Senior Living Marketing: Print Ideas to Get You Back on Track Post-Pandemic

Whether you’re an assisted living facility, a retirement home or something in between, a strong senior living marketing strategy has to be a priority – especially right now. Luckily, online printing with Smartpress ensures that strategy is a success with two staples: custom Brochures and Rack Cards.

Now, just because they’re staples doesn’t mean they have to be traditional. Our brochure printing lets you personalize yours with layouts that focus on your content, premium paper stocks that feel substantial and look professional and UV coatings that stand up to frequent handling.

Design retirement community brochures with a single fold and list your services on one panel and describe amenities on the other. Or try a gate fold that reveals full-color imagery of residents or staff. With more than 10 folding options, you can experiment with contact information on the back panel or testimonials throughout.

With rack card advertising, we’re talking more than just stacks of them at reception and high-traffic areas. In coated and uncoated stocks, rack card printing is great for on-the-go marketing and offering volunteer and giving opportunities. You can even add perforation for tear-off contact information.

How do you use your Rack Cards?

Jonathan Riddle: “It’s important for us to have quick takeaways for potential residents or family members of residents to be able to learn about our communities. We have other marketing materials, eight- or 10-page brochures, video pieces and more, but they all take more time to look through. 

“Having something that can be printed in a cost-effective manner, easily handed out and communicates who we are in a succinct, captivating way can be very effective for that initial impression.”

What was your experience like using our Versions feature for your multiple locations? 

“Prior to Smartpress, I always found it frustrating to be charged extra for printing each community’s rack cards when they are often the same format simply with different copy and photography. 

“Versions saved us money, as well as made the ordering process much simpler – I now find myself using this quite often. It also helps make sure that each community is always in stock with the important marketing materials. 

“When one community needs to reorder something or requests I develop a design for them, I can speak with our other communities to determine if they need something similar and then order them at the same time using Versions.”

From progressive care offerings to comprehensive hospice services, you need to get your senior living marketing message out there – and the way you do it matters. With custom Sell Sheets and Direct Mail Postcards, your facilities get the spotlight.

In any size, sell sheet printing adapts easily to your marketing needs. Perfect for handouts during meet and greets or as part of informational packets for families, sell sheets are a great vehicle for pricing and specials, showing floor plans and amenities, describing safety measures or advertising the vision for new communities. 

Finish your sheets with Soft Touch laminate to add a sensory element that keeps your facility top of mind or bundle them with shrink wrapping to ensure your sheets are organized and protected until you’re ready to use them.

But what about potential residents who aren’t in your local area? Reach them with marketing postcards and direct mail printing. With complete fulfillment services, from list acquisition and processing to addressing and mailing, Smartpress ensures your custom postcards cast a wide net (and you save time).

With an array of paper weights and a double-sided printing option, direct mail postcards give you plenty of room to show off your facility, provide event announcements or workshop and seminar schedules, plus remind families of enrollment periods.

We love the design of your “Virtual Series” sell sheet. What was its purpose?  

Ashlee Anderson: “Our senior living communities rely heavily on education to debunk senior living myths and fears and help families understand the benefits of taking advantage of either senior living or in-home services sooner. 

“Due to COVID-19, our buildings were unable to host events inside their communities, so we turned to a virtual event to continue to bring resources to seniors and their families. Our education topics are extremely valuable but not always the most exciting or upbeat subjects, so we needed a ‘spin’ to capture attention and stand out in the sea of 2020 political campaign mailers.”

How has printing direct mail postcards helped you achieve your senior living marketing goals? 

“The mailer is a great hit with our 45+ audience and many leads reference the piece when they contact us. We’ve even had leads bring the mailer along to tour our communities or attend our events! 

“We strategically use the direct mail option when highlighting an event series with multiple dates – we find our leads are more likely to keep the piece or hang it on their fridge as a reminder. I’m so pleased with the targeted mailing lists we’re able to create, helping us efficiently and effectively land in the right mailboxes based on location, income and gender, while staying within our budget.”

During a pandemic or otherwise, print marketing can make all the difference in the success of your senior living marketing campaigns and achieving specific business goals, whether that’s acquiring new residents or building trust with families. With personalized communication and convenient online printing services, Smartpress is the printing partner to help you do that and more.

What impressed you most about working with an online printer like Smartpress? 

Riddle: “I’ve worked with quite a few local print shops as well as online shops and I am most impressed with Smartpress because of the quality of the work and the ease of pricing. I don’t have to wait for a rep to get back to me or show me types of materials. 

“I can do all of that right here on my computer, see the effect printing techniques [and] papers have on the price and know when I receive the final product it will be impressive and reflect our organization’s quality and the image we want to portray.”

How has print proven to be integral to your business?  

Anderson: “Not only do our print materials help us educate and stand out from our competition, but their quality is also a direct reflection of our health care services and level of care. The print solutions provided by Smartpress have allowed us to streamline standard pieces and bulk print, saving us money and allowing us to do more!”