NOT a client? Call us NOW!

855-345-0593

Existing Clients!

855-636-8247

How to Crack the Gen Y Code

December 30th, 2015 | Search Engine Optimization
How to Crack the Gen Y Code

Casual people.

The best way to connect with a target patient base is by first understanding their needs, preferences, and expectations. However, when it comes to millennials, understanding the motivations, belief system, and choices that drive this tech savvy generation can prove to be a big challenge. There is no dearth of marketing research on millennials and the one thing that stands out clearly when it comes to brand marketing is this – millennials enjoy and crave unique experiences. This is what drives their buying decisions and healthcare is no exception.

When a millennial patient walks through your door, you can be sure that he or she has done extensive research on your medical brand well in advance and way before even making an appointment. If there is anything that this generation expects in abundance in brands, it is transparency and authenticity. However, they are known to be notoriously selective about the healthcare industry in general. This is because most millennials are weary about traditional advertising which is still prevalent in the healthcare sector. 84 percent millennial don’t’ trust traditional advertising. They expect brands to adopt an open system of communication, to be transparent in their dealings, and to deliver personalized and interactive experiences.

So unless you can provide your millennial patient base a reason to connect with your medical practice brand, you will find these digital natives to be unresponsive to any of your medical practice marketing strategies.

Engaging with Millennial Patients

Millennials are extremely technology dependent. Whether it is communication, or searching for and sharing of information, or staying connected with their vast social groups, millennials use technology. So obviously, if you are want to connect with this generation then you will need to tweak your brand marketing approach to suit their needs and expectations.

Mobile-friendly and Great UX (User Experience)

This is the age of smartphones and while a majority of patients today are smartphone users, it is the millennials that rule its usage. From looking for information, social media activity and entertainment to staying connected, millennials are smartphone dependent. So any information that needs to be relayed should be optimized for mobile screens. Ensure that your website, blog, social sites are not only accessible and optimized for mobile devices but also that they are up-to-date.

Show them Brand Value

Millennials want a personalized relationship with brands. And this holds true for healthcare brands as well. If they are not happy with any aspect of your medical practice brand they will not hesitate to switch to a different practice. A great way to build trust in your medical practice is by giving importance to price transparency. Research from the Healthcare without Borders: How Millennials are Reshaping Health and Wellness report, found that more than 50 percent millennials hold the opinion that hospitals and other health care providers should work on a system of transparency for cost of care.

Share your brand stories, showcase your motivations, and or provide behind-the-scenes glimpses into what went into making your brand. Highlight any brand differentiators as a means of building interest and engagement.

Attract them with Personalized Offers and Discounts

The lure of best deals and offers works great with this generation. Healthcare does not come cheap and as mentioned earlier, price is a sensitive issue with millennials. Most millennials are in the peak of their health and hence will be more responsive to preventive care and tips on improving their lifestyle. This generation is very mindful about leading a healthy lifestyle. So for example you could tie up with other healthcare professionals such as dietitians or nutritionists or personal trainers and create packages that include annual health check-ups and a visit to any of these professionals. Once they are a part of your patient base, you could work on a list of discount and special offers or include freebies with a health checkup package among other things. The idea is to show them value for money over and beyond their expectations. Again, value for money does not have to include monetary gains. Value in the form of new and valuable information, or value that displays a social sustainable footprint works just as great.

Communicate the Right Way

Millennials communicate primarily via text messages and also tend to use emails a lot more than actually talking on their smartphones.

So while your older patients feel more connected with phone reminders about appointments, millennials would much prefer being informed about appointments and viewing offers via text message or emails. Use your social platforms to provide updates on new services and offerings and or to keep them updated on news and information about important healthcare issues.

 

 

Do you have any questions or doubts regarding incorporating marketing into your practice? Fill the form below and our team will get back to you with answers!
« Get back to the Ekwa Hub

Ekwa’s Thought Leadership

Digital Marketing for Doctors

When publications for doctors want to update them on digital marketing, they call for Ekwa’s expertise!
An expert to the experts, Ekwa’s marketing specialists have authored and published:
  • 20+
    Books
  • 10+
    Research Reports and Case Studies
  • 500+
    Articles
  • 15+
    Premier Industry Magazines and Journals

Become a part of Ekwa Growth Club, Call us now

Your browser does not support CSS animations.