Social media apps are no longer just a place for friends to share parts of their lives with random photos and text posts. It’s now a space for businesses to get directly in front of customers and create a real connection. 

If your senior living community wants to increase your brand’s online presence, we’ve gathered some tips to help skyrocket your brand’s socials! 

A New Way to Market

When social media apps like Instagram and Facebook landed, people assumed they were just for people who wanted to stay connected to their friends and family. Fast forward to 2023, social media has changed the advertising world forever. 

With billions of users sprinkled across apps like Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube, brands have learned that it’s a great way to get in front of their customers and grow their business. And everyone, from middle-school-aged kids to the boomer generation, is on social media. 

Brands marketing on social media platforms have seen their businesses transform overnight, using Instagram reels or quirky tweets to capture attention and skyrocket sales. It doesn’t have to be any different for senior living communities. 

Think of the families of seniors, and even seniors themselves, looking for communities that’ll be a perfect fit — most are using at least one social platform.  A Khoros study states that 51% of people between the ages of 50 and 65 use Facebook, and 58% of people over 55 use YouTube! 

Senior care and wellness staff looking for new opportunities are sure to be online as well, scouring social sites like LinkedIn for companies that align with their values and are leading the way for modernized senior care. Promoting internal events and company values is one of the best ways to encourage new talent to join your team and even expose industry newcomers to senior living.

Showcasing your community on these platforms is one of the best ways to expand your customer base and gain unprecedented new interest.

Using Social Media in Your Favor

Now that you have accounts on these popular social platforms, you may ask, what’s next? There aren’t many rules for utilizing digital platforms for marketing, but there are a few basics to successfully growing your following. 

• Knowing the specific visual requirements like image or video size or max video length will save you a lot of time and frustration. It also guarantees that viewers see your content in the best possible quality! 

• On any platform, consistent posting is the best way to grow a following and get the algorithm to work in your favor. The more often you post, the more your content will pop up in the feed of others! 

• Posting different types of content is critical, as many platforms now prioritize and boost short videos on feeds. Of course, it depends on the platform, but only posting images may not always be effective. Short video clips, GIFs, static images, and even a carousel of images are some of the content you can create.

• Showcase different aspects of your community to give followers and potential residents a well-rounded idea of your community. Behind-the-scenes shots of the dining staff crafting meals, swimming class in the pool room, bingo night, and even an interview with a current resident are great examples of content followers may want to see!

• Adopting a fun and personable tone is a fantastic way to come across as a genuine brand. Brands do best when writing captions with a less “corporate” tone of voice.

Senior Living Accounts Doing It Right

Sometimes the easiest way to understand what performs best on social media (and what viewers like the most) is to see which brands are succeeding and take notes! Here are some examples of brands in the senior living industry that stand out. 

Senior Living Stories isn’t a senior living operator, but they’ve gained a massive following, sharing beautiful stories from seniors across America with engaging and heart-warming videos.

Allegria Senior Living has amassed over 16,000 followers posting their residents dancing to TikTok trends and giving life advice. While there aren’t many seniors on TikTok yet, the channel is an excellent way for Allegria to gain exposure and attract new potential employees while involving their residents in a new social activity! 

Lifespark is present on multiple platforms, like LinkedIn and YouTube, and does a great job at posting different types of content. They post resident stories, give interviews on what technology they incorporate into their communities, and market to care and wellness workers- all with different forms of visual content as well!

There are many ways to approach engaging social media content, but if the above examples are any proof, showing authentic facets of your community is guaranteed to catch viewers' attention and grow brand awareness.