Most marketers in senior care, both housing and care services, understand the critical role that adult children play in their elderly parents’ care decisions. Industry surveys show 70-75% of move-in decisions to both assisted living and independent living communities are influenced by adult children–mostly baby boomers in their 50s and 60s.

And most adult children now start their buying decision making process online. So how do you reach this valuable audience?

Alayna Allen of marketing agency Immersion Active shared five strategies to use when marketing to boomers:

1. Leverage the social graph.

    

   Reach them; their elderly loved ones, the medical professionals they trust, their siblings and other family members. These people don’t make their decisions in a vacuum.

2. Share their feedback.

    

   Boomers get asked for their opinions more than 90 times each year, and they provide their opinions more than 90% of the time! The majority of senior care reviews are written by boomers, and they are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook. Make your content easy to share, and monitor your reviews.

3. Send e-mail.

    

   This is still the best way to reach a boomer audience. But make sure you can read your emails on a smart phone!

4. Be available to inbound communication.

    

   Boomers prefer to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to making decisions. Focus on making it easy for them to find you, rather than bombarding them with unsolicited contacts.

5. Create video content.

    

   Boomers now watch more Internet video than TV. Use it to engage them!