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.
Enjoy.
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.
There has always been some level of debate in this industry regarding the words we choose to use in advertising and marketing. It’s no secret to any of us that we sell a fairly complicated concept, and in advertising we’re always trying to boil it down into a compelling, motivating message. It’s important that seniors understand what we say and have a positive reaction to it. We are so close to it all, it can be hard to remember what it was like when you first heard some of the senior living “lingo” and what it meant to you at the time. I can remember finding the word “lifecare” very medical sounding to me, and at the same time very generic. How on earth could something called “lifecare” be as important as my coworkers were making it out to be, I wondered? How many of us would call ourselves “adult children” prior to working in this industry? Do seniors go about their days wondering where they might find a “lifestyle” suitable for them? When we call it a “retirement community” do they understand what we mean, or are they offended we implied they were “retired”?
It can be hard, but we should all consider using consumer language instead of (or with) industry lingo. It might be more easily understood by our target, and it can sound a lot more interesting. A copywriter I work with recently suggested we describe a “Priority Program” as a way to “become a money-saving insider who gets all the best choices.” That description makes complete sense to me now, and it would have made sense to me before I worked at GlynnDevins. And it’s interesting to boot. So much more interesting than “learn all the details before the general public and receive best pricing and best selection.”
