titles and copy are clear and concise.
Once potential patients are on your website, make it easy for them to find relevant information such as hours of operation, services and other operational information. Place these details in prominent positions on your homepage or “Contact Us” page within your website menu.
Online medical portals via app or website allow patients to keep up-to-date on their medical information and appointments with the click of a button. These portals allow patients to see their charts online, schedule appointments and see instant test results. When communicating with patients, emphasize your commitment to making sure scheduling appointments and follow-ups is a smooth process, from start to finish.
Interested in how BlaineTurner Advertising could work with you to create a results-driven healthcare marketing strategy? Contact our skilled team of digital marketers, strategic planners and SEO professionals to learn how we can help you best market your healthcare business to millennials.