3. Today we’ll cover:
‣ The digital fundamentals
‣ Digital media opportunities
‣ Social networking
3
4. ‣ Digital is changing how senior living communities
communicate with prospects and provides powerful
opportunities for building relationships.
‣ Users gather information and engage via the web before
they call, email, fill out a form or visit your community
4
5. Latest PEW Data:
‣ Are Seniors Online?
‣ 78% of those 50-55
‣ 71% of those 55-59
‣ 62% of those 60-64
‣ 56% of those 65-69
‣ 45% of those 70-74
(up 25% since 2005)
‣ 27% of those 75+
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project,
Generations Online, 2009
5
8. Digital Fundamentals
1. First Impressions.
‣ Your web site is often the
first impression a prospect
or adult child will have of
your community. Bring your
community to life so
prospects are intrigued
enough to want to come
and visit your community.
8
9. Digital Fundamentals
2. Web sites are living,
breathing organisms.
‣ It is incredibly important
to feed your site with new
content, promotions and
any other content, photos
or graphics that might
be appealing to your
web site visitors. The days
of building a web site and
leaving it on the shelf are over.
9
10. How Do People
Find You Now? 2005 Sample Community Lead Sources
‣ Advertising-Placement
‣ Networking/Events
‣ Direct Mail
‣ Referrals
‣ Signage/Drive-by/Other
10%
‣ Internet
90%
Other Internet
10
11. How Do People
Find You Now? 2009 Sample Community Lead Sources
3. Make sure
your site converts.
‣ Our communities experience
approximately 23% of initial
inquiries via the web.
‣ Incorporate promotional
77%
call-outs, forms for prospects 23%
to provide information,
easy-to-find phone
numbers and more.
Other Internet
11
13. Digital Fundamentals
4. Optimize your site
for search engines.
‣ Incorporate appropriate
keywords, include title tags
and more. Smart, natural
optimization will put you on
top of search engines’ lists.
‣ Help people who don’t
know you find you easily!
13
14. Digital Fundamentals
5. Readability. Usability.
Functionality.
‣ This goes without saying for
the industry we are in, but be
sure to optimize your web site
for the 65+ prospect. Increase
the text size, choose colors
that work well together,
include simple navigation.
14
15. Digital Fundamentals
6. Interactivity is key.
‣ Include interesting,
sticky interactive
components to
your web site to
encourage users
to spend more time
on your site.
‣ Include calls to action
to these interactive
components in
your offline materials.
Don’t just list your URL.
15
16. Digital Fundamentals
7. Start a conversation.
‣ Be sure to capture email
addresses in simple
forms on your web site.
‣ Seniors use email, and
mining a substantial email
database will allow you
to cost-efficiently sell,
build relationships and
provide information
about your community
via email in the future.
16
17. Digital Fundamentals
8. Social Media.
‣ Start incorporating social
networking principles into
your web site. Start by
adding a blog to your site,
giving users a way to interact
with you and/or your unique
residents. Maybe even post
a video on YouTube.
17
18. Digital Fundamentals
9. Speaking of video.
‣ Don’t miss the chance to
add video to your site.
‣ User-generated content is
really changing the way video
is perceived on the web.
18
19. Digital Fundamentals
10. Testimonials are powerful.
‣ Promote video or
text testimonials with
residents, adult children,
caregivers, the executive
director and anyone
else who helps make
your community shine!
19
26. Digital Media
Opportunities
B. User searches:
Senior Care
Communities
C. User seeks out
Senior-related
Health Information
on multiple
research sites
26
27. Digital Media
Opportunities
D. After seeing this
user across
multiple different
data points,
behavioral targeting
ad networks can
serve up an ad
specific to the
user based on
their preferences.
27
31. Social Media
1. Why Social Media?
‣ Increase awareness about
a community/sponsor
‣ Tell a community’s
story through the voice
of leadership, staff,
residents and others
‣ Educate the public about
benefits and experience
of living in a senior living
community
‣ Facilitate a forum where Virtualization powered by Spiral16 Software
people unfamiliar with senior
living can learn from others
31
32. Social Media
Top techniques
to be successful
‣ Keep content fresh
and timely
‣ Remember content
should be transparent;
don’t come across with
“marketing speak”
‣ Share thoughts,
and ideas; promote
‣ Encourage conversation;
be flexible
‣ Tell stories; use pictures Virtualization powered by Spiral16 Software
and video
32