4 Reasons Why Marketing To Baby Boomers Is A Must

We’ve been in healthcare marketing for a very long time, and after over 15 years in the industry there’s one thing we still hear that makes our blood boil.

“Our area has a much older population. Most of our patients are senior citizens, so we just know that using social media marketing won’t be effective.” 

via GIPHY

Tell that to my grandmother, the most active social media user I know. She likes all of her favorite companies on Facebook, she reviews every facility she’s ever been to, and she’s one of the only people I know who actively engages with her healthcare provider’s social media pages. My grandmother is a Baby Boomer, and because of this she’s subjected to the most ridiculous stereotypes, often from people in our own industry.

Healthcare marketers love to talk about who they’re marketing to. It’s just what we do. We talk about marketing to millennials, about how we reach our Generation X’s and our Generation Y’s, but we never talk about the Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are the most under-appreciated segment of consumers in healthcare marketing, a reality that seems ridiculous when you take into account just how vital they are to our industry. People have lots of excuses for why they don’t market to Baby Boomers, particular through more “modern” channels like social media. It’s time to set those excuses aside, though. Here are four key reasons why everyone in our industry should take the Boomers more seriously:

1.     They’re the second largest group of consumers out there.

There are over 76.4 million Baby Boomers in the United States, making them the generation that up until 2015 made up the majority of the population. Even though they’ve finally been overtaken by the millennials, Baby Boomers still make up the large majority of consumers. More importantly though, Baby Boomers are the generation that is most likely to spend money. They’ve far outspent previous generations and continue to spend more than people from younger generations. They know what they want, and they’re not opposed to paying for it.

2.     They already have a strong personal investment in your product.

One of the biggest draws Baby Boomers have for healthcare marketers is the fact that, generally speaking, they’re already personally invested in the product you’re trying to sell them. Unlike younger generations, Baby Boomers have a profound understanding about the value of good health. While Generation X-ers are more likely to go out of their way to avoid paying for any medical costs, whether they’re injury/illness related or even something as simple as paying for health insurance, Baby Boomers understand the importance of taking care of yourself and know that the costs associated with healthcare are undoubtedly worth it. You don’t have to sell them on the importance of good healthcare, you just have to provide them with the right combination of information, access, and affordability when it comes to marketing your product.

3.     Their online presence is ridiculous.

No longer can we hide behind the outdated stereotype that Baby Boomers are clueless when it comes to technology, that they’re sitting around on their dial-up modems waiting to send an email.  Todays Baby Boomers are more active and tech-savvy than ever. They’re using search engines, social media, smartphones, and tons of other digital devices to search for information and stay in touch with family, friends, providers, etc. More than that, a shocking 82% of Baby Boomers are active members on at least one social media site. That’s a huge percentage of the senior citizen population who’s using social media on an everyday basis, so why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that and use those platforms to market to them?

4.     They’re actively searching for information about your product.

Not only do Baby Boomers have an incredibly strong online presence, they’re also one of the generations that’s the most likely search for healthcare information online. Over 57% of Baby Boomers have searched for healthcare information online, and the majority of those online shoppers also regularly engage with their healthcare practice’s social media pages. DMN3 has also discovered that more than half of Boomers will actually visit a company’s website or continue their search on a search engine after seeing something on a social networking site.  

Pretty cool, huh. So what does this information mean for healthcare marketers? To put it bluntly, Baby Boomers are one of the most crucial yet somehow under-appreciated group of consumers in the healthcare industry. We know that they care about the services we’re marketing, and we know that they’re regularly utilizing social media platforms and search engines to find information about healthcare and search for providers. We know that they make up the second largest portion of the American population, that they as a generation almost singlehandedly defined modern day consumerism, and that they’re willing to spend money on the things that they value. We also happen to know that their health is one of the things that they value the most.

We know all of these things, and it’s time to start acting on them. The old stereotypes about the Baby Boomers have been shattered. We can’t hide behind those excuses anymore. If you’re in healthcare marketing and you’re not devoting a significant amount of your time, money, and efforts into marketing specifically to Baby Boomers (and yes, this marketing should 100% include social media), then you’re making a huge mistake. It’s time to embrace the Baby Boomers. 

Fangirl Friday: Healthcare Marketing Campaign Spotlight

Healthcare marketing is one of the most under-appreciated branches of marketing in existence. We know this, you know this, and everyone else in the industry knows this. It’s hard to get people excited about healthcare, it’s hard to make what is stereotypically a “boring industry” exciting, and it’s hard to market in an industry where there’s very little previous marketing history to go off of.  

That’s why when we see healthcare marketing campaigns that are truly original, we can’t help but to have a fan-girl moment. We’re so proud of what we’re seeing in the industry today, of healthcare marketing campaigns that impress and inspire and push the rest of us to do better, that bring our industry to the forefront of conversation and get patients excited and engaged. That’s why we like to showcase some of our favorite healthcare marketing campaigns from time to time, to share the ideas with other people in the industry and recognize the campaigns that are making a name for healthcare marketing. So, without further ado, here’s the campaign we think deserves spotlighting this week:

“Ask The ICD” by Medtronic

Medtronic won the 2015 Internet Advertising Competition award for their web-based campaign, “Ask The ICD”. The concept of “Ask The ICD” is awesome. Medtronic created a website where people who had questions about ICD’s (implantable cardioverter defribilators) could, quite simply, get the answers to everything.

The team at Medtronic understood that patients who are told they’ll need heart implants often find themselves flooded with questions. How will it affect the different aspects of their lives? Are they safe? Will they still be able to run marathons? Can they eat their favorite foods? The need to ask and find answers to these questions is totally understandable, but for whatever reason they noticed that many patients refrained from ever asking the questions on their minds, whether it was because they were embarrassed by them or they felt like they were bothering their doctor by doing so.

That’s why Medtronic came up with “Ask The ICD”, a website where patients who were afraid to go to their doctor could go to find the answers to whatever questions they had, regardless of how silly they might seem. Patients simply go to the website and are prompted to type in their questions. They can ask absolutely anything, from scientific questions about the technical aspects of ICD’s to questions about specific lifestyle changes that might result from getting an ICD.

It’s vaguely reminiscent of Burger King’s Subservient Chicken, which would respond to whatever users typed into the screen, no matter how ridiculous the request was. The best part, though? Even though the website certainly has an entertainment value, it’s primary purpose is to educate people on every aspect of ICD’s and to serve as an invaluable resource for patients. It does what we as physicians unfortunately don’t have the time to do: answer each and every question posed by all of our patients, regardless of the time of day or seriousness of the question. “Ask The ICD” essentially acts as a 24-hour support system and resource for people who have ICD’s, may be getting one, or simply want to learn more. It’s a genius idea, and kudos to Medtronic for thinking of it. 

The Importance Of Physician Liaisons: How Poor Physician Relations Are Killing Your Business

Physician liaisons. They’re your ace in the hole, the most important trick up your sleeve, and if you’re a healthcare provider in the 21st century who doesn’t have one, you’re in trouble. Physician relations are the bread and butter of healthcare marketing. Your referring physicians are your life force. They’re where you get your patients, they’re what keeps the lights on and the machines running. They can be your greatest allies, or your worst enemy.

Your center lives or dies based on referring physicians. We know this. It’s not some big secret. Our referring physician’s offices are what keep our world turning, so why wouldn’t you want to do everything you could to keep those relationships alive?  For some, the answer is simple. They’re just not sure how to do that. That’s where we can help.

The secret to making your referring physicians happy is simple: maintain good physician relations. How do you actually maintain good physician relations, though? Have a dedicated physician liaison.

Marketing to referring physicians is one of the best strategies for increasing your volume, but most physician groups don’t have the time or resources to actually do this. That’s where the physician liaison comes in. They’re a marketing representative whose sole job is to educate physicians and referral coordinators on services and procedures that your center offers, ensure patient and physician satisfaction, and solicit feedback for you.

They’re there to strengthen your relationships with the referring physician’s offices in your area, to create new relationships and expand the amount of referring physicians for your center, to deal with any criticisms or concerns, to ensure that patients are continuing to be sent to your center, and to make sure the physicians so integral to the success of your business remain happy.

Physician liaisons are crucial in both maintaining your relationships with referring physicians and making sure that your volume continues to grow. They’re one of the services we’re most proud to offer, and we understand just how important they are. If you don’t currently have a physician liaison, there are so many opportunities you could be missing out on.

How do you know when there’s a problem? What if the only reason the largest referring physician’s office in your area isn’t sending their patients to you is because they’re not sure if you accept a particular insurance carrier? How are you supposed to know? Centers lose hundreds of patients each and every year for small issues that could be easily fixed through communication, and your physician liaison is just that. They’re your direct form of communication with your physicians, they’re the ones who make sure you’re not losing out on those patients due to lack of information, and the value they’re providing is irreplaceable.

Our physician liaison program is one of the best. We understand the importance of these reps in the success of a center, and they’re an asset we want everyone to have. What sets our physician liaisons apart is the promise of exclusivity that we offer. Each liaison only represents one specialty per area, so there’s no conflict of interest. You’re guaranteed someone who is specific to just your center, and who is trained specifically in the specialties that you offer.

Just think about it. An expert dedicated to your center and trained in your specialty whose sole purpose is to create and maintain those relationships with your referring physicians, to smooth out the kinks, to educate and grow your referral base, to gather feedback for you, and to keep those volume numbers rising. It’s an invaluable service, and it’s one every healthcare provider needs. If you know your physician relations could be improved and you’re interested in the possibility of bringing on a physician liaison, you can reach out to Kelly—the fabulous woman spearheading our Physician Relations services—by emailing kmccormack@atlantic-hs.com.

4 Powerful Takeaways From RBMA's "Building Better Radiology Marketing Programs"

Earlier this week we had the pleasure of experiencing something we hope all of you have participated in at some point in your careers: a forced trip to Vegas full of networking, happy hours, and enlightening sessions with some of the best brightest individuals in Radiology marketing. Sounds absolutely torturous, right? We really took one for the team on this one.

RBMA is the Radiology Business Management Association, a professional organization for radiology business management professionals all across the country. Every year they hold dozens of educational classes, meetings, and conferences in a number of locations around the country, but our favorite one to go to is the one we attended this week: “Building Better Radiology Marketing Programs”. It’s one of the only conferences specific to radiology marketing, and we always come away from it feeling excited about new changes in the industry and motivated to take our marketing to the next level.

As with any conference, there were a ton of takeaways from BBRMP. Here were a few that really resonated with us:

We’re not dreaming about price transparency in our industry anymore…it’s finally here.

For years many of us in the healthcare industry have been pushing for price transparency, and it’s finally starting to look like the war is being won. In the last year alone we’ve seen a huge surge in the number of patients and providers who are demanding transparency, and it’s finally becoming a reality for patients. At BBRMP we talked a lot of transparency, and about how companies like Save On Medical are giving patients a way to compare prices and quality of care for their procedures. It’s a huge step in transitioning the industry into a more transparent one, and we hope other companies are inspired by sites like this and we start to see these changes across the board.

Radiology marketing is growing and evolving faster than ever, and it’s awesome.

Every year at the BBRMP conference they hold the Quest Awards, a voting based competition that selects winners in five radiology marketing categories including Physician Marketing, Patient Marketing, Cause Related Marketing, etc. Companies are encouraged to submit their best campaigns into the competition, and let me tell you, the stuff we saw was incredible. From breast self-exams explained by the Chippendales to in depth ICD-10 guides, the number of quirky, creative, compelling, and fun content was simply mind-blowing. We’re loving the creativity that’s come into the radiology marketing industry, and we want to give a huge pat on the back to all the people out there who are working tirelessly to turn an industry that has been stereotypically clinical and boring in the past into one that patients and providers can be excited and delighted by.

3D mammo is taking over, and the biggest challenge is finding a way to creatively market it.

This year’s conference centered a lot around women’s imaging, specifically the importance of early screening and 3D mammography. In light of the controversy surrounding American Cancer Society’s new recommendations for breast cancer screening, much of what we talked about was how marketing teams could work to properly educate referring physicians and patients about the importance of early detection. We saw some incredibly powerful examples of mammography marketing that were not only creative, but also compelling and impactful, including this campaign from Charlotte Radiology.

It’s clear that mammography isn’t going away, and it’s our job as radiology marketers to provide patients and physicians with the information necessary to help them make educated decisions about their care.

If at any point you’ve managed to double the money you put down for Craps, just walk away.

We learned a lot of things in Vegas, but this might be one of the most important ones! We don’t care what those free cocktails are telling you. If you’re up when you’re gambling, then get out. You’ll regret your rash overenthusiasm to keep playing when you wake up in the morning to a sad, empty wallet.

Radiology marketing isn’t easy, and it’s made even more difficult by the challenges that radiology marketers face working in an industry that up till just recently has been viewed as boring and clinical, but the campaigns that we saw this week and the ideas that were shared and the overwhelming passion we felt for the industry from everyone at BBRMP made us so incredibly proud and excited to be in the field that we’re in. To all the radiology marketers out there: rock on! 

5 Healthcare Marketing Experts You Should Start Stalking Immediately

Marketing can be difficult, especially when you’re in healthcare. Healthcare marketing has changed drastically over the past decade, evolving into an exciting but incredibly complicated mass of practices, tools, and ideas. The great thing about healthcare marketing is that it’s essentially a wide open frontier. We’ve moved so far beyond our traditional methods of the past that in many cases, those ideas aren’t relevant anymore. We’re moving forward. It’s a time of expansion, of thinking outside the box, of incredible growth. The bad thing about that, though, is that it means there’s not much to go off of.

Marketing is an incredibly collaborative field. We feed off each others’ ideas, we share our successes and our failures and we challenge both ourselves and our fellow marketers to grow. In an industry where marketing is so fresh and untested, though, where are we supposed to draw inspiration from?

We’ve gathered a list of a few of our favorite healthcare marketing experts, the ones who are regularly sharing exciting and innovative ideas specific to the healthcare industry with their fellow marketers. They’re pretty much healthcare marketing gurus, and if you’re not following them on every platform you can then you’re missing out on a lot of great content that could help you improve your marketing strategy and better your brand.

So, without any further delay, here’s 5 healthcare marketing experts you should start stalking immediately (while keeping in mind that restraining orders are a very real thing).

Marie Ennis-O’Connor @JBBC

She’s a Healthcare Social Media Consultant and health blogger, and she’s been named one of Klick Health’s top 50 global social media influencers. She specializes in providing social media consultancy and training services to companies in the healthcare industry, and she’s always sharing great tools and trends in healthcare marketing.

Stewart Gandolf @StewartGandolf 

He’s the CEO of Healthcare Success Strategies, a medical marketing and health care ad agency in California. He’s famous for all of the #hcmkgt stories he shares on Twitter, and his website has a ton of resources for online marketing as well.

Mitchell Cotthoff @MitchCotthoff 

If the 28,000 followers aren’t enough to convince you this guy knows what he’s talking about, a few minutes on his Twitter feed will. Mitchell’s constantly sharing innovative marketing resources online with his followers, and they’re all easily adaptable to the healthcare industry.

Salman Aslam @asksalmanaslam 

As a Digital Business Strategist and Co-Founder/CEO of Omnicore Agency, Salman’s got a lot of knowledge about healthcare marketing. He specializes in digital marketing, though, and what makes him different from some of our other gurus is the fact that his content is geared specifically towards marketers looking to boost their traffic on social media platforms. The content is valuable, and it’s specific too.

Fergus Linskey @FergusLinskey 

We love Fergus, and not just because he’s Tampa based! All of his marketing tips are geared specifically towards individual doctors and healthcare practices, which means no time spent trying to take those tips and translate them to be relevant for your business.

The list doesn’t stop with these five! There are tons of valuable resources out there, and there are lots of healthcare marketing experts doing everything they can to share them with others. We’ve made a habit of trying to follow as many of them as we can. You can find them through our page @Atlantic_Health.