Welcome back from the long holiday weekend! While it may not be Monday, we didn’t want you to miss this week’s roundup of the most engaging content.
This week, Laura Forer of MarketingProfs answers the age-old question: when should you post on social media? Additionally, Christopher S. Penn, Vice President of Marketing Technology at SHIFT Communications reminds us about what we should be focusing on when we market our products and services.
Most Clicked: When Should You be Posting on Social Media?
By now, you’re probably accustomed to hearing that social media is a part of the daily lives of consumers of all ages; And yes, that includes those who fall into the 50+ demographic.
Social media is tricky to master. While you can’t expect to become a social media marketing maven overnight, Laura Forer of MarketingProfs provided helpful insights in regards to when you should be scheduling your social media posts for optimal reach and visibility.
It is important to note that these insights, based on 20 different studies, take into account the social media habits of all age groups. As such, there may be slight variances on the best times post on social media based on specific age groups.
The chart below provides a better picture of the social networking sites used by adults ages 40+, as uncovered by our national study, Social, Silver Surfers.
As shown in the chart, Facebook is the most popular social network with adults who are 40+. Based on Forer’s article, you can expect to receive the most clicks on Facebook when posting at 3 PM, but you’ll likely get more shares if you post at 1 PM.
While many companies have accepted social media as part of their integrated marketing strategy, it’s likely that many of them post at various times of the day, rather than at a set time each day.
We recommend posting at the same times every day, three or four times a day, and monitoring when your engagement (clicks, shares, etc.) is the highest. Whether you experiment with posting at 1PM and 3PM as Forer suggests in the article, or at other times, you should be able to analyze patterns that will allow you to determine what times you should be posting for optimal engagement.
In the case of Twitter, studies showed posts from business to consumer (B2C) accounts perform 17% better on weekends.
If you’re in the senior products and services industry, try posting about your latest incentive or upcoming community event over the weekend and monitor whether there is an uptick in engagement.
The challenge here is determining whether the social media habits of those in the 50+ demographic align with the findings outline in Forer’s article, or whether they deviate (and how far they deviate).
If you aren’t getting the return on investment you were expecting from your social media marketing, altering your posting to determine the best time to post.
Want to learn more about the social media preferences of older adults? Click here for a preview of digital marketing insights from Social, Silver Surfers. 
You can also click here to read the full article about the best days and time to post on a variety of social media channels.
Most Shared: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
In a recent blog post, SHIFT Communications’ Vice President of Marketing Technology, Christopher S. Penn offered some advice that senior living marketers should keep in mind: focus on what doesn’t change.
In an effort to promote our products and services, and set ourselves apart from the competition, we are all guilty of losing sight of some of the basic unchanging wants and needs of prospective senior living residents.
For example, those seeking to live at a senior living community want to reside in a place where their lives will be easier. A place where they will be free from the burden of home maintenance and will be able to focus their attention elsewhere.
The image above is an example of how we combined what matters most to prospective residents, as well as some additional community features into one brochure for our client, North Hill.
While flashy amenities are always a plus, we recommend leading with the aspects of your community that will fulfill the promise of making a prospective resident’s life easier. Housekeeping, responsive maintenance services, professionally cooked nutritious meals – these are just some of the things that should be emphasized in your marketing.
While these aspects of a community may seem part and parcel, they’re often forgotten and hidden underneath the more glamorous features.
Don’t let the unchanging aspects of the products and services you offer get lost in your marketing. While they may be basic, they are still the foundation for your company’ mission, which in the senior living industry, often involves improving the lives of older adults.
What are some of the other unchanging aspects of the senior living industry? Feel free to offer your thoughts in the comments section below.
Click here to read Christopher S. Penn’s entire blog post.