A full page newspaper ad published in my local newspaper by a new aging-related healthcare company caught my attention earlier this month. The ad prompted me to seek more information on this baby boomer marketing campaign.
The apparently new company (which shall remain unnamed) was promoting its combined offering of care centers, physician groups, and “care solutions” (the latter being something about thought leadership).
As both a consumer who is in the “aging” market being targeted by this advertiser and a baby boomer marketing professional, I was interested in digging a little deeper. Surprisingly, the company missed several important marketing opportunities to help me learn more about their service offerings.
No URL on the ad. It would seem reasonable that an advertiser who is willing to spend thousands of dollars (presumably) to reach me with an impressive ad placement might encourage me to go online to find out more information about their company and product offerings. Alas, there was no URL to be found on the page.
More importantly, it turns out the URL was not simply www.CompanyName.com. When I tried what I thought might be the URL, I found the web page of a high tech company that was not at all related to healthcare or the advertiser. It took a little bit of searching to identify the correct URL. Why make this so hard for the reader?
(As a P.S., it should be noted that in future full-page ads, the advertiser did include their URL.)
No locations given. Is this a national company, I wondered, or are they only in my home state of Florida? The ad did not give a clue about location. They clearly are in the South Florida market based on their ad, but this was not addressed. After some digging, I learned that the company has locations in both Florida and Texas. Why not mention this?
No social media links. Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) use Facebook, according to a survey conducted in early 2019. That’s unchanged since April 2016, but up from 54% of adults in August 2012, according to the Pew Research Center (May, 2019). Why not include a link to the company page on Facebook?
I looked for a company page on Facebook but encountered brand confusion with the tech company with the same name. A quick visit to both the company’s website and Facebook indicates that most likely they do not have any presence on Facebook. Why spend thousands of dollars on an ad but not use free social media outlets?
The company does have a presence on LinkedIn, which would attract more of a business crowd rather than consumers. Still, this is a good step in the right direction.
Limited “call to action. The only engagement channel on the full page ad was a phone number, presented as 1-833-COMPANY rather than the easier to dial format of 1-833-123-4567. I did call and received a helpful and bilingual customer service rep, but this was clearly their standard intake line. The rep did her best to provide information, but did not ask “how did you hear about us?”
No incentive. An offer to ‘call for a free brochure” or “visit us online to get a copy of our white paper” would help the advertiser to: a) generate specific leads; b) measure response rates; and c) support the sales cycle.
No audience identification. After asking all these questions, I pause to wonder who the intended target audience is. It is unclear if this advertiser wants to attract healthcare consumers or healthcare professionals.
Print Advertisements in Baby Boomer Marketing
Print advertising can be an important sales channel in the 65+ and healthcare markets. Advertisers can make the most of their investment with five simple best practices:
- Provide a URL to give more information about your offer.
- Identify social media options for online connections.
- Include a “call to action” to increase response rates.
- Educate customer service reps about the importance of asking for the source of the inquiry.
- Help the reader understand who you are targeting.
Contact a Baby Boomer Marketing Agency
Sixty Five Plus Marketing, Inc. is a baby boomer marketing management company that works nationally. We create integrated marketing communications program designed to help suppliers to the senior market strengthen their relationships with clients, prospects, family members, and referral sources. Contact Margaret Grisdela via email or at 561-330-7280 for more information.