How Location-Based Marketing is Transforming Senior Living Outreach

Location-based marketing is transforming how businesses, including senior living communities, reach their audiences. By leveraging innovative technologies such as programmatic advertising, advanced geofencing, and mobile device targeting, businesses can connect with potential customers based on their physical location and behavior. For senior living communities, these location-based strategies allow for highly personalized and timely interactions, driving better engagement and conversions.

In this article, we’ll explore how these cutting-edge tools work, their applications for senior living marketing, and why they’re crucial in today’s competitive landscape. Let’s dive into the power of location-based marketing and how these tools can help your community connect with potential residents and their families in the right place, at the right time.

1. Programmatic Advertising: Precision Targeting at Scale

What is Programmatic Advertising?

Programmatic advertising uses automated technology to buy and place digital ads in real-time, targeting specific audiences based on data and behavior. Unlike traditional advertising, which relies on demographic segmentation alone, programmatic advertising takes advantage of vast amounts of data to deliver highly relevant ads to the right individuals.

For senior living communities, programmatic advertising allows you to target specific groups based on behavior, interests, and even location. You can use this strategy to reach adult children of seniors, caregivers, or seniors themselves with personalized ads that drive awareness, engagement, and conversions.

How Programmatic Advertising Works

Programmatic advertising works through a process that involves demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs), which work together to serve ads to users. Here’s how it works:

• Data Collection: Data is collected from users across various digital channels, including social media, search engines, and websites. This data includes location, browsing behavior, and demographic information.
• Targeting: Advertisers use this data to create highly targeted ad campaigns. For senior living communities, this means being able to target individuals who are actively searching for senior living solutions or related topics.
• Real-Time Bidding: Programmatic ads are bought and placed in real time through an auction-based system, ensuring your ads are shown to the most relevant users at the best possible price.
• Ad Delivery: The ad is then displayed to the user, either on websites, apps, or social media platforms, based on their behavior, interests, and geographic location.

Benefits of Programmatic Advertising for Senior Living Communities

1. Precision Targeting: Programmatic advertising allows senior living communities to target users with the highest propensity to convert—whether they’re researching senior living options or searching for caregiving resources.
2. Cost-Efficiency: By automating ad buying and optimizing for the best results, programmatic advertising can lead to lower costs per lead compared to traditional advertising methods.
3. Personalization: With access to detailed behavioral and location data, senior living communities can create highly personalized ads that speak directly to the needs of potential residents or their families.
4. Scalability: Programmatic advertising offers the flexibility to run small local campaigns or large-scale nationwide campaigns, depending on your budget and goals.

2. Advanced Geofencing: Engaging Prospects in Real-Time

What is Geofencing?

Geofencing is a location-based marketing tool that uses GPS or RFID technology to create virtual boundaries around a physical location. When a user enters or exits this predefined area, a trigger is activated, such as sending a notification, alert, or targeted ad.

Advanced geofencing builds on this concept by incorporating more sophisticated targeting methods, including behavioral triggers, engagement tracking, and multi-channel strategies.

How Geofencing Works

Advanced geofencing involves setting up a virtual perimeter around a specific area, such as your senior living community, a local hospital, or even a competitor’s location. Once a user enters or exits this area, your system can trigger a response, which could include:

• Sending a push notification to their mobile device.
• Displaying location-specific ads on their apps or social media feeds.
• Collecting data on their movements to optimize future campaigns.

For senior living communities, this could mean targeting potential residents or their families when they visit a nearby healthcare facility, senior expo, or even a competitor’s community.

Benefits of Advanced Geofencing for Senior Living Communities

1. Localized Targeting: Advanced geofencing allows senior living communities to target users when they are physically near the community, healthcare providers, or other relevant locations. This increases the likelihood of engagement by delivering relevant content at the moment families are most likely to act.
2. Timely and Relevant Engagement: You can send time-sensitive notifications when potential residents are nearby, encouraging them to visit your community or schedule a tour. For example, sending an invitation to tour the facility when someone visits a nearby hospital or healthcare center can be highly effective.
3. Competitive Advantage: Geofencing allows you to target visitors who are near a competitor’s senior living community or senior care facility, offering them a better alternative or a promotion that entices them to learn more.
4. Behavioral Insights: Geofencing not only targets potential residents but also provides valuable data about their behavior, such as how often they visit certain locations, how long they stay, and when they are most likely to engage with your ads.
5. Cross-Channel Integration: Advanced geofencing can work across multiple channels, including mobile, social media, email, and display ads. This ensures a cohesive and consistent message as prospects move through different digital platforms.

3. Mobile Device Targeting: Reaching Families Where They Spend Most of Their Time

What is Mobile Device Targeting?

Mobile device targeting refers to the use of location data from mobile phones to deliver targeted advertisements or notifications to users based on their location, device usage, and behavior. This technology leverages GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other data sources to determine where individuals are and what types of content they engage with.

Given that most people spend a significant amount of time on their smartphones, mobile device targeting is an essential strategy for reaching potential residents and their families with timely and relevant messages.

How Mobile Device Targeting Works

Mobile device targeting utilizes the following technologies:

• GPS: GPS data tracks the precise location of a device, allowing for hyper-local targeting.
• Bluetooth & Wi-Fi: These technologies can track users within specific locations or within close proximity to certain beacons, enabling more targeted messaging within a geographic area.
• App Data: Ads can be shown to users based on their app usage, preferences, and behavior.

For senior living communities, this means being able to target families on their smartphones when they are nearby or searching for senior care solutions. You can also retarget users who have previously shown interest in your community by tracking their behavior and engagement across apps and websites.

Benefits of Mobile Device Targeting for Senior Living Communities

1. Hyper-Localized Advertising: Mobile targeting allows you to serve highly relevant ads to families when they are in specific locations, such as near healthcare providers or senior care-related events. This creates a sense of immediacy and relevance, driving higher engagement rates.
2. Increased Visibility: Since most people use smartphones throughout their daily routines, mobile device targeting ensures that your ads are visible when families are on the go, increasing your community’s visibility.
3. Higher Engagement: Mobile ads are more likely to be seen and interacted with because they are delivered directly to users’ personal devices. By tailoring ads to the user’s current location or recent behavior, you increase the chances of a meaningful engagement.
4. Better ROI: By reaching individuals who are actively searching for senior living options or are in the vicinity of your community, mobile device targeting offers a higher return on investment compared to less targeted, broad advertising methods.
5. Retargeting Opportunities: Mobile device targeting enables you to retarget individuals who have previously engaged with your ads or visited your website, keeping your community top of mind as they continue their research.

Combining Location-Based Tools for Maximum Impact

The real power of location-based marketing lies in combining programmatic advertising, advanced geofencing, and mobile device targeting. By using all three in tandem, senior living communities can build highly targeted and personalized campaigns that engage potential residents and their families throughout their decision-making journey.

Here’s how you can integrate these tools:

1. Programmatic Advertising + Geofencing: Use programmatic advertising to target individuals in specific locations, such as near your community or a competitor. Combine this with geofencing to deliver timely notifications when prospects enter your virtual boundary, encouraging them to visit your facility or schedule a tour.
2. Geofencing + Mobile Device Targeting: Once someone enters your geofence, use mobile device targeting to send them personalized ads or notifications on their smartphones. You can also follow up with retargeted ads if they didn’t take immediate action, reinforcing your message.
3. Cross-Platform Engagement: Ensure a seamless experience across digital channels by using data from mobile targeting, programmatic ads, and geofencing to follow potential prospects across devices and platforms. This omnichannel approach ensures your community remains visible to them at all times.

Conclusion

Location-based marketing tools such as programmatic advertising, advanced geofencing, and mobile device targeting are invaluable assets for senior living communities looking to engage potential residents and their families. By leveraging these technologies, communities can create hyper-targeted, timely, and personalized marketing campaigns that resonate with their audience, drive visits, and ultimately increase conversions.

These strategies are not just about improving visibility; they’re about creating meaningful, relevant connections with families at the right moments. In the competitive landscape of senior living, embracing location-based marketing tools is essential for staying ahead of the curve and delivering a more efficient, impactful marketing strategy.