How to Attract Younger Patients to Your Rural Health Organization

Dec. 04, 2018

Register for December 11^th Webinar

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 45% of 18-to-29 year-olds do not have a primary care doctor (compared with 28 percent of those age 30 to 49). That statistic reveals a challenge – and a huge opportunity – for rural healthcare clinics and primary care physicians.

The challenge: Many millennials don’t establish with a PCP because they want the convenience, lower costs and “immediate” care walk-in clinics offer.

The opportunity: These young adults tend to be very health-conscious. In a recent poll, 79 percent said family was important in their lives, followed by health and wellness at 53 percent.

Rural healthcare marketers who effectively engage this new generation of healthcare decision makers will realize a big return on their investment now – and for decades to come – as Millennials age.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind before we get to tactics:

• Appeal to their values and drivers – like wellness, happiness, sharing and discovery.
• Understand their lifestyles and build content around their interests.
• Be authentic. Don’t market to them – involve and inform them.
• Connect with them where they are:
• More than 85% of Millennials in the U.S. own a smartphone.
• About 90% of Millennials are on Facebook, and nearly half log on daily.

How to make the connection

In any given week, Millennials spend an average of 25 hours (or more) online checking out websites, blogs and social media. They “Like,” share, pin, tweet and comment daily. If you want to engage them, you need to be a relevant part of their space. Here’s how.

Millennials “Like” videos

Online video is a powerful marketing tool you can use to attract new patients – especially young adults:

• Eighty percent say they find video helpful when conducting initial research.
• Millennials are 112% more likely to share video ads over any other format.

 Videos don’t have to be massive undertakings. In fact, shorter is usually better (i.e., under two minutes). An effective strategy is to create an ongoing series of videos that addresses health and wellness topics Millennials are interested in. For example, topics might cover anxiety and depression; dietary supplements; and the benefits of preventive healthcare for young adults.

Both YouTube and Facebook provide a quick, easy and inexpensive way to share video content that can help Millennials connect with the benefits of having a primary care doctor. 

Pay per click (PPC) ads

Facebook offers a plethora of targeting options – and that can help rural healthcare marketers deliver a specific message not just to “Millennials” but a very specific audience within that group. For example, you can target young women who have “liked” The American Cancer Society with an ad for a mammogram.

Get friendly

The average Millennial looks at his or her phone more than 100 times a day. And more than 50% of searches take place on smartphones. If your website isn’t mobile friendly and it doesn’t include current, relevant information, you’re going to lose potential patients.

Try Geofencing

Location-based marketing through geofencing lets you target people in a specific area with a specific message through their mobile device while they’re on the move. You can even target specific neighborhoods where younger adults and families live.

Think ‘multi-channel’

Use multiple platforms to extend your reach. For example, if your ad content is relevant to a local TV broadcast, leverage it by posting in real-time — across social channels, such as social media, text messages and email.

How effective is your organization at attracting the next generation of patients?

Join Mike Milligan, President of Legato Healthcare Marketing, for an enlightening webinar for more tips on how to attract millennials to your healthcare organization.

Mark your calendar for December 11^th at 2pm CST, and register here.