The “digital-pivot,” the “digital shift,” a “digital-first mindset” … these terms were suddenly thrust into our vocabulary in March 2020. Since then, they’ve been difficult to avoid and even more challenging to understand.
At this point, you’ve probably seen first-hand that remaining competitive in 2021 requires you to engage digital marketing tactics. But do you really understand why?
We could go on and on about the latest digital marketing trends, techniques, and best practices. But that doesn’t help you understand why you need digital marketing to help you make more intuitive, result-driven decisions for the future. So today we’re going to dive into the reasons why digital marketing is so very critical in the senior living space.
Everyone Relies on the Internet for Information
As of the beginning of 2021, more than 59% of the world’s population (that’s 4.66 billion people!) had internet access.1 Considering that 2 billion people across the globe live in social poverty, this is an incredible feat.2 The internet continues to break social barriers and financial boundaries, allowing users with little access to luxury and privilege to enjoy the wealth of information online.
When you look a little closer to home, about a third of Americans over age 18 admit to being online almost constantly. Think about it. There are 290 million smartphone users in the U.S.—that’s 87% of the population with devices that are almost always connected to the internet.3 So whether you’re directly online or not, you’re indirectly receiving notifications, emails, and other information from your phone.
As a result, the internet has nearly cornered the market on research. If you want to know the year You’ve Got Mail came out, check IMDB. Want to read up on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster? Use Wikipedia. Do you need a recipe for salsa to use up all those summer tomatoes? Just Google it! Run out of toilet paper (again)? Hop on your Amazon app to click buy before you forget.
And if you need to find a senior living community for yourself or a loved one, you’ll almost always begin your search online. Every hour, 6,000 online searches related to senior care are made. We’re extremely reliant on the internet for essential information. And this trend shows no signs of slowing down.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Internet Adoption
A lot of people think COVID-19 forced a shift to digital marketing. But that’s not true. Consider this: the pandemic isn’t the why. Instead, digital marketing is the how. Digital marketing is how businesses survived. Yes, the pandemic sped up the adoption of digital marketing techniques for many senior living communities, but these changes were going to take place in the coming years, pandemic or not.
Globally, internet providers noted an increase in usage anywhere from 40 to 100%4 compared to pre-lockdown levels. But the larger shift the pandemic threw a light on, the one that’s been coming for years, the one we need to react to in 2021 and beyond, is changing the customer journey to support the digital-first reality.
Seniors are More Tech-Savvy than the Generation Before
The baby boomer generation is very different from the generation that came before them. Sixty-eight percent own a smartphone,5 11% use their device as their primary internet access, 96% use search engines to get information,6 and 75% read online reviews.7 As if that wasn’t enough, seniors are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.
Seniors aren’t the only ones online. Their children and grandchildren have an even more sophisticated handle on the internet. And they’re happy to use their knowledge to ruthlessly compare you to your competitors until they’re convinced they’ve selected the best senior living community for their loved ones.
You need to meet seniors where they are—and where they are is online. Your story needs to be delivered digitally, not just because in-person tours have been put on hold for the last year and a half, but because digital is where your new resident journey begins.
Need help embracing the digital revolution and shifting your marketing strategy? Contact us today at 888.307.7304 to get started.
For a list of references, please contact us.