Millennials as a generation have torn down walls and stigmas against mental health. They have changed the way society addresses things like depression, anxiety, or mental illness overall. They are aware of the importance of addressing mental health and the consequences for when issues are ignored. The blockade of judgment and stigma once prevented individuals from getting the help they deserved.
While that wall is being torn down and mental health marketing is changing, providers have found different struggles in their efforts to pull millennial clients into their doors. Mental health marketing is the key to reaching millennials in 2020.
Why Might Millennials Not Utilize Services?
1. Cost
Many millennials do not have health coverage for mental health services, making cost a primary obstacle for them. It is often their assumption that they cannot afford to see a therapist on a regular basis.
2. Too Many Options
Due to the fact that more people than ever are open to talking about mental health, more therapy practices have entered the field, leaving a variety of options. Many individuals hesitate to do the research regarding which one will work best for them.
3. Do Not Know Where to Start
For most, knowing where to start their search is incredibly difficult. Many millennials will start their search online, hoping to happen upon the solution to their mental health needs.
How Mental Health Marketing Can Help
1. Go Mobile
A common stereotype of millennials is that they spend the majority of their time online. While this may not be true for everyone, most millennials start their search for services on the internet, at the very least. For this reason, a rule of thumb for mental health marketing should be to optimize your website for mobile use while offering some online options for clients. Tools like online scheduling or even a simple contact form enable millennial clients an easy first step and is a great tool for mental health marketing.
2. Engage Them Online
Engaging your audience online is an affordable mental health marketing tool that will not only reach millennials more effectively, but also improve the image of your practice in their eyes. Engaging potential clients online is more than purchasing advertisements or posting what your practice offers in terms of services. It should also include content millennials might find interesting or relatable. Share the newest research in the field, inspirational messages, or even cute pictures that might not be related to mental health at all. This mental health marketing tip makes your practice more memorable in the mind of the client.
3. Increase Credibility
When it comes to mental health marketing for millennials, the credibility of your organization lies deeper than your experience or industry qualifications. The truth is, many millennial clients do not care much for those details. Instead, they want to see who else has visited your practice and what their experience was like during their time there. To reach more millennial clients with mental health marketing, providers need to increase the number of positive online client reviews on places like Yelp, Google, or other internet platforms.
4. Meet Them Where They Are
Lastly, the best tip for mental health marketing is to meet your clients where they are. This covers a variety of actions that make you more accessible to potential clients. Meet them in their search by showing up online as much as possible in searches related to your services. Engage them on social media, where they spend a great amount of their time. Share relatable content that might grab their attention and appeal to their interests. Meet them where they are so they know your therapy practice has their best interest in mind and is always available to help. Authenticity and online engagement in mental health marketing are two characteristics that many millennial clients are searching for from a provider.
For more tips about mental health marketing or how to grow your practice, click here.
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