Hear extra insights relating to gross sales and advertising and marketing on the Senior Housing Information Gross sales & Advertising Convention in Bonita Springs, Florida, on Feb. 18 and 19. Purchase tickets right here.
Weblog posts, social media, occasions with free meals – these are among the many prime instruments senior dwelling operators are utilizing of their efforts to coach most people.
For years, operators have struggled with a stigma surrounding senior housing. Though many individuals usually know of nursing properties or unbiased dwelling, they don’t at all times perceive the nuances amongst completely different unit sorts or why such providers may be so expensive. These difficulties could make main a prospect by the senior dwelling gross sales course of an uphill battle.
The senior dwelling business is awash in an “data age,” and extra residents or their grownup kids are doing their very own analysis earlier than coming in to view a group. However not all of that analysis leads prospects to the precise conclusions, in line with Dan Williams, CEO of Onelife Senior Dwelling. Though there may be a lot to see and find out about, there are additionally many “horror tales” that may scare prospects, even when they don’t characterize the business as an entire.
That stated, senior dwelling operators have a chance to offer the sort of data that would assist prospects make a greater determination – and finally develop nationwide penetration charges above the nationwide common of between 10% and 11%.
“The extra training we are able to do, the extra it’ll assist us with our penetration charges and extra customers will select to not keep at dwelling, however select to dwell within the senior housing,” Williams advised Senior Housing Information.
From weblog posts to in-person occasions, operators together with Pinnacle Dwelling, Frontier Senior Dwelling, Watermark Retirement Communities and 12 Oaks Senior Dwelling are utilizing each new and tried-and-true strategies for educating members of the general public. As they accomplish that, they’re centered on having the widest impression and enhancing the business’s picture within the eyes of prospects.
Among the many best methods to coach the general public about senior dwelling is to really deliver them right into a group to see it for themselves. However convincing somebody to journey to a senior dwelling group, even one close to to the place they dwell, generally is a powerful process.
That’s why Denver, Colorado-based Onelife Senior typically pairs its in-person occasions with free meals. Not solely are folks enticed by meals, nevertheless it’s additionally a good way to showcase the sort of fare residents eat. The truth is, in line with Williams, free meals for prospects is likely one of the greatest and best methods to spend advertising and marketing {dollars}.
“When you’ve got any individual in to see your construct and have a meal, then you definately’ve educated them,” Williams stated. “I’ve had folks come right into a constructing through the years and say to me, ‘Wow, that is simply not what I anticipated.’”
Onelife additionally hosts native organizations reminiscent of Alzheimer’s assist teams to satisfy inside its communities doubtlessly bringing in lots of of individuals at one time. Whereas they is probably not instantly in search of senior housing on the time, it helps make the group extra memorable and might showcase the house even years earlier than they ever have to decide relating to shifting in, Williams stated.
Glenn Valley, Virginia-based Pinnacle Dwelling invitations each members of the general public and native media to occasions to allow them to showcase communities by a distinct lens and get previous any stigmas they could maintain.
“All of our promoting and promotional work, and each dialog that our gross sales workforce has with people and teams is targeted on that stage of engagement and the brand new service supplier that we’re,” Pinnacle Dwelling CEO Chris Henderson advised Senior Housing Information.
The corporate additionally has workers within the wider space advocating for the group when discussing their jobs with others, significantly if they’ve an understanding of precisely what Pinnacle Dwelling does – a prime technique to educate folks, in line with Laura Jones, vice chairman of gross sales and advertising and marketing.
“We try to assist folks to see us as a life-style,” she stated. “We wish to have the ability to assist every particular person to do no matter they’ll do on their very own, after which we’re there to assist them with no matter extra assist they make.”
Dallas, Texas-based Frontier Senior Dwelling prioritizes collaborating in occasions reminiscent of fundraising and legislative training, which has helped unfold senior dwelling consciousness, in line with President and CEO Greg Roderick.
Tucson, Arizona-based Watermark Retirement is taking an identical method by internet hosting occasions, together with digitally. The corporate is exploring including digital occasions, reminiscent of webinars, to reply frequent questions and educate prospects on the advantages of senior dwelling.
The corporate particularly needs to indicate customers how a lot the business has modified over the previous decade, in line with Troy Hollar, nationwide director of promoting and gross sales for Watermark Retirement Communities.
The facility of blogs and social media
Content material advertising and marketing through weblog posts may be an efficient technique to educate the general public and unfold a message far and extensive – simply ask 12 Oaks Senior Dwelling. The Dallas, Texas-based operator garnered a complete of 114,175 views throughout 336 posts in 2024.
The most well-liked weblog publish on the corporate’s web site, “Celebration of Life Quotes,” is centered on offering quotes for individuals who have handed away and studying how one can write an obituary. In the end it has garnered 12,100 views, in line with Aaron Catoe, senior vice chairman of operations at 12 Oaks.
Catoe stated that 12 Oaks seeks to publish 10 weblog posts monthly on a variety of matters, and posts with monetary recommendation are often among the many hottest sorts.
Social media is one other avenue that operators are taking to coach the broader public. Frontier has a devoted communications and social media coordinator centered on offering “good high quality academic content material,” Roderick stated.
The corporate has greater than 130 blogs obtainable on its web site on quite a lot of matters starting from well being and wellness, reminiscent of discovering early indicators of Parkinson’s illness to inspirational posts and present guides..
“We now have a chance to create the narrative by our 25 years of serving seniors and we intend to share our insights,” he stated. “We now have had many nationally acknowledged applications go viral, however the perfect ones have needed to do with resident-led applications by our SPARK program (a Montessori-Impressed way of living enrichment) the place residents have been concerned with animals, brewing beer, or crafting helpful merchandise.”