Social Media and Older Adults: And the survey says….
Over the last few years it has always been interesting to watch when survey results were released showing the number of older adults who use the Internet. As the numbers continued to grow, those in marketing at senior living communities began to realize that their websites really needed to be beefed up. I find it even more exciting now when survey results are released that indicate how many older adults are using social media. So what’s the latest? One in four adults age 65 and older!
Pew Internet & American Life Project recently released data from a May 2010 survey. Overall use of the Internet and social media by older adults just continues to grow. In one year alone, social media usages in the age group 50-64 grew 88%. And in that same time period, the 65 and up category increased by 100%. To me, this really begins to have some implications on how senior living communities can and should be connecting with their residents, adult children, leads, prospects and the community-at-large.
Those organizations that do have a Facebook page have an opportunity to give people a glimpse into life at a senior living community. They can share comments, photos, recipes, general knowledge on aging and so much more. What is the return benefit? Connecting with others by building relationships and enhancing their credibility. Oh, in addition, it helps in overall search engine optimization when people are looking for your community on search engines. One community in Wisconsin reported earlier this year that 31% of their web traffic came directly from their Facebook page.
Think about the results of this survey. With usage only continuing to grow, social media is something that can no longer be ignored. What is your community doing to connect with those older adults and their families who ARE using it? Please leave a comment and let us know how social media is working for your community.
You can find out more on the survey results by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/9hjdlu
We are using Facebook to enhance the sense of community at each of our Independent and Assisted Living locations. Each community has its own Facebook page, and staff members post photos about events, so families can catch a glimpse of the social life their parents and grandparents are involved in. Families also post photos and greetings, which our staff then print and deliver to the residents (because most of our residents do not have their own computers). It is a lot of work, and it takes a team to make it happen right, but it’s also a lot of fun — and family members seem to appreciate it.
Melanie, you all do a great job with social media. Can you say if social media has led to aquiring leads and/or possible move ins?
Good afternoon, I actually am one of the head persons that help maintain our many Facebook pages, and I have to tell you that I don’t think that we have had any solid information from possible move in, but as Melanie has stated, our families appreciate it is much, and when a day or so goes by and we don’t have any pictures up, they start commenting that they want to see photos. It is great fun, and it just makes our organization stronger with our connections with the families that are so far away and our wonderful residents.
As for the prospect side of things, I also believe that Facebook offers a great “window into our world” for those that are researching us and are trying make decisions. We might not be getting solid stats on those that move in specifically stating they found us on Facebook, but this feature is definately out to the public to experience the life before they make the official phone call. If offers us a personal touch in a different format that I am unable to publish on our corporate website.
Peggy–I have to agree that it definitely offers a window into your world!
I began managing Rose Villa’s Facebook page this year. One of the greatest (and most rewarding) challenges has been cultivating participation on the page from our own residents. It has involved a lot of education, one-on-one concern resolution, and then re-education (as we switched from a Facebook group to a Facebook page.)
We really wanted our Facebook page to be about engagement, rather than just promoting Marketing specials, and having the residents themselves participating on the site has been crucial for that. It has been going well, and is starting to pick up steam. I think this emphasis has really helped the page to be more genuine and inviting.
To answer your question about acquiring leads or move-ins, we haven’t seen any direct results yet in that area. But keep in mind that social media results are not as immediate as traditional media results (i.e. television or magazine ads) and we are investing the time and energy to build that relationship now.
One last thing I would throw in for any business who has a Facebook page, or is wanting to start one, if you have 25 or more “fans” of your page, you can apply for a custom URL on Facebook. Just to give you an example of what a difference this can make, before we received a custom URL, Rose Villa’s Facebook address was http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portland-OR/Rose-Villa-Senior-Living-Community/109565822432201?ref=ts (not easy for ANYONE to remember!)
Now the address is simply http://www.facebook.com/rosevillaseniorliving (you can see the difference.)
Claiming your custom URL is very easy. Just go to Facebook.com/username and follow the instructions.
I help maintain the Facebook page for an Independent Living Community. We have had a good response to our Facebook page; comments, messages and a number of friends but one area that hasn’t worked particularly well is our “Events”. The events are usually Open Houses and Ice Cream Socials. After creating an event and inviting friends on Facebook, I find little to no responses on “attending” or “maybe”. Any suggestions on how to improve the responses for our events or suggestions on if the events themselves should be changed?
@David, thanks for sharing information with everyone on the custom URL. Think that is very useful.
@Andrea, I suspect you’re not relying on FB alone for attendance at your events. Given that FB usage among older adults is just really catching on, I view the events section just as a way to build awareness on what your community offers.
@Andrea, I suggest experimenting a bit with Facebook ads. You can create ads for specific events that run for just a limited amount of time, and the ads are highly customizable, so, for example, you can target just to people who are over 55 and live within a ten mile radius of your community.
The other thing about Facebook ads that is really nice is that you only pay for clicks on your ad, so if there is little to no interest in your event, you will pay little to nothing for your ad. For one event, we only paid $0.84 for an ad that ran for a week (we’ve done better since.) It also allows you to see how many people are clicking on your ad, so you can see which types of activities are generating interest, and which ones aren’t.
As far as suggestions for events, we have found that this generation of seniors really appreciates a Happy Hour. It is social, and also acts as a reminder that there are advantages to being a mature adult.
@Randy, you are correct–we do not rely alone on FB for attendance at events. We supplement it with other online community calendars, our website, email blasts and depending on the event direct mail pieces and ads in the local paper. I appreciate the perspective on how events are means to build awareness.
@David, thank you for the suggestion of experimenting with Facebook ads. We will be taking a look at that and also how we might revamp our events with a more “social” element. Thank you for your insight.