Senior living operators are facing a new challenge in 2023: how to reach and persuade a more online-savvy and demanding audience of prospective residents. With the internet playing an outsized role in the senior living sales process, operators need to level up their digital marketing strategies to stand out from the crowd and showcase their value proposition.
The changing consumer behavior
One of the key trends that senior living operators need to adapt to is the changing consumer behavior of older adults. According to Christy Van Der Westhuizen, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Wichita-based Legend Senior Living, consumers today want information quickly, succinctly, and conveniently. They also want to do their own research online before contacting a salesperson or visiting a community.
“Consumer behavior has changed radically,” Van Der Westhuizen told Senior Housing News. “Consumers want information quickly, succinctly when they want it, and it’s really our job to make sure it’s available for them anytime.”
This means that senior living operators need to have a strong online presence that can capture and engage the attention of potential customers. They also need to provide relevant and useful content that can answer their questions and address their pain points.
The importance of transparency
Another important strategy that senior living operators are using to attract savvier customers is transparency. This applies to both the pricing and the lifestyle aspects of senior living communities.
Kelly Schwennesen, vice president of sales and marketing at New Braunfels-based SilverPoint Senior Living, noted that consumers have price transparency in many other things they purchase, such as cars, and they expect the same from senior living providers.
“You can go anywhere online and you’re getting rates,” she told Senior Housing News. “I don’t know why healthcare would be any different.”
By providing clear and accurate pricing information on their websites, senior living operators can avoid sticker shock and build trust with their prospects. They can also use pricing calculators or comparison tools to help them understand the value and affordability of senior living.
On the other hand, transparency also means showing what life is like inside a senior living community. This can be done through virtual tours, testimonials, reviews, social media posts, blogs, videos, and other forms of content marketing. These can help prospects get a glimpse of the amenities, activities, services, culture, and staff of a community.
The need for differentiation
A third strategy that senior living operators are using to appeal to savvier customers is differentiation. This means highlighting what makes their communities unique and superior to their competitors.
Eric Varin, senior vice president of sales at Houston-based The Aspenwood Company, said that his company is focusing on its digital efforts to generate better quality leads and more workable leads.
“What we’re seeing is better quality leads and more workable leads from our digital efforts,” he told Senior Housing News.
To achieve this, The Aspenwood Company is using various digital channels and platforms to showcase its brand identity, values, mission, vision, and core competencies. It is also using data and analytics to optimize its digital marketing campaigns and measure its return on investment.
Similarly, Bonita Springs, Florida-based Discovery Senior Living is emphasizing its value proposition to prospective residents as it aims to push its rates higher amid rising expenses.
“This year, more than ever, we have to push rates,” Lou Maranto, senior vice president of sales at Discovery Senior Living, told Senior Housing News. “And because we have to ask more from a price standpoint, we absolutely have to drive home the value.”
To do this, Discovery Senior Living is training its sales staff on how to sell value instead of price. This involves showing prospects how much they can save and benefit by moving into a senior living community that offers convenience, safety, security, and quality of life.
The future of digital marketing in senior living
As the senior living industry continues to evolve and face new challenges in 2023, digital marketing will remain a vital tool for operators to reach and convert their target audience. By using digital marketing strategies such as transparency, differentiation, and content creation, senior living operators can stand out from the crowd and showcase their value proposition to savvier customers.