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In the field of senior living, there continues to be a growing interest in hopping on the social media bandwagon. Here are 10 things to keep in mind when using any of the social media tools available for your community or organization:

1.  Make sure you have a strategy.
It’s one thing to set up a Facebook business page, but it’s another to have a plan in place on how you’re going to use it. Posting items that are all about “you” will create a distance between you and those who “like” your page. Remember, it’s supposed to be about conversation and engagement.

2.  Learn who your “likers” are.
The best way to engage with those who are following your organization or community is to get to know who they are. The administrator of the page can do a bit of research and look at the profiles of those followers. Are they interested in the arts? Are they fans of the local college team? Knowing more about them helps you post items they’re interested in and ultimately builds relationships.

3.  Ask your followers for their thoughts and ideas on various topics.
If you only broadcast information through your posts, you’re not encouraging conversation. Questions in most cases help elicit comments. They’re more likely to stick with you if you value what they have to say, too.

4.  Share insights relevant to your followers’ lives.
Think of all the experts that you have within your organization or community. Use their experience and knowledge to share with your followers. Perhaps a recipe from the chef or fitness tips from the wellness director. There should be plenty of information that’s topical, timely and worthwhile to your followers. Sometimes comments don’t even have to be about your community! 

5.  Post events the public can attend.
Use social media to let others know about events being held at your community. It could be anything from the Veterans’ Day celebration to a prospecting event for new residents. Calendar listings can be very popular.

6.  Think visual.
While reading a post is quick and easy, photos and videos draw much more attention. There’s no better way to see and hear what’s going on at your community than through the use of images and video. Plus, if you can get a follower to “share” those photos and videos, it helps generate overall exposure to your content. 

7.  Integrate social media with your other marketing plans.
If you want to have people find you on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., you have to let them know you’re there. That means using the icons on direct mail pieces, in your ads, and links on your website. 

8.  Use LinkedIn for professional networking.
This site is the perfect place to share thoughts and ideas with others in your field. LinkedIn has a number of different groups where those in senior living can become engaged in conversations with others. Some groups are private; others are open to the general public. This is a great place to learn! 

9.  Measure for results.
You won’t know how successful you are unless you measure for success. Set goals and timelines, and then begin to look at the metrics. Are you getting followers? Are the followers engaged? Are people going from Facebook to your website? Are comments received positive? Negative? These are all things you should be looking for and measuring.

10.  Have fun with social media.
Using social media isn’t a scary thing. It’s about having conversations and building relationships. The field of senior living is about people. If you enjoy interaction and conversation, social media can be a big step toward creating more awareness for your community.

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According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 153 million shoppers will hit the stores the weekend following Thanksgiving Day. We’ve all seen the stories about those who stand in line to be the first shoppers in the store for the big holiday bargains. For those in the field of senior living, you may not experience long lines, but there is typically a Black Friday of sorts that can be expected.

The holiday season is when families get together, with adult children often sitting down to have that conversation with their parents about moving to a senior living community. While they’re home visiting, they may suggest just stopping by the community to see what it’s like. GlynnDevins has had many clients over the years that have hosted events on Black Friday and even the Saturday after. Most have done really well, with people showing a great deal of interest.

Are you doing anything to capitalize on the holiday season when families get together and start looking at the future? Black Friday in the retail world can mean a huge boost in sales. Perhaps it will for senior living, too!

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When it comes to being faced with something new, I think we all have a tendency to be a bit skeptical. When starting to use an updated software program recently, my initial reaction was, “I liked the old version better.” Why? I was comfortable with it. As I worked with the newer version, I gradually figured it out, and now find it really works much better for me.

In senior living, those in sales and marketing are challenged with helping older adults being open to change every day. I visited two different areas in the last month. I attended one presentation where the audience was being introduced to the concept of a CCRC. Certainly lots of skepticism on those folks’ faces as they listened to the presentation. As I sat next to one older woman during lunch, she said, “Well, this all sounds nice, but I just don’t think this would be for me. I have a condo I’m going to move into.” I’m sure the condo is nice, but it still isn’t the CCRC lifestyle.

At the other community, leadership was rolling out some organizational change. Residents listened to the presentation, but again you could certainly tell there was skepticism. I even witnessed a few nudges between folks.

Older adults don’t typically jump on the bandwagon of change easily. Whether it’s moving from their home of 30 years or learning about some organizational changes within the community where they’ve lived for five or 10 years, it’s our job to help make change an idea that can be considered, accepted and even embraced. 

So how do you do that? I think honest communication is always important. But I know you must have other techniques that have worked in those situations. What do you do to help older adults you interact with be more accepting of change in their lifestyle?

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Last week my wife told me her 84-year-old Aunt Marie in Nebraska sent her a friend request on Facebook. She happily accepted. I get such a kick out of it, because Marie is just part of the growing trend across the country of older adults over the age of 65 catching the social media fever.

Pew Internet Research just released their latest findings on social media and online usage by adults. As expected, the numbers continue to increase. According to the survey 65% of all adults who are online now use social media. When you look closer at the demographic we’re interested in, those age 65 and higher, the survey shows that number is now at 33%, up from 26% a year ago.

Just click on this link to read the latest report for yourself. And don’t be surprised if in the not-too-distant future, your “Aunt Marie” sends you a friend request, too!

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More than 300 people registered to participate in the recent webinar given by GlynnDevins regarding social media and exploring the question about a return on investment for senior living. That is a real indicator that those within the field of senior living are beginning to take note that social media tools are becoming a necessary part of enhancing marketing communications strategies and tactics.

Because social media is a relatively new part of the marketing communications mix, GlynnDevins still maintains that organizations and communities shouldn’t abandon what is currently working to bring in prospects and leads, but certainly social media should be added as a way to begin building relationships and sharing information.

So then the question becomes, “What is the return on my investment for using social media tools?” The answer won’t be as concrete as stating you’ll get X number of qualified leads and X number of move-ins. The medium is too young within this field to have those metrics available. But what organizations can do is begin to measure their progress. In the webinar, we shared examples of ways to begin measuring results:

1)    Benchmark the number of people who “like” your community and organization. Set a goal to increase the number over a period of time.

2)    Are your followers engaged in conversation? Begin to benchmark the number of people who are commenting. Is that number increasing?

3)    If you’re sharing videos, how many viewers do you have? Is that number increasing over time?

4)    How many people, from Facebook for example, are coming to your website?

5)    How much time do people referred from a social media site spend on your website?

6)    When you do receive comments, are they mainly positive or negative?

You’re able to get a behind-the-scenes look at your social media activity through Google Analytics. You can take a look at Facebook Insights as a way to see and analyze the type of activity your Facebook page is getting. You can also get a good read on the age breakdown for those who are following you. Take a look at the demographics and start learning more about whom you can begin to build stronger relationships with.

If you do a promotion via social media, you can measure the results by reviewing the analytics. This is a great way to gauge if what you’re doing is working.  

Every organization will have a different way of using social media, but you won’t know what it’s doing for you until you begin to measure and analyze. Remember that with social media, you’re building relationships. You’re asking others to “like or follow” you because you can offer something of value to them. Allow them to be part of the conversation. Ask questions or seek opinions that will entice someone to make a comment. They’ll ultimately be your brand advocates and bring the value to your organization or community that will hopefully mean somebody saying, “Yes, I want to live there or I want my loved one to live there.” By being part of social media, you’re demonstrating that you’re on the leading edge of where communication is heading for the field of senior living. There is return on investment; you just need to measure the results.

To view the slides from the webinar (complete with speaker notes), click here.

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