Best Ideas for Marketing Senior Living, Senior Care, and Memory Care Services

Older person with healthcare professional looking together at smartphone in senior care facility

For seniors, their loved ones, and those who provide services to seniors, senior living marketing is more important than ever. The market and demand for retirement community and related services in the U.S. is immense and only expected to grow due to an aging population¹:

Market Size: $85 billion
Number of Businesses: 55,425
Industry Employment: 1,059,096

Growth has been and is expected to be largely driven by an aging population, changes in social and family preferences, life expectancy, and health insurance reforms.

How Has Senior Living Marketing Changed since the Pandemic?

However, the senior living landscape was impacted by the pandemic and this means senior care marketing changed, too. A few statistics that show what senior living providers experienced during the pandemic²:

A 41% decrease in sales inquiries
A 27% decrease in initial tours
A 22% decrease in move-ins
A shift in preference from in-person tours to virtual tours

The assisted living and senior care facility industry is recovering from the pandemic-related low occupancy: About 75% of senior housing units that were vacated during the pandemic have been re-occupied,³ but there are still challenges surrounding workforce, supply, and living preferences of seniors and loved ones.

Just as how we approach work, shopping, and school has been impacted by the pandemic, assisted living and senior living marketing has, too. Today, due to the number of residents vaccinated against Covid-19 and the industry norm of vaccine mandates for workers, senior living providers offer communities that are among the safest places to live and work.

What Should Today’s Senior Care Marketing Include?

Key areas residents are looking at these days include:

Socialization
Sense of community
Location and facility
Amenities, like dining, pool, transportation
Care, including memory care, levels of care, special programs, equipment and technology
Precautions against COVID, its variants, and other potential viruses and bacteria
Team, including culture, experience, stability
Price

What Are the Best Marketing Ideas for Memory Care and Assisted Living?

Leverage these six tactics to market your care facility and you can feel confident you’re setting yourself up to attract seniors and loved ones who will be a good fit for your community or your professional staff including nurses, aides, and therapists.

Phone: One of the most important steps in the senior living sales funnel is initial contact. This often happens by phone. Ideally, you’ll have a salesperson on site who can speak with a prospective resident or caregiver. Arm this person with key talking points including price range, amenities, healthcare and assistance options, socialization, and activities. Incentivize callers to book an appointment for an in-person or virtual tour with more than just a brochure. Include a promotional tote, tumbler, or pen set, and secure a mailing address for delivery. This way you can continue marketing to your prospect through future direct mailings and give them an “above and beyond” sense of your community before they walk through the front door (physical or virtual).

Website: Get your name on their radar with a strong website. Be honest about what you offer so you don’t waste resources on the wrong prospects. You want to develop a long-term, respect-based relationship so make your first impression as accurate as possible.

Social Media: Use all your social media platforms to share images and stories about events, families, residents, and loved ones associated with your memory care of assisted living facility. Your current residents are the best brand ambassadors for your community.

Open Houses and Expos: Invite prospects and loved ones to spend time at your facility and get to know other prospective residents. Attend expos where you can network with others within the elder care industry and encourage cross-referrals. (Don’t forget to bring customized giveaways!)

Target Loved Ones and Caregivers: The biggest burden in elder care is often born by loved ones, friends, and family. Finding a person or place that will give family members back the time, energy, and peace of mind that has gone toward caring for a family member with memory issues or age-related physical challenges is a priceless gift your company provides. Geer your marketing messages and materials to they speak as much to family members and other caregivers as they do to the prospective patient of in-home or aging-in-place care, or the prospective resident of assisted living.

Gifts: Give promotional gifts to prospects, current residents, staff, and loved ones. When the sales process spans years, keeping your name, and your generosity, top of mind is key.

What Are the Best Promotional Gifts for Senior Living Marketing?

Marketing ideas for memory care and senior living communities should include customized giveaways that are useful and appealing to potential residents, family members, and caregivers. These gifts will spread goodwill and show your customers that you care:

Senior Living Marketing Starts with Caring and Compassion

As you market your memory care or senior care community, craft your branding to speak to different target personae including residents, patients, caregivers, and loved ones. Your dialogue is ongoing and trust-based, so let your careful, compassionate approach come through in all your marketing efforts. And thank you for all you do daily for our elders.

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