Embracing social media: Which platforms are relevant for aged care?
If you’re looking at making new investments in social media, here’s what you need to know in 2023.
Last updated on 21 July 2023
Social media is a force of nature where information is just one click away. As an aged care provider looking to navigate the wild conditions, it can be hard to know where to start. If you’re looking at making new investments in social media, here’s what you need to know in 2023.
- Facebook is Australia’s most popular social media platform and third-most popular website behind Google and Youtube
- It’s increasingly popular among people aged 45+ where almost one-third of Facebook users can be found
- Additionally, one-third of Facebook users are aged between 35-54, representing a large number of adult children with parents accessing, or soon to be accessing, aged care
It’s in the name, but Facebook really does act as the face of your operations. It’s where you can show fun initiatives, new investments and resident stories to create and strengthen your online community. You want to be the focal point of that community, the connector between family, residents, staff and even competitors.
You’re also likely to see some of the best return on investment (ROI) through Facebook, where any paid ads with the goal of increased brand awareness, new leads or increased engagement are likely to be successful.
- According to Hubspot, Instagram had the best ROI for all social media platforms, narrowly edging Facebook
- Although it may be the top site for influencer marketing, Instagram also has the clearest layout and brand-building potential
- As it’s a part of Meta, it’s easy to coordinate marketing strategies for both Facebook and Instagram
With just 11% of users aged over 65, Instagram isn’t the first port of call for marketing aged care services, but it should certainly be a top destination. Much like Facebook, this is where you can tell stories and create a community through images. It’s the perfect platform to put your brand on show with feel-good content.
But unlike Facebook, there’s less room for heavy debate and more space for quick likes, so it’s all about eye-catching content and quick stories. Thanks to its less-cluttered feed and a more intuitive algorithm, your content will also be regularly viewed by followers – which is less likely to happen on Facebook.
- LinkedIn’s major point of difference is it will typically be a social media platform for employees and professionals, not your general consumer base
- It still offers ample opportunities for branding, idea sharing and resource building
LinkedIn has grown to become a must-have social media platform for professionals and the businesses they represent. So if you’re still sitting on a LinkedIn profile that’s barely been touched in months, it’s time to dust off the cobwebs and begin promoting your work.
The great thing about modern LinkedIn is you can show off a mixture of personality and professionalism. There’s no need to be purely professional as users want to see what’s unique about your care offerings. So you can showcase progress updates on renovations, an update from a team lunch or promote new opportunities for staff via job postings.
- Twitter has just under six million active users in Australia, making it the eighth most popular social media platform
- Although Twitter is great at breaking news and striking up conversations, it tends to focus on topics of interest across politics, sports, media, pop culture, etc.
There comes a point when you have to focus your social media efforts depending on your target audience. Consider why you use social media: is it brand awareness, consumer engagement or workforce attraction? Twitter may not play into any of your goals as its user base is often far more global, diverse and less relevant to your business needs.
That said, there’s no harm in creating content for Twitter if you have the resources. You can provide commentary on aged care topics, promote unique services, or interact with aged care experts.
Other: Threads, Youtube, TikTok
Where do you draw the line when it comes to social media engagement? It’s hard to say.
If you have the resources to create quality video content, Youtube is the second-most visited website in Australia. It’s worth posting on and uploading short-form and long-form content if you have already posted it on other platforms.
Just 13.6% of TikTok users in Australia are aged 35 or older, meaning there’s less of a direct consumer base for aged care providers. Therefore, despite its popularity, it’s not a must-have platform just yet.
Finally, there’s the new kid on the block, Threads. Threads is Twitter’s newest rival, produced through Meta, so it’s in the same family as Facebook and Instagram. For now, there’s no need to worry about jumping on board, although it’s one to watch.
One thing is certain: the future is undoubtedly favouring social media platforms that attract the most attention. The purpose of attention metrics is to quantify and understand how individuals allocate their cognitive resources and focus their attention on specific stimuli or tasks. However, that is a topic for another day…
