How to Engage Seniors on Digital Platforms

Whether you are a home care company, a senior center, or another type of aging services provider, engaging older adults on your digital platforms requires a solid strategy. That includes understanding the dos and don’ts of attracting and connecting with a very specific audience.

As a new year begins, it’s a great time to review your current strategy to see what is working and where there are opportunities for improvement. We have a few tips we think will help you improve your organization’s digital engagement with seniors.

Tips for Attracting and Engaging Seniors on Digital Platforms

• Understand generational values: Businesses and organizations sometimes make the mistake of thinking of seniors as one large, generic group that they know well. The reality is, the category of older adult encompasses a variety of subgroups, each with its own unique characteristics. That’s why it’s important to identify and learn as much as you can about your intended audience. For example, what is important to a 65-year-old newly retired teacher can be vastly different than a 70-year-old retiree who continues to work a few hours a week. Once you know which subgroups make up your audience, you can create detailed personas that will help you better target each one.

• Experiment with different types of content: While it can be tempting to assume that seniors are mostly interested in one type of content, that’s not necessarily true. Skip making assumptions and experiment with different types of content instead. For example, while blog posts and Facebook posts are usually popular with visitors of all ages, videos and podcasts are also well-liked and highly consumed. Try varying the types of content you post on your digital platforms and see how they perform. Use the analytics for your website and social media platforms to evaluate what is connecting best.

• Create digital copy that educates: It’s a misperception that older people can’t master technology and aren’t interested in trying. But your senior site visitors might need copy that includes educational tips on how to utilize the digital platform. For example, a blog post might be more useful if it incorporates a call to action that thoughtfully explains what to do next. If you are offering a free guide that further explains the main focus of the blog post, make sure you include step-by-step directions for downloading it. The more detailed the instructions, the better.

• Make content visually appealing: From age-appropriate graphics and photos to a prominent navigation menu, attractive content will keep older visitors on your platform longer. Use a content library with professionally designed images for organizations like yours to use in their communications like WeCreate to save time! 

A few more tips to increase the visual appeal of your copy include selecting a font that is senior friendly, incorporating plenty of white space, keeping paragraphs short, and being generous with your use of headings and subheads. For video and social media, the idea is the same. Make it appealing. Tell and show a story.

If your staff doesn’t include a team member who has the time and experience to tackle your digital marketing needs, LPi can help. Visit our Art & Content page to learn more about our services and how we can help support your goals.

For more articles and inspiration for centers like yours, visit the "Senior Centers" section of our blog!