The Millennial Approach to Beauty

Accounting for about 80 million prospective aesthetics patients with a favorable inclination toward treatments, millennials will be influential in shaping the way aesthetic procedures are viewed and used moving forward. Treatment providers who feel their current core of older clientele make their clinic unwavering to millennial trends may want to reconsider. As these 18- to 35-year-olds become an ever-growing proportion of prospective patients and shape the movement within the aesthetics industry, their approach to beauty and what they seek from an aesthetics treatment provider will certainly influence which clinics survive in the next five, 10, or 20 years from now.

How Do Millennials Approach Beauty?

More recently, there has been a stronger movement toward personal development and self-love. Millennials are leading the charge, creating more inclusive ideas of how they define beauty as they break down notions of beauty standards, primarily through social media profiles alongside political involvement. It’s part of the millennial mindset to consider the “self” first, so it only seems natural that exploration into personal growth and improving self-esteem are a growing trend alongside the right to self-expression in American culture.

In fact, according to one poll, 82% of all U.S. adults claimed they planned to make changes to support their personal well-being and improve their appearance in 2019. Among the top modes of action, 58% planned to exercise more, 55% planned to eat healthier, 33% planned to invest more in mental health support, and 57% of millennials alone (versus 28% of adults over 35) said they planned to opt for a cosmetic treatment in the next 12 months. Further, the millennial demographic showed the greatest openness to personal well-being and appearance changes, with 88% planning a change.

As it applies to the medical aesthetics space—backed by new developments in technology, greater accessibility to aesthetic treatments, and a more holistic approach to beauty through long-term aesthetics plans—millennials are influencing the movement toward more minimally invasive and non-invasive procedures in place of surgical overhauls. Rather than altering their appearance to better suit a beauty standard, millennials approach beauty and aesthetics as a way to elevate their current appearance, establishing their own beauty standards to become the best version of themselves and support self-expression. 

Proponents of the Skin Health and Beauty Pyramid™, millennials commonly opt for injectables ($1.0 billion was spent on injectables in 2018 alone), as well as skin resurfacing and photorejuvenation treatments, all supported by high-quality skin care. In other words, millennials seek out low-stress treatments to preemptively fight common signs of aging while incorporating skin health into their daily routines. They are devotees of sunscreen, moisturizers, retinoids, and antioxidants whose goal is to optimize and prolong skin health but who also readily see the value in complementary aesthetics treatments to boost the effectiveness of these skin care essentials—an ideal mix for a strong patient retention ratio.

So, how can your clinic appeal to this core demographic?

Quick Tips to Appeal to the Millennial Market

Modern Aesthetics profiles millennials as having four core tendencies:

1. They stay connected on a regular basis through social media.
2. They feel comfortable sharing personal information online.
3. They are passionate about self-expression and open to using beauty to express their individuality.
4. They support businesses that prove they understand these tendencies.

To appeal to the millennial market, your medical aesthetics clinic must focus in on a strong social media and digital marketing strategy, prove its authenticity, work to strengthen patient referrals, and show that you see the uniqueness and value of each individual patient. Mass discounts may appeal to customers’ wallets, but winning the loyalty of these patients is more about offering value and a strong business model that aligns with these patients’ values. The following are some simple tips to help get you started:

• Register with Google My Business: Establishing a Google My Business account supports your clinic’s searchability online, which is key for appealing to a millennial demographic submerged in technology and online research. It also offers key information to prospective patients in an easily accessible format, making it as effortless as possible for the prospective patient to learn more about your business or contact you while also conveying a greater level of professionalism.
• Introduce Online Bookings: Introducing an online booking portal for consultations or basic facial treatments, such as a Venus Glow™ dermal rejuvenation treatment, supports accessibility for millennials who have come to expect an instant booking option. This also frees up time for your staff to better serve patients in-clinic than answering calls for bookings that do not require a preliminary consultation or conversation.
• Show Personality in Digital Marketing: “Authenticity” may seem like an overused buzzword, but millennials especially will respect businesses that appear genuine and honest in their mission. Incorporating a face into your social media posts and establishing a key personality who can represent your business both on- and offline can help to convey your business’ values while offering a clearer picture of the people behind your business—that’s who prospective patients will connect with and place their trust in after all.
• Participate in Online Forums: Having a professional website and active social media accounts aren’t always enough. Millennials are considered sophisticated searchers. Before committing to a provider, they will likely scan your website, social media accounts, third-party medical websites, and review sites, and may even seek referrals from their own social network. Being active in these online arenas while offering superior service to current patients is the best way to strengthen your patient lifecycle while improving your patient acquisition rate within this key demographic.
• Offer Proven Technologies and Comprehensive Treatment Plans: Millennials want to know that their time and money is respected. Offering a comprehensive treatment plan that includes at-home skin care tips and different treatments they may use to achieve their unique goals, all customized to their needs with little disruption to their daily schedule is the best way to earn their trust and show these prospective patients that you are invested in their outcome.

While incorporating all of these tips (and note that this list is far from exhaustive) may seem like an overwhelming workload, particularly for smaller aesthetics clinics, partnering with a medical aesthetics device company that is invested in your long-term success is an easy way to take a little pressure off your shoulders. At Venus Concept, we offer more than innovative aesthetics devices that deliver some of the most popular treatment options among millennials—we are also a business built on a customer-first business model designed to propel your success. From practice enhancement to marketing support and more, our team is ready to assist with strategic planning, marketing asset development, and the highest level of post-sale support, so you don’t have to go at it alone.  

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