Eyeworld

EW REFRACTIVE SURGERY 44 February 2016 by Rich Daly EyeWorld Contributing Writer Mexico, and Millennials know and appreciate that." In terms of social media, consid- er that not all social media is created equal. For instance, Dr. Kraff has moved away from Twitter. "I'm not sure that works because people get inundated with infor- mation from tweets, and they will follow who they want to follow," Dr. Kraff said. "We have a presence on Facebook, but I have yet to see that be effective." Dr. Kraff makes sure his prac- tice's website is up to date, allows patients to make appointments through it, and makes sure to re- spond back electronically if patients want that. Message changes Dr. Coleman's signage at Albuquer- que-area events includes no "call to action," which was long a mainstay of advertising. "It's very different from the old 'Call now' ads," Dr. Coleman said. "Or 'If you call before the end of the month, it's 50% off.' In my experience, that doesn't work with Millennials." Dr. Kraff's marketing messages go beyond safety and efficacy to include his practice's level of experi- ence and its brand. "They can research that brand very easily so you can't be deceptive, and you need to be able to back up your marketing message with facts," Dr. Kraff said. Keep your online mes- sages up to date and consistent. The Millennial population is very focused on facts, and surgeons note that it's not uncommon for pa- tients to start Googling terms during a consultation or to read your practice's Yelp reviews while you are meeting them for the first time. "This is a demographic that has a ton of information but very little knowledge," Dr. Coleman said. "At some point, doctors have to display knowledge and experience. That absolutely resonates with them." EW Editors' note: The physicians have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Blanton: blanton007@aol.com Coleman: stephen@Colemanvision.com Kraff: ckraff@kraffeye.com gift certificates, seminars, charity donations, and brochures to reach his older patients. In addition, he is increasingly adding Internet search engine optimization, pay per click (PPC) methodologies, Pandora, tracking software, Internet sur- veys and appointment scheduling, reputation management (such as Yelp), and social media sites (such as Facebook and Instagram). The result is a cost savings as leads generated using traditional methods cost around $250 to $300, while leads generated through the Internet, social media, and PPC methodologies cost $75 to $100 each. "The Millennials, who are super connected to mobile technology, are best reached through the Internet and social media," Dr. Blanton said. "But many Baby Boomers are becoming more tech savvy, so these distinctions are relatively fluid and constantly evolving." Meanwhile, Dr. Coleman has moved away from traditional ad- vertising such as ads on local news channels, seminars, health fairs, and even print ads. Instead, his prac- tice focuses on word-of-mouth and sponsoring local events and school sports teams. "We have an impactful presence in the community," Dr. Coleman said. "Our professional tennis tour- nament benefits the youth of New of your current patients are being referred by their parents who had LASIK. This is a no cost proposition from a marketing position," said Stephen Coleman, MD, Coleman Vision, Albuquerque, N.M. Millennials also have a delayed sense of independence with moving back home, which means they be- come independent for the first time at 26 or later, instead of at 18, Dr. Coleman observed. "What goes along with that is this notion of being independent of glasses or contacts," Dr. Coleman said. "It's a good fit. They are value conscious and money conscious." Marketing change The generational shift has not led Dr. Kraff to spend more on market- ing, but he has shifted spending from traditional TV, radio, and print to electronic platforms. Marketing on Google or Facebook allows him to reach a generation that lives much more online, and the digital advertising platforms provide ana- lytics that allow his practice to track its success much better. "You can see where the dollars are spent and the resulting income from that," Dr. Kraff said. "That is very helpful." Christopher Blanton, MD, president and CEO, Inland Eye Institute, Ranch Cucamonga, Calif., still uses some traditional means like newsletters, holiday campaigns, Refractive surgeons have found success with new kinds of outreach that show the benefits of laser vision correction to younger adults D emographic changes have lowered the mean age of laser vision correction patients, according to ophthalmic surgeons, and that has brought both challenges and opportunities in reaching new generations. As the Baby Boomer generation aged out of the target laser vision correction demographic, the mar- keting techniques that succeeded in reaching them also aged out, practic- es have found. Colman Kraff, MD, director of refractive surgery, Kraff Eye Institute, Chicago, has seen his laser vision correction demographics change dramatically in the last 5 to 7 years, with the mean age dropping from the mid 30s to the early 30s or late 20s. "We're dealing more with the Millennial-type patients," Dr. Kraff said about patients born from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. "As a result of that, we have to change some of our marketing techniques to disseminate information to that patient population. Some of the traditional things that worked in the past have to change." Generational differences Among the differences in the new dominant group is that many of their family members previously had laser vision correction so they have a greater familiarity with it. "It is not necessarily a rite of passage but almost," Dr. Kraff said. "People get braces in their teens, and in their mid to late 20s, people are starting to get LASIK." The change means that practices can talk less about previous fear- based barriers to treatment and lack of efficacy. Word-of-mouth remains a dominant means to grow practices. "If you were a surgeon who took good care of your patients back in the day, then a significant portion Marketing LASIK evolves for a new generation

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