People don’t think of choosing a doctor like choosing common goods. While a mother might experiment with new brands for food or clothes, they’ll only choose doctors they trust to deliver the best results. And yes, it is mothers making that decision. 70% of millennial moms, or those born around the 80’s and early 90’s, say they are the primary decision maker in purchases for the family. So, how can you design your private practice marketing around this growing demographic? To get millennial moms to choose you and your practice, you need to first understand them. Here are four things you need to know about millennial moms to get them to choose your hospital.
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Millennial Moms Rely on Social Media
You’ve heard all over that the millennial generation is glued to their screens. While this is often exaggerated, millennial moms do trust social for decisions they make as parents. In fact, 49% of this demographic said they use advice from social media to make decisions regarding their kids at least daily. So, even though you may think Facebook reviews or Yelp! submissions don’t mean much, a millennial mom may be using that very review to pick where she takes her kid when he suddenly gets sick.
This shows the importance of having a positive social media presence. If your private practice carries the baggage of bad reviews, you already have a bad image in the eyes of these new moms. Using great marketing and public engagement on social networking sites (and even your website) will help cement bonds with current and former patients, making them more likely to leave positive reviews. Even more importantly, try to work off of the feedback you’ve gotten to create the experience patients desire from start to finish. This will help to prevent the bad reviews in the first place and capture your online audience.
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Moms Have a Network That They Trust for Advice
Although it’s clear millennial moms heavily rely on digital, this doesn’t mean that organic, personal recommendations are dead. In fact, it is strongly the opposite. 64% of these moms share information and advice on health services, and 74% of them say they use such recommendations to make decisions weekly or more often.
Now, what does this mean for you?
This can be a disaster for you, or your greatest opportunity. If you leave a bad impression on your patients, the negativity will spread like wildfire. However, if you use quality marketing and great customer service to appease your patients through their time at your establishment, they are very likely to tell other moms in their network. In fact, 46% of millennial moms say that being recommended to services by other parents is important when making selections, compared to only 35% who think it is important to be recommended by an expert.
So, if you can tap into a network of mothers through recommendations, you’re likely to earn the respect of the rest of them and gain many new patients.
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They Are On the Go, Not On the Couch
Gone are the days of the strictly stay at home mom. About a third of millennial mothers are employed full time, but even those who aren’t are much busier than the moms of yesteryear. These moms spend an average of 5.6 less hours per weekday sleeping, enjoying hobbies or watching TV. But, they instead spend an average of 2.4 hours more on their kids routines and activities.
So, why does this matter?
This means archaic private practice marketing strategies need to go out and the window, and be replaced with methods to match this new behavior. Mailers and flyers just don’t do the job anymore; you’re lucky if they even get ready. Instead, try mobile marketing, since you can bet these moms have their smartphones with them as they’re in the midst of their hectic lives. Physical advertisements can also work too, when strategically placed. Think of a billboard on their commute, or posters at bus stops, shopping plazas and near school districts.
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They Care About Their Kids Health More Than Anything Else
Millennial moms have their kids best interests on the mind constantly. This isn’t necessarily new, mothers have long obsessed over keeping their kids healthy and happy. However, the decision making power of these mothers has increased. In fact, 90% of millennial moms say they are in charge of their family’s healthcare related decisions.
This has obvious implications for what the audience of your private practice marketing campaigns should be. Millennial moms are your No. 1 demographic to hit for this generation, because they’ll be choosing which doctor their kids will go to. This, combined with the other three traits we’ve discussed, make millennial mothers a vital group; one that your clinic’s marketing can’t strike out with.
Looking for more on private practice marketing? Contact us to learn how Pepper Gang can help grow your practice 3X in just a few short months!