Comparing The Costs of TV Ads To Digital Marketing For Senior Care Recruitment

Senior Care

Oct 15

After dropping to a low of just 73.9% during the COVID-19 pandemic, senior living occupancy rates have bounced back – hitting 85.6% in April of 2024, beating out the pre-pandemic rate of 84.6%.

Of course, not all facilities are enjoying an equal share of this rise in occupancy rates. So if you’re looking to recruit more seniors to your facility, you may be wondering if TV ads are a good option – or if you should invest in a digital marketing strategy. Let’s get into it!

How Much Do TV Ads Cost?

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” answer to this question. It depends on your market, local TV rates, when you want to air your commercial, and lots of other factors. However, according to an article by Creative Humans, you’re looking at a total cost of at least $10,000 for a 30-second TV commercial.

On the production side, this includes hiring one or more videographers with professional-grade camera equipment, finding and hiring actors (or if you have residents that are interested in being involved, that’s great!), finding a location for your video shoot (which could include renting studio space if there isn’t a good shooting location at your facility), and hiring an editor for post-production. Other costs could include voiceovers, animation, wardrobe, and more, depending on the type of commercial.

And even after you’ve filmed and edited a commercial, you have to pay TV stations to air it – on the low end, you’ll pay a couple thousand dollars for a package of TV spots even in a small market, according to SkyWorks Marketing.

Digital Marketing Costs Vs. TV Ad Costs – A Quick Comparison

A slick TV commercial can be a great asset to help show off your senior living facility. But with such high costs, is it really worth it?

The answer, of course, is “it depends.” According to the article from SkyWorks Marketing above, it may cost about $15 to $25 to reach 1000 viewers with a single 30-second commercial in a medium-sized TV market.

So let’s say that the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for a TV ad is $25. If you want to reach more potential seniors for a lower price, digital marketing could be the answer. Here’s a look at how much it costs to reach 1000 people with various digital marketing tools and platforms, based on data from Gupta Media and NestScale.

Facebook and Instagram – $6.99
TikTok – $3.59
Twitter/X – $3.11
YouTube – $3.07
Google Ads – $3.12

This means that with the right digital marketing strategy, you can reach the same number of residents for about a quarter – or in some cases, nearly a tenth – of the cost of a TV ad. And that’s without adding the $10,000 initial cost of creating a TV ad into the equation!

Performance Metrics and ROI (Return on Investment) - How TV and Digital Media Compare

When comparing the costs of TV ads to digital marketing for senior care recruitment, one critical aspect to consider is how easily you can measure the success of your campaigns. TV ads, while powerful in creating brand awareness, lack the performance tracking and adaptability that digital marketing platforms offer. While Connected TV (CTV) campaigns allow you to run ads through streaming networks, it still doesn’t provide the same level of engagement and tracking that digital marketing allows.

Real-Time Performance Metrics in Digital Marketing

One of the biggest advantages digital marketing has over TV ads is the ability to measure performance in real time. With digital marketing platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram, you can monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) like impressions, click-through rates (CTR), engagement, and conversions the moment your campaign goes live. This kind of data allows you to see exactly how your campaigns are performing and gives you the opportunity to make real-time adjustments to improve results.

For instance, imagine launching a Facebook ad campaign to promote a senior living facility. Within hours, you can see how many people have clicked on the ad, who they are, and whether they took the next step of visiting your website or contacting your facility. This kind of insight is invaluable for optimizing ad spend and ensuring you're getting the most out of your marketing budget.

In contrast, TV ads provide very limited data on performance. You might know how many households the commercial aired to and have some demographic information about the audience, but you won’t have access to real-time engagement metrics since people can’t click through to your website through the TV. You’ll be left guessing how many people actually watched the ad, let alone how many of those viewers took any meaningful action afterward.

Return on Investment

Return on investment (ROI) is crucial for any marketing strategy, especially when trying to attract seniors to your care facility. Digital marketing tends to offer a higher ROI for several reasons. First, as we’ve already discussed, the cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) is significantly lower for digital ads than for TV ads. This means you’re spending less money to reach the same number of potential residents or their families.

Additionally, the conversion tracking available in digital marketing ensures that you can directly attribute leads or inquiries to specific campaigns, making it easier to calculate the exact ROI. If you spend $500 on Google Ads and bring in five new resident inquiries, for example, you can easily calculate the cost per lead and adjust your strategy to maximize your return.

With TV ads, measuring ROI is more difficult. While you might see a general increase in inquiries after a commercial airs, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how much of that increase is attributable to the TV ad versus other marketing efforts. This makes it challenging to justify the high upfront costs of producing and airing a TV commercial, especially when compared to the immediate feedback and adaptability that digital marketing offers.

Need To Do More With Less? Consider Expanding Your Digital Marketing Efforts!

If you’re looking to do more with your marketing budget and you need to recruit more residents to your senior care facility, Incept Health can help. We’re experts in digital marketing, and can help you create a cost-effective plan strategy that will keep your business growing. Get in touch online to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation with one of our marketing experts today.

Patient Engagement

Amanda Cowgill