Category: Marketing Senior Housing

Do you struggle with what marketing message you will put on your website this month, what you will blog about this week, what snippet you will use to update your social media channels? Do you feel like waiting till warmer weather to update your electronic media?  Do you sometimes feel inspired and sometimes you just don’t have a clue what you want to say next?

This is a very common occurrence and happens to most of us from time to time.  At a recent meeting as our team was discussing our future topics, it occurred to me that we sometimes get bogged down by thinking that the next subject has to be a blockbuster of an idea, more clever than the last post, or filled with more facts than Wikipedia when it really doesn’t have to be that difficult.

You have a great product that you feel very passionately about and work with everyday.  You more than likely have industry knowledge or at least access to those in your company that do.  The information you have at your fingertips is enormous.  Don’t make it harder than it has to be.  Get back to the basics, get to the point and state your message. State it clearly where your audience can understand it, keep it simple as in not to technical, and use pictures or info graphics when appropriate.  There is no shame in a simple concise message.  Don’t feel you always have to outdo your last great idea.  Have confidence in what you have to say.  Putting out useful information on a consistent basis is the key to building a loyal following.

by Roy Barker, Director – Special Projects

When it comes to marketing and eventually closing the sale at your senior community, MDS has addressed several strategies to overcome some common sales objectives; I’m Just Not Ready Yet, Misconceptions Stifle Sales Part 1 (May 2011) and Part 2 (June 2011).  Finances can be one of the most difficult objections to overcome as it can be uncomfortable for the potential resident to discuss their personal business with a virtual stranger. There are a lot of instances where prospects convince salespeople that they can’t afford to live in their community but when they walk out they go right down the street and move in to a competitor.

On the flip side, are we too quick to size up prospects before they ever walk in the door? We are taught from a young age to not “judge a book by its cover” but let’s face it, we do. What kind of car are they driving?  Do they look clean, are they well dressed? Do they sound educated? Do they appear to have enough money to live in my community?  Do salespeople “financially qualify” prospects before they even speak with them and therefore sabotage themselves in the process?  It can be all too easy to find ourselves in this situation and it will eventually cost us sales.

This reminds me a story when I was a lot younger.  I lived in a very small rural Texas oil boom town where everyone knew everyone and their business.  One of the more wealthy townspeople who I was acquainted with had vast land holdings, a massive multi-state cattle operation, and oil royalty income that could have supported the entire town.  He was just an old country boy that had made good.  He still wore overalls, work boots and drove an old pickup truck. When you would go have coffee with him, he would always head to the restroom when the check came.  Now, everyone one in town knew him and what he was worth, but we knew this was just his way and we all respected that in him, so it was OK as long as he was in his own environment.

Read more about how a salesman unfamiliar with this man almost lost his easiest sale of the day

Roy Barker has been Director of Special Projects for MDS for the past 12 years. Roy holds a BBA in Finance from The University of North Texas as well as a master’s degree in Applied Gerontology – Long-term care, Senior Housing, and Aging Services from the University of North Texas (UNT). He can be reached at (817)925-8374 or RoyBarker@m-d-s.com.

by Roy Barker, Director – Special Projects

Recently the question was posed, “Are Newspapers still a good form of advertising for senior living communities”. The simple answer is yes with a few general caveats. Careful attention must still be paid to the design of the advertisement, the general message to be conveyed, the placement within the sections of the paper, the day the article runs, and of course the circulation of the newspaper in the targeted area. Recently while doing some client research I came across a 2011 Pew Survey “The State of Media” which provided data gathered by Scarborough Research Data. The following statistics will interest any senior housing marketing department.

The percentages reported are of those nationally who read any daily newspaper yesterday:

Age
65+ – 60%
55-64 – 50%
45-54 – 45%

Income
$150k + 53%
$100k to $149k – 46%
$75k to $99k – 45%

Education
College Graduate – 46%
Some Post Graduate – 49%
Post Graduate Degree – 54%

Here is the link to the full report, 2011 Pew Survey “The State of Media”

Another report that stated that only about 41% of 65+ use the internet and email, while 35% of those 75+ use the internet unassisted, I am sure these numbers are a lot higher for adult children decision makers.

As a person of the adult child decision maker age (that was really hard to admit), and someone that is fairly receptive of technology with access to a PC, laptop, ipad, and iphone, I still read at least 2 daily newspapers, a few weeklies, and a few select periodicals. I am also a lot more apt to act upon advertisements seen in a newspaper or magazine than those I see on the internet.