Having an impressive and successful marketing strategy is incredibly important to the success of a senior living community. A marketing strategy can boost occupancy in an assisted living facility, as well as increase interest in it. It can convince prospective residents and families to move in. There are many traditional and digital marketing strategies that can drive traffic and generate more leads for a senior living community. Selecting the right marketing strategy can improve occupancy at your senior living community and further achieve your marketing goals. However, it can be difficult to know which specific strategies your facility should focus on. Traditional and digital marketing tactics have continued to change frequently in recent years, which is why we’ve created a list of 5 marketing tips for senior living communities to implement to drive occupancy and generate leads.
Modernize website
There are many benefits that come with having a modern, updated website. A modern website can be eye-catching and share updated, beautiful photos and videos of an assisted living facility, showing people what living in the community is really like. Updated photos and videos can show off amenities such as the outdoor and indoor communal areas, dining spaces, fitness centers, and the services provided by the staff. Along with new photos and videos, make sure the updated website includes a variety of call-to-actions on each page. Call-to-actions encourage site visitors to do something, such as contact the facility with questions about pricing. A senior living community’s website should be mobile-friendly—if it isn’t already. Another vital thing to update on a website is the SEO. SEO is the practice of improving a website so that it becomes search engine friendly, which in turn can bring more traffic to your site. Lastly, make sure that your website is accessible to all, including those with disabilities.
Update online listings
Sometimes, a senior living community’s online listings become out of date. Online listings are important because they not only generate leads, but can also increase online presence, allowing your community to be more easily discovered. In addition to these benefits, online listings can strengthen brand awareness and increase local visibility. Your senior living facility could be listed on sites such as Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook. To update online listings, you can do a variety of things. First, you may want to review how your listings look. If there are old photos being used, make sure to upload newer ones. Double-check and make sure that all of the information on the listings is correct. You may also want to test the site to make sure that people can connect and communicate with your facility through the listing. Lastly, make sure that you are responding to reviews since many listings offer a place for people to leave them.
Utilize direct mailing
Most assisted living facilities aim to reach an older audience, which includes people who still go through and read their physical mail on a regular basis. Print-and-mail marketing is an easy way to reach people who regularly read their physical mail since it is direct, has high response rates, and actually gets opened and read. Additionally, it is familiar to many people, is simple to do, and is cost effective. One great aspect of direct mailing is that it pairs well with digital marketing, and can help accomplish similar marketing goals. For example, you could send out postcards that have a QR code for people to scan that pulls up a webpage. Direct mailing can work with your other marketing efforts to improve performance and generate leads for your assisted living facility.
Consider digital ads
Digital ads can allow your senior living community to stand out from the competition, taking your marketing game to the next level. A digital ad strategy can make your facility money by bringing in more leads and increasing brand awareness. Plus, a majority of people spend a lot of their time on search engines and social media platforms, which is where they could potentially see an ad for your community. Successful digital ad strategies can help you target the right audience, generate a consistent lead pipeline, more fully engage people, and gain brand credibility. There are many types of ads to choose from, including search ads, banner ads, video ads, and more. Testing out different types of ads can help you find the right ad strategy for your assisted living facility.
Experiment with email marketing
Email marketing continues to be one of the top marketing channels. Emails provide a way for senior living facilities to market to potential and current residents. To fully make use of email marketing, make sure to tailor your email messages to your target audience. You’ll also want to make sure that the message is entertaining, educational, and interesting. Emails can share information about events that take place for residents, about amenities available to residents, share any deals or discounts available for potential residents, or encourage tours of facilities for potential residents. You can test emails’ subject line length, as well as the times you send emails at to see what works best. Make sure to also include call-to-actions in emails so that people can find out more about your community if needed. By employing an email marketing strategy, you’ll be able to boost clicks to your website and in turn increase leads.
Key takeaways
All in all, these 5 marketing tips can assist your senior living community with achieving marketing goals and filling up occupancy. In order to implement these strategies, make sure you know what your overall marketing budget is. Consider what resources, including time and money, that you can allocate to bring more exposure to your assisted living facility. Keeping a consistent pipeline of leads will allow you to regularly find new residents who want to move to your community. Think about hiring a full service digital marketing agency to accomplish your marketing goals. Now, you’re ready to start applying these tips to your senior living community’s marketing plan.
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