It’s that time of year again. Far-flung families gather for one seasonal celebration or another. In between the feast, gifting, and catching up on one another’s lives, it’s that time when significant looks and whispers about Great Aunt Tilly or mom or dad are exchanged. It’s that time when adult children are likely to get involved in senior living decisions for an older member of the family. But how do you get your message in front of them, especially when 7 in 10 are likely living more than an hour from their family members? Easy! You ask Sabal Strategy for a FamilyTies list.
Defining Family is Complicated
While politicians drone on and on about the typical American family, reality is far different. Their “typical” family with a mom, dad, and kids might have been the norm 70+ years ago. But as we prepare for 2025, 80% of households are non-traditional families. And 70%-80% of Americans say their family is dysfunctional. A recent Pew Research Center survey reported 71% of adult children did not live within an hour of some or all of their extended family. As recently as 35 years ago (the 1990s), most married adult children lived within 5-8 miles of their parents. Only 25% lived more than 150 miles away. No wonder senior living marketing teams find it a challenge to target adult children.
Understanding Family is Challenging
Understanding who is family is a challenge today. With 41% of first marriages ending in divorce, last names can and do change. On average, Americans move 11.7 times in their life. The most recent data on where we’re moving reveals a decline in moves within the county. While 53% move within their county, 47% move to a different county, state or country. Tracking new names and addresses for non-traditional families requires something more powerful than a bunch of target ZIP codes. The only way to market directly to an adult child who may have a hyphenated last name, has moved out-of-state for a job, and is divorced requires a FamilyTies data list.
Targeting Family Ties is Smart
You probably know that when an adult child fills out your website’s form, their loved one is 3 times more likely to move in. You know the independent living sales cycle is unbearably long, and older prospects take twice as long to make a decision to move in when they do it alone. You also know from experience that adult children are involved in the decision process for about 7 in 10 residents. But you are likely capturing the adult child’s information after the fact instead of when they’re just beginning their search. Everything could move faster and more easily if you could target this audience before decisions are made! Our proprietary FamilyTies data helps you do that.
The Science of Family Ties
Our data scientists leverage more than 20 years of data to build familial associations from names, demographics, and address combinations. They apply business rules based on known and reasonably assumed information to build a complete profile. No other data provider can match the level of familial connections we deliver. Because no other source can match the combination of assets and our capabilities. Others might offer a current snapshot of household-level information. But given the complexities of the modern family, their data is probably incomplete or just plain wrong. And that means you’re wasting precious budget resources on undeliverable materials or you’re reaching the wrong audience.
Reaching the right audience when your prospects are at the critical decision-making stage or the frustration search stage is of paramount importance in converting prospects into residents. Knowing who your adult child audience is means you can craft compelling messaging resulting in more effective campaigns. Isn’t it time you target the right audience at the right time? Call or email Maribeth today to learn how to reach this key audience.
