The senior living industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past decade. This has caused both the demand for senior living options to rise and the choices available to seniors to increase.
To connect with this new generation of seniors, healthcare leaders must adopt new marketing strategies.
In this article, we showcase strategies to reach today’s seniors, build trust, and differentiate from your competitors.
Understanding Your Audience(s)
One of the fundamental aspects of senior living marketing is understanding the audience. Seniors and their families are not just looking for a place to stay. They seek a community that caters to their needs, offers companionship, and provides a high quality of life. Marketers who want to connect with seniors in meaningful ways need to empathetically understand the concerns, desires, and challenges seniors and their families face.
Complicating this matter for families seeking senior care is that there can be multiple decision-makers in various locations. Adult children, spouses, family physicians, and other relatives can all be involved in this process.
Because of this, the person making marketing decisions for your organization must understand how to navigate these complexities. Breaking your marketing campaigns into different groupings such as services, amenities or locations, personalizing content and tracking leads using first-click attribution tools are essential to spending your limited budget wisely.
Building Trust through Transparency & Openness
Transparency is key in senior living marketing. Families entrust the well-being of their loved ones to these communities; hence, they expect honesty and openness. Clear communication about services, amenities, staff qualifications, and costs builds trust. Providing virtual tours, testimonials, and detailed information on the community’s website can enhance transparency and help potential residents and their families make informed decisions.
Being authentic and honest about both the good and bad aspects of the industry will help those viewing your website or your marketing materials understand all they need to know when making a decision. Pricing options, room size, and insurance coverage (or lack thereof) can all be difficult, complex topics to cover. However, dealing with these topics head-on will establish a sense of trust and help make your organization a trusted resource for families.
Embracing a Cohesive Digital Marketing Message
In the digital age, seniors and their families often turn to the internet first when researching senior living options. A well-designed, user-friendly website is crucial. However, that is only one of the many touch points prospective customers will use when looking into their options.
Search engine optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) ensure the community appears in relevant online searches. Social media platforms provide an opportunity to engage with the audience, share community events, resident stories, and provide useful information about senior living. Additionally, email marketing is a powerful tool for keeping interested parties informed about the community’s offerings.
Because of this, it is vital that personalized content is utilized. Giving the right message to the right person at the right time can make all the difference in nurturing a qualified lead. A strong digital marketing strategy will help develop customer personas, customer journey maps, and a content strategy plan that will deliver quality leads while keeping the top of your purchasing funnel growing.
Bring Your Strategies to Market
In the competitive landscape of senior living, effective marketing strategies can make all the difference. By understanding the audience, building trust, and embracing a cohesive digital marketing message, senior living communities can create a positive image, attract prospective residents, and ultimately provide a nurturing and fulfilling environment for seniors in their golden years.
Hero Digital has focused on developing and investing in our National Health & Wellness vertical over the last decade. We’ve partnered with a leader in the senior living industry for over 13 years—growing their business year over year. We’re committed to understanding and solving the challenges the industry faces. Our focus is on innovation, disruption, and people-first solutions to transform the status quo.
For more information on our Health & Wellness practice, please contact Christie McFall at christie.mcfall@herodigital.com or 913-952-3037. Or fill out the form below.
