The latest issue of GlynnDevins’ News You Can Use was released today. The issue focuses entirely on the economic crisis. There are articles on the consumer reaction to the crisis, as well as response strategies and messaging tips for senior living communities attempting to navigate these troubled times.
Get more senior living insights by reading News You Can Use.
A tough economic climate has forced retirement communities to retool how they generate leads and inquiries and of course, find the necessary sales to fill vacancies throughout their community. The focus should certainly be on furthering the relationship between the sales staff and the consumer, and advertising can help with that.
Using an ad agency in partnership with your sales staff creates a synergetic team that can generate the necessary sales to keep a community moving in tough times. To generate sales, you must first and foremost strive to develop personal relationships with the consumer; and for that, greater interaction is needed. You must give the consumer a compelling reason to join your “club”, per say. By relying on your ad agency to provide information and support for your brand and position, you can build a sense of community and trust. And once you’ve gotten the buy-off from leads to join your group, it’s easier to talk them through any tough decisions they might make, including excuses for not wanting to move to a retirement community right now.
Another way to develop stronger relationships is through great customer service — and that doesn’t cost an extra dime to provide. Examples include Nordstrom or the Four Seasons Hotels – just doing simple, little things goes a long way to create a unique experience.
While times are tough, you can still create distinctive consumer experiences that help generate sales — but you don’t have to do it alone. Rely on your ad agency and the sound principles of customer service to guide you through.
It’s not news that the country is aging, but the fact that the average U.S. head of household is just six months this side of 50-years-old is pretty startling, according to AdAge.com.
And then factor in these changes:
As the U.S. ages, it is more common than ever for older people to live in places where there are few or no children.
In many New England towns only one in five households has any children. (National average is one in three.) The six New England states are among the 10 oldest states by median age – leading the nation with an aging consumer base.
By contrast, the Western region has: 19 percent non-Hispanics; 42 percent of all Hispanics; 46 percent of all Asians; and, 24 percent of the nation’s children.
Two key variables driving states and regions apart as consumer markets are interstate migration and immigration. The latest population estimates from the Census Bureau show the arrival of eight million immigrants in the period between 2000 and 2007. Two-thirds went to the South or West.
Most people who move are young, and they either bring their children with them or have children later. The long-term effect is to make some states or regions older and others younger consumer markets.
Social media isn’t slowing down, and more and more seniors are engaging in social networks. What are you doing to involve your community with relevant social networks? Are you using this form of communication at all? If not, it might be time to set up a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Flickr account. Or, go start a blog for your community. Are your residents (or future residents) on Eons? How could YouTube benefit your community? The best way to understand social media is to dive right in.
I know, I know, you don’t have the time. Perhaps you could carve out a small window of time as a way to understand the incredibly valuable technologies currently available online. The impact of social networks on the web is amazing. The best part: it doesn’t cost you anything to participate, only your time. Don’t take it just from me, see what Gary Vaynerchuk, a living example of the huge business success social media can bring, has to say.
So take five minutes and get your basic profile set up. I’m sure your children will be happy to see you on Facebook.
And let me know if you get signed up so we can connect!
