One of the challenges for many assisted living facilities is to determine how to market senior living communities in a way that attracts their target market. This is very different than a traditional marketing campaign. The target audience is not typically the elderly individual but rather a family member with decision-making ability.
There are several mistakes independent nursing homes and senior living communities make in their marketing programs. Recognizing these errors saves money and ensures the facility is operated at capacity.
Lack of Analytics and Marketing Research
In most facilities, finding out how to market senior living communities is a trial-and-error process. Going through the process of creating a marketing campaign, collecting data, considering conversion rates, and determining the ROI (return on investment) is not only time consuming but also costly. In reality, most assisted living facilities do not have data on their marketing success, which means they keep spending money without knowing what works.
Lack of a Clear Message
The lack of a clear message that distinguishes one senior living facility over others in the area is a common mistake in marketing. A key in learning how to market senior living communities is to focus less on the same thing every facility offers, and focusing the message on the advantages of your facility.
These advantages can include testimonials from residents and their families, feedback ratings, case studies, or individual stories, all designed to tap into the concerns that loved-one have when entrusting a senior family member’s care to someone else.
