Reach is underrated in senior living content
We’re posing a question to you today, and much like the ending of the latest John Grisham novel, we’re not leaving you with a clear conclusion. (The ending to A Time for Mercy was so annoying, right?)
Here it is… should your content marketing goal be reach or loyalty?
We hear you groaning. It’s a topic that can leave you with a twitch in your right eye, for sure.
That’s because there really is no clear answer. Even among the so-called experts.
As COVID-19 challenges persist, we know families are spending more time online. You could be missing potential connections if you aren’t reaching enough people.
We know what you’re thinking. If you cast too wide of a net, your sales teams will waste time sorting through a bunch of unqualified leads.
We get it. You don’t want to bury your sales teams in unqualified leads. It’s a rap online leads have had for years. (Although not always a well-deserved one.)
Families searching for a nursing home when you offer only assisted living and memory care can take time to redirect. As can seniors who need an assisted living community that take a Medicaid waiver and you don’t.
Then there are the people whose budget just can’t stretch to afford your rates. (Ahem. Another reason to consider posting at least starting rates for your community online with a disclaimer about helping them explore funding options.)
If you expand your reach too much, will your community’s Inbox be overflowing with people you can’t help?
That’s where your website content comes in. And your content strategy.
Improve Visitor Experience
If you cast a wider net, let the content and resources on your website help visitors self-educate.
Make it easy for them to figure out if you are a potential solution or where else they should go.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself in regards to your senior living content:
- Are your services clearly listed and explained?
- Do you have a tool that helps visitors determine what type of care they need?
- Do you have a basic guide to levels of care that is un-gated?
- What about detailed features, benefits, services, and amenities?
You can actually go a step further and redirect visitors who aren’t qualified. That’s such a great PR move, but few providers take time to do it.
Think of it this way. Maybe this particular visitor is searching for an elderly aunt who needs help. Her funds are limited. But you help her niece find her way to the right resources. All virtually.
A few months from now, she’s searching again but this time for her parents. Who are looking for assisted living and can afford you.
A few ways you can position yourself as a community resource with content include:
- Create an article and add it to your resource center that talks about paying for care, and includes an explanation of Medicaid.
- Link to your state’s Medicaid office, specifically to the pages that explain the waiver program.
- Have a link to a guide that rates and reviews local nursing homes, if you don’t offer that level of care. Or to Nursing Home Compare if you don’t find any local resources.
- Have information about and a link to your local agency on aging or department of health and human services.
Broaden Your Senior Living Copy
You can widen your reach by thinking about content a little differently.
One mistake we see on senior living websites is that every single article is about searching for care, downsizing, moving in, and what questions to ask.
While those are great evergreen topics, and you definitely need to write about them over and over again, you need more and different.
Loyalty comes from having great content that appeals to people on a variety of levels.
How long is your average selling cycle? Do you gave content that meets families and seniors at each step of that journey? We know it’s a back and forth process, not a linear one.
Are you writing about wellness topics that are interesting? People searching for independent and assisted living communities are often interested in articles that speak to their body, mind, and spirit.
Do you have memory care articles that target not just the senior, but the struggles their loved ones experience?
Like Mr. John Grisham, we’re gonna leave it here and let you create your own ending.
Just make sure you think about all the ways the story could go…
If you have questions or need help with your strategy or content, drop us a note! We’ll be happy to chat.