If you saw the ads during Super Bowl LV, you saw the evidence of how 2020 has impacted all brands. The ads tried to navigate a way forward at a time when we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. Arguably one of the most optimistic, Jeep’s ad with Springsteen spoke to our hope of reuniting the country, but there wasn’t a single person visible in the ad other than brief shots of The Boss.
As marketers, the question we’re facing is how do we take advantage of the best lessons of 2020 and avoid falling back on old ways that no longer work. Finding a way forward means trial and error as we all pivot.
Marketing for 2021
We learned a lot about how to pivot our marketing strategies, so we can take those lessons and turn them into five long-term tactics.
- Stick with Virtual – The senior living marketing and sales comfort zone is live events and tours. While these activities will slowly return, virtual is the future. Baby Boomers are tech savvy. They’ve spent the last year video chatting with friends and family. They’ve adopted online tools. Use these newly adopted channels to expand your reach.
- Stay Positive on Social Media – Social media marketing is here to stay. Baby Boomers use Facebook and YouTube more than other social platforms. When you deliver the right content to your audience on these platforms, you can meet your target audience and generate leads. Use social media to inform and communicate solutions. Keep messages and interactions helpful to build and support a positive brand image as a trusted authority in senior living.
- Create COVID-19 Content – Don’t ignore the elephant in the room. Prospects and their families want to know how you continue to deal with the pandemic and how you maintain a safe environment. Ensure your website contains easy-to-find content regarding your COVID-19 policies and procedures and share it on social sites as well.
- Connect with Your Pipeline Leads – Many potential prospects hit pause during the pandemic because they were unwilling to make a significant change. Now is the time to refocus on these leads. They’ve already demonstrated their interest and may still be considering their senior living options. They may have adopted delivery services for things like meals, prescriptions, and groceries as strategies to make living at home easier. Re-engaging with them is a start, but you’ll want to provide them with updated information on how your community offers solutions to fit their needs.
- Empower Your Sales Team – It hasn’t been an easy year for sales. Give your sales team the boost they may need with effective, data-driven marketing tools that include precise targeted lists, smart search ad campaigns or a custom email campaign. Until your audience and your team are comfortable with personal visits and group luncheons, channel their efforts by using proven data-driven strategies.
The Power of Data Analytics
Pushed by the pandemic, providers adopted digital marketing solutions that will remain and grow even after the pandemic. This adoption reinforced the need for accurate data so marketers can base their strategic decisions on the right consumer data.
Marketers now have access to wide swaths of data regarding consumer behavior and demographics. With the help of data analytics, you can incorporate personalization and automation into your marketing strategy to accomplish your 2021 marketing goals. The best results are based on:
- Knowing the right combination of channels that your audience prefers.
- Determining which calls to action receive the best response and move your audience to take action.
- Increasing your marketing ROI by focusing on what produces results.
- Turning trusted data into actionable insights for more effective decision making.
At Sabal Group, we transform vast volumes of data to help senior living marketing teams build smart and effective campaigns. Refine your marketing strategy with a foundation of strong data to target your message to the audience most likely to convert.
I’d love to hear from you and discuss how our solutions can help you enter the future of marketing.
