Watch the following video to learn about one of MassMedia’s newest Assistant Account Executives, Melissa Gonzalez, as she talks about why she loves working with healthcare clients, her past experience and more.

By: Pam Myers

Healthcare decisions are extremely important to older adults and thankfully seniors are living longer these days.  That means advertisers need to make sure they are communicating effectively to older adults through an integrated approach within their daily lives. This group will be most engaged through traditional media outlets.

Can you guess what one of the most effective ways to reach seniors is?  Through the local newspaper.  Even though most newspapers are continuing to suffer revenue declines, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports, adults 65+ have the largest readership reaching 113,700 (30.2%) daily and 130,000 (26.4%) for the Sunday paper.  In addition, according to the State of the News Media 72% of seniors consistently read the daily newspaper.  Many of the younger generations are getting their news through online sources such as Twitter and News apps, but seniors like to touch and feel their daily newspaper.

Where else are seniors obtaining information? Traditional advertising channels such as television and radio.  According to a study conducted by Marshall Marketing, within the past week 94% of seniors watched television and 64% listened to the radio.  By working with the stations you can craft a schedule where your message will be heard by the target audience.  Pulling show rankers will allow you to review and analyze the shows they watch and listen to, along with getting the most reach and frequency for your advertising dollars.  In addition, of all the traditional media, the audience for AM/FM radio has remained the most stable during this tumultuous couple of years.

Knowing your audience, what they do during their daily lives, and where they get their news will make your marketing efforts more effective and impactful.  It requires a great deal of research and planning, but will be well worth it.

Follow Pam on Twitter @pammyers310 or email her at pam@massmediacc.com

By: Carmesha Thompson

MassMedia Healthcare Marketing has always encouraged our clients to use social media to provide their current and potential patients and/ or constituents with useful health content pertinent to their practice/organization. As a result, their target demographic will perceive them as being a valuable resource and trusted source of health information. By posting this content on social media applications, practices/organizations are bringing the information to their patients and/ or constituents, saving them from otherwise having to look for it themselves.  We also recommend that practices/organizations take advantage of the accessibility of others through social media  and use it to interact with and influence their target audience.

Recently MassMedia launched the social media pages of Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council whose Head Start and Early Head Start programs promote school readiness for economically disadvantaged children by enhancing their social and cognitive development through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services.

Using their Facebook and Twitter pages as well as their blog, Head Start plans to interact with and influence media, political and community leaders, and of course Nevada parents on a daily basis.  By establishing a branded presence, interacting with influencers and sharing appreciated and unique content, Head Start and MassMedia will create an online community that provides valuable information and fosters increased engagement.

These networks will feature tips for parents on keeping children healthy, cognitive development (such as counting games), and family activities that are local. Their social media pages will also include useful facts and health-related news, trends and reminders regarding children. In addition, the networks will also include links to assess children’s development and milestones as well as links to tips and resources to help children learn and understand (such as printable worksheets to practice writing).  Many of the updates will be translated in Spanish to further the reach of the message.

Be sure to ‘Like’ their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/NevadaEarlyChildhood) and follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NevadaECAC) to not only receive this beneficial information, but to also observe how we utilize social media to engage and inform their audience.