Whether you’re a social media expert or think Facebook is a scourge, there’s no denying the power of an online presence to grow a practice. Asked what kind of results practices can hope to see from their efforts to reach out to millennials online, Shanda P. Ross, OD, Clinical Director at Clarity Refractive Services, a TLC Laser Eye Center location in West Orange, N.J., replied, “You can cut through the loud noise of the internet to attract millennials to LASIK. Stop them in their tracks and command their attention.”

Dr. Ross and other leaders in this effort have established some basic must-haves for a successful digital strategy. If you’re a non-millennial who loves your smartphone and connects with friends and family on social media, you’ll likely recognize that these steps would attract your peers, too.

Mobile-friendly Website

According to CareCredit’s Path to Purchase Report, 60% of cardholders surveyed said they always research healthcare providers online before selecting a provider.¹

“As long as you have a great website that’s fully responsive on all devices, people will find you,” assures Janelle Hartmann, public relations and marketing director at Filutowski Cataract & LASIK Institute in Lake Mary, FL. “In my experience, mobile devices are the platform often used in searches for LASIK, so a mobile-friendly site that delivers short, relevant answers is best. No one wants to read dense articles on a phone. Provide that quick information to pique their interest, and they’ll call and come in.”

If you can interact with millennials via their smartphones, that’s even better. A survey of millennials showed 71% would like to manage their healthcare, book appointments, and get health data via apps.²

A Transparent Online Practice

A typical website or Facebook page tells potential patients what a practice does. To attract millennials, show them who you are.

“In a medical practice, interacting with millennials in a fun way about medical advice or questions is hard, so our current strategy is to expand those areas through Facebook,” Hartmann says. “On Facebook, patients can meet the doctor and staff, tour the practice, and see whom they will talk to when they call. It makes the practice and the experience more transparent. Patients know what they to expect. We post biweekly to make it easy for them to find us.”

Administrator Cathi Lyons from Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute, a TLC Laser Eye Center in San Diego, agrees. “Before they come in, they look at our website and Facebook page to see if the practice is authentic. They verify those impressions with their peer group, asking if anyone else has been here and what the experience was like.”

From Smartphone to Office

A potential patient who views your website and social media channels isn’t a LASIK patient until they begin engaging directly with the practice. This transition needs to be smooth, according to Janelle Hartmann.

“Millennial marketing is a very integrated system,” says Hartmann. “Not only do you need to have a good mobile-friendly online and social media presence and provide easy-to-access information through those outlets, but you also have to create the link to your office. Guide patients to the final step where they call and visit. At that point, trained staff will answer questions. The positive interaction continues inside the practice. The whole process needs to take place seamlessly.”

Frequent Posts, Fresh Content

A website can be updated every few months, but social media is inherently dynamic. A Facebook page or Twitter feed with a last post from June 2016 looks abandoned, making visitors question whether the practice’s doors are still open. You don’t have to spend endless hours developing content — just post something regularly. “Keep content fresh,” advises Lyons. “We are very active on Facebook and Twitter, with frequent posts and some 30-second animated videos. We also post to Instagram and maintain Pinterest boards about healthy lifestyles and LASIK.”

“Social proof” (Testimonials)

How do you encourage word-of-mouth (or “word-of-social media”) reviews from millennials? At Clarity Refractive Services, Practice Administrator Keisha M. Reedus and her colleagues ask past patients to share their stories both online and offline. “This allows us to build social proof. If you use social proof correctly, millennials feel that if they don’t choose your practice, they might be going to the wrong place, and they won’t be part of the ‘in’ crowd. If they come to you, they won’t have FOMO (fear of missing out).”

This free social media marketing has a flip side: When millennials “tell their friends” about a negative experience, that can mean instantly telling hundreds of people. More than 60% of millennials aged 18 to 24 who don’t like their healthcare provider tell their friends, but they don’t tell the doctor or staff that they’re dissatisfied.³ Inquire about satisfaction throughout the experience to get positive exposure.

The New Patient Education

In a model where online research is fundamental and testimonials are shared peer to peer, what form does patient education take for millennials? “We’ve found printed materials to be ineffective. They’re often lost or forgotten,” Dr. Ross explains. “Most millennials prefer digital forms of communication. We like to email videos to patients about their upcoming surgery, telling them more about who we are and what to expect pre- and postoperatively. We also utilize infographics on social media platforms to educate millennials.”

Written in the Stars

Peer-to-peer reviews are one thing; online review aggregators are another. CareCredit’s Path to Purchase Report revealed that only 22% of cardholders surveyed were satisfied with finding reviews online they could trust.¹ How many stars does your practice have on Facebook, Healthgrades, WebMD, Yellowpages, Yahoo, Yelp, and other social sites?

Experts agree: It pays to encourage happy patients to post positive reviews. As Cathi Lyons explains, “We keep our reviews fresh by continually letting patients know that the best compliment they can give us is to get a review out there on Facebook, Yelp, Google+, and the region’s Better Business Bureau. Angie’s List is big in some places, but Yelp is very big here in San Diego. When people search our practice online, those stars are visible right in the search results. We want potential patients to see 4 or 5 stars, and click on us.”

Getting it Done

Clarity Refractive Services utilizes a very robust social media plan. While some practices might use a public relations firm, allowing the staff to focus on the day-to-day operations of the practice, Reedus thinks that most practices already have one or two people who can excel at updating social media. “Having a millennial in the practice manage social media platforms can work very well, and that approach is more cost effective than hiring a contractor. Look for people in your practice who have their own active, positive presence on social media and who understand the norms of various platforms. Their posts and tweets will speak directly to millennials — and get them to learn more.” •

REFERENCES

1. CareCredit; Rothstein Tauber, Inc. CareCredit Path to Purchase Research. 2016.
2. 2015 State of the Connected Patient: Healthcare insights from more than 1,700 adults. Salesforce and Harris Poll. 2015. Accessed online May 18, 2017: https://secure.sfdcstatic.com/assets/pdf/industries/2015-State-of-the-Connected-Patient.pdf
3. How Millennials Shop for Healthcare. August 2015. Nuance Communications. Accessed online May 18, 2017: https://www.slideshare.net/NuanceInc/how-millennials-shop-for-healthcare-in-a-digital-world?utm_source=millennial-patient-press-release&utm_medium=nuance&utm_campaign=art-of-medicine-2