The unique values and sensitivities of the senior living sector require a specific media outreach and marketing plan with a decidedly long-term approach.

Short-term vs. long-term marketing approaches

As defined by the independent news source Business 2 Community, the fundamental difference between shorter and longer outreach/marketing plans is goal orientation. Put simply, a shorter plan will seek short-term results, while a longer plan will seek long-term results.

From effectively managing costs to meeting immediate business demands, the short-term marketing approach certainly presents many distinct benefits. The value of long-term marketing, however, simply cannot be underestimated. This is true in all industries and market sectors, but it is particularly true in the world of senior living.

Although it requires a bit of patience, a longer media plan for your senior living community will gradually build the brand credibility and trust factor that you need in order to attract a loyal consumer base.

Key long-term strategies for senior living marketing

Seniors and their families are not generally quick to place their faith in any random living facility. It takes a bit of time to establish trust and build confidence in this particular business sector.

In light of this fact, senior living community owners would be wise to concentrate on the following long-term marketing elements:

1. Branding 

From Coca-Cola to Apple, the brands that we love the most share one thing in common: familiarity. By building brand awareness and recognition over time, a company can firmly establish a positive reputation. This is particularly important in senior living and other business sectors that provide essential, sensitive, and/or emotionally charged services. To find true and lasting success with your senior living, you must take care to build your brand across a full spectrum of media channels from print to broadcast to digital.

2. Content Marketing

A key component of brand-building in the digital realm is content marketing. By maintaining a current blog and offering downloadable informative content online, your senior living community can both attract new clients and strengthen relationships with existing clients. Just maintain consistent branding elements (logo, slogan, etc.) on all content marketing outreach and make sure that all content marketing connects to a central pillar page that represents your brand with strategic precision.

3. SEO 

Another long-term marketing strategy that is absolutely vital to senior living community owners is search engine optimization. Better known by its acronym, SEO, search engine optimization is a specialized and time-consuming process that improves your company’s overall ranking on Google and other popular search engines. In short, when someone in your area searches for a senior living community online, you want yours to be among the first that appear at the very top of the page. SEO is your ticket to this type of immediate visibility.

4. Consumer Reviews

Another great way to generate credibility over the long haul is to accumulate positive online reviews. In addition to building a good reputation on independent consumer rating sites such as Caring.com and SeniorHousing.net, you should consider posting positive reviews on your official website and/or social media pages. Go beyond reviews from current and former residents by adding reviews from family members and loved ones.

For more information

If you have further questions about the value of a long-term media plan for your senior living community, contact a skilled and knowledgeable senior living marketing professional at Bigeye today. Bigeye has a state-of-the-art approach to good, old-fashioned credibility building that is perfect for the senior living sector.