Marketing To All Generations

Fill in the Gaps for an End-to-End Consumer Journey

As published in the July 2024 issue of Administrative Eyecare. To subscribe or view the entire publication, visit their website.

Marketing to all generations means marketing online, since healthcare consumers hungry

for information turn to the internet regardless of age. Global management consulting firm McKinsey says consumers expect “transparent, predictable, and mobile-friendly experiences,” yet the company’s March 2023 healthcare marketing report noted “most healthcare organizations have failed to keep up.”(1)

Many still rely on pre-internet legacy marketing channels: billboards, TV and radio spots, and magazine and newspaper ads. Others who invest in digital marketing but settle for a one-size-fits-all approach risk what McKinsey calls “a disjointed consumer experience and lack of personalization.” The firm’s overall assessment is that “most healthcare providers have critical capability gaps that stand in the way of mounting an end-to-end, personalized consumer journey.”

THE PATIENT JOURNEY

The Wharton School of Business believes “one critical tool for successful digital transformation ...[is]

smart customer journey mapping... an illustrated representation of a customer’s expectations, experiences and reflections as it unfolds over time across multiple stages and touchpoints.”

That’s what former premium practice executives Christine Scarlett and Lauren Weaver are doing as the Patient Whisperers, an Arkansas-based consultancy. Scarlett explains, “Patients have to feel connected, informed, and safe at every decision point” before they can convert (advance) to the next step.(2) Their 7-Point Premium Patient Conversion Method details each point as a specific Patient Experience Stage with an actionable Opportunity (see article on page 26).

Scarlett shares the experience of her friend Brooke to show how conversions happen at three of the seven points — and to illustrate where key elements of online marketing can optimize a practice’s influence on the patient journey:

A busy mom of two, Brooke has worn glasses and contacts all her life, yet when a friend praised her recent LASIK procedure, Brooke thought, “I need to look into this.” She searched online but — overwhelmed by information — turned to Facebook, typing in, “Looking for LASIK recommendations.” Friends recommended and tagged local eye centers they trusted.

FIRST IMPRESSION

POINT #1 IS ENCOUNTER.

The Patient Experience Stage includes social posts, patient advocates, ambassadors, influencers, search, and ads.

THE OPPORTUNITY IS IMPRESSIONS.

A basic first step is making sure online impressions align with the real-world practice. Jonna Kieler, President of Fast Track Marketing in Broomfield, Colorado, urges “a whole web audit, not just what’s

happening on your website, but where you’re also appearing.” A practice can show up in multiple positions on the search engine, “whether that’s your paid area, your maps area, or your organic area. All play a role in getting people to your website.”

Brooke’s reliance on Facebook illustrates how social media operates virtually as word-of-mouth. Sarah L. Duval, COE, COA, Operation Sight Program Manager with the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation, observes that Facebook skews older and Instagram younger. However, as former marketing and business development manager at Concord Eye Center, NH, she says that “Facebook was hitting all generations.” Lauren Weaver agrees: “Gen Z and the millennial demographic are still there. One in three people still use Facebook for recommendations.” Born in 1996, Weaver confesses, “I’m on Facebook every day.”

SECOND LOOK

Using those Facebook tagged recommendations, Brooke clicked through to the Facebook pages of Eye Centers A, B, and C. She was immediately drawn to Eye Center A. The look and presence appealed to her, and recent posts indicated steady social media activity. Helpful information about the eye (“educating the community” Brooke thought), plus stories and photos of approachable doctors and smiling staff, suggested “they love where they work and enjoy what they do.” Feeling good about the balance of expertise and fun, Brooke clicked the link to their website.

POINT #2 IS INTEREST.

The Patient Experience Stage includes social profiles, social links, website, landing pages, Google Business, and online reviews.

THE OPPORTUNITY IS CLICKS.

Time online these days means scrolling. Andrew Keller, Facebook Global Creative Director, has estimated that the average person scrolls 300 feet — the height of the Statue of Liberty.(3) To counter the scroll, Fast Track’s “fundamental baseline” for business is Interrupt - Engage - Educate - Offer. Kieler states, “We want to be that interrupt. We make sure you’re clickable.” Header text on a website or landing page that shows up on Google search, a call to action such as a self-test/self- evaluation, or a special offer — all can lead to clicks.

“Defining your brand,” says the Patient Whisperers, “creating your brand story, your brand guide, your brand persona” helps with brand differentiation. Think beyond outcomes and benefits of services offered. What are the intangibles that people want? “For example,” Scarlett says, “LASIK corrects your vision. But the patient wants more freedom.”

Even if your goal isn’t clicks, interrupting and creating interest solidifes brand differentiation. Traci Fritz, COE, OCS, COA, practice administrator of Children’s Eye Care in Michigan, doesn’t need to promote a practice with 80% of the Metro Detroit market. Yet Fritz believes in “showing an online presence and taking ownership” as a community educator and reassuring presence for the 40,000 children seen annually, many with conditions that can’t be treated elsewhere. Caricatures of doctors and medical staff appear on the website and on social media, and a Facebook pinned video reveals how songs and toys are part of the eye exam. Fritz says, “Just connecting softens anxieties. We’re playful. We have fun.”

Online reviews matter, but “the angry people are the ones who feel motivated to slam you,” Duval cautions. Instead, be deliberate in asking patients for feedback. Positive reviews can counter bad ones and even bury them. Duval’s practice made it easy for happy patients to respond. After the appointment, they received a text message requesting a Google review and providing a link.

Kieler agrees with soliciting reviews: “You wouldn’t think that people having good experiences would have to be asked, but they need to be prompted.” Make sure to invite feedback “so we can do better. Every review deserves a response from the practice. It gives you credibility because you’re acknowledging your reviews, and if it is a bad review, you’re showing that you do care.” Reviews also affect search engines: “If you have less than four stars, you will not show up in the best near me searches.” Make sure reviews are as current as possible and as frequent as possible. Review services and software can generate texts, links, and save time.

THIRD ACT

At Eye Center A’s website, Brooke’s good feelings were validated. The site was easy to navigate, she found what she needed, and she filled out a form for more info. Afterwards, she visited Eye Center B and C’s websites, filling out forms there as well. B called her back first. Since they were on the phone, she set up a consultation. By the time A responded, she’d moved onto other things and declined a consultation as she’d already booked with B. She told herself, “Well, if I don’t like B, maybe I’ll go back

to A.”

POINT #3 IS INQUIRY.

The Patient Experience Stage includes call to action, self-tests, contact method, availability, response time, intake process.

THE OPPORTUNITY IS LEADS.

Brooke’s good feelings are key. Scarlett believes “emotions drive all sustainable success,” with the majority of spending decisions arising from the emotional part of the brain. “Harvard psychologists say when someone meets you, they are subconsciously judging you on three things: Do I like you? Do you care about me? Are you credible? We believe that applies online as well.” She encourages administrators to judge their own websites, reintroducing a statement she made earlier: Patients have to feel connected, informed and safe at every decision point. A patient who likes you feels connected. A patient who believes you care about them feels informed. A patient who finds you credible feels safe. “We have to represent that online. That doesn’t happen through stock images and the statement We have the best technology. It’s a whole different way of presenting yourself.”

Duval acknowledges best technology isn’t the primary draw. “At the end of the day, what patients wanted most was to feel like they were seen and heard in the exam room by the doctor. Communicate their personalities and the culture of the office through social media.”

Fritz’s practice took this a step further. “One physician and I personally went through — and I’m

not exaggerating — more than 40,000 stock photos to choose images for our website. It was important to her to make sure every child was represented, culturally and disability-wise.”

Good feelings also arise from mass intimacy, a message sent to many that feels like it’s specifcally for you. Combined with automated responses, the two can guarantee that a patient feels seen and heard while they buy time for busy staff to respond. Scarlett models a form fill response: “So Linda, thank you. I’ll be giving you a call shortly. Expect my phone call. Here’s my information. Here’s a few things you should know. I’ll be reaching out to you shortly.”

As Brooke’s story illustrates, response time matters. Kieler advises, “Reach out as quickly as possible, usually within the hour because people’s attention spans are very short and they’ll likely still be thinking about you. Dedicated phone staff that can accommodate that is sometimes difficult, but I strongly recommend that.”

Yet unlike generations past, patients today have choice — and exercise it, as Brooke’s journey reveals.

THE OUTCOME

During her visit, Brooke felt rushed. Eye Center B didn’t take the time to listen to her and understand her concerns. She called back Eye Center A and set up a consultation. Inside the office, she experienced the same swell of good feelings that she’d felt online. A and B had similar technology and similar services, but in person she trusted A. After talking with the eye surgeon, Brooke scheduled her LASIK procedure with Eye Center A. Tough marketing is an essential tool that helps tell a story, ultimately a practice has to deliver on making a patient feel connected, informed, and safe. Regardless of the systems, messages, and response times in place, fail at that and you’ve lost a customer. AE

REFERENCES

1. Broitman Adam, et al. Marketing in healthcare: Improving the consumer experience.” McKinsey & Company. Published March 15, 2023. www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/marketing-in-healthcare-improving-the-consumer-experience

2. Williams P, Wind J. Customer journey mapping is at the heart of digital transformation.” Knowledge at Wharton. 2015;(4). www.knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/customer-journey-mapping-is-at-the-heart-of-digital-transformation/.

3. “Ogilvy.” Facebook, 28 September 2017. www.facebook.com/ogilvy/posts/the-average-person-scrolls-through-300-feet-of-mobile-content-every-day-thats-eq/10155968756602994/.

Linda Lowen (315-727-9391, linda.lowen@gmail.com) is a freelance writer and former NPR co-host/co-producer of “Take Care,” a local health and wellness show based in Syracuse, N.Y.