If you haven’t seen the “Life Reports” by David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, you should check it out. He asked readers age 70+ to send him “life reports,” which are essays on their lives, and they’re fascinating to read. In the following article, he summarizes some of the life lessons that emerged from those who mailed him essays, but he’s also posting a full essay each day on his blog. These give us insight into the lives and minds of our target audience — and they can help us in our personal lives.
I was participating in a tour of a community’s health services area recently, feeling awkward as one usually does when they are a member of a large foreign group invading people’s homes wearing suits and carrying notepads. (I’m sure there was more than one person who thought we were inspectors.) We round the corner and I spy a dog in the living room hanging out with several residents. I immediately jump to the following positive conclusions:
This place cares about its residents.
This place cares about its residents’ emotional health.
This is not the first time I’ve seen a pet at a community, but this was the first time I was aware of the effect it had on me. If my parents ever need health services, I want them to have a loving dog to give them kisses, a furry friend they can pet and hold. All things being equal, when I’m looking for my mom or dad, I’ll pick the place with the dog. The dog said more to me with his sheer existence than the best sales counselor could communicate in their most spectacular appointment.
This is my limited viewpoint, and I’m sure I’m not fully aware of how difficult this is to manage. Finding the right dog, taking care of the dog, resident allergies, health inspections, etc. I’m sure it’s all quite overwhelming. But is it worth it? This dog lover says yes. What say you?
Have you ever witnessed a captive audience listening to a fellow senior explain why they decided to move to a community? You can tell the audience believes every word, and every word matters to them more than anything else they heard that day. We should use this to our advantage whenever possible – during events, on tours, on the web site, and of course in advertising.
Last month I wrote a post about addressing skepticism. I shared several ways to overcome skepticism in your communications. First-person testimonials should be added to that list. Since the last post, we’ve completed some new television commercials for a client-community that are all about addressing skepticism and misperception. Included here is the first spot we completed in a series of spots that will feature residents speaking the truth about John Knox Village. We’ll also use longer versions on the web site.
Testimonials are a staple of senior living marketing, but these have traditionally been print executions. Video really brings this to life. And there is no mistaking the fact that these folks are speaking for themselves.
I was messing around on the Advertising Age web site, looking for interesting tidbits, newfangled communications strategies, etc., when I decided to do a simple search for senior-related topics. Lo and behold, I stumbled on an article that was both interesting and a good reminder. The article was titled, “Older Consumers Don’t Believe You: How to Overcome Seniors’ Skepticism.” And it’s not just older consumers. Everyone approaches advertising with a healthy dose of skepticism. We have to remember, our prospects haven’t met us, and they don’t know what decent, well-meaning people we are (yet). As you advertise, here are a few things to consider:
Don’t feel the need to butter them up before asking them to do something. Seniors may find it suspicious. The most common example of this is congratulating them on how well they’ve planned before presenting them with an opportunity for more planning. Planners find planning attractive without the compliment.
A postcard isn’t a person, it’s a marketing piece, so avoid phony familiarity and use the postcard to point out the benefits of your community and give them an attractive way to learn more. If you want to talk like you’re best buds, do it in a letter from the sales counselor.
Make sure the photography and copy work well together. You’re trying to avoid a “those people don’t live there” reaction. If you use a silly or over-the-top photo, give it the proper context.
Use believable language that doesn’t create an expectation you can’t deliver upon. These people have been to a resort before. Know your community, love it and sell it. But be honest, because eventually, they’ll probably take a tour.
Understand that they have a sense of humor. They aren’t all easily offended. You limit your advertising opportunities if you extrapolate one person’s complaints across an entire generation. Sometimes to cut through the clutter, you need to do something that cuts through the clutter.
That last point might be the toughest one to act on. But, just to show you it can be done, here’s a recent example of how we’ve used humor.
Can we all agree that most of the people who inquire about our communities are interested in considering a move? We know consumers put off reaching out to those who will sell them until they’re actually willing to consider a decision. I mean, how many of us can be found hanging out at the car dealership when we aren’t actually considering purchasing a car?
Can we also agree that people are spending a little more time in the pipeline than they used to? The sales pipeline is clogged, and it’s taking more than a little “Drano” to get things moving nowadays. Early in 2009, we spent a lot of time trying to convince people it wasn’t all that bad and/or a really bad economy just illustrates the reasons you need a CCRC. We might as well have tried to convince seniors they weren’t really getting any older.
Now, many months wiser, we’ve found that “in times like these” we should just stick to the basics. People buy now, because it’s better than buying later. Sometimes it’s better to buy now simply because it’s more convenient, or life’s changes necessitate a decision. A popular one (especially in a tough economy) is the opportunity to save money. Act now and get the apartment you want. Act now and you have the protection of Life Care. Act now and we’ll help you move. Act now, because this is the lifestyle you’re hoping for.
It’s all the same stuff we used in past years, you just have to ramp up the volume a bit. Give it a little more bang, give it a little more urgency, give it a little more “Drano” and those tough clogs don’t stand a chance.
If you haven’t seen the “Life Reports” by David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, you should check it out. He asked readers age 70+ to send him “life reports,” which are essays on their lives, and they’re fascinating to read. In the following article, he summarizes some of the life lessons that emerged from those who mailed him essays, but he’s also posting a full essay each day on his blog. These give us insight into the lives and minds of our target audience — and they can help us in our personal lives. 
