A Review of the Senior Care Reviewers
In one of our last blogs, we talked about the senior care decision journey and how senior care content must meet families where they are on that journey. As a part of that discussion, I raised the question of reviews. How important are online senior care reviews for assisted living and home care providers? And just as important… At what stage are families seeking out senior care reviews online?
If you are following the CDJ, you will see that the Evaluate stage is an obvious choice. But research shows families also use them after they have made their decision. Why? Because it helps families (consumers) feel more confident in their choice.
Tracking down reviews is arguably more important for the senior living industry than almost any other. Families may feel that this decision can literally be the difference between life and death, safety and danger. For that reason alone, caregivers will always seek ways to reinforce their decisions and choices.
In trying to research companies that offer online reviews for families exploring senior care options, I’ve spoken with and reviewed quite a few reviewers!
Here are my three recommended starting points to help you wade in to the review waters:
- Claim your Google+ Business page. I know this may be painful if you have hundreds of communities, but it is critical to your SEO and your reviews. For some good examples of Google + pages, visit the New York Times Google + page. Coldplay also has a great page. Get creative on what you include and how you connect. Consider that the new Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughan movie trailer debuted this week in a Google hangout. Heck, even President Obama has hosted a Google Hangout or two! Contact us if you need help setting yours up or developing a “How to” tip sheet for families you would like to ask to add reviews to your Google+ page.
- Caring.com Reviews. Even if you have opted not to partner with them for referrals, you should claim your page on their site. Why? They have the best senior content on the internet. We know we have to find families where they are online. Great content = More Families. Caring.com is where family caregivers are. They have two million visitors a month. At the end of 2011, Caring.com online support groups had helped over 120,000 caregivers. So sign up for your free listing this month and ask a few families for solid reviews. Heed this warning though…Consumers are suspicious of nothing but perfect reviews. So ask families who complete them to be honest.
- Angie’s List. I know what you are thinking here…Angie’s List? You use them to find a painter or a plumber. But a senior care provider? Yep. I think this is one company our industry should adopt. I know some of you are going to tweet me and email me that there isn’t much of a caregiver resource area on Angie’s List. So why did a content developer like me choose them? Here is why… Companies don’t pay to be on Angie’s List. No, this isn’t a “looking out for your bottom line” recommendation. It is based on looking at who currently offers reviews and how their financial compensation model is structured. As families continue to get savvier about online referral agencies (who receive a substantial move-in fee if a family chooses one of their partners), they will seek reviews from companies like Angie’s List. Simply put these are more objective, legitimate reviews. In any purchase we make, we all want a fair and unbiased review and a list of options not limited or influenced by who has a financial contract with the reviewing company. We’ve seen the Washington state legislation that is an attempt to get control of some of this. Same with the FTC fines and penalties on a few other referral agencies. More is rumored to be on the horizon. So Angie’s List makes sense now and in to the future.
Speaking of tweets? We were right? Send me one to let me know what you thought of the new scorching hot episode of SCANDAL last night! How much fun would it be to have @ShondaRhimes writing career? Almost as much fun as writing the new video @MattCutts posted on Google’s YouTube channel right? Sadly, you know I’m not kidding when I write this. Who knew the prom queen would grow up to be such a nerd…