How to market healthcare to all the generations: Gen X.

Emily Marchak 09/30/15 - 3:44 pm

Always on the go, Generation X is looking to simplify life in many ways. Having faced the recession and now midlife, mindful Gen Xers value security, trust and balance. These are important insights to better understand how to broach serious conversations with this skeptical generation, like healthcare.

Here are three tactics to apply to your healthcare marketing strategy to attract Generation X:

1. Division of media
Although this generation is somewhat tech-savvy they do not completely rely on one marketing tactic over another. Gen Xers instead split their time between online-offline media, as eMarketer notes. Reviews, information about drugs, doctors, costs, symptoms etc. are the types of content searched on the web. Other mediums that appeal to Gen Xers are TV ads, in-office brand materials, direct mail pieces and print ads. As you can see from the chart below, compliments of eMarketer, Gen Xers split their time between various media outlets when dealing with healthcare related content. So it’s important for you to make sure your marketing efforts are varied to better capture the attention of this cohort.

2. Compare and contrast
Considered the skeptical generation, Gen Xers take particular care in selecting hospitals and doctors. They consult online consumer reviews, tap into their social networks and ask around the office to find physicians, hospitals and other healthcare needs. If any of these reviews are negative, Gen Xers are more likely to switch their providers and doctors. As stated previously, Gen Xers value trust and security. If you don’t fit their needs, you just may get the boot.

3. Relatability
In order to capture Generation X’s attention, marketers must highlight this cohort’s value system. In the playful TV spot “Our Song,” UnitedHealthcare relates to Xer’s values of passion and confidence.

For more information on how to market healthcare across the generations, stay tuned to this blog series. In upcoming posts, we will examine each cohort, provide strategies for engagement, as well as provide industry examples.

Blog Category: Healthcare

1 thought on “How to market healthcare to all the generations: Gen X.”

  1. Marketing to Generation-X can
    Marketing to Generation-X can be somewhat tricky. There are a few mediums that are effective when marketing to Generation-X, but you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket. As you pointed out, they split their time between online and offline media.

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