Human beings thrive on social connection – it’s an essential part of life at any stage. When seniors begin researching the perfect home for the next chapter of their lives, they’re not only moving away from time-consuming property maintenance and the seemingly endless laundry list of responsibilities. Today, it’s important to provide more than four walls and a roof – you’re curating a lifestyle, full of fun, engaging opportunities for social interaction. You’re building a village.
Well that’s easy, right? There’s a whole page on your website with bullet points dedicated to what services you offer to your residents. But, don’t stick a pin in this topic too quickly. When senior living communities interact with potential clients, you have two options of how to proceed: you can either tell them you’re making their social wellbeing a priority, or you can show them.
Are you generating interest in your community, but not signing new leases as quickly as you’d like? Stay tuned! In this post, we’ll go over how socialization is vital for seniors, and how ADage Marketing Group can implement the perfect comprehensive marketing strategy to demonstrate your communities’ excellence and positively impact your brand. We offer support to life engagement staff, marketing teams, and sales professionals, to help them collectively leverage the power of connection and provide the very best lifestyle to today’s senior citizens.
The Basics: Social Connections and Their Influence on Senior Health
Talking to your significant other about your day. Calling your mom for advice. Catching up with friends after a long work week. We need social connection in our lives. Reaching out and knowing that someone else will listen provides comfort and security, which has been proven crucial now more than ever as we navigate the world around us while enduring a pandemic.
Seniors who do not incorporate social connections into their lifestyles are lacking a vital component of their wellbeing, and this can directly affect their health. According to the CDC, older adults facing loneliness and social isolation are at an increased risk for dementia, chronic illness, and hearing loss. Social isolation can contribute to:
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An increased risk of premature death that’s just as dangerous as smoking and physical inactivity
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A 50% increase in risk of dementia
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A 29% increase in risk of heart disease
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A 32% increase in risk of stroke
The inclusion of social engagement in your community supersedes the simple happiness of your residents. When a senior is experiencing isolation and is not socially engaging with others, it’s a matter of life and death. This is why having activities and social connection is such an important part of senior living communities — and why it’s equally important for seniors to know you’re making their lifestyle a top priority when they’re shopping for their next home.
How to Promote Socialization without Endangering Your Authenticity
When incorporating social connectivity in your community’s marketing strategy, it’s not going to be enough to have only a handful of events or other examples – you need to prove that this is a lifestyle you’re building for your residents. If your audience sees that all your socialization posts were from two years ago or focus only around certain holidays, you’re in danger of seeming insincere. Data from Treadhunter’s 2022 Trend Report shows that people seek authenticity, curation, and experience. So how do you provide this? The answer is in consistency and demonstrated empathy.
First and foremost, social connection needs to be a consistent theme throughout your regular community programming. In addition to celebrating holidays, it’s important to create fun, stimulating events or activities that motivate people to venture outside their comfort zones. Once a sturdy foundation of social engagement has been set, practice consistent storytelling in your marketing to share with others the lifestyle that could be theirs, or that of their loved one.
This messaging must then reach every corner of your brand. Your prospects need to receive the same level of attention and care throughout every stage of their journey. If they read a social post or a blog and pick up the phone, the voice on the other end of the line needs to be helpful and engaged. A photo of your dining hall showing happy residents and delicious food needs to match what people see when they walk through your door. It’s crucial that you are able to curate a continuous brand experience, providing solutions to any and all of their problems every step of the way.
Marrying Social Connection and Content Marketing
So by now, social engagement is part of your community life – you have the most important part down. But now it’s time to commit to launching an integrated marketing strategy showcasing how your organization is dedicated to a lifetime to your village’s happiness. A marriage of this magnitude requires more than bullet points that could turn into empty promises. The next step down the aisle is to demonstrate your commitment to those trusting you with their futures.
Do this by showcasing your community’s expertise in staffing, the actual delivery of amenities, and the opportunities residents have to engage in an active and vibrant social life. One example would be to share real-life success stories of new BFFs or newfound love stories that never would have happened had your community not brought them together. Perhaps Hallmark will find some inspiration for their next “Happily Ever After – The Golden Years” saga! Then, compliment these stories with staff spotlight articles to demonstrate how your team members go above and beyond for your residents.
Take a look at what you’re already doing. You likely have the raw material ready to help you take your company to the next level. Ask questions like the following:
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Has your community’s fitness center and group exercise activities made it to your social media posts?
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Can your audience see the on-site beauty salon, or a photo from last week’s art class showing what residents created?
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Do you have consistent social media campaigns that showcase all the best parts of what you offer?
These special qualities demonstrate your senior living community’s commitment to not only the happiness, but all-encompassing health of those who have chosen you for their next chapter. With a strong digital strategy, focusing on powerful content curation across blogs, email blasts, and social media, you can build an authentic presence by consistently showcasing the social connection in your community. Once you have these fundamentals in place, increase your reach to potential residents, create increased engagement, generate new leads, and help your business close more sales.
Your main focus is the health and happiness of your residents. We’re here to focus on you and your business. ADage Marketing Group stays at the forefront of the industry by incorporating the newest, data-driven trends, best practices, and creativity to find the solutions that you need. Reach out to us today to start the discussion of discovering your authentic brand strategy.