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The New Way to Ask: The Millennial Way

Posted on: Thursday, August 11, 2011

Category: Announcements

Submitted by CaridianBCT

Everyone keeps talking about social media, and rightfully so: According to Wikipedia, there are more than 400 social media sites on the Internet. Social media has incredible reach, both for its social-connecting power, and—increasingly—for its business-connecting power. What may be surprising is that 37 percent of the people using Facebook are between the ages of 35 and 65—still the primary audience to recruit as blood donors. However, the 63 percent who are age 34 and younger are replacing the aging Baby Boomer population to become the most important new target audience:  the Millennials.

The Millennial way to connect…

Amanda Landers, Director of Donor Recruitment, United Blood Services (UBS) of Louisiana, has incorporated a progressive new approach to donor education, recruitment and collections which she shared during a workshop at the 2011 CBBS/SCABB joint-meeting in Las Vegas. “Blood centers who learn to communicate the Millennial way are reaching new age groups to target as donors,” said Landers.

As an example, Landers described a Christmas Eve Blood Drive promoted entirely through Twitter. “We had a ‘champion’ who tweeted for us,” said Landers, referring to Aileen Bennett, a Louisiana-based motivational speaker with nearly 5,000 followers. “We collected 94 units on the day before Christmas and, most importantly, recruited 71 new donors,” said Landers. “Our cost: Zero!”

Landers regularly uses UBS Louisiana’s Facebook page for public education, and “likes” other pages. “By connecting with organizations and individuals in this way, we continue to build relationships across a growing range of generations.”

The Millennial way to engage…

UBS Louisiana created a successful interactive educational approach “to continue the Millennial experience in-center” using new technology developed by CaridianBCT and partnering to pilot the DonorMAX Program.

Dubbed “MAXine,” the DonorMAX kiosk became the “girl everyone wanted to meet.” UBS Louisiana developed a unique marketing campaign that positioned MAXine as a match-maker—matching donors to patient need. Through using Facebook and e-mail blasts to help create awareness, and MAXine to assist blood center staff in “breaking the ice” with donors to talk about automated collections, they converted 25 percent of whole blood donors to automation, and saw a 24 percent increase in platelet collection, as well as a 19 percent increase in their automated donor base.

The Millennial way to ask…

Landers concluded her workshop with the familiar question, “What is the number one reason people don’t donate?” Everyone in the room knew the answer: Because people just aren’t asked. Landers added: “No more excuses. Keep asking, but ask the Millennial way.”