If your senior living community isn’t on social media, you’re missing a lot of your target market. Adults over 65 are the fastest-growing social media demographic.
And even if social media adoption is stagnating, it’s important to note that a majority of your audience logs into their social media platform of choice regularly – with some 10,000 boomers retiring daily – retirement communities should begin to shift their strategy from focusing on the Silent Generation to the baby boomers.
Considering these stats, if you’re not marketing to the baby-boom generation online, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to reach this generation as they enter their golden years. That being said, here are some Marketing ideas that we created with the help of Calgary Dream Centre.
Revamp Your Website
In this day and age, a good first impression begins with having a solid website and web presence. A few website and Internet guidelines will ensure your site performs well in searches and provides valuable information that caters to potential residents.
- Responsive design: Make sure your site is responsive — meaning it’s viewable and looks attractive on all devices, particularly cell phones and tablets — and loads quickly.
- Optimized for search: Your site should be easy to find on search engines, so make sure you’re using search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.
- Online advertising: Consider investing in pay-per-click (PPC) ads, which appear at the top of web search pages with a small “Ad” indicator. PPC is a great, affordable way to get your site noticed.
- Valuable information: Your website should also include important details about your services and amenities, including the continuum of care offered, pricing packages and activities for residents.
- Easy to get around: Your site needs to be easy to navigate, particularly for less-tech-savvy individuals. Though boomers are using technology more and more, they’re still not as knowledgeable about the Internet as younger generations.
- Visual content: Show your site visitors what your facilities look like. Carefully select images of the living spaces, outdoor spaces, community areas and dining rooms.
- Write a blog: Having a blog and other content can help you rank better in searches and builds trust with your potential residents.
These tips will ensure that your site is drawing the customers you want and providing the information they’re looking for. A comprehensive website is the first step in converting prospects into buyers.
Use Social Media to Boost Your Event Marketing Efforts.
Event marketing is an integral part of assisted living marketing plans. From facility tours to resident celebrations and holidays, it’s important to extract as much value out of those efforts as possible.
To do this, share your events on social media, promote and encourage attendance before the event, create excitement by sharing event information during the event, and don’t forget to post recap stories and thank you messages post-engagement.
Creative marketing ideas for assisted living facility events include:
- Posting live videos on social media during the event and get feedback from attendees.
- Adding updates to your Facebook and Instagram stories during the event.
- Offering your social media followers, a discount code when registering for an upcoming event.
Live tweeting from an event with a broad reach, such as an industry event. Tweet quotes that you think would resonate with your audience and be sure to use the event hashtag and mention the Twitter handle for the event and anyone you choose to quote for maximum reach.
Use Social Media to Build Your Employer Brand
Feature the employees that bring your services to life and position you as the employer of choice in senior living care in your area.
Your employees are the ones closest to your patients, so celebrate their contributions on social media. Many companies use this idea in their social media strategy to help boost employee morale through recognition, set themselves apart as a company that cares for and celebrates its employees, and increase engagement on social channels.
Although it doesn’t directly generate revenue for your business, employee retention does have an impact on your bottom line.
Every penny you spend on training a new employee is an investment in the future of your company. If you have high employee turnover, you risk losing your investment over, and over, and over again. However, your employees can also be your greatest advocates when it comes to recruitment, so make sure you are actively showcasing their wins and publicly celebrating their achievements.
This will increase their employee satisfaction as well as portray your facility as a place that people want to work.
Use Your Current Residents as Ambassadors
Your current residents who love their lives in your community are your best sales tools. Approach them about being brand ambassadors. Your brand ambassadors can give tours of their living spaces, host prospects at meals, talk about community events and provide testimonials. Start a referral program, and ask residents to refer their friends. This will help foster a sense of community that will benefit both your brand and your residents.
This tactic will vary depending on the level of care offered at your facility. If you’re wondering how to get assisted living clients, consider approaching residents’ adult children and other family members to discuss their parents’ experiences in your facility and the care they have received.
Achieve Measurable Success Through Social Networks
While using Social Media channels like Facebook and Twitter may seem easy, there are certain things to be kept in mind if you are looking at achieving measurable results:
- Determine the Best Advertising Platforms for Reaching Your Target Audience
- Do Research to Find the Best Times to Post
- Create Posts to Highlight Your Facility’s Strengths
- Consider Using a Social Media Campaign Service
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