Your Guide to Creating an Effective Senior Living Marketing Strategy

Having a senior living marketing strategy is non-negotiable in today’s market. 

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the number of people age 65 and over will grow from 56 million in 2020 to 80 million by 2040. The demand for your services is about to explode. And your competitors know it. 

The options for senior living communities are also becoming more competitive. There’s a service for every need. In addition to independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities, there are also continuing care retirement communities, memory care communities, and active adult communities. 

What’s more — seniors are becoming more tech-savvy. They’ve grown accustomed to the complexities of researching online before making a purchase, and they regularly use social media to stay connected with friends and family. 

For all these reasons, having — and effectively using— a senior living marketing strategy is a necessity. 

Senior Living Content Marketing Ideas

When it comes to choosing the right assisted living community, seniors and their families take their time to research. 

You can position your community as an expert and trusted resource in the industry by owning topics you already know best, such as senior health, caregiving, financial planning, and transitioning to senior living. 

Once you’ve collected those thoughts for your content marketing senior living plan, think about the best platform to communicate your message. Your senior living content ideas could be in the form of information-dense blog posts, informative articles, or step-by-step guides. 

Some digital marketing plans for senior living businesses feature videos of the community space, so engaged leads have a chance to explore the space before taking the next step. Others may choose to feature profiles of the capable staff on hand to assure decision-makers they are in safe hands. 

Whichever set of formats you choose, focus on making your message valuable and engaging.

Your Senior Living Community SEO Strategy

Did you know 75% of users don’t look past the first page of search results? 

A proper search engine optimization (SEO) strategy helps potential leads find you in a sea of senior living content. Start by identifying relevant keywords and phrases that seniors and their families likely search when looking for senior living options. Then, incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your website to increase visibility and organic traffic.

Quick tip: Want to win senior living SEO? Focus on long-tail keywords to signal to search engines that your business has topic authority. This allows you to narrow in on the smaller, sub-topics of SEO for senior living. Think “senior living communities in Louisville” or even make it even more targeted, such as “senior living communities in Germantown.” This helps you gain access to a more focused audience that’s more likely to convert.

Your Senior Living Social Media Marketing

Yes, it’s true the baby boomer generation prefers Facebook to every other social media platform. But using Instagram or YouTube can be a compelling way to reach their adult children, the crucial decision makers in the rehoming process. Use these visual platforms to showcase your community’s amenities and activities and feature resident stories or testimonials in more approachable ways. 

Social media is a two-way street. So don’t forget to respond promptly to inquiries or comments. Responsiveness demonstrate attentiveness and care — two fundamental qualities of a great senior living community.

Email Marketing Strategies for Senior Living

Email marketing is a direct, personal, and cost-effective way to digitally market your senior living community. Consistently providing valuable and relevant content helps position your community as a reliable resource and increase the likelihood that prospects choose your community.

Here are a few steps to implement your email marketing strategy for senior living business: 

• Build an opt-in email list of individuals using sign-up forms, event registrations, or valuable gated content. 
• Segment your email list based on demographics, interests, stage of decision-making, or relationship with the community. Segmentation allows you to offer more targeted and personalized email communications that resonate with specific audiences and their unique needs. 
• Develop targeted email content that provides value and addresses the needs, concerns, and interests of the recipients. This could be about senior living, health, wellness, caregiving, and community activities. 
• Use compelling subject lines and clear calls-to-action. This could be scheduling a tour, attending an informational session, downloading a brochure, or contacting the facility for more information. 
• Press send.

Once you’ve established an email marketing senior living plan, you can monitor email open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and other relevant metrics to gauge how well your campaign is working. Analyzing how your email campaigns perform allows you to adjust and refine your approach to optimize lead generation.

Automated email workflows can help you nurture leads through their decision-making process — providing additional information, addressing common concerns, and assisting with registration.

ABM Senior Living Idea

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach to marketing that focuses on targeting a business’s ideal customer profile and creating personalized marketing strategies to cater to their specific needs and preferences. ABM campaigns allow you to concentrate your efforts on your most promising leads, build stronger connections and relationships with potential residents and their families, allocate your resources more efficiently on high-value accounts, and significantly influence the decision-making process.

Here are a few steps to establish an ABM strategy for your senior living business: 

• Zero in on the most likely candidates interested in senior living. Consider where your ideal customer might live, their interests, and their demographics. 
• Create personalized content that addresses their pain points and challenges. This could be through case studies or testimonials.
• Invest in one-on-one interactions. This helps you build stronger relationships and establish trust.
• Track your progression. Focusing on specific accounts provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns and enables data-driven optimization for better results.

Future-Proof Your Digital Marketing Strategy

The senior living market is growing rapidly, and competition is increasing. With a well-developed marketing strategy for senior living tailored to the specific needs of your target audience, you can identify a new profile of residents and grow your business.

Don’t forget to align your marketing strategy with your community’s overall mission and values. That way, you can deliver authentic, personal marketing messages to the audience you serve.

Download Your Marketing Plan Template

Now that you’ve outlined your marketing strategies, you need to put them into an actionable marketing plan. Not sure where to start? Download our free marketing plan template today to create an easy-to-follow roadmap for your strategic efforts.