Serving an elderly community is a unique type of business to offer. It’s important to know your audience before you begin marketing campaigns.
Though it is difficult to know that for many businesses – everyone could be a target. For instance, if you sell pastries, you have a wide range of people to serve, even children. If any customer had a nut allergy, you’d simply make a nut-free baked good.
Not many businesses out there are for all demographics. There are services just for mothers, students, and even those with hearing or vision loss. Senior care is one of those specific types.
What this means is that you have a clear path on how to market, though not without strategy – very detailed strategy.
Here’s how to create your marketing campaigns for seniors and the family caregivers who need you.
- Learn Where They Hang Out.
If you’re aiming for social media, TikTok may not be your go-to audience. Pinterest would serve you little return. Instagram is a neutral platform, showcasing images and still targeting family caregivers who have profiles, but also targeting those who just care about what to wear to school the next day. It’s a place for entertainment, not researching who to call for services. Use it to show your work off, that’s it.
The best social media for you, as of now, is Facebook. Our records show that the highest demographic using Facebook within the past few years to today, are 65+ and even 40-55 (your Sandwich Generation making calls for mom or dad). Our clients have received the most calls from this social media platform out of all the rest. Still, it doesn’t beat…
- Website Updates.
You don’t have to pump out hundreds of blogs or constantly promote on your website, but you will want to prioritize how user-friendly it is. Can a senior navigate your pages and know clearly how to contact you or where to go next? If you spent thousands on making it the prettiest and most interactive site on the planet, you may have wasted your money. Aesthetics are minor in comparison to how easily and quickly someone can:
- Know what you offer
- Identify your professionalism and quality of care
- Contact you
How do we know this? Years of studying our client’s websites and tracking the patterns of what pages someone clicked before submitting a contact form or clicking the call button. It’s fast, usually just two pages before they reach you. No one hangs around to read your blogs before deciding they want to work with you.
- In Their Face.
You want to be in your community if you’re going to serve your community. This means you need to be making connections with affiliates and investing in direct marketing materials such as rack cards, brochures, postcards, and flyers. Attend resource fairs and meet anyone who comes by your booth. Give them take-aways to read at a later time.
This isn’t necessarily about branding, although it plays a part. It’s more about being a face they remember. We highly recommend you, the owner, to attend these networking situations. Don’t rely on administrative personnel alone. You want people to say they met the owner (because it can make someone feel special) and see that you are an upfront and dedicated leader in your agency.
People remember that. They talk about owners and whether they liked you or not. Sadly, many CEO’s get a bad rep for being selfish, greedy, and business-minded only. But the ones who show compassion, a down-to-earth personality, and a big smile, stand out – they even get talked about in the news!
These are just a few of our suggestions – the ones that really stand out and have shown our clients the best results when it comes to outreach. Feel free to explore other options and see where you have the time and budgets to experiment. But consider our top three recommendations and see for yourself.
As you market yourself, you’ll find people having a lot of questions. At some point, you give away information for free. Check out our post, How to Charge Those Who Pick Your Brain, to learn how to set boundaries in the beginning.