In the modern landscape, a significant part of your marketing strategy should be digital because consumers and businesses spend most of their time online. Although seniors are late adopters of technology, their shift to digital life continues to deepen. Just like other consumers, seniors use the internet frequently for numerous reasons including researching products and services.  Research shows that 59% of seniors aged above 65 years use the internet, and 71% of them use it daily. 

Assisted living facilities need to reach out to both seniors and their adult children. This is because adult children of senior citizens play a fundamental role in their parents’ transition into assisted living communities. Therefore, an assisted living facility’s digital marketing strategy should target both seniors and their children. The next question that comes to mind is; what is a digital marketing strategy?  

What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?

The term strategy can be intimidating and seem complex. A simple definition of a strategy is a plan of action to attain a goal or a series of goals. After defining a strategy, it will be easier to determine what a digital marketing strategy is. A digital marketing strategy is a plan of action to achieve marketing objectives using various online marketing channels. The channels can be paid, earned, and owned media.      

Seven Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Assisted Living Communities

 A good number of seniors and their children use the internet frequently, and hence it is important for your digital marketing strategy to accommodate them. Below are seven of the best digital marketing strategies for assisted living communities.

1. Search Engine Optimization

People interested in assisted living facilities, like seniors and their children, often search online for a suitable facility. They look for high quality, comfortable, and close-to-home facilities that will offer an accommodating community to live in. They search for a set of keywords and phrases you can predict. For instance, someone in Denver, Colorado who needs an assisted living facility will search for “assisted living facilities in Denver” on Google. Therefore, this gives you a clue about the targeted keywords for your assisted living facility in Denver. You can use SEO so that when someone searches certain keywords, your facility pops up first in the results.     

2. Content Marketing

 Forward-looking senior living communities use content marketing to increase brand awareness and attract new occupants. Content marketing refers to any type of content you publish online, whether on your website, social media platforms, e-guides, blog posts, or marketing emails. Your content should be appealing, informative, and compelling. Not all the people who visit your website want to send a loved one to your facility. Some are looking for options, others have several questions about the decision, while others want to know when it’s time to make the decision. Therefore, you should provide useful content to all these groups of people.

Publish content on talking to parents about moving to an assisted facility, when to know it’s time to make the move, handling the decision to move, and common concerns about living in assisted living communities. You can publish anything that concerns your target market. Even if someone is not looking for an assisted living facility yet, when you answer all of their questions, they may consider you when the time to make the golden decision comes. 

3. Use Informative and Entertaining Videos

Apart from compelling and informative content, you should also include a video on your website. Videos are becoming a significant part of online marketing. Many internet users increasingly prefer videos to learn about products and services. Your homepage should include informative and entertaining short videos. The video can be a trip around your facility, testimonies of current residents, or an eye-opening skit on the dangers of letting seniors live alone. The video will evoke the interest of many people and keep them on your site.

4. Pay-per-click

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are not only affordable, but are also effective at marketing your business online. But how does PPC work? Google devises the best audience for your ad by assessing people’s search histories. It then makes the ad visible to these people, and you only pay for the ad when a person clicks on it. For example, if someone has searched for assisted living facilities before, Google places your ad in front of them. When they click on your ad, you pay for it. PPC helps you generate traffic for your website at a minimal cost.

5. Sign Up with Online Directories

There are numerous online directories for assisted living communities such as Caring.com and SeniorLiving.org. You can sign up with these online directories by creating a page with them. The page should include the best features of your facility, high-quality photos, and contact information— name, phone number, and office hours. Online directories not only bring traffic to your site but also generate leads and sales.     

6. Create a Strong Social Media Presence

You should utilize social media networks as part of your digital marketing strategy for assisted living communities. Use social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to engage with your audience. After adding new blogs on your website, broadcast it on social media. You can also use social media to sell the features of your assisted living facility, celebrate events, and encourage people to visit your page.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a cost friendly and effective way to market your assisted living facility to potential residents. Once you have email addresses from prospective clients, you can use email newsletters to market to them. Send them monthly newsletters notifying them of community events and offering links to your latest blogs. Ensure you offer value to your subscribers lest they opt out.

When it comes to senior living communities, most marketers opt for traditional marketing tactics followed by community websites, direct mails, and in-person events. However, there’s a trend towards digital marketing strategies to reach out to senior citizens and their adult children. Owners and managers of assisted living communities can use these seven digital marketing strategies to attract new residents as well as stay ahead of the competition. Contact 408 marketing for marketing plan samples and templates to build a digital marketing strategy for your assisted living facility.