OK, Boomer: Marketing your dental practice to Baby Boomers and beyond

Naomi Cooper

Baby Boomers. Active Agers. Senior Citizens. Call the over age-55 group whatever you want, but just don’t call them old. Baby Boomers represent a powerful demographic today, comprising almost 20 percent of the American population. Many patients in this age group are relatively affluent and recently retired, meaning they have disposable income and the time to spend it. As any population ages, dental care becomes all the more important, so Baby Boomers in particular represent a powerful audience for your dental practice marketing.

The concept of marketing to Baby Boomers is nothing new, but the ways in which dentists can reach this valuable patient base have changed. It can be easy to think that digital marketing strategies won’t work with this more mature crowd, but that’s no longer the case, and foregoing newer types of efforts may actually be a short-sighted strategy. First, before we dive into the marketing specifics, let’s first better understand the Baby Boomer audience.

Three common characteristics of Baby Boomer dental patients

1. They are tech savvy. The derisive stereotyping of Baby Boomers as luddites who are still being tutored by their younger family members is, by and large, a huge misconception. 

2. They are active. With advancements in healthcare, most Boomers are more social and active than the generations before them.

3. They are loyal. Boomer patients are willing to stick with a provider for the long term. However, that loyalty has to be earned through trust, great customer service, and a value-oriented approach. 

Using this information, dentists can better craft a marketing plan that will be more effective in targeting this key demographic. 

5 ways to attract and keep more Baby Boomer dental patients

1. Bring Your Website Up to Speed

The dental practice website needs to be easy to read on all types of devices, with plenty of white space, as opposed to crammed with a ton of text in small print. Keep the office contact information visible on every page of the site so that it is easy to find. Make sure it is secure and HTTPS-compliant. Add engaging elements like blog posts and videos that provide dental information, as Baby Boomer patients are voracious consumers of online content.

2. Complete Your Google Business Profile 

Knowing Boomers are tech savvy makes having a complete business profile on Google a no-brainer. Be sure to update the contact information and hours of operation, link to the website, and add professional photos of the practice. Then start asking happy patients to leave reviews on Google in order to help shore up your online presence. 

3. Focus on Shareable Facebook Content

Baby Boomers engage on this social media platform more than any other, and they use it in a more active way than their younger counterparts. It was recently reported that Boomers are 19 percent more likely to share content than any other generation.  Dentists can capitalize on this by posting links to their website or interesting blog posts on their business Facebook profile. Be sure to promote special services and offers that appeal to this demographic, including same-day procedures, implants, and cosmetic treatment.

4. Go Viral with Video

Video content is proving to be incredibly popular among Baby Boomers as well, as research from Google showed that 54 percent of Boomers watch online videos. According to the same study, after watching an online video, Boomers will often visit the associated website, forward the video, and even post the video on their own Facebook profiles. Now that’s what I call viral! High-quality videos can be easily created using a smartphone and the content of the videos can be anything that is relevant to these patients, from descriptions of popular procedures to a tour of the office to post-op instructions.  

5. Make Sure the In-Office Experience Matches the Online Hype

While modern tactics are good at attracting Baby Boomer patients, they still appreciate the value of good customer service and a comfortable, yet high-tech environment. Be sure the front desk is equipped with strong verbal skills when speaking to patients on the phone. And don’t forget to take the time to talk one-on-one with them on a regular basis in order to gain their trust and buy-in.

While these concepts may be especially helpful when it comes to attracting new (and delighting existing) Baby Boomer patients, they also hold true for other age groups as well; at the end of the day, we’re all just human.

References

[i] https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/baby_boomer.asp
[ii] https://www.dmn3.com/dmn3-blog/3-most-effective-channels-for-marketing-to-baby-boomers/
[iii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/03/06/social-media-matters-for-baby-boomers/#72e3e93e4425