With the average cost of in-home care going up for lots of people, more families are making the decision to go with an assisted living business.
While that’s great for companies in the industry, those that don’t have an assisted living business plan struggle to get clients. The best way to get those clients you need is to make sure you market your facility the right way.
Here are five tips to ensure that you market your facility the way it needs to be.
1. Talk About Community
When you want to tell people all about what kind of lifestyle you offer at your assisted living facility, the best way to do it is by talking about your community. When you run a facility, your community is everything for your residents. The way that they live day to day is determined by the kind of people who live there.
It’s also determined by the type of community that you build as you run the facility. Advertising and marketing need to show off what a strong community you have. That’s a hard thing to pin down, but it’s vital if you want to stand out from other facilities out there.
Your community is your brand and your website and other marketing materials need to show that. If you devote a lot of time to helping out the local schools, building community gardens, and taking trips to local art museums, let that be known. Tell people through your marketing materials what kind of lifestyle they expect.
If you offer a lot of privacy and high-end facilities, advertise with those out front. If your focus is on sports and recreation for your assisted living residents, make sure you have lots of images and text that highlight those points. Whatever it is that makes your community special, let people know.
2. Offer A Balance Between Security and Freedom
When you’re marketing for an assisted living facility, one of the things that the people who brought family members there want is safety. Safety features are important, so don’t be shy about what you’ve got going on throughout the facility. Letting people know you run a safe and secure facility makes them feel more comfortable.
When people are older or disabled, they’re more vulnerable to being robbed, attacked, or abused. Letting potential residents or their family members know that you aim to keep everyone safe and secure is vital to earning their trust. They want to be able to rest easy knowing that you’re taking care of the perimeter and vetting everyone who comes in the door.
While is this is important for people who need round the clock care or who have dementia and related illnesses, this isn’t for everyone. Some people need to be able to come and go as they please if they’re able-bodied and have the ability to drive themselves around.
A facility that has too much security is intimidating. However, a facility that doesn’t have enough, is going to leave people feeling scared and vulnerable.
3. Show How You Help Transition
When people first come to live at your facility, they’re going to need some help making the transition. It’s not natural to go from living on your own to have to need assistance all of the time. However, it’s a fact of life that many of us need to face as we age.
If you bring in a lot of people who are new to assisted living, you need to have a transition plan in place. This transition plan doesn’t have to be something that you tack on as a feature when people sign up. It can be something that you build into the marketing of your facility.
When you want to ensure that everyone feels comfortable at your facility from day one, you need to make it a focus of your efforts. When you build a working transitioning method, it’s going to be what attracts people to your facility. When they see how easy it is to transition, they’ll sign up.
That makes this a powerful tool both for converting your leads, but also attracting them.
4. Real Photos Make a Difference
As the prevalence of stock photos has taken over in every field, people are starting to be able to tell when they’re looking at a fake photo. There’s been a lot of research done on how photos are doctored for advertising. However, when you’re going to have to sell the place based on real visits, you need to use real photos of your facilities.
You need to hire someone to take real photos of your facility when you want to advertise and market your facility.
Get some of your residents on board for the photo shoot and hold it while you’re doing a big event. During that event, have the photographer go around and capture some candid shots. Hold the event in your most attractive space you’ll be able to connect with potential new residents with your images.
5. Offer More Than A Bed
When you’re trying to market an assisted living facility, you need to think broadly. You’re offering something more than a bed with a facility like yours. You’re offering a whole new way of living.
If you want to grab people with your advertising, you need to connect with them on an emotional level. Take wide shots of your facilities, filled with people having a good time. If you have an outdoor garden or any lush nearby scenery, include that in a shot that establishes how great your location is.
Connect with people emotionally by talking about why they need your facility. If you want to boil it down to the top reasons, check out a guide to learn more.
Your Assisted Living Business Plan Lives and Dies By Your Marketing
Your assisted living business plan relies on good marketing. If you fail to market your facility well, you’ll struggle to make your community as vibrant as you know it should be.
For more marketing tips, check out our guide for marketing online.
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