Marketing Your Orthodontic Practice to Millennials

When promoting your orthodontic practice, the most fundamental factor to keep in mind is your audience. And while you likely get much of your business from parents getting their children braces, there is a significant amount of business to be gained from adults in their twenties and thirties, otherwise known as the millennial generation. There are a few factors to consider when marketing your orthodontic practice to this particular demographic, both in terms of marketing to that stage of life and the unique nuances of millennial culture.

Marketing Orthodontics to Young Adults

When marketing orthodontics to millennials, you need to keep in mind the stage of life that millennials are in. Right now, millennials are either in college, have recently graduated college, or are in the earlier stages of their careers. This time of life is particularly busy but also unique in the sense that people are more focused on personal and social development than family responsibilities because they have not started that portion of their life yet.

When marketing to this age group, time is of the essence. Social media posts need to be engaging right away. Your website should have quick and easy access to the appointment page. Your direct marketing channels, such as chats, emails, and phone calls, should make the experience as streamlined and efficient as possible. All of these types of strategies save time for the potential patient and make the whole process seem like less of an interruption to their schedule.

Your marketing for this age group should also focus heavily on alternatives to traditional braces, such as ceramic braces, self-ligating braces, and Invisalign.

Marketing to Millennials

While the stage of life that millennials are currently in lends itself to busyness, they also make up the digital generation. This means you should put extra emphasis on quick responsiveness if you want to draw millennials to your practice, including responding to social media comments or messages. If you have a Google My Business (GMB) page, which you should, make sure your key information is clearly laid out, easy to read, and accompanied by engaging visuals. GMB also allows you to create a way for potential patients to book an appointment straight from your GMB profile, a helpful tool for making your sales process quicker.

Millennials often have their guard up against blatant advertising, so finding ways to promote your practice in a way that isn’t an ad is key to reaching them. One way to boost your marketing is to try to build up your number of reviews, either by asking for reviews at the point of sale or by sending a follow-up email. Posting informative blogs offering value in the form of helpful tips and facts will both boost your credibility as a practice and attract readers to your website when you use good SEO practices.

The millennial generation also is particularly interested in social issues and often value companies based on the causes they support. This is something that is good practice in general, but look for opportunities to partner with local charities or non-profit organizations and invite your customer base to join in. This will help give your practice a sense of belonging within your community while also boosting your appeal to the millennial generation.

As the population ages, the demographic shopping for braces and Invisalign is shifting toward millennials, so your marketing should too. For more information on reaching your target market, contact Ortho Sales Engine.