marketing your assisted living facility

Transcription

1 marketing your assisted living facility 10 tips from senior services leads Tip 1: Create an Informative Online Video Tip 2: Build Brand Identity Tip 3: Create a Social Media Presence Tip 4: Take Advantage of Testimonials Tip 5: Connect with Discharge Planners and Social Workers Tip 6: Network with Local Geriatricians Tip 7: Participate in Local Senior Events Tip 8: Encourage Word of Mouth with Incentives Tip 9: Communicate with Religious Organizations Tip 10: Sign Up with SeniorServicesLeads.com

2 The demand for assisted living and senior care services is on the rise, and the need for care facilities is expected to remain strong for many years as the elderly population grows and family members search for options. This makes working in assisted living a secure and exciting endeavor for professionals interested in caregiving, but there's more to operating a facility than providing quality medical care and related amenities. One of the most important aspects of successful assisted living facility management is marketing, an area that may not be especially familiar to health care or administrative professionals. Marketing an assisted living facility is a necessary but often challenging task responsible for creating interest, attracting tenants, and ultimately driving the income an operation needs to thrive. But how is senior care marketing achieved? Through employing a number of professional marketing tips and incorporating modern tools that take advantage of today's technology and resources, assisted living facilities can dive into the world of marketing without blowing any budgets or hiring dedicated staff. The ten tips outlined in this white paper can be deployed quickly, affordably, and efficiently to help facilities launch an effective marketing campaign and to maintain marketing efforts over time. Common Concerns in Assisted Living Facility Marketing The need to promote an assisted living facility and encourage potential tenants and their families to schedule appointments or take tours is often accompanied by specific challenges. Typical obstacles include small --or even non-existent-- marketing budgets, difficulty locating family members and other decision influencers, little to no knowledge of how to incorporate online marketing tools, the lack of a cohesive brand identity, and other issues. Each of these concerns can lead to low-spirited, ineffective marketing campaigns, which tend to attract low volumes of potential tenants, many of whom may not be a good fit for the facility. Fortunately, successful marketing strategies for assisted living facilities can be developed and maintained without traditional advertising or costly consulting. In fact, quality marketing can be achieved: * Without expensive print ads; * With only basic technological skills and equipment; * Through reaching out to family members as well as tenants themselves; * With in-house brand identity development; *...and in any geographic market, no matter how small. To succeed in assisted living facility marketing, all that's truly required is dedication and follow-through -- and the wisdom behind these ten tips. From the new facility managed by those with no marketing experience to the seasoned senior care operation interested in attracting more clients and creating a stronger community presence, these tips address assisted living facility marketing from all the right angles and will release readers from the most common marketing concerns.

3 Tip 1: Create an Informative Online Video Having written information highlighting a facility and using accompanying pictures are both essential for attracting potential tenants on a website, but one of the most powerful marketing tools is a simple introductory video. Many modern cameras, even low-cost models, include a video recording function that can capture scenes from the facility. A quality video may include a short greeting from the facility administrator, a walking tour of the premises, or even a collection of footage shot during facility events such as holiday gatherings, meals, or social activities. An online video can be quickly and easily edited with any number of free software programs. Most operating systems are bundled with software suitable for creating such a video, and more advanced programs may be available with the purchase of a camera or online. Once the video is posted on a facility's website, visitors can get a clearer, more personalized sense of the staff and the services offered, and stronger, more positive impressions are bound to be made. Only a few minutes are needed to convey a world of information through video. Both seniors and their families will feel more confident about making contact after viewing even a short, low-budget clip. Tip 2: Build Brand Identity When an assisted living facility can be identified by a fluid theme that visually reinforces its brand, potential clients are more likely to perceive a sense of professionalism, and impressions are more likely to stick. Creating such a theme doesn't have to involve complex or expensive marketing tricks, however. By simply developing an attractive logo and a corresponding color scheme, any facility can improve its brand identity and drive better word of mouth and higher sales. With a basic logo and a set of colors, facilities can create business cards, letterhead, brochures, and a website with a unifying visual theme. Using these basic yet important marketing elements throughout a campaign can improve the effectiveness of marketing materials and help potential customers connect a facility's name and style with any materials they may have viewed. Some facilities may choose to outsource logo and color scheme work to a professional designer, but these elements can easily be created in-house. Any existing visual identifiers such as a name logotype or mascot can be used as starting points, or facilities can start from scratch and develop a logo and corresponding color palette based on the operation's core values. Often, the simplest of logos create the greatest impact.

4 Tip 3: Create a Social Media Presence Social media may be great for staying in touch with friends and relatives, but it's also a potentially very powerful tool for marketing businesses online. An assisted living facility is a prime candidate for making use of social media benefits, as many family members are likely to search for senior care options on the internet. Jumping into social media can be as easy as signing up for two of the most popular venues: Facebook and Twitter. Accounts can be created within minutes on both sites, and facilities can begin taking advantage of social marketing opportunities right away. Through adding pictures and posts to a Facebook account, facilities can attract visitors and share service offerings with an unlimited audience. Creating short tweets and connecting with potential clients and other senior care professionals on Twitter is a great way to promote a brand name and drive traffic to a facility's website. Perhaps the greatest opportunity that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter afford to assisted living facilities is the ability to connect with others and make positive impressions without the need for setting appointments or purchasing large-scale advertisements. Potential tenants and family members can ask questions, recommend facilities to friends, and help spread a facility's notoriety based on a few hours' initial work and moderate account maintenance. While it's not necessary to dedicate team members to 'round-the-clock social media work, it's important to regularly update social media profiles and interact with friends and followers. Tip 4: Take Advantage of Testimonials The assertions of facility staff can only go so far towards encouraging trust and confidence in potential tenants and loved ones. The testimonials of existing clients and their families can be extraordinarily powerful, whether in the form of short videos or brief letters. Testimonials don't have to rely on over-the-top praise for a facility, but may simply offer viewers and readers the chance to gain new perspectives on the services being offered. Those who volunteer to provide testimonials or who are recruited to help a facility's marketing efforts should be encouraged to give an honest account of some aspect of the facility or their experience. From detailing their first day to describing a favorite caregiver or activity, testimonial subjects can deliver powerful marketing messages with minimal direction. Testimonials can be used on website pages, and written endorsements are also ideal for brochures, social media profiles, and other basic marketing materials.

5 Tip 5: Connect with Discharge Planners and Social Workers There are often opportunities for valuable referrals on the local level, and these can typically be accessed by networking with discharge planners and social workers. Discharge planners work at hospitals and are responsible for helping elderly patients and other sin need of assisted living consider their options and locate appropriate care facilities. Through establishing a relationship with local discharge planners, assisted living facilities can increase referrals and earn more widespread popularity within local communities. Social workers may also be found in hospitals, but sometimes have private offices and other venues, such as community or senior centers, as their bases of operation. A facility can get in touch with local social workers to help these important professionals understand the benefits and abilities of the service and its staff. Social workers may then be more likely to recommend the facility to their clients, or may agree to keep brochures or other materials on-hand. Relationships with local senior care professionals can be as deep or as basic as desired; while spending more time and effort on networking activities may yield better results, simply introducing the facility and highlighting a few selling points can be effective. Tip 6: Network with Local Geriatricians Doctors themselves can also be valuable sources of marketing power, and focusing on geriatricians is a good way to target an assisted living facility's primary audience. Doctors who specialize in treating the elderly may often be asked about options for senior care, and recommendations are more likely to be made when a facility has established a connection. Providing doctors with business cards or brochures can help spread the word about a facility, as can making a basic introduction or directing a doctor to a facility's website. Geriatricians may be especially interested in the availability of different types of medical care available at an assisted living facility, so providing information based on these core services rather than all-inclusive packages or optional amenities may be the best way to make a positive impression that can be passed on to patients.

6 Tip 7: Participate in Local Senior Events Most communities play host to special senior events and activities throughout the year, whether at senior centers or other venues, and getting involved in such events can be a major boost to any assisted living facility's marketing efforts. Senior centers often offer calendars of local events, as do community centers and other groups that may hold gatherings. Attending these events is crucial for creating a local presence and providing a human face to accompany brand identity. Talking with other participants is a key component of successfully harnessing senior events, and having marketing materials such as business cards and brochures to distribute is a wise move, as well. Facilities may also wish to take a more active role in local senior happenings, whether by providing some element of the festivities, delivering a talk or presentation, or otherwise contributing to the success of the event. Tip 8: Encourage Word of Mouth with Incentives The ability of tenants and their families to join in on marketing efforts extends beyond testimonials. Simple word of mouth is a powerful tool for informing potential clients about an assisted living facility and generating positive impressions. While running a proficient and truly caring facility is always the best way to encourage word of mouth referrals, offering incentives to tenants and families whose good word results in new sales can help make the most of this marketing opportunity. Incentives may be as simple as special rate offers or extra amenities or may involve personalized rewards. When tenants or family members express satisfaction with a facility, reminding them that word of mouth referrals help keep the organization running can be an effective way to secure more recommendations among friends and colleagues. Tip 9: Communicate with Religious Organizations Some of the best venues for finding potential tenants and spreading brand awareness are those focused on religion, whether in terms of churches or other religious facilities. Providing administrators and group leaders with marketing materials and discussing an assisted living service's advantages is a great start, though becoming involved through attending events or talking to individual members is the most powerful way to reach prospects. Assisted living facilities may wish to promote any religious services or event hosting offered on the premises, or can express openness towards one or several religions to encourage potential tenants to keep the brand in mind.

7 Tip 10: Sign Up with With the help of excellent pre-qualified leads, potential tenants and family members can connect with facilities with minimal effort on the part of recruiters. SeniorServicesLeads.com offers qualified leads sourced from numerous online properties that target interested parties and screen them to ensure a given facility's custom criteria are met. When an assisted living facility signs up with SeniorServicesLeads.com, individual options such as geographic location screening, relevant services, and budgets can be configured to avoid incompatible prospect matches. Leads are delivered quickly via or fax to allow recruiters to make contact shortly after interest is expressed. An incredibly powerful tool no assisted living facility should be without, SeniorServicesLeads.com delivers qualified leads free of charge, requiring payment only when referrals move in. Facilities can take advantage of this convenient resource even on shoestring marketing budgets. A Successful Strategy Uses the Right Resources As in any marketing endeavor, sourcing and attracting potential tenants for assisted living facilities is often best achieved through multiple marketing channels. While different tips are certain to deliver results at different speeds and with varying levels of success, using a diverse collection of tactics is likely to help facilities truly take advantage of their marketing opportunities. The local community is a primary source of prospects for assisted living facilities, and should be thoroughly scouted. Facilities should also focus on creating a recognizable brand presence close to home by connecting with the community and building positive impressions whenever possible. The potential for effective facility marketing online is also substantial. Whether through engaging in social media, presenting an attractive website, or benefiting from quality lead generation services such as SeniorServicesLeads.com, facilities can use the internet to reach a wider audience and streamline their marketing techniques. When the ten tips discussed in this paper are employed, assisted living facilities can expect a marked increase in both short- and long-term interest from potential tenants and their loved ones. Combining local and generalized targeting, multiple communication methods, and insights specific to the senior care field, these guidelines can help generate the sales and positive impressions to render any assisted living facility a success.

8 Dear Administrator My name is Michelle from SeniorServicesLeads.com, we are a senior housing referral service that specializes in finding residents for senior care facilities. We want to refer inquiries from families in search of senior care and housing options to your facility. SeniorServicesLeads.com receives many inquiries from seniors and their loved ones from all over the United States. There is no cost to join our referral network. Facilities that sign up with SeniorServicesLeads.com receive the following benefits: All leads are sent to facilities for free. Only when a resident moves into the facility then we bill 50% of first month's fees. Lead is usually sent only to one facility but in highly populated areas can be shared with up to 5 facilities to provide consumers with choice. Facilities can set up filters to qualify potential residents. Filters include: resident's budget, type of care required, geographical location of the resident. Leads are delivered to the facility within seconds of submission on SeniorCareServicesGuide.com via or fax, so there is no delay in getting in touch with hot leads. Strict quality control is performed on all leads before they are sent to facilities, so only information on real potential tenants is received by facilities. To learn more please visit To Sign Up fill out attached no obligations form and fax it back to us. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Michelle Upton SeniorServicesLeads.com Phone: Fax: Michelle@SeniorServicesLeads.com

9 Please fill out this form to sign up. Print and fax it to Contact Information First name: Last name: Company name: Address: City: County: State: Zip: Phone: Fax: Secondary contact name: Secondary phone number: Online Profile Information Login (username): Password: Promotion code: MAIL Send leads to format to receive leads (Check one): HTML Excel PDF Plain Text Business Information Facility (Community) name: License #: Website: Rates: (Check one) Under $1,000 per month Under $2,000 per month Under $3,000 per month Under $4,000 per month Under $5,000 per month Above $5,000 per month Accepted funding sources: Private Medicare Social Security (Check all that apply) Medicaid / Medi-cal Long Term Care Insurance Capacity (how many beds): Total beds: of which Shared: Private: Rooms with private bathroom: Private rooms: Shared rooms: Dementia Waiver (Check one) Yes No Hospice Waiver (Check one) Yes No