Q5 Marketing for Family Caregivers, Seniors & Elders

As the holiday season winds down and the new year begins, many organizations ease off their marketing efforts. But for PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) marketing, D-SNP or C-SNP, or Age-tech, Q5 is an opportunity to garner outsized awareness and inquiries.

There are 4 calendar quarters in a year. Q4 is the name for the fourth quarter of the year (October, November, December). The post-holiday period has come to be known as "Q5" in marketing. Q5 starts December 26, 2024 and continues through January 30, 2025.

This is 36 days when your PACE can garner added attention:

• Engagement and attention surge online. New devices come on line (holiday gifts).
• People have more time to be on social media.
• Online ads are less crowded with e-commerce ads for gifts, so ad prices are lower.
• Yes, PACE are still competing with other 65+ healthcare providers during Open Enrollment. However, PACE has a completely different offering that -- done correctly -- can break through the clutter.
• Your enrollment team is likely on vacation. Nobody is out presenting at senior living, there are no health fairs. But you want to start 2025 with a full pipeline of inquiries, not let "The Holidays" be an excuse for a down month in January.

Q5 Could Double Your Advertising "Buying Power"

The reduction in advertising prices makes it more cost-effective for campaigns focused on awareness or engagement.

For instance, a CPM -- "Cost Per Thousand" people reached -- of $7 in Q5 compared to $15 in Q4 means you could show your ads to twice as many people for the same budget.

Example of Q4 vs. Q5 Ad Spend:

• Q4: If you spend $1,000 at a CPM of $15, you could expect around 66,667 impressions.
• Q5: With the same $1,000 at a CPM of $7, you could receive approximately 142,857 impressions, more than double the reach.

Example of Average vs. Great Creative

• If your campaign creative (the combination of images, videos, copy and targeting) is mediocre, about 1.5% of people will pay attention ("engage") with your ads. In the Q5 example above, this means each $1,000 ad buy gets you you 2,143 people paying attention to your ad.
• If your campaign creative is awesome (like our campaigns are, shameless plug), about 3.5% of people will pay attention. In the Q5 example above, this means each $1,000 ad buy gets you 5,000 people paying attention. You just doubled your reach, and then doubled it again. That's a 4x win.

Many of these sons or daughters have not seen their parent for a few months, or even a year. And during the holidays, they may be seeing greater self-neglect in personal care, or household care, or realizing that their parent isn’t taking medications properly. They are having that “holy cow moment” that we family caregivers know so well.

In the Stages of Caregiving, they are moving out of the Positive Stage of Caregiving. Here, there is either denial of a parent’s issue, or the enthusiastic attitude of “we have this handled.” They are sliding into the Reality Stage of Caregiving, with feelings of alarm and stress (perhaps not yet fatigue). They are witnessing first-hand how things have changed.

Messages to Family Caregivers in Q5

Caregivers, who may have just spent the holidays worrying about the health and safety of their loved ones, are likely reflecting on the support they need in the new year. Your outreach can appeal to these concerns by focusing on how you can provide peace of mind, reduce caregiving burdens, and improve the quality of life for their loved ones.

Simple messaging like, "We’re here to help you take care of your family in 2025," resonates deeply with caregivers who are seeking support after a busy holiday season.

Instead of overwhelming caregivers with a list of services, focus on key benefits such as personalized healthcare, transportation to medical appointments, and help with everyday routines​.

The more you venture into the "Reality" and "Distress" Stages of Caregiving in your messaging, the more likely you are to find someone who is an ideal fit for your service.

This is not the  "happy solutions" messaging that many PACE, senior services and AgeTech typically want to lean into, but our data show it is even more effective (i.e. higher response), and therefore your ad budget goes farther.

Why is Q5 Important for Marketing to 55+ Older Adults, Seniors and Elders?

Isolation increases during the holidays. Marketing PACE as a place to get together, make new friends and get out of the house to build real connections can offer a salve.

Older adults are not immune to the popularity of New Years Resolutions. Their resolution may not be going to the gym, but it may be going to that chair yoga class, or starting Tai Chi, or inviting someone for coffee.

The new year also can stir -- and your advertising can stir -- an opportunity to stay in control of their health and their lives.

Taking Care of Myself in 2025

By emphasizing that you help people "stay in charge of their own lives," you align your outreach with elders' desires to remain independent​​.

 

The Social Side of PACE

Messaging that stresses "togetherness" can be a salve to many older adult's increased isolation during the holidays.

PACE is a place to get together, make new friends and get out of the house to build real connections can offer a salve.

We offer you an in-depth look at Social Health in PACE (the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly).

While other organizations are taking the holidays off, this is your golden opportunity for marketing.  Remind -- or introduce -- family caregivers and elders of the opportunity to embrace support and care through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly.

Family caregivers are everywhere, and across every gender and age range. In PACE, according to PACE family caregiver surveys from Vital Research, half of PACE family caregivers are age 65+. In other words, the PACE family caregiver generally skews 10 to 20 years older than a "typical" caregiver.

Facebook is a core channel to reach these older family caregivers and potential participants. Instagram can be an excellent channel to reach family caregivers.

Budget and bandwidth allowing, Cable TV, Display Ads and YouTube are also effective channels for reaching family caregivers and older adults. We have also had success with TikTok, especially longer-form videos for family caregivers.

Online retargeting and offline print retargeting should be layered in for maximum effectiveness. Don't let all that attention disappear like ether.