Senior Living Social Media Marketing: Is It Time for TikTok?

Editor’s note: This blog post was rewritten in September 2026.

We originally addressed the topic of TikTok for senior living way back in 2021. And our assessment was straightforward: It certainly wouldn’t hurt a senior living community to have a TikTok presence, but it wasn’t a “must do” by any stretch. Again, that was five years ago—a lifetime in social media.

So, we decided to revisit the question since senior living social media marketing isn’t static. Whether a community should have an active TikTok presence depends on various factors, including whether someone is on-site in your community to shoot and edit video.

Below, we discuss other factors to consider, tips for building a strong TikTok presence (should you decide to take the leap), examples of fun TikToks for inspiration, and whether you should ever use AI for making TikToks (short answer: No).

Executive Summary: What Senior Living Marketers Should Know Before Joining TikTok

• TikTok makes the most sense for communities with internal support, willing participants, and someone who understands the platform.
• The platform offers an opportunity to reach prospects through search while giving residents, families, and staff a more personal view of community life.
• Strong TikToks do not require polished production. Simple, creative, and emotionally engaging videos can perform well.
• Short-form videos can also be repurposed across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to extend their reach.
• The goal should be to capture the community’s personality, not directly promote content or push viewers to schedule tours.

Table of Contents

Should senior living communities have a presence on TikTok?

What needs to happen for a community to develop a successful TikTok presence?

Here are some TikToks we think work really well.

If a senior living community had to focus on one or two social media platforms, which one should it be?

What about using AI to help create more video content?

Final thoughts on using TikTok for senior living

Let’s get right to the burning question: Should senior living communities have a presence on TikTok?

If you can answer yes to the following questions, then getting on TikTok could make a lot of sense for your senior living community:

• Do you have a person on-site who can “own” TikTok, meaning they’re willing to regularly shoot and edit videos? It helps if this person naturally loves and “gets” TikTok.
• Do you have an existing video content library that you can slice and dice into shorter TikToks? Don’t underestimate your existing video assets. You can usually find clips from long-form videos that can work in isolation as standalone content.
• Does your community have an overall willingness to “get out there”? This goes deeper than just having someone to shoot video. Have the bulk of your residents signed photo and video waivers (which will make it much easier to shoot video)? Does your leadership team see the value in doing TikTok (will they be supportive of your efforts)?

About that last point: Getting buy-in from leadership can sometimes be challenging if they don’t understand that TikTok is so much more than what it might look like on the surface (i.e., a mindless entertainment medium).

TikTok serves as a strong search engine. (This is true for YouTube as well.) Videos from both platforms often surface in search results. In fact, nearly one in two consumers (49%) use TikTok as a search engine.

TikTok also provides a much more level playing field than other social media platforms, meaning you don’t need to have a huge following for one of your TikToks to become a standout performer or even go viral.

Finally, TikTok is an excellent place to share what community life is like, which can lead an older adult to say, “I could really see myself living there,” or an adult child to say, “Mom would thrive here.” Both sentiments are worth their weight in gold.

Bottom line: TikTok can be an excellent way to increase awareness about your community while educating people about senior living in general and what it’s like to live in your community specifically.

What needs to happen for a community to develop a successful TikTok presence?

The recipe for success isn’t much different from that of other social media platforms, with one exception. TikTok is all about video, both short-form and long-form (although short TikToks still dominate the platform).

But getting back to best practices. If you want to create a successful TikTok presence for your senior living community, follow these tips:

• Get consent and buy-in from residents appearing in your videos.
• Post regularly. Again, don’t stress over the production.
• Engage with the audience! If they leave comments or ask questions, respond.
• Pay attention to popular trends and trending music, but don’t force a trend to work. (Usually, if you can quickly envision a way to incorporate a trend, that’s a good sign you’re onto something.)
• Use hashtags wisely. Don’t go overboard. Focus on one to three.
• Have fun with it. (Because this WILL show in the final product.)

A great way to keep up with trends and hashtags is via the TikTok Creative Center.

Here are some TikToks we think work really well.

What we love about this senior living TikTok: It’s such a creative and fun idea, but more importantly, it tugs at your heartstrings and gives viewers ALL THE FEELS (which is a good thing since emotions drive buying decisions).

What we love about this senior living TikTok: its simplicity. This video includes a handful of creative shots of residents playing “High Striker” and setting it to a little music. That’s all it took to create a great clip that captures a fun activity in action.

What we love about this senior living TikTok: Seeing residents getting out and having fun is rewarding for prospects and residents’ families. Remember, the latter is an excellent source of referrals. In this particular TikTok, it looks like they rented out a movie theater, which is another cool idea, but what we love even more is how this video captures not only a “Day in the Life” of a resident, but a day in the life of the staff members who help them (in this case, the enrichment coordinator).

What we love about this senior living TikTok: It’s a GREAT example of a community hopping on a trend and making it work. (We challenge you not to smile or chuckle while watching it!)

What we love about this senior living TikTok: It’s an excellent example that highlights your staff’s caring nature. When people know how we like our food, we feel seen and valued. This TikTok gets that across quickly and creatively.

What we love about this senior living TikTok: It’s a pitch-perfect way to show that residents remain engaged with current events. Shout-out to whoever decided to repurpose the Easter Bunny costume into this TikTok!

What we love about this senior living TikTok: It’s a great example of storytelling—literally! And it’s one of those evergreen video ideas that you could create every few months.

If a senior living community had to focus on one social media platform (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook), which one should it be?

If you have to choose where to focus, Facebook is still our recommendation since it’s well-rounded and better fits the demographics, at least right now.

And here’s what you also need to remember: TikTok isn’t the only place to consume short-form content. When TikTok took off, the other platforms took note. So today, Facebook and Instagram have Reels, and YouTube has Shorts (videos that are three minutes or less).

In other words, people now have more options for consuming short-form content—they don’t need to go to TikTok. If you’ve already built a strong presence on Facebook and YouTube, try adding short videos to those platforms before starting a TikTok account.

• PRO TIP: If you create one short video, you can republish it in multiple places for expanded reach.

What about using AI to help create more video content?

We asked Ashley Blackwell, our social media marketing specialist, this question, and she emphasized that communities should NOT use AI for TikTok: “Please, please, please do NOT post videos created by AI. Users will not engage with your content and might even think you are a spam account.”

AI videos defeat the purpose of sharing real content from your community. Plus, studies show that consumers don’t like AI-generated content. Adweek notes that over 80% of consumers can spot AI videos and 36% say it makes them trust the brand less.

Final thoughts on using TikTok for senior living

If you use it, post fun videos regularly and let the audience get to know your residents. Go in with reasonable expectations. Remember, you won’t use it to promote content or schedule tours. Instead, you’ll use it to capture your community’s unique vibe.

Don’t forget to engage with the audience. If they have questions, make a TikTok that answers them. Respond to comments. And most importantly, have fun, since that’s what TikTok is all about.

Need fresh eyes on your social media marketing strategy?

We can help! Get in touch, and let’s discuss your community’s approach to social media.