• Each generation is using social media marketing differently than the one before it • This makes it difficult for dentists to know which platforms or strategies to use to best reach their overall target audience • Understanding the differences between how different generations use social media can help your practice develop a well-rounded strategy
It’ s no secret that the Baby Boomers and Gen Z are about as different as they come, with strong differences in political opinions, consumer behavior, and even etiquette. Despite this, many dental practices are still trying to reach both generations (and everyone in between— we see you, Gen X and Millennials!) with the same tactics through the same social media platforms.
Marketing to every generation can be difficult. If you cater exclusively to only one demographic, you could easily find yourself alienating the potential dental patients in other demographics that don’t see or understand your messaging.
The good news is that there are ways to effectively reach every demographic, and in this post, we’ll show you how to do so on the different social media platforms – from Facebook to Instagram to TikTok.
First: Know Which Platforms Each Generation is Using
Adult dental practices serve patients of every age, so let’s take a look at how each generation is using social media.
Keep in mind that there will always be some overlap between the four generations and their usage, but that there’s also distinct trends, too. Boomers are going to be more active on Facebook, and Gen Z is focused heavily on TikTok.
Gen Z and Social Usage
It may not surprise you that your Gen Z dental patients have the heaviest consumption of social media out of all the generations. Since they’re the generation that grew up with social media all around them, this checks out.
They’ve got the highest usage rate on a total of four out of five of the core platforms— Facebook (where 87% of the generation is active), Twitter (37%), Instagram (53%), and Pinterest (37%).
They also champion the usage of TikTok, making up 60% of TikTok’s total audience and spending an average of 45 minutes per day on the platform. They’re also part of the demographic still using SnapChat, which is made up almost exclusively of Gen Z and Gen Y users. They’re only not first in LinkedIn usage, where only 23% of the generation has an account.
Millennials and Social Usage
While Gen Z grew up with social media, Gen Y is the generation that was growing up when it first arrived. This has also allowed them to have a sophisticated approach with social media, because it’s been a core part of almost half of their lives.
Millennials have high social media usage rates, often dabbling in more platforms than some of the older generations. Their usage comes in second only to Gen Z on all platforms (including SnapChat and TikTok) with the exception of LinkedIn, where they lead with 31% of their users are on the platform.
While this group has 73% of its members currently on Facebook, that usage rate is actually declining over time as they spread out to more platforms. That being said, 25% of their audience is on Twitter and/or Instagram, and 28% is on Pinterest.
Gen X and Social Usage
Gen X users definitely have social media, but their usage isn’t quite as religious or dedicated as younger generations. Some platforms definitely reflect this more than others as usage increases in certain places.
Gen X hardly uses Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok (with only 12% using Twitter or Instagram), but a total of 63% are regularly active on Facebook. They also stay strong at 30% usage on LinkedIn, which makes sense since many are in the height of their professional careers. They’re also picking up steam in Pinterest, with an 11% year-over-year growth rate landing them at 27% usage. Their presence on SnapChat is almost nonexistent.
This particular generation uses social media regularly, but often not for as long as some of the younger generations.
Baby Boomers and Social Usage
Last but certainly not least, we’ve got our Baby Boomers.
While other groups are slowing down (or, at most, staying steady) with Facebook usage, this generation’s usage has increased. 56% of their generation is now on the platform, which was an 11% increase in the past few years.
Their usage on other platforms is low. Only 10% uses Twitter, 6% use Instagram, and Pinterest has an exceptional-for-this-generation 17% usage rate. LinkedIn also has a 21% usage rate as retirement ages are pushed back. Boomers are practically nonexistent on TikTok and Snapchat.
And keep in mind that while younger generations have a more well-rounded approach with social media, Boomers are incredibly active, spending an average of 48 minutes a day on Facebook and Instagram, and are more likely to both share content and click through to a business’s website. Don’t count them out.
How Dentists Can to Appeal to All Social Media Users
While social media usage trends vary fairly significantly between some generations, the good news is that this can actually make it easier in some ways to appeal to all users.
Start by keeping the generation-focused content like pop culture reference on the appropriate platform where they’ll be. Stick that content where it will best resonate, and otherwise look for high-opportunity content that you can use (or at least repurpose) on each platform.
Tailor Your Content to Each Platform
We’ve referenced this above already, but this is an important tip.
Create quirky branded content for Millennials and Gen Z, using the features they love most like Reels and Stories on Instagram or starting a thriving TikTok profile— it’s essential to reach them where they are, and to rise to the challenge of creating high-engaging content wherever that is.
Meanwhile, you know that LinkedIn and Facebook are great options to reach older generations, with in-feed content that share links to off-site content that they’re more likely to click.
Test content across each platform that you believe will appeal to your userbase there and see how it performs.
Create Engaging Resources
All generations love free resources, and sharing knowledge is a great way to create resources that all potential patients would love.
Everyone could stand to use a reminder on the best mouthwashes on the market, for example, or a list of symptoms that means you should see your dentist right away. Gen Z can get cavities just like Baby Boomers, and nobody wants to end up needing a root canal if they can help it.
Share these resources across social media, even if you’re repurposing them slightly; what might be a simple list with a link to a longer post on Facebook could be a funny Reel video quickly listing symptoms on screen. Get creative and repurpose the content as you need to.
Use High Quality Visuals
No matter what platform you’re on, videos and images that are high quality and demonstrate your point help capture attention and establish context. This will boost visibility with all demographics.
Make sure to follow these guidelines:
Use Targeted Ads
When in doubt, test paid social ads. Every PPC social media platform allows you to target users by age, effectively segmenting the different generations so that you can create hyper-segmented content.
Target appropriately and remember to run the right ads on the right platforms where you’ll be most effective at reaching your audience. Think about what each generation will be looking for when it comes to dentistry. Are they more likely to need dental implants? Which demographic most likely will be looking for veneers and cosmetic dentistry? Which ones will be looking for family-friendly or kid-friendly dental practices?
Final Thoughts
Every generation is different than the one that came before it, but the good news is that there’s plenty of overlap in how most generations use social media. You can take advantage of this to create mass-appeal content that will appeal to patients of all ages for your dental practice, and then venture out into niche platforms to best connect with individual generations as you see fit.
Remember:
Meta description: The Generation Gap ranging from Gen Z all the way to Baby Boomers is extensive. See how to close the gap and appeal to dental patients from every generation.
Further Reading
Want to learn more about social media marketing for dentists? Check out these articles:
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