Millennials Flock to Anti-Aging and Cosmetic Treatments

Millennials are changing the aesthetics industry in a big way. One recent study found that 63% of younger millennials and 67% of older millennials would consider going to a med spa or plastic surgeon to have work done. While many associate cosmetic procedures with aging, millennials have started taking advantage of surgical and nonsurgical aesthetic treatments for both enhancement and preventative purposes. Aesthetic treatments are becoming an integral part of the millennial beauty routine, as one study found a 28% increase in BOTOX and a 32% increase in fillers amongst these younger patients. No longer taboo, and increasingly normalized, millennials are always on the lookout for the next best procedure, and are not shy to share their results. If you own a med spa, plastic surgery center, or dermatology office, it is important that you capitalize on this rising trend. While many aesthetic marketing campaigns highlight the anti-aging elements of injectables and other aesthetic procedures, it is essential that your practice markets the benefit and enhancement capabilities of nonsurgical treatments as well. In this article, we will discuss the rising trend of millennial procedures, how to market your services to younger patients, and how utilizing younger patients can increase your overall patient acquisition.

Millennials and Aesthetics: A Rising Trend

To best market to this particular age group, it is important to understand the catalyst behind the trend. Millennials love social media, as they make up over 89% of Instagram's 1 billion users. Social media platforms like this are a hub for 20 and 30-somethings to both share their lives and see the latest trends, including in aesthetics. Many would argue that celebrities like Kylie Jenner both popularized and normalized nonsurgical aesthetic treatments when she admitted to receiving lip injections in 2015.  Since then, the entire Kardashian clan (as well as many other prominent celebrities and influencers) have been more and more candid about the procedures they receive, often sharing their treatment experience or results on platforms like Instagram or Snapchat.

‍Dr. Simon Ourian, the doctor famous for injecting Jenner's lips and providing treatments for the rest of the Kardashian family and other celebrities noted that "[the Kardashian-Jenners] are the biggest influencing power force behind any concept that happens on social media" today. (See this link for an Instagram post with Ourian and Kim K). However, while celebrities' role in normalizing cosmetic procedures is undoubtedly profound, non-celebrity influencer marketing has also had a strong effect on the rising trend of millennials receiving aesthetic treatments. Sharing treatments on social media is not just for celebrities or those with a prominent following, either. Many normal patients post their results on social media as a way to document their treatment, healing, and results, and these posts have contributed to the overall social acceptance of such treatments.

Another factor that is often overlooked is availability. BOTOX was FDA-approved 2002, and it changed the face of aesthetics forever, as nonsurgical treatments quickly became highly sought-after. Since then, nonsurgical options have only expanded, with popular treatments including dermal fillers, nonsurgical body contouring, IPL, and more, making more room for patients of any age to reap the benefits of aesthetics treatments without going under the knife. So how can your practice take this trend and use it to your advantage? Read on to discover our best advice regarding aesthetics and millennials.

Don't Just Focus on Anti-Aging

Expand your marketing efforts through every channel by diversifying your content and target audience. While it is important to continue to highlight products like BOTOX or Juvéderm for their ability to treat aging-related problems, educating patients on other potential uses for injectables and non-surgical treatments can be extremely beneficial for your practice.

• Your Website: Make sure you have pages dedicated to treatments millennials are searching for like lip injections, preventative BOTOX, nonsurgical body contouring, preventative skin care and more. Furthermore, having pages that talk about treatments in your 20's and 30's can be great for SEO and your overall search presence with millennials. Make sure you have great pictures of your younger patients' before-and-after results.
• PPC: A paid search campaign can be a great way to bring in younger patients right away. By knowing what treatments and keywords millennials are searching for, you can optimize your campaigns and landing pages to ensure you see an immediate increase in bookings. Landing pages can also be a great place to showcase your best before-and-after photos of younger patients.
• Text and Email: Text and email are both great ways to reach a younger audience and create promotions around popular millennial treatments. Both text and email can also be channels to reach active clients who may be hesitant about injectable treatments and need an extra push.

Be Social!

Of all the channels you can use to increase your millennial patient acquisition, social media is probably the most important. Because many popular aesthetic treatments, such as lip injections, are always trending, many millennials follow or find practitioners based on hashtags, influencer recommendations, and content quality and engagement. Make sure you are engaging with all of your followers and creating targeted content that will answer common questions millennials may have about your given treatments. By using features like IGTV, live streams, and stories, you can reach your target audience in a variety of ways through channels they are already interacting with on a daily basis. Create compelling photos and videos that both educate the prospective patient and showcase your best work. Furthermore, by implementing younger influencers, you can reach a broader audience and increase millennial patient acquisition. Millennials frequently view and share content, and if you deliver great results, your younger patients can become your biggest brand ambassadors, increasing overall patient acquisition.

Millennials, Aesthetics, and Your Practice

Millennials love the world of nonsurgical aesthetics and will continue to play a crucial role in its development. In this light, it is essential that you are marketing your services to all age groups and utilizing millennial's online and social presence to benefit your practice. By crafting a targeted marketing campaign that utilizes search engine optimization, PPC, text and email marketing, and social media, you can expect to see an overall rise in patient acquisition (including younger patients). At Med Aesthetics Group, we are experts in aesthetics marketing, and can help you reach the potential patients you want - fast. 95% of our clients see results on day one. We make it our mission to help practices reach their potential. For more information about how you can market your aesthetic services to millennials and to learn about our digital marketing services, book a demo with us today!