If we were to tell you that print ads go hand in hand with nursing home marketing, you might be tempted to reach for a joke about the slow decline of the print industry and aging clients' reticence to adopt new marketing technology. It's true that print ads do perfectly complement and support nursing home marketing ... but not for the reasons you might think.

Print ads deliver tangibility and credibility:

When making an important and difficult decision, like where to spend your golden years, marketing bravado is the last thing you need to complicate the process. While print ads may not prove the presence of your expected level of service or desired facilities, there is something to be said for holding a tangible, high-quality brochure in your hands to validate a brand's image. High-quality print marketing materials suggest that the brand is willing to invest in its clients and has enough liquidity to produce expensive assets. Regardless of whether these assumptions are always true or not, print ads do lend an air of credibility to your marketing efforts by providing something potential clients can take home, hold, review, and consider. Marketing psychology has proved time and again that the weight and finish of paper used in marketing collateral can have a profound influence on the perception of a brand. Possibly for this reason, direct mail boasts a three-time better response rate than email according to the Harvard Business Review. We'll take those odds.

Printed nursing home marketing materials appeal to young decision makers:

It is also important to realize the decision makers choosing (and financing) nursing home contracts are not always the future residents themselves. As the Baby Boomers continue retiring and aging, their children will slowly shift from care-receivers to caretakers. More than 50% of Generation X and Y view magazine and newspaper print ads in favorable light, compared to their staggeringly low 10 - 20% favorability toward digital PPC and banner ads, according to a study by Kantar Millard Brown. To digital natives, a good website is an expectation -- a print ad or brochure goes above and beyond. For this group of decision makers, digital advertising is simply an annoyance standing between them and the content they want; whereas well placed print assets can serve as true supporting and educational material.

Print ads drive action:

So, what's the bottom line? In our hyper-digital world, we are sometimes shocked by the reality that few channels drive action better than direct mail print ads. Close to 80% of consumers will act on direct mail immediately according to the CMO Council. Still in doubt? Email marketing only delivers a 45% immediate action rate. Choosing a nursing home is a deeply personal and sometimes sensitive decision, so any channel than can inspire immediate action is beneficial to the customer and the service center itself.

Print ads still signal service, and with that, we can't think of a tool better suited to support nursing home marketing needs. When considering how to maximize your marketing spend as a care and service provider, always assess how and where print ads fit into your marketing mix. No matter what technology emerges, print will always have a place in the middle of the marketing funnel when consumers seek education and deep information about a brand. For examples of how we have used print to support brands like yours, read more about our services or contact us to talk directly with a member of our creative team.