Animation of different peoples personas and amenities that can drive senior living occupancy.

How Personas Can Drive Senior Living Occupancy

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Animation of different peoples personas and amenities that can drive senior living occupancy.

Personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers—or, in the case of senior living, your ideal residents and the adult children involved in making decisions.

Armed with a clear picture of your ideal residents, you can better personalize your messaging and marketing to them—and ultimately boost your senior living occupancy.

Below, we’re sharing two case studies demonstrating how personas helped drive occupancy for our clients.

Case study: Using personas to develop a unique selling proposition

The problem: How to differentiate from the big boys in town?

We worked with a community in Ohio stuck at 60% occupancy. This community is in a rural market with two nearby competitors. One competitor is affiliated with the local healthcare system and has rehab, skilled nursing, physicians, and assisted living on one campus. The other competitor is new, with a fancy community that offers a more glamorous experience.

Our client’s marketing team felt their own community came off as old, dated, and too expensive, given what people were paying each month. The team believed their community couldn’t compete with the newer property or the property that offered assisted living and other medical services on a single campus.

The solution: Develop a value proposition based on real experiences, not marketing’s assumptions.

Our goal was to identify the right niche for our client and identify the unique value proposition so we could create messaging to attract prospects who would prefer our client’s community.

To accomplish this, we interviewed families that recently chose our client’s community over the others. What we learned: The prospects who chose our client’s community thought the new fancy-schmancy community in town was too grand for their tastes. And they thought the community with all the medical offerings on one campus was too big and difficult to navigate.

None of the families had a problem with the price of our client’s community. And what seemed like “old and dated” to the marketing team felt “warm and cozy” to the prospects. So, we created a messaging campaign that positioned the community with the following theme: “We’re not too big or too fancy—we’re just right.”

The result: Improved occupancy in the harder-to-sell units.

The refined messaging resonated well with prospects simply because it matched their needs and pain points instead of reflecting the marketing team’s assumptions about those pain points. Occupancy improved as a result. We were finally attracting the right prospects for this community.

Case study: Developing personas to help fill a specific need.

The problem: How to push the right inventory to the right prospect?

A client with a life plan community was in the process of renovating the older, dated property when we came on board. At the time, the community had mostly small one-bedroom units and studios available until the renovation was completed (over a year out). The community had a long waiting list for the larger apartments but no inventory. They did, however, have plenty of studios and smaller one-bedrooms—the problem was the prospects in the pipeline had no interest.

The solution: Develop two new personas that aligned with the available inventory.

Our job was to attract prospects interested in the smaller units. To do so, we had to first understand who those potential buyers were.

We began by hosting focus groups representing residents who had previously selected the smaller units. Through those conversations, we developed two personas that we’d use to guide our messaging and campaigns:

Persona #1: Planner Pam

Planner Pam represents older, single women interested in purposeful planning for their retirement lifestyle. She is vocal about not wanting her children to make decisions on her behalf, and she doesn’t want to become a burden to her kids as she ages. (Almost all the women in our focus group had cared for older loved ones, and they didn’t want their kids going through what they’d endured.)

Planner Pam chose our client’s community because of its life plan promise. The community offers a continuum of care as residents’ needs change. The price point of the smaller units was highly attractive to Planner Pam because it ensures she won’t outlive her assets. This financial security provides peace of mind. Planner Pam also values socialization—she has no interest in spending much time in her apartment. Instead, she enjoys dining with friends in the community and participating in activities.

Persona #2: Simple Sam

Simple Sam doesn’t want to continue maintaining his home, doing chores, and cooking. Several focus group participants had lost a spouse, and they chose our client’s community because they craved a simple life with meals, housekeeping, and maintenance included.

The Simple Sam folks aren’t looking for anything big and fancy, so they aren’t impressed with the larger apartments. Their collective attitude is, “I just need my TV, recliner, and bed. What I really appreciate are the services and amenities.” All the men in the focus group had initially attended a “lunch and learn” in the community before moving in.

We created two different campaigns to attract similar prospects to fill the remaining available units. We purchased qualified mailing lists for single men and women within our client’s geographic market and created a different campaign for each persona.

For Planner Pam, we created a campaign with messaging that spoke to being in control of your retirement plans, the importance of making a decision now so that your kids don’t have to do it later, how living in our client’s community means you’ll never be a burden to your family, and the peace of mind the life plan financial contract and continuum of care offered.

The other campaign for Simple Sam reinforced the idea that it was time to say goodbye to the “honey do” list and enjoy their retirement. The call to action (CTA) was to join us for a “lunch and learn” event where they could experience the fantastic food and learn more about the community.

The results: Increase in qualified prospects and move-ins.

Both campaigns garnered an excellent response and attracted qualified prospects. We filled the smaller apartments, which gave the community breathing room with its renovations. The community brought us on board when its occupancy was 60%, and it has now reached 90%.

We also created a “couples” persona to drive sales for the larger apartments post-renovation. The key motivators for couples include moving into a community when they’re both well enough to enjoy it together, continuing to live together even if their individual needs change over time, and having a supportive community if their spouse dies.

Persona research serves as the foundation upon which you build your marketing strategy.

Too often, communities dismiss persona research because they think it takes too long and costs too much. The communities want something tangible right away to use or share with prospects in return for the investment.

Here’s the thing, though: doing good persona research takes time. Yes, the final “product” is for internal use only. But with it, your marketing and sales teams will better understand what makes their ideal prospects tick. This will empower marketing to create messaging that attracts qualified prospects to your site and digital assets to help convert them at various points on their journey.

Remember, if you don’t know who you want to attract to your community and you try to attract everyone, you’ll waste valuable marketing dollars. Not to mention, you won’t increase your senior living occupancy.

And if you do know who you want to attract, but you don’t take the time to understand them—what their pain points are, what they crave, what they need—you’ll have trouble converting them to move-ins because your messaging won’t resonate with them.

Bottom line: Persona research isn’t a quick fix. Instead, it’s a long-term solution—one that works.

Persona research matters. It’s an investment of time and money that will pay off in the long run. Need help developing yours? Get in touch.

Senior couple going through the move-in process and going through belongings.

How the Move-In Process Can Affect Your Senior Living Marketing

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Senior couple going through the move-in process and going through belongings.Too many senior living marketing and sales teams think their work is done once a prospect signs a lease. The problem with this thinking? The teams are missing an opportunity to help residents AND the community at the same time.

Remember, life doesn’t get easier for prospects once they agree to move into your community. It’s just the opposite. The prospect faces a hot mess of stress and anxiety between the lease signing and the actual move-in. Tasks include picking through cherished belongings, deciding what to toss or donate, preparing the house to go on the market, and packing what they want to take with them. Emotions run high—and even more so when adult children are involved.

Sure, the marketing and sales team could say, “Not our problem! We’ll see you when you arrive.”

And yet, it’s in the community’s best interest to make this transition as seamless as possible. And by “seamless,” we mean offering concrete ways to help residents and their families reduce stress and even find joy during the chaos.

Why? Consider the following:

  • Happy residents (and their families) will participate in your referral programs. And guess what? Referrals from current residents and their families are GOLD. They tend to have much better conversion rates while requiring the least heavy lifting. But happy residents don’t just happen. It will be much harder to inspire residents still smarting from a difficult move to get into referral mode.
  • Happy residents (and their families) will write glowing reviews. Reviews are essential to the senior living sales process. Prospects crave current reviews, not ones from three years ago, so you must constantly prime the referral pump. The best time to ask for a review is right after the resident moves in and when everything is still fresh. But what happens if the trauma of a hard move now overshadows the fantastic rapport your sales rep built? Suddenly, your hope for a solid 5-star review is fading.

Remember, moving into your community might feel like a cup of coffee to you. But it’s a big deal for the family facing such a daunting undertaking.

Study after study suggests that moving is the most stressful event in life. When you add in older age, illness, or the recent death of a loved one (like a spouse), the stress grows exponentially.

No wonder people would rather stay in their homes—even if the home is unsafe or lonely. Here’s the thing: If you know that the physical act of moving is the barrier to entry, why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to break down this barrier?

And guess what? If you effectively break down this barrier, you’ll do something awesome for your community while you’re at it: differentiating it from all the other communities that don’t bother with this step.

Develop a helpful post-deposit process for new residents and their families—and differentiate your community in a good way.

Coming up with a compelling marketing differentiator in senior living is challenging since most communities sell the same amenities, the same levels of care, and the same promises about great food and a stellar staff.

So, if your community becomes known for reducing stress during the transition, this can become an excellent point of differentiation.

Below are three ways to accomplish exactly that:

1. Put your marketing automation to good use with helpful workflows.

Thanks to marketing automation, your team can create email workflows to assist the sales team during this post-deposit stretch before the prospect moves in. Workflows can include move-in-day reminders, what residents can expect during their first week or month, and answers to FAQs.

Follow a cadence that makes sense—these email “touches” should correspond to when the new resident is moving in. For example, someone joining your community within 30 days will need an accelerated workflow that surfaces the most critical info, like move-in day protocol: when to arrive, where to go, who will be available to help carry belongings, and what to expect during the first dining experience.

On the other hand, people who are moving into your community 90 days out will follow a different cadence. Mixed in with the “just the facts” messages can be other messages highlighting the lifestyle and upcoming events.

Another smart strategy is digitizing all move-in paperwork. Keep in mind that adult children are often responsible for managing the paper trail for their parents—and many of these adult children are under 65. They expect a digital experience, like a resident portal, not a binder of papers and forms.

2. Encourage (and reward) salespeople who stay in touch with their recently closed prospects.

The new resident and their family likely developed a strong rapport with the salesperson. To have them suddenly disappear will feel disorienting. And yet, this disappearing act is what happens in most communities.

Instead, encourage your salespeople to stay in regular touch with their recently closed customers. Encourage them to serve as the new resident’s primary point of contact during this transition. (Or, if budget allows, a move-in or transition specialist might be a new title to create in your community.)

And we’re not talking about the salesperson simply sending an email or leaving a voice mail just so they can cross the task off their to-do list. Instead, they should:

  • Ask how the soon-to-be resident is doing. Pay attention to what they say—and what they don’t say. Do they seem frazzled? Depressed? Anxious? Are they struggling with a specific task, like finding movers? How can you help? The best senior living salespeople will have a network of trusted vendors that can address myriad issues, from downsizing to moving.
  • Consider making a kind gesture, like bringing the soon-to-be resident some goodies from the community’s dining room (which will serve as a reminder about what the resident has to look forward to in your community).
  • Actively listen. Sometimes offering an empathetic ear is all the future resident (or their family) needs. Even the best salesperson on the planet won’t be able to reduce the stress level to zero. But letting the future resident vent, or the adult daughter, or the adult brother squabbling with the adult daughter can help lighten the load.

Keep in mind that most salespeople won’t be used to having these sorts of interactions with recently closed customers. But if you want your community to become known for helping new residents transition successfully, you must encourage your salespeople to be part of the process. Encourage their involvement and find ways to reward them. What motivates sales folks more than incentives, right?

3. Offer relocation services—and don’t forget to promote the service long before the prospect signs the lease.

Debbie Howard, our CEO and Co-Founder, recently did a podcast with Maureen Longoria, the co-founder of LivNow Relocation, which specializes in senior living relocation services.

Longoria says her team is trained in “empathy and action.” Older adults need big doses of empathy since so many emotions are tied to their personal possessions. Adult children are often more focused on logistics—the action items—like securing good movers.

Longoria says communities shouldn’t underestimate how much the burden of moving can influence a person’s decision about whether to bother moving at all. In the podcast, she discusses a survey where participants considering a move into senior living were asked what they needed the most help with.

“The number one thing was the physical aspect of moving,” Longoria says. “The number two thing was finding the right community. They were very concerned about that. But the number three thing was organizing and downsizing. Number four was selling the home. And then number five was financial.”

Considering the physical act of moving occupies the top position (and relevant tasks occupy other positions in the top five), offering relocation services makes a lot of sense, and doing so can go a long way in differentiating your community from others. This is why the sooner communities inform prospects about this service, the better. Don’t wait until the prospect signs the lease to tell them about the services. Instead, promote that your community takes a proactive approach in helping new residents transition from their home to senior living.

If your senior living community offers relocation services, do the following:

  • Create a dedicated landing page on your site about the relocation services. Ideally, make it available and visible in the top-level navigation. Discuss how this service can benefit your future residents. Share testimonials from residents who’ve used the services. If the service doesn’t cost the resident anything, highlight this point.
  • Promote the services in all pre-tour communications. For example, when someone schedules a tour online, the thank-you page and the auto-responder email should highlight this service and explain how people can contact a counselor for a free consultation.
  • Highlight the service in all post-tour communications. Remind people about this service—and make it easy for someone to contact a relocation counselor.
  • Make virtual intros. If the salesperson senses a once-hot lead is getting cold feet, they should take the initiative and make a virtual introduction between the prospect and a relocation counselor.
  • Promote the service throughout the community’s website, social media platforms, and marketing events. Again, if the process of moving is one of the biggest barriers to entry, BREAK DOWN THIS BARRIER.

Bottom line: the most successful communities think BEYOND the sale.

Need help figuring out post-deposit workflows and how to align your marketing and sales teams so they can help transition new residents without adding more work on anyone’s plates? We can help with this and any other senior living marketing challenges. Get in touch and let’s chat.

Senior man looking at a laptop wondering why he is losing senior living leads.

3 Reasons You’re Losing Senior Living Leads

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Did you know you could be losing senior living leads—and you might not even be aware it’s happening? If the sales team is hitting its numbers, you might think everything is operating like a well-oiled machine. And yet your community could be losing out on GREAT senior living leads due to three big culprits: Your website, your conversion points, and your front desk.

Here’s what you need to know.

You might be losing senior living leads if your website is slow, outdated, or both

When was the last time you refreshed your site? Three years ago? Five? Can’t remember? Prospects don’t necessarily need a fancy-schmancy website with tons of bells and whistles. But they do want a modern website that’s easy to navigate, has current information, and renders fast across mobile devices.

If your website is outdated, good prospects might think (even subliminally) that this outdated feel will extend to your community. And people have zero patience for slow sites. Remember, to a new prospect, senior living communities essentially sell the same thing. So if your site doesn’t load quickly, the visitor won’t think twice about finding one that does.

What to do, how to fix:

  • Check the bounce rate for critical pages. If people enter the site but quickly leave, something is amiss. Marketing guru Neil Patel explains how to check bounce rate in Google Analytics 4.
  • Review content. Is any of your content obsolete or incorrect? For example, did you recently revamp your community’s foyer, but pictures of the “old” foyer remain on the site? The old pictures aren’t telling the true story. Not to mention, for folks who DO visit, it will be quite a disconnect from what they were expecting. Even small things, like a copyright notice in the footer that says “2019,” can affect trust.
  • Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights (PSI) to evaluate your site. As its name suggests, PageSpeed Insights will analyze how fast your site performs across desktops and mobile devices and suggest improvements. That’s the simple definition. Check out this article from Semrush for a deeper dive into how PSI works.
  • Have an objective third-party audit your site. Getting an independent audit, like our Total Online Presence Audit, is an excellent way to know if your site is helping to attract and convert leads.

You might be losing senior living leads if you haven’t thought through your conversion points

Debbie Howard, CEO of Senior Living SMART, was telling us about an experience she recently had on a prospect’s website. “I clicked on ‘Schedule a Tour’ and was redirected to a multi-page survey with a million questions. I thought, what? No. If I want to schedule a tour, I want to pick a date and time to schedule it. Don’t say I can schedule a tour and then bring me to a survey.”

This isn’t an isolated experience, either. Sadly, we see too many convoluted conversion points on senior living community websites. You must be thoughtful in how and where you ask people to act—and what that action is.

What to do, how to fix:

  • Simplify the conversion process. Ensure that actions like scheduling a tour are straightforward and require minimal steps.
  • Audit conversion paths. Regularly check all the conversion paths on your website. Ensure links and forms work correctly and the user is directed to the appropriate confirmation page or next step.
  • Test different approaches. Experiment with different types of conversion points, such as buttons, forms, or chatbots. Use A/B testing to determine which methods are most effective in engaging prospects.
  • Monitor conversion rates. A low conversion rate could indicate a problem with the design or functionality of that particular conversion point.
  • Regularly audit your calls-to-action (CTAs). CTAs must be clear and compelling and communicate precisely what will happen when a user clicks. Avoid misleading CTAs that don’t deliver on their promise.
  • Optimize for mobile devices. Many users will access your site via mobile devices. Ensure your conversion points are easy to use on smartphones and tablets, with responsive design and touch-friendly interfaces.
  • Offer multiple ways to connect. Some prospects might prefer different contact methods like phone calls over emails or texts. Provide various options to cater to different preferences.
  • Analyze user behavior. Use tools like Google Analytics to understand how users interact with your conversion points. Look for patterns like where they drop off or what actions they take before converting.

You might be losing senior living leads due to your front desk

In addition to solid conversion points, you must also ensure you’re scoring website leads correctly so that sales-ready leads receive speedy follow-up and marketing-qualified leads enter nurturing workflows. The communities that consistently win are the ones who follow up on sales-ready leads the fastest.

But here’s the thing that many communities overlook. What happens when a sales-ready lead picks up the phone and calls your community’s main number? Your front desk person is likely warm and friendly, but they are not sales-oriented. They don’t have a sales mentality. They’re also juggling plenty of non-sales calls (e.g., family members trying to reach a resident or a nurse). Sales calls don’t receive priority or any sort of white-glove treatment. The front desk person might place the prospect on hold, dump them into voicemail, or give incorrect or incomplete info.

What to do, how to fix:

We don’t have a bulleted list of suggestions, like training your front desk staff better.

Sure, you could train your front desk team to recognize sales inquiries from general inquiries. But what happens when they transfer the sales inquiries to a salesperson within the community? Unless the sales rep is sitting at their desk and they’re available to answer the call, the prospect will likely go to voicemail.

This is an ongoing problem plaguing senior living communities. Sales reps are busy giving tours, networking, and working closely with prospects preparing to sign a lease. They’re not sitting idly by their phones. Not to mention, sales reps don’t work 24/7.

Recognizing this, our team created a true senior living lead management solution. It’s called LeadGenie. LeadGenie offers virtual sales support to ensure every prospect is responded to, increasing conversions to tours and move-ins. Learn more about LeadGenie here.

Stop losing valuable senior living leads

If you have questions or need help with any of the above, get in touch. We’re passionate about helping our clients attract the right prospects and close more of them. Let’s talk soon.

portrait and close up of Two happy seniors buying a new house holding the key with his hand.

Tips for Better Senior Living Sales & Marketing Alignment Post-Deposit

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The biggest myth in senior living sales and marketing is that marketing ends once someone signs on the dotted line and delivers their deposit.

Here’s the reality: Sales and marketing teams must remain aligned post-deposit. Why? Two reasons.

First, happy residents are your best form of advertisement. They write excellent, engaging reviews. They’re also much more likely to participate in your community’s friends/family referral program. (Family and friends referrals enjoy high conversion rates.) However, happy residents don’t just happen. Your community should have a process for ensuring a smooth, branded move-in experience so that all new residents are happy.

But this brings us to the second reason why sales and marketing teams must remain aligned post-deposit: You can’t count on sales counselors to consistently provide a smooth, branded move-in experience. That’s not in their wheelhouse. Plus, the sales counselors are already busy trying to close sales-qualified leads who haven’t reached the deposit point yet.

Luckily, this work doesn’t have to be a heavy lift for your marketing department thanks to the wonders of marketing automation. You can set up post-deposit nurturing campaigns to help create a red-carpet experience for each new resident every time. These campaigns would automatically trigger once the deposit is noted in the CRM.

So, what types of post-deposit nurturing campaigns should you develop? We recommend creating campaigns around these 3 topics:

    • Keeping track of all the paperwork
    • Relocation/moving tips
    • What residents can expect their first week/month

Campaign #1: Say hello to streamlined paperwork

We don’t have to tell you about all the paperwork involved with moving into your community. But the amount of paperwork might surprise the prospective resident—or the person handling it on their behalf, like an adult child.

Creating a post-deposit workflow that helps new residents keep track of and make sense of all the documents will reduce their stress and make it easier for them to access what they need when they need it.

Some tips to keep in mind:

    • If your community has an online resident portal, provide clear instructions on how to access and use it. Include not only written instructions, but also a video walk-through. Audit the instructions—review them yourself and ensure everything makes sense and works as expected. Get feedback from newer residents and their families about their experience with the portal.
    • Make sure you include the right people in this workflow. For example, if a couple is moving in, make sure they’re both included. If family members have been involved in the process, include them. (This goes for all the post-deposit nurturing campaigns, not just this one.)

Campaign #2: Countdown to move-in day

Moving is considered one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. The move can become exponentially harder when you add the emotions of leaving a home you’ve been in for decades.

One of the best post-deposit campaigns you can develop is a countdown to move-in day with practical, actionable steps people can follow. But don’t overwhelm people with too much information in each email.

Things to include:

Start with a welcome email. When we create this campaign for our clients, we immediately send an email from the executive director or CEO thanking the new resident for selecting the community and letting them know how excited they are to welcome them to the family.

    • Downsizing strategies
    • Tips for selling a home
    • What to donate, give to friends and family, sell, and take
    • How to digitize pictures
    • Packing checklists
    • Vetted vendors, like the moving companies you recommend
    • PRO TIP: Speaking of vetted vendors, if you REALLY want to help your new residents transition successfully into your community, connect them with a relocation specialist. Intrigued? Check out our podcast with Maureen Longoria, Co-Founder of LivNow Relocation, which assists older adults and their adult children during this emotionally charged transition.

Campaign #3: What to expect your first week/month

When you sign up for a free 30-day trial of something, you often receive a series of welcome emails that do just that—welcome you to the service, highlight valuable features, and share answers to FAQs.

Model your community’s “what you can expect” campaign accordingly. Send a welcome email that arrives in a new resident’s inbox within 24-48 hours of moving in.

Send follow-up emails over the next 30 days that share info about . . .

    • Dining services. How to order, hours, where to request special meals, etc.
    • Activities for the next month.
    • FAQs. Collect and answer the most common questions new residents have in this email. (Or link to a page on your site with all the answers.)
    • What to do if something’s amiss. Give people a direct line to someone who can help them ASAP if something isn’t right or to their liking. Complaints or minor irritations aren’t unusual during a move into senior living. The key is making sure the new resident feels heard AND that they feel the issue is being addressed.

Need help creating a post-deposit nurturing workflow?

This isn’t a typical workflow that senior living communities implement—or that most senior living marketing agencies offer their clients. But we do! Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can put these workflows to work for your community.

Marketing automation for senior living

Marketing Automation for Senior Living: Real Results

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We spend a lot of time on the blog and with our clients discussing the value of marketing automation for senior living. But the proof is in the results. Below, we’re highlighting what two years’ worth of sound marketing strategy and automation achieved for Sinceri Senior Living, which is based out of Vancouver, Washington, and has over 70 communities across the U.S.

But first, let’s have a quick refresher on marketing automation.

Why does marketing automation for senior living matter?

Marketing automation enables you to send the right message to the right person at the right time. As its name suggests, everything happens automatically in the background. A website visitor’s actions enable marketing automation to glean the visitor’s intent and give them a lead score. The score helps determine the next steps.

For example, if someone downloads a guide about retirement planning and indicates they want to move to an independent living community within a couple of years, they would receive a different score than someone who requests a tour next week because their mom needs memory care ASAP.

The former would be considered a marketing-qualified lead (MQL). They’ve indicated intent and interest, but they’re not ready to buy now or any time soon. They’ll enter lead nurturing workflows designed to keep them engaged.

The latter is a sales-qualified lead (SQL). They’ve indicated sales readiness through their actions and the info provided through the tour request.

The marketing automation can keep track of everyone—who they are, their lead score, and what should happen next. The automation also frees up the marketing and sales team from mundane, repetitive processes—and the automation can quickly scale to accommodate multiple communities.

So, instead of keeping track of who’s who and when to send emails, the marketing team can focus on developing engaging content that attracts more qualified traffic to the website—think blog posts, videos, and social media content. Meanwhile, the sales team can focus on high-intent leads instead of wasting time working “all leads,” which has traditionally been the approach in senior living.

OK, so all of this might sound well and good in theory. But how does marketing automation work in practice? Is everything as seamless as we described above? And what about the results?

Below, we’re sharing two years’ worth of results for Sinceri Senior Living: August 2021 to August 2022, and August 2022 to August 2023. Sinceri is a prime example of how automation can enhance marketing efforts, streamline processes, and, most importantly, drive tangible results.

Year one: Building a solid foundation

Sinceri Marketing Numbers

The stories behind the numbers

Sinceri’s blog enjoyed an impressive 20,007 views, a crucial indicator of increasing online engagement. The real success, however, was evident in the conversion rates. The MQLs stood at 6,923, a significant portion of which (3,694) came from guide downloads and 3,229 from brochure downloads.

The SQLs were even more telling of the strategy’s effectiveness, with 5,160 conversions comprising 3,229 tours and 1,931 requests to speak with sales representatives. This successful nurturing of MQLs to SQLs was marked by 3,406 advancements, a testament to the effective combination of email nurturing and lead scoring.

The move-ins may be the most compelling evidence of the automation strategy’s success. Out of 343 total move-ins, 232 were attributed to first-touch SQLs and 111 to first-touch MQLs, translating into a remarkable $24,696,000 in revenue, considering the average resident lifetime value.

Year two: Refining strategy and focusing on quality

 

The stories behind the numbers

The second year (August 2022 to August 2023) showed an interesting trend. Although blog views decreased to 14,400, this wasn’t necessarily a setback. In fact, it highlighted a more targeted and quality-driven approach to traffic acquisition. The MQLs slightly increased to 6,995, indicating more efficient conversions despite lower traffic. The brochure downloads significantly rose to 5,206, showing a shift in user preference and content effectiveness.

The SQLs saw a notable increase to 7,773, underscoring the efficiency of the nurturing process. The number of move-ins also rose to 392, with a higher proportion of first-touch SQLs (251) than first-touch MQLs (141). This translated into a staggering $28,224,000 in revenue, further cementing the effectiveness of marketing automation in driving real financial outcomes.

The value of marketing automation for senior living operators

The above results demonstrate the value of marketing automation for senior living communities. The results include:

  • Enhanced engagement: Automation tools help the right leads receive the right messages at the right time, boosting engagement and conversions to the next steps.
  • Improved conversion rates: The transition from MQLs to SQLs and then to actual move-ins highlights how automation streamlines the lead nurturing process and positively impacts conversions.
  • Increased revenue: The substantial rise in revenue over two years highlights the direct financial benefits of adopting a well-strategized marketing automation system.

Sinceri Senior Living’s experience with marketing automation offers invaluable insights for other senior living communities. It demonstrates that with the correct setup and strategy, marketing automation isn’t simply a tool for efficiency; it’s a pathway to meaningful engagement, better conversions, and significant revenue growth.

Want to turbocharge your community’s marketing? Let’s talk!

We can help you implement marketing automation so that it delivers the ROI you crave. Get in touch and let’s talk about marketing automation.

Senior woman outdoors hiking with backpack.

What Is a Solo Ager & How Do You Market to Them?

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You’ve likely been hearing the term “solo ager” more and more. This is yet another demographic you must keep in mind as you market your senior living communities, especially if your levels of care focus on active adult living and independent living.

But what is a solo ager, exactly? Do you need a completely new marketing playbook for them? This article aims to answer those and other relevant questions.

What is a solo ager?

Solo agers are adults in their mid-50s and older who are aging “solo” since they don’t have children or current life partners. Some solo agers might be widowed or divorced—or they never married in the first place. Others might not have any children—or the children they had are deceased. Whatever their circumstances, what solo agers have in common is navigating their senior years on their own.

A synonym for solo agers includes “kinless seniors.” (The New York Times published “Who Will Care for Kinless Seniors” in June 2023, which is worth the read.)

Here are some interesting stats about this demographic:

12% of adults over 50 are aging solo. [Source: AARP]

27% of American adults aged 60 and older are aging solo, and older adults in the U.S. are more likely to live alone than anywhere else in the world. [Source: Pew Research Center]

The percentage of one-person households more than tripled in the U.S. between 1940 and 2020, going from 7.7% to 27.6%. [Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

In 2019, nearly one million older Americans had no spouse, partner, children, or siblings (approximately 370,000 were women over 75). [Source: The New York Times]

Solo agers aren’t necessarily sad about going it alone

Don’t let any negative connotations with the word “solo” fool you. Many solo agers have chosen this path. For example, some older adults might end a long-term marriage later in life to pursue happiness elsewhere, like Al and Tipper Gore famously did. This is known as “gray divorce,” and it’s been on the rise.

And even if becoming a solo ager wasn’t intentional, that doesn’t mean solo agers are necessarily sad about their position (though some are). As AARP notes in a recent survey, even though solo agers might face challenges, most feel “optimistic about their quality of life as they age,” with only 12% of those surveyed saying they feel pessimistic.

Still, it’s also worth noting that the same AARP article revealed that solo agers haven’t planned for their future living arrangements, even though statistically 70% of people over 65 will need long-term care at some point.

This suggests an opportunity for senior living marketers. The question becomes how to effectively reach this demographic.

How is marketing to solo agers different from marketing to other demographics?

Senior living communities are used to interacting with adult children just as much as older adults. With solo agers, the concept of an adult child (or other family member) is no longer in play. This could make the sales process easier since you won’t have multiple influencers, just the solo ager. The challenge will be piquing the solo ager’s interest to begin with.

The AARP survey revealed that most solo agers haven’t given thought to what’s next: “Among those still living in their own home, the survey shows 95% have not made a reservation at a community for older adults, looked for a cheaper or easier place to live (82%), or modified their home to make it easier to live in as they age (78%).”

This suggests the solo ager sales cycle might be longer than for independent living, which is already long and requires at least 22 touch points.

Developing marketing campaigns for solo agers—starting with educating them on what senior living is and how they can finance it as a single person—is a smart first step communities can take now. You should also produce content about related issues that solo agers are researching and reading online. For example, many solo agers subscribe to AARP publications. Running ads or advertorials with AARP could be a way to begin planting the seed with solo agers that there’s a place for them in senior living.

  • PRO TIP: A great time to engage solo agers is around the holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. You could do a targeted campaign for solo agers in your area, inviting them to a festive event in your community. The fourth quarter is historically slow for senior living sales because potential residents want to spend one last holiday with their families. But most solo agers won’t have this objection. Your marketing and sales teams could create a compelling offer that entices solo agers to move in November or December.

Do you need a new marketing playbook for solo agers?

Good news! Your marketing playbook doesn’t need to change, but the messaging does. You’ll still want to use marketing automation and compelling content, just like you do for other demos. But you’ll need to begin with more education and help solo agers feel like there’s a true place for them in your community and that you’re not simply swapping the words “solo agers” into all of your existing messaging geared toward other personas, like older couples or people with adult children.

Instead, you must offer messaging that will resonate with this demo and reinforce their independence and desire for choice while empowering them to see the value in—and ultimately make the move to—senior living.

  • Develop a solo ager persona. This is an entirely new persona, one that will evolve as everyone begins to better understand the solo ager’s specific wants and needs.
  • Create educational content that will resonate with them. This persona needs educational content that demonstrates you understand who they are.
  • Follow solo-aging trends. Because this persona is so new, no one has it figured out. We’re in unchartered territory. (The name “solo ager” might change, too.) Set up relevant Google Alerts on solo aging and any synonyms that develop. Follow brands that successfully cater to this demo and study their messaging. Experiment with different messaging, see what works, and fine-tune from there.

From a broader organizational perspective, senior living communities might need to rethink what senior living looks like for this demo. (This is true for Boomers, too.) These are incredibly independent personas. Apartments with shared walls won’t be as attractive as stand-alone homes. This shift could impact your existing campus—or plans for new construction. But it’s not an unheard-of idea. (This senior living community in Massachusetts offers spacious two-bedroom standalone cottages with garages on its campus—and all the typical amenities, like dining and housekeeping.)

Bottom line: Start focusing on solo agers NOW

This is a long-term play. Solo agers in their mid-60s won’t be signing leases with your assisted living or independent living community tomorrow—or next year. However, if you prime this persona’s pump now, especially through education and by demonstrating you understand their unique needs, your community will stand a better chance of engaging with them when they are ready.

If you need help with any of this, work with us. We’ve created a bunch of solo aging-specific content, including a guide designed specifically for solo agers, that our clients can customize and use to target this demo. Reach out to learn more.

Animation of physic with crystal ball predicting the future

Senior Living Marketing Predictions for 2024

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It’s that time of year when we ask our team members to gaze into their crystal balls and make senior living marketing predictions for 2024.

Here’s what everyone had to say…

Deborah Howard, CEO


“I think we’re going to see more movement towards emotionally resonant messaging. We’ve got to get away from “just the facts” messages of ’here’s another blog,’ ‘here’s another guide,’ or ‘here’s another ten reasons you should move into senior living.’

People buy emotionally, and then they support that decision intellectually. If all we’re doing is feeding prospects intellectual stuff, they’ll get stuck.

If senior living communities want to compete successfully in 2024 and beyond, they must include emotional messages in their content—and not just words, but in visuals, too.”

Andréa Catizone, President & COO


“Here are my 2024 marketing predictions for senior living:

  • Increased Emphasis on Personalization: Tailoring content and advertising to individual preferences and behaviors can enhance user experiences and drive better engagement. By the way, that’s something AI doesn’t always do well.
  • Rise of Video Content: Video continues to be an engaging channel. We hope to see more senior living communities do more to capture video reviews, “A Day in the Life,” etc.
  • Voice Search Optimization: My 93-year-old mother’s best friend is her Amazon Echo. Seniors are using their virtual assistants more than ever. Senior living providers, especially larger organizations with established web presences, should start thinking about optimizing for voice search in 2024 to stay ahead of the curve.
  • Privacy Concerns and Regulatory Compliance: Privacy policies and adherence to website regulatory requirements will be a top priority for website owners.
  • Personalized and Targeted Campaigns: Long gone are the days of “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to marketing campaigns. But too many communities still have that mindset. I think we’ll see a (mostly) complete shift away from that thinking. If we want to engage prospects, especially younger Boomers, we must engage them through highly personal content tailor-made for them.
  • Online Reviews and Reputation Management: Not only do good reviews improve your trust rating for the Google bots, but more and more prospects are looking at reviews as part of their research. Communities that understand this and spend time (and budget) maintaining their reputation will compete well in 2024.”

Paul Trusik, Director of Operational Technology


“Gazing into 2024, I expect to see more marketing integrations using AI features, whether it’s to aid in content generation for email marketing or landing page copy or to help sales teams quickly formulate replies to prospects from their respective CRMs. Many of our chat partners are also harnessing AI features to help arm their chatbots with enhanced sentiment alongside informational community scripts.

Also, I expect a rise in SMS (text) campaigns to complement what we’re already doing with email campaigns in our marketing automation platforms.

Some ten years ago, we patiently waited for adult children to start researching online as the senior living industry started ramping up digital marketing efforts. Now, we expect that same demographic will start getting just as comfortable communicating via text vs. email and phone.”

Doug Demaio, Director of Client Success


“My prediction is that senior living marketing becomes more integrated with each aspect of the community experience—and that the marketing itself becomes more experiential.

As the Me generation ages into senior living, they’re wanting more choices, more amenities, and more activities. Senior living providers who lean into this by making things like health, wellness, workout spaces, dining, and outdoor activities part of their marketing materials (making them marketing assets rather than liabilities) will be able to connect with more of these folks.

Marketing overall will also lean into digital tools that allow for a more experiential effect: Being there virtually for tours, chatting with leads in real-time on your website, hosting digital and in-person events — really bringing the lead into the community for an authentic experience, in person, or virtually.”

Jim Podewitz, Director of Content Strategy


“Generative AI burst onto the marketing scene in 2023. I see 2024 as a year of taking a closer look at the quality and accuracy of AI-generated content and reassessing AI’s place in content creation. Ultimately, I think we’ll see AI as a tool for creating better content more efficiently vs. a machine that generates greater volumes of vanilla content.

Another prediction: Prospects want to be contacted by senior living communities the way they contacted the community in the first place. The next generation of marketing automation will embrace a broader spectrum of channels to reach and nurture prospects and use the ones preferred by the prospect.”

Kerri-Anne Pendergast, Director of Social Marketing


“Here are a few things I predict for 2024: Both X and Threads will continue to decline while Instagram (Meta) increases. We’ve continuously seen users take part in image- or video-based scrolling versus something like Threads/X, which are text-based.

More social media platforms will hop on the AI train. Snapchat was an early adapter. Now, Meta is using celebs to help with their AI movement. X, LinkedIn, and Threads will likely follow suit, allowing you to write AI-generated posts.

Another prediction: Think more click-to-buys. TikTok Shop makes it easy for creators to make money on the platform by selling their products directly on their profiles, and users don’t have to leave the app to complete their purchases. Augmented reality also plays a role in this. You can see what something looks like on you, or in your house (furniture), or a 3D version of that item without being in person to make your purchase. (Editor’s note: Read Kerri-Anne’s take on TikTok for senior living.)

Senior living communities will use more video! At least, that’s my hope! 😊”

Christopher Zook, Director of Paid Media & Strategy


“By far the biggest event of the year will be the near-universal deprecation of cookie tracking. All major browsers, including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, will prohibit cookie tracking to protect user privacy.

Because of this, the most significant transition next year—and probably the largest source of chaos in senior living digital marketing—will be the confusion that arises from not updating conversion tracking correctly. Incorrect installation means sudden drop-offs in reporting numbers, which will make marketing teams think an emergency is happening while sales teams continue to earn the same volume of leads.

Adapting to cookieless tracking is easy, particularly with Google Ads, and massively important as this giant shift takes place across the whole Internet.” (Editor’s note: If you’re a Senior Living SMART client, don’t worry: Our team is WAY ahead of the curve.)

Got questions? Need help with your senior living marketing next year? Get in touch.

We love helping communities increase occupancy through strategic and proven-to-work marketing initiatives. Reach out and let’s talk.

Senior Living Traditional Marketing in 2023 – My Favorite Things

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Even in 2023, traditional marketing plays an important role in senior living sales by building brand awareness, nurturing prospects, educating to overcome objections and reducing friction during the move-in process. At Senior Living SMART, we deal with a lot of third-party vendors of traditional marketing services, and we have our favorites! Find out below who my favorites are, and why!

Here are some of my favorite things for senior living traditional marketing in 2023:

Printing

Fischer Group. Why? They build custom marketing portals to organize all your brand content including stationery, collaterals, signage, direct mail and branded templates to create event flyers, floor plans, price lists and dining programs – it’s your own company store. Plus, they offer personalized URL-based direct mail that tracks offline marketing to online engagement and takes qualified prospects to their own micro-sites to increase conversions.

Overcoming financial barriers

Second Act Financial. Why? You can’t rely on your sales teams to be proficient in explaining bridge loans, the VA Aid & Attendance benefit, long-term care insurance reimbursements, and life insurance conversions. You can offer financial concierge services at reasonable rates for prospects and at no cost to your communities. Shorten sales cycles by helping families access financial solutions.

Quicker move-ins and raving fans!

LivNow Relocation. Why? Waiting for a home to sell before moving into a senior living community delays the transition, and that is not good for the prospect, their family or the operator. Livnow takes care of everything to accelerate the timeline. Their nation-wide network of fully vetted real estate agents, moving companies, downsizing services, discard/donate services and cleanout services take the stress out of moving to your community. They deliver happy residents and families to your doorstep!

Digitize the move-In process

August Health. Why? Because they go way beyond offering a digital lease agreements. They create a collaborative family portal, creating a modern move-in experience where families can complete all necessary paperwork in just a few clicks. Sales teams spend more time selling and less time chasing signatures and making copies. Reduce move-in delays through a frictionless digital workflow, with clear steps for families and simple e-signatures. Delightful move-ins are the first step to positive reviews, testimonials and referrals.

Third party leads

Seniorly. Why? I know, I know – you don’t like lead aggregators like “you know who”. But families do like them so they will continue to play a role in lead generation. Seniorly offers greater transparency to prospects and does not force them into a conversion before providing information such as pricing. Prospects can choose to engage with an advisor when they are ready and can explore communities anonymously for as long as they want.

Call center

LeadGenie. Why? It’s so much more than a call center! Of course, they do inbound and outbound calls, and manage third-party and website leads. They also do pipeline work to reach out to older/ colder leads sitting in your CRM (any CRM), and they can fill in for vacant sales positions. Join the waiting list for February of 2024!

Mystery shopping

Primo Solutions. Why? They have completed over 150,000 mystery shops for senior living operators, making them the largest mystery shopping company in the industry. Services include phone and in-person shops, competitor and website shops. Sales training and coaching is available to improve sales skills – and there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I love guarantees!

Need help implementing any of the above?

Get in touch and let’s discuss your senior living traditional marketing needs for 2024—and beyond!

Senior Living Digital Marketing: Our Favorite Tech

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One of the most interesting things about owning a senior living digital marketing agency is that we get to play with all the marketing technology our clients use to increase lead generation and conversions.

As a holiday gift to you, here are some of our favorites—and there are some lumps of coal at the end!

Senior Living Digital Marketing: Here Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Website: WordPress. Why? Because your website is your most important marketing asset, you must own it, not rent it. You should be able to access simple updates without getting in line and taking a number. WordPress is affordable, accessible, and intuitive. Plus, integrations are a breeze.

CRM: WelcomeHome. Why? Oh, where do I start? WelcomeHome is a senior living CRM designed to help sales teams succeed thanks to intuitive navigation aligned with the prospect journey, straightforward customization, amazing customer service and training, stress-free data migration, robust reporting, and every integration you could possibly want. WelcomeHome wants to be the best CRM; it doesn’t force you to buy other proprietary add-ons. Instead, it allows for integration of choice.

Marketing Automation: HubSpot. Why? This all-in-one marketing suite is the simplest solution for measuring the ROI of every marketing channel. You can consolidate all your marketing channels in one place, including website performance, local search, organic search, Google Analytics, social media, content marketing, paid ads, email marketing, live chat, and prospect engagement tools. The reporting dashboards are elegant and allow users to create custom views by region or portfolio/ownership group.

  • PRO TIP: The technology solutions described above are your best foundation for successful senior living digital marketing. Combining these three tools will eliminate blind spots between marketing and sales.

Prospect Engagement Tool: Roobrik. Why? This is the best tool to help operators find early-stage prospects to fill the sales pipeline with future opportunities. Remember, your website has a significant audience of “not yet ready” prospects. They won’t click to call or schedule a tour, but they will engage in Roobrik’s educational surveys to help with their independent research. You’ll learn so much about who is visiting your website, including their motivation, objections, and qualifications, all of which is valuable marketing intelligence.

Chat: SiteStaff Chat. Why? Their recent updates combine what all our clients need: AI capabilities when acting as a self-serve chatbot combined with live human chat for more in-depth conversations. It’s HIPAA compliant, and all chat hosts are US-based and hired for empathy. Use the bot function on mobile and for after-hours inquiries. Offer the live human chat on desktops where typing is more intuitive.

Local Search Tool: BrightLocal. Why? This platform manages Google Business Profile updates, directory listings, and reviews. They also offer an extremely helpful local search grid that shows how every community ranks for local search results by keyword. You will know in five-mile increments which competitors are beating you in local search.

Senior Living Digital Marketing: Lumps of Coal to Avoid!

Any website content management system (CMS) that is proprietary. Don’t get fooled by the “easy button” of templated rental websites. If you don’t own your hosting license (as low as $250 a year), your website development vendor owns your content. They also own your analytics and your reporting (and they decide what to report on!). And good luck trying to move your website elsewhere.

Integrated CRMs that don’t allow integration of choice. Guess what? You should be able to choose your best-in-class suite of integrations, not be forced into a bundle. You should be able to choose your CRM, marketing automation platform, call tracking solution, EHR/clinical suite, and financial/billing system. If a CRM company only supports its own products, that means it’s more interested in generating revenue than helping you find the best solutions.

Need help implementing any of the above?

Get in touch and let’s discuss your senior living digital marketing needs for 2024—and beyond!

Senior couple sitting on sofa reviewing a websiteon computer

Senior Living Website Design: Does Yours Build Trust?

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Your senior living website is your most important marketing asset, one that must build trust with prospects no matter where they are in their journey.

What’s the number one reason most people mistrust a website? Poor site design.

Luckily, your senior living website design is something within your control. A good design does cost money, but it’s a worthy investment.

Here’s the secret sauce to a senior living website that builds trust:

  • Designed with the user in mind: Think simple navigation, highly intuitive feel, and accessible.
  • Worthwhile content: Think engaging stories through words, visuals, and overall design and layout.
  • Technically sound: Think mobile-friendly, fast, and secure.

Below, we take a deeper dive into each bullet point.

Senior living websites that build trust are designed with the user in mind.

Think accessible.

You want to create a senior living website that’s aesthetically pleasing and accessible. Making a website accessible isn’t simply the right thing to do. For some businesses, it’s also required.

Private businesses and nonprofits with 15 or more employees are subject to the website compliance guidelines defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This act likely covers most—if not all—senior living communities.

At a minimum, you must consider things like . . .

  • Font size and color contrasts (e.g., can people distinguish what’s a link vs. regular text?)
  • Whether all photos have appropriate alt text
  • Whether the site is easy to navigate with adaptive technologies (like screen readers)

And that’s just the beginning.

Learn how we help our clients make accessible websites with UserWay.

Think custom.

We always urge our clients to avoid stock images. We can’t tell you how often we see the same images of older adults across different community websites.

You’ll have difficulty differentiating your site if you’re using the same canned images. Someone might even think they’re on your site because they recognize an image when, in reality, they’re on a competitor’s site that uses the same photos. Custom photography allows you to differentiate, enhance your brand, and better tell your community’s story.

You’ll also want to avoid website templates for various reasons, but the main one is it’s hard to create a custom experience from a template. (Here’s a longer list of why you should avoid templated websites.)

Think fresh.

Websites can grow stale and stagnant, especially in the senior living space. You’ll want to refresh your senior living website every two to three years (or even redesign it).

Senior living websites that build trust offer worthwhile content.

Content and design go hand-in-hand. You could have the best content in the world, but a poorly designed site will cause people to bounce before they fully experience it. On the flip side, a beautiful site will be nothing more than an empty shell if the content doesn’t pass muster.

So, let’s talk about content. The content on your senior living website should provide facts and connect with your audience’s emotions. The best way to accomplish the latter is through storytelling. Stories can attract, engage, and persuade your audience by showing them through words and visuals how your community can solve their problems and improve their lives.

To create compelling stories, you should follow some best practices. Use real photos and videos, a clear and conversational tone, emotional words and sensory details, and a simple, logical structure.

You can also use storytelling techniques to craft riveting narratives that resonate with your audience. Examples include the hero’s journey, the before-and-after, or the problem-solution.

With storytelling, you can create great content for your senior living website that sets it apart from the competition and helps convert anonymous traffic into tours.

Senior living websites that build trust are technically sound.

Your senior living website design must also consider technical aspects in addition to the overall look and feel. If you have one without the other, you won’t be able to deliver a great user experience.

Stuck on how to evaluate your site from a technical perspective? Begin by asking the following questions:

How speedy is your site?

Site speed is a crucial factor for user experience and SEO. A slow-loading site can frustrate your visitors and make them bounce. It can also affect your Google ranking, especially on mobile devices.

According to Think with Google, the probability of bounce increases by 32% as page load time goes from one second to three seconds. Get in the habit of checking your site speed and performance regularly. Optimize it by using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.

Here are some other ways to improve site speed:

  • Compressing and resizing your images
  • Minifying and combining your CSS and JavaScript files
  • Enabling caching and GZIP compression
  • Using a content delivery network (CDN)
  • Removing unnecessary plugins or scripts

How does your site render across mobile devices?

You must optimize your senior living website for mobile devices. A mobile-friendly site is important to Google and to prospects, many of whom will be viewing your site on something other than a desktop.

Note: An independent website audit will give you and your team an overview of what’s working and what’s not, especially from a technical standpoint, including how well the site renders across mobile devices.

How’s your site’s security and privacy?

Site security and privacy are essential for building trust and credibility with visitors, residents, and their families. A secure site can protect your data and users’ data from hackers, malware, and phishing.

Some of the ways to improve your site security and privacy are:

Some items are invisible to site visitors or aren’t front and center (for example, privacy policies are usually linked in the footer). Although subtle, all are essential trust signals. Consider the privacy policy. When someone wants to read your privacy policy, your site will build trust when it’s super easy to find it.

We can help you develop a senior living website design that builds trust.

Your website is your community’s online hub. You can’t successfully compete if it’s not in top shape. Let us help. Start with our Total Online Presence Audit. Or get in touch and let’s chat about your website’s specific needs.