Traditional marketing is about going out to find prospects through ads. This kind of advertising has been successful for decades, but the internet changed all that. Nowadays, businesses should tap into internet marketing if they want to reach more of their target audience. This kind of marketing brings customers in through relevant content, so it's not intrusive.
Related Blog: Internet Marketing for Retirement Communities: Use Your Website to Promote Assisted Living
One biggest difference of traditional marketing vs. internet marketing is the added value for customers. Ads are just ads -- they do nothing more than sell a product or service. People find them annoying; otherwise, they wouldn't switch TV channels when commercials are aired, or install ad blockers when pop-ups appear online.
On the other hand, relevant content crafted specifically for its intended audience is interesting, making customers feel that they're not just being sold to. Also, people purposefully seek them out by using related keywords when searching, following specific pages on social media, etc. As a result, customers develop a higher level of trust for businesses that deliver the content they want. Understandably, it's harder to establish this on TV, print, or radio when airtime and space are both expensive. But on the internet, cost is far less of an issue. If your business already has a website and social media pages, it's just a matter of leveraging these to your advantage. Posting informative articles on your company blog is one of the best ways to inform customers about topics useful to them. Sharing content through these channels is essentially free; you pay extra fees only if you want a longer reach by sponsoring posts.
Inbound marketing for retirement communities is not an exception to this. Many seniors have grown tech-savvy in recent years, so they're on the internet when looking for products and services that interest them. And lest we forget, adult children of these seniors are also online, and a lot of them are helping their retiree parents find a community to settle in for their twilight years.
When weighing traditional marketing vs. internet marketing, the latter option emerges as the clear winner. But internet marketing isn't as simple as it sounds. To maximize its power for your business, you'll need expert guidance in the beginning. Check out our cheat sheets and guides to help get you started!