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2 Must Know Senior Living Marketing Metrics. How Much Money is Your Community Leaving On The Table?



This is a guest article I wrote for NewLifestyles.com.

A good senior living marketing program is a combination of art and science. It is important to connect with seniors and caregivers on an emotional level, know their frustrations, desires, and motivators. Requiring them to take action involves the art of knowing them so well, you can write a page from their diary. On the other hand, there is the scientific aspect of senior living marketing. You must know the performance numbers of multiple marketing mediums, multiple exposures, and the results of any tests you happen to be performing. There are response numbers, inquiry ratios, tour ratios, and move in ratios. It is a difficult task knowing what the most important area to focus on with your senior living marketing. In this article, I am going to introduce some fundamental marketing metrics that will bring clarity to your marketing efforts and allow you to finally know the value of your residents.

In the Q & A section of a recent popular senior living publication, a reader asked what was the most critical marketing metric to pay attention to for a senior living community and why?

There were some good responses, including one senior living executive saying occupancy is the most critical element to know. Other executives responded saying the most important senior living marketing measurement would be a number of different elements including inquiry-to-tour and tour-to-move in ratios.

Full article: http://blog.newlifestyles.com/2013/03/20/most-important-marketing-numbers/

Marketing “Your Community” And “Senior Living” Can Lead To Terminal Failure



This is a guest article I wrote for RetirementHomes.com. 

First off, let me clear the air by saying I am not dismissing the idea of marketing. In fact, quite the opposite, I love marketing! But it is important to know the truth about marketing and how to create an effective message.

The other day I was visiting my parents, and sitting on the kitchen table, was a direct mailer from a nearby senior living community. As soon as I saw the mailer, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew this community was throwing away good money.

I need to be blunt about something. A successful senior living community is dependent on cash flow, which comes from residents in your market…not from your community.

Can you guess the terminal mistake this community made?

They talked about THEIR community and what THEY do. Success does not come from your community. Marketing is about your prospect’s NEEDS, WANTS and DESIRES and never about your specific community.

Full article at: http://www.retirementhomes.com/library/marketing-your-community-and-senior-living-can-lead-to-terminal-failure/

Residents Are More Important Than Clicks



This is a guest post I wrote, that was featured on NewLifestyles.com. It's loaded with lots of great info and I would take a good read.

Imagine this scenario. You are on a gameshow competing with 8 other people for a $100,000 cash prize. You and the other people have no experience, but you’re asked to shoot a bullseye 70 meters away with an arrow. You have the choice to use a traditional bow and arrow like Robin Hood, or you can use a new compound bow and arrow that has a super powerful scope, is easy to operate and shoots incredibly fast and accurate.

This is a no brainer… Right?

You would choose the compound bow!

If advertising on Google is just like this gameshow, then why do many senior living communities choose the old Robin Hood type of bow and arrow with their online marketing campaigns?

Seniors and caregivers are on Google’s search engine to research their problems. Maybe an adult child is looking into the different options for their parents, wants to know more about a specific community, or their parent just had a bad fall and they desperately need to find a community.

Whatever the reason, if they click on your ad, you have less than 10 seconds to give this person what they are finding, or they will hit the back button.

Full article at: http://blog.newlifestyles.com/2013/02/13/residents-are-more-important-than-clicks-are-you-a-blind-archer-with-your-senior-living-online-marketing/

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The Real Purpose Of Your Senior Living Website. Are You Getting Results?



A new website is a wonderful thing. It is like opening something from the Apple store. You feel excited about having a new voice for your senior living community and start thinking of things like branding, color schemes, flashy design, the logo, a big picture of your community, and how many hits it will get, etc. 

But, have you ever considered the main purpose of your website?

Your website is often times the first point of contact with potential residents and their caregivers. You have just seconds to give them information they need, or they are gone like a roadrunner. And all the flashy design can go out the window.

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2 Ways To Get Your Senior Living Community On The First Page Of Google’s Search Results



Have you ever had a conversation with an internet marketing company that went like this? "Well there's a number or complex technical factors that go into Search Engine Optimization including keyword density, meta data, link analysis, and latent semantic indexing."

After that conversation, you say to yourself, "They must know what they are doing because this just seems way too complicated and time consuming." 

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