Although you may think of Generation Z as “kids,” the reality is that they’re growing up quickly. Born from 1997 to 2011, the oldest people in this age bracket are out of school, in the workforce and approaching the age that they’re no longer covered by their parents’ insurance. Chances are, if they aren’t making all their own healthcare choices already, they will be soon. We have some ideas and marketing giveaways to start capturing the attention of the next generation of patients.
Be mobile-first
If you want Gen Z to find—and, more importantly, use—your website, it’s critical that it’s mobile-friendly. This internet-native generation was raised on handheld devices. Consider:
- Ninety-eight percent of Gen Z owns a smartphone.
- Ninety-one percent of them got their first mobile device before age 16.
- Fifty-five percent use their smartphone more than five hours a day.
If you recently updated your website to make it more mobile-friendly, reach out to your Gen Z patients and let them know with a marketing giveaway. A screen-cleaning cloth, webcam privacy cover or stylus pen can be a great reminder of your site.
Communicate precisely
Gen Z makes up nearly 18% of the Canadian population and is the most diverse generation in Canadian history. Gen Z’s needs and wants also place them into a variety of unique niches. Ensure your marketing message is hitting a precise target by fully understanding the audience you’re trying to reach.
One powerful way to do this is to create personas for potential Gen Z patients you’re trying to attract. Here’s an example:
“Sofia is a university student making her first health care decisions while she’s away from her parents at school. She wants to know her local options for mental and primary health, including information on which organizations are covered by her extended health care benefits plan.”
Having personas like this will help you present the information your Gen Z patients want and need to know.
Not sure what your patients are searching for in health care? Create a social media survey and use the data from participants to help create these personas. Thank participants with thermal wraps or cotton keyring pouches.
Consider working with influencers
Nearly one-half of Gen Z has made a buying choice based on the recommendation of a social influencer. This makes connecting with a health influencer like a scientist or nutritionist a powerful way to share information about your organization while connecting with new audiences.
To get the most out of influencer relationships, it’s important that you have goals in mind when you approach one about working with you. Do you want to:
- Gain more social media followers?
- Share information about a product or service?
- Book more appointments?
- Bring more people to your website?
Knowing what you want to accomplish will help you find the right influencer to partner with.
Catch the attention of another generation
Even though Generation Z is young, they won’t be kids forever—and generation Alpha is coming up right behind them. By knowing how to market to Gen Z patients now, you’ll be able to spend the next few years offering them information, connecting and helping the next generation of adults take good care of themselves.