Top Social Channels for Seniors Age 65+

Senior using cell phone and social media

Jul 22, 2019 | Social Media

You know that old stereotype that says senior citizens can’t technology? Well, it’s time to toss that cliché out the browser window. For some time now, seniors have been taking the Internet by storm and are becoming nearly as active as those dang kids. #whoknew? It’s really not that much of a surprise, though, if you take a look around online and IRL*. Practically everyone these days has a smartphone in their hand, and seniors are no exception. After all, we’re talking about mostly Boomers here. They might not always be the earliest adopters of technology, but they’re certainly some of the most dedicated.

“Social media has completely changed the way we interact with each other and the world at large,” says Debra Gawet, Social and Digital Content Strategist at SageAge Strategies. “Although we think mainly about it as a person-to-person type of communication style, it’s clear that seniors are increasingly interacting with consumer brands via social networks. That means, if your community doesn’t have some sort of social presence, you’re missing out on an incredibly valuable tool to interact, gather information and convert leads.”

The Pew Research Center states that 73% of seniors age 65+ use the Internet on a regular basis, and 40% of those seniors polled state that they have a presence on at least one social media site.

“For many years, senior marketing focused on sending messages via direct mail and more traditional forms of advertising because it made more sense financially,” says Madison Graham, SageAge Strategies Social Marketing Specialist. “For previous generations, this was a smart strategy, but as Boomers retire and the landscape becomes more technologically savvy – particularly when it comes to the Internet – having social media as a part of your integrated marketing and lead conversion strategy will be essential for attracting, capturing, nurturing and converting future residents for your communities.”

What Social Networks Are Seniors Using? 

recent report from the Pew Research Group lists the different social networks that are popular by age group. Here’s a bit of a surprise: The two top social media platforms for seniors age 65+ are the same that are the most popular for younger age groups. (That’s right, kids. Grandma’s rockin’ Facebook.)

For all age groups, Facebook and YouTube are the most popular networks by far. The only difference is that for seniors, Facebook is the #1 site and YouTube the #2 most-popular, while younger age groups have it reversed (#1 is YouTube, #2 is Facebook).

These aren’t the only social media sites that seniors use, according to Pew, but they are the biggies. Here are the percentages of seniors who use the following social media platforms:

  1. Facebook: 46%
  2. YouTube: 38%
  3. Pinterest: 15%
  4. LinkedIn: 11%
  5. Instagram: 8%
  6. Twitter: 7%
  7. Snapchat and WhatsApp: 3% each
  8. Reddit: 1%

“The fact that Facebook and YouTube are popular for all age groups is very relevant for senior communities who are using social media as part of their lead generation efforts,” says Debra. “This means you may be able to stretch your budget further with the same effort – since you can use the same networks to reach adult children as well as prospective residents.”

Strategies for Reaching Seniors Via Social Media

While building a successful social media strategy is a little more complicated than we can get into in a blog post, here are some high level ideas of how you can engage seniors and adult children with your community via the top two networks they’re using.

Facebook: Get them talking. 

As the “biggie” of the social networks, Facebook can be considered a “home base” for many users. It’s where they see what friends and family are doing, learn about events, activities and more, or get updates from their favorite companies and brands. Here are a few things you can do to make your community more attractive and attention-grabbing on this platform:

  • Solicit reviews about your community from residents, family members, employees and more. You can say anything you like about your community, but real, honest reviews from real, honest users? That’s priceless word-of-mouth advertising.
  • Keep people informed of what’s going on in your community with event updates, photo albums or even sweepstakes like a “win a free weekend stay” that capture the interest (and information) of future prospects who may be interested in making your community their home.

YouTube: Tell your story.

Video is one of the most impactful ways you can reach your audience. While many people will skip over static ads or text, a video captures the attention like none other. 54% of seniors watch videos online, and according to Google, 75 percent of seniors have taken an action after watching an online video. Here’s how to make this work for you:

  • Create a brand storytelling time by uploading specific, short videos about your community. Each one should be about one specific topic (you want to make sure your videos are 1 minute or less). Some ideas of things you can share: resident testimonials, tours of your community, showcasing an event, hearing from staff, etc.
  • Link to other videos (or social media profiles, blog posts or web sites) in the description of your video. You can also add links at the end of a video or cue an autoplay so that similar videos will play directly following the first.

SageAge Strategies: Building a Social Media Strategy That Gets Likes (and Results)

SageAge’s social media strategies enable senior living communities to consistently deliver fresh, relevant content to your intended audience and drive users to your website. We use evidence-based techniques, such as Google’s organic search ranking algorithm, to increase your reach, search engine optimization and brand presence. Our creative team of professionals will develop cultivated, customized content for your website, blog and social media platforms, all crafted to seamlessly integrate with your brand look and feel. We’ll also create an advertising campaign that combines social media, ad placement and the latest in lead generation and conversion tactics to help you continually grow your target audience, generate leads, engage and communicate with potential residents and ultimately deliver conversion results you’ll want to share with the world.

If you need assistance in any areas of senior living development and integrated growth strategy to improve your business results, we invite you to contact us today to learn more about our proven strategies that have transformed other senior living communities like yours.

SageAge Strategies is a multiple-award-winning, strategic growth, marketing and consulting organization that operates exclusively in the unique senior living marketplace. For more information, please call or email Jason McCloud at 614.795.7373 / [email protected]. You can also visit us on our website at sas.sageage.site/.

Contact Us Today!

*In Real Life

Senior Living Social Media 101

There’s a lot to know about senior living social media. From choosing a community’s social media platforms to implementing content marketing strategies and more, it can feel overwhelming to even the most seasoned social media gurus. What’s more, according to the Pew...

How To Develop a Senior Living Marketing Plan

What Is a Senior Living Marketing Plan? A marketing plan is also regarded as an advertising strategy that a company, in this case a retirement community, will implement to help them achieve (or exceed) their operational goals and marketing initiatives for a set period...

40 Years and 40 Pieces of Sage Advice

2023 has been a year full of new ideas, growth, and planning for the future. At SageAge, 2023 brings a significant milestone for our company – our 40th anniversary. In honor of our 40 years of delivering strategic marketing and business growth strategies to the senior...

The Best Senior Living CRM: Three Experts Weigh In

Looking to end your days of manually entering customer data in Excel? If so, a customer relationship management (CRM) tool is the perfect choice. Three of our senior living industry experts are weighing in on everything you need to know about CRM. Meet the SageAge...

How To Generate Leads for Senior Living Communities

Are you looking for ways to spark robust lead generation through your senior living marketing strategy? With the right team on your side and the right approach, it might be easier than you think. Check out some of these top ways to generate senior living leads through...

Senior Living SEO: 7 Tactics That Work

Want to discover a cost-effective way to provide value to others while enhancing your senior living strategy? Through Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, you can do just that.  What Is SEO? SEO is about improving your website’s visibility to search engines, increasing...

The Importance of Responding to Online Reviews

Did you know: 95% of people consult reviews before purchasing products or services. 88% of consumers are likely to use a business if they can see the business owner responds to all reviews, whether positive or negative. 87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local...

What Are the Housing Restrictions for Facebook and PPC?

As we know, technology is always changing and adapting. It’s something many of those in the senior housing and marketing fields are used to. One of the most recent changes is making a larger impact on how we target ad audiences on Facebook and through pay-per-click...

The Rise of Senior Living Occupancy

As COVID-19 created a landscape of uncertainty in senior living facilities, experts knew there would be challenges and effects that lasted long after. Although the pandemic continues, many types of senior living communities and care facilities, like continuing care...

4 Ways TikTok Is Redefining Senior Living Social Media

Whether you’ve heard about it, tried it out, or use it regularly, TikTok is taking the world by storm. This social media platform, which focuses on short-form video, is seemingly on everyone’s mind in one sense or another, and more often than not, people are following...
Share This