Care center marketing – How to connect with seniors

As baby boomers age, care center marketing becomes increasingly important. However, reaching seniors can be challenging; they’re not as active online, meaning modern marketing techniques aren’t always applicable. Because the demographic for care centers continues to grow, it’s important to understand the nuances in senior healthcare marketing.

Check out these 3 techniques to successfully connecting with seniors in healthcare:

1. Connect with the caretaker

It’s likely that a senior’s family or primary caretaker will help in the decision-making process. Develop a marketing strategy that caters to both the individual using your service and the caretaker. This outreach helps both parties feel “confident [in]... the patient’s health [plan]” says Capstrat, a digital agency. It also ensures that your message reaches the right people.

2. Benefit-focused content

The amount of healthcare information out there can be overwhelming for seniors. Keep your content benefit-focused – instead of just describing your services, think about the unique needs of your audience. For example, if your center provides “community activities,” highlight how seniors can develop friendships and socialize. This helps both the individual and family visualize what the environment will be like and how they can benefit from it.

3. Out-of-the-Box Marketing 

Rosemary Plorin, VP at Lovell Communications, encourages marketers to think outside the box when developing a senior’s buyer persona –specifically where they “hangout.” Usually, we deliver material through an individual’s web platform of choice. However, considering this demographic, it makes more sense to present information in actual physical places where seniors hangout i.e., a church, local events, or community centers. Consider going back to more traditional forms of marketing (namely print) that then points to your site or social pages. Check out our easy-to-use infographic on building personas here so you can know your audience and get your marketing materials in front of them.

However, we shouldn’t completely discount more modern marketing techniques like social media and the web when targeting seniors. Developing an online presence for them (and their caretakers) is still important. An article from Forbes says that “these days, they [seniors] don’t just have an email account, but...[are also] searching on Google, browsing Facebook…, and watching YouTube…” Find a balance between the two, and be sure to track what's working. 

In the end, remember who your audience is, illustrate your value and get this marketing material in front of the right people.

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