To save time, we often send emails or prepare messages that are uniform in nature, a one-size-fits-all communication, so to speak. But perhaps there’s a better way to reach your audience.

Audience segmentation is the process of identifying smaller groups within your customers to deliver more specific messaging and make connections with them. For example, let’s consider the fitness conglomerate Nike. Nike’s audience consists of marathon runners and also those who have bought Nike cushioned tennis shoes to wear around the house. The messaging Nike wants to send to the marathon runners, who are most likely on top of the latest fitness trends, is probably different than the message it wants to send to those who are looking for a new pair of shoes. (Buy this newest gadget to help you train vs. here’s a tennis shoe that has great support.)

Audience segmentation allows Nike to divide its audience into groups, identify what each group cares about, and then give a specific group information they want. It allows Nike to build a connection with its audience while it meets a need. When a customer feels like an email was written just for him or her, he or she is more likely to pay attention and maybe even take action.

When thinking about your own business, you can group your audience based on:

• Demographics, like age, income, geographic location, or gender  |  This is the most common and easiest way to segment your customers. For example, if Nike is looking to sell more athletic leggings, it will most likely try to sell them to women.
• Purchasing history or engagement level  |  You have loyal customers and those who you want to be buyers. Your communication with first-time buyers focuses on selling your product/service, but with loyal customers, you don’t have to use your elevator pitch as often.
• Interests  |  Your audience members are bound to have different interests. Let’s say a group of your audience loves to travel, while some of your customers are homebodies. A travel agency would recommend a white-water rafting trip in Colorado to the adventurous segment of its customers, while maybe a trip downtown to those who are homebodies.
• Device usage  |  Do certain customers view your emails on their phones? Do others view them on their desktops? It makes a difference. Your messaging must be short and to the point for your mobile audience, while your desktop users are able to digest longer emails.

If you don’t know how to begin identifying your audience segments, a good place to start is getting to know your customers. Ask those who use your services or buy your product to answer a short survey with demographic and behavior questions. Gather your most loyal customers and talk with them; ask them why they buy from you and what they consider when making purchasing decisions. Scan your social media channels and those of your competitors and see what people are talking about.

RSPR can help you be strategic in your marketing and assist you in producing your messages and segmenting your audience. To get started with audience segmentation, contact us today.

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The majority of seniors (age 65 and above) are online, with at least 82% using search engines for research. As senior living community managers are aware, prospective customers often have help from their children or other loved ones, who are even more likely to rely on the Internet to investigate possible retirement homes and assisted living facilities. In fact, every hour in the United States, there are 6,000 online searches related to senior living communities.

Internet, social media, and smartphone usage will only increase as time goes on, in every demographic. As your most important marketing tool, your website needs to be as accessible, accurate, attractive, and search-engine-friendly as possible. Is your website effectively selling your facility?

Senior Living Community Website Checklist:

• Mobile Optimization. Enter your URL here to see if your site is mobile friendly. https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
• Large Buttons and Text. The size of the words and the buttons to click or tap affects how well older visitors can use your site on both desktop and mobile.
• Easy Navigation. Make it easy for visitors to move around your website and find the information they’re looking for.
• Accurate Information. Make sure all the facts and links on your site are correct, especially contact information.
• Search Engine Optimization. Is your website appearing in search results as high and as often as you would like?

Beyond your website, digital marketing possibilities are endless. Every facility has different services, target customers, and branding, so a digital marketing plan needs to be customized just for you. However, in general these are RSPR’s most recommended digital marketing methods for senior living communities to get the best return on the dollar.

• Local Listings. Starting with Google My Business, local listings are essential to helping people in nearby neighborhoods find your community when searching online.
• Google Ads. We recommend varied Google Ads campaigns—search, display, YouTube, and more—to reach your full target market when they’re searching in Google or viewing content related to senior living.
• In addition to video ads on the platform, it’s important to have a YouTube channel and make regular video posts.
• Facebook reports that 62% of online seniors aged 65+ are on the platform, and 72% of those between age 50-64 are on the platform. We recommend posting to the senior community’s Facebook page at least twice per week. Setting up a variety of Facebook advertising campaigns will increase brand awareness, page likes, interactions with posts, visits to the retirement community’s website, and more.
• Other Social Media. Don’t underestimate the benefits of having a broad social media presence that includes LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
• Online Media Relations. More and more people get their news online. Get your community in the news with a media relations plan.
• Email Marketing. Use a friendly and informative email newsletter to keep in touch with prospects and the family members of residents.

Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level? RSPR Marketing + Communications takes pride in offering comprehensive marketing plans that are customized to get results for you. With experience and skill, we’re the best choice for managing digital marketing for senior living communities.

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Normally, RSPR would recommend any number of special events to bring people into the community and entertain guests and residents alike. During a pandemic, however, public and non-essential group activities and events are not possible.

Retirement communities must have open communication with four groups – residents, workers, visitors, and prospects. Prove to each group that your facility is safeguarding them.

A disease outbreak is a stressful time; do residents know how to manage stress and anxiety? Do staff members feel safe? Do visitors know what protective measures are being taken?

Senior living marketing trends during COVID-19 center around getting the word out to your prospects and everyone in your area that yours is a safe, responsible, and caring community. Marketing is crucial not just for increasing resident occupancy but also for attracting skilled staff.

There are several ways to communicate with the public and what your facility is doing.

First, we recommend getting in the habit of creating regular video messages from facility management, staff, residents, and resident family members. Choose a different topic for each video, such as:

• How to deal with pandemic anxiety.
• The advantages of living in your community during this pandemic.
• How visitation works at your facility during COVID-19.
• How you are protecting workers (bonus if staff speaks in the video).
• How you are protecting residents.
• COVID-19 myths.
• How your facility manages testing.
• What proactive plan do you have if the pandemic spreads in your facility?
• New availability and pricing.
• The ways that senior living facilities differ from each other.
• A message from a resident family member on why they recommend your facility.

Keep the videos friendly and reflecting your brand. They could have a theme, such as morning “coffee talks” that show off a nice sitting area in your facility.

Ways to use your video messages:

• Include them in press releases emailed to local newspapers, online news sites, radio, and TV stations. Follow up with the media to offer interviews.
• Post the videos to your website.
• Post them to social media including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• The scripts used in the videos can also be used as text blog posts on the website and shared.

Taking advantage of live video streaming, such as Facebook Live and YouTube Live, could go a long way toward changing people’s perception of your community.

Are you regularly posting to social media, at least a few times a week? Social media helps establish the “personality” of your community, and especially now it is an easy and open way to communicate with the public.

Digital advertised can be customized to your precise target audience and your budget. Google Ads and social media advertising are excellent ways to ensure people who could benefit from your services are connected to you.

With highly customized mailing lists, direct mail remains an effective marketing tool. Develop a marketing piece that answers all the questions and fears raised by the pandemic, and mail it to the neighborhoods and demographics you choose. You may want to include a custom URL to track some of the website visits that result from the mailing (note that many people will still use Google rather than typing the URL).

Now more than ever, your website needs to be a showpiece to sell your services. Having high quality pictures, written details, and a 360-degree virtual tour would help make up for a lack of in-person tours. Make sure you are search engine optimized, and have a blog and use it!

This is a difficult, heartbreaking time for so many people, and an uncertain time for the industry. Even if your facility has suspended new residency, you’ll still want to continue compassionate and safe sales measures for the future of your community. As always, RSPR is here to help with experience and knowledge of effective senior living marketing trends during COVID-19.

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First, it’s important to understand the audience. Half of all households over 65 are headed by a single person, and 80 percent of those people are women. Instead of only couples, you will want to depict single women in your direct mail piece, as well as single men.

Most of the seniors you’re targeting are strong, healthy adults that like making choices for themselves. Sell your product directly to them instead of targeting caregivers or their children. Be conscious of your tone to avoid being disrespectful or condescending.

Seniors want information to be concise and easy to understand, persuasive yet honest. Be straightforward with a mature audience, using plain language. Finally, make them feel valued as people and personalize your message, because seniors respond to a personal touch.

More specifically, what should you include in a successful direct mail campaign to seniors?

• Make sure the content explains why and how your senior living community will improve the prospect’s life. Without fixating on the prospect’s age, focus on how your senior living community is designed to meet his or her needs and values.
• Offering something for free is a powerful incentive to drive response. Lunches are the most commonly promoted draw. You can also appeal to fears about finances, downsizing, or health.
• Most people see themselves about 5-10 years younger than they are. Keep that in mind when selecting images for the direct mail piece.
• When a prospect contacts you, be responsive and helpful about any issues, and stay in touch.

If your target audience is broad, you may want to divide it into categories with separate marketing campaigns. Campaigns can be defined by multiple criteria, including education, employment status, income, location, home type, home value, years spent in the home, marital status, interests and more.

Successful direct mail marketing to seniors requires a well-developed and targeted plan, a beautiful mail piece that is written to sell, and a willingness to follow up. If you’re ready to sell your services to seniors, contact RSPR to discuss your target market today.

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When you think of prospective residents, what do you think interests them? What are they concerned about? How can you help them?

A Sample of Events and Activities for Senior Living Communities:

• seminars on downsizing and real estate
• themed lunches
• health classes including memory care topics, fitness, and navigating healthcare
• financial planning and legal consultations
• music and arts performances
• hosting support groups
• senior expo featuring other senior service providers
• movie night
• holiday events
• cooking demonstrations
• classic car shows
• craft fairs selling items made by residents and the local community

As you begin planning, it is necessary to define the event’s objective. Then you need to establish the event budget. Break it out by categories like entertainment, decorations, food and drinks, marketing, etc.

Event location is the next consideration. You will need the event to be accessible – consider the parking, ramps, elevators, and handrails. Hold the event on the ground floor if possible, and try to keep the distance short from the building entrance to the event room. Are accessible bathrooms nearby?

Tips for Planning Your Special Events:

• Put up signs directing guests to the event room.
• Try to schedule the event in the morning, or no later than mid-afternoon.
• Make sure your audience will be able to read your printed materials – avoid cursive fonts, small type, and neon colors. Consider what is linguistically appropriate.
• When planning the food for the event, make sure it is healthy and easy to eat.
• Secure any guest speakers or performers at least three months before the event. Ask them for a bio and photo you can use for promotion.
• Publicize the event well in advance. Invite your guests in multiple ways – direct mail invitations, e-blasts, advertising, social media, a news release, and on the website.
• Which service are you going to pitch to attendees? Determine your focus and prepare promotional materials. Be prepared to give tours of the facility on the day of the event.
• Inform all staff members of the upcoming event details, and coordinate responsibilities with anyone involved in the activities.
• Prepare the thank you notes to send to all attendees, inviting them to plan a return visit.

RSPR’s team approach is perfect for managing and planning special events for senior living communities. To discuss your needs and explore the ways we can help you generate leads, contact RSPR today.

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Of course, a business needs to make money in order to stay in business, and if done right, local sponsorships will pull their weight in increasing sales. At RSPR, we’ve seen our clients reap the following benefits of local sponsorships, which lead to a better market position and profits.

• Build a positive image. How do people feel about your company? With local sponsorships, your company becomes more than just a name, more than just one option among many. If people have positive feelings toward your business, it will stand out from the competition and improve customer loyalty.
• Be remembered. The best sponsorships provide repetition. The more often people in your community are presented with your business name and marketing message, the more likely they’ll be to remember you when they or their neighbors need you.
• Attract employees. People would rather work for a company that is deep-rooted in their community. The more your name is out there and associated with community groups and causes, the more you can attract loyal employees that, like you, value more than a paycheck.
• Open communication with community leaders. You never know where new business opportunities will come from, or when your business would benefit from having an open door to the leaders in the community. Through sponsorships, you may discover like-minded professionals and form new partnerships.

How do you select the best local sponsorships to boost community relations? Brainstorm how your company’s mission intersects with your town. Consider ways to demonstrate sensitivity toward current community concerns and issues. Of the available sponsorship opportunities, which attract your target market? Which seem relevant to your products and services? Which support your company’s long-term vision? It’s also worthwhile to brainstorm new opportunities of your own making—ideas that showcase your products and services while supporting local events and institutions.

Out of the many marketing and advertising options available to you, local sponsorships are a unique opportunity to connect with your audience and create engagement. RSPR works with businesses to take their sponsorships to the next level, coming up with ways to further engage consumers and enhance the positive association and the return on investment in business growth. Contact us to get started.

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Have you noticed all the headlines about millennials “killing” certain institutions and products? From marmalade and Big Macs to gyms and hotels, this generation, as well as the upcoming Gen Z, get a lot of credit for ruining things. Why do companies have such a hard time reaching them? As economies change and people change, your products, services, and approach need to change too. Companies that, until recently, have been very good at what they do have a tendency to fight change, to resist altering what has worked well up until now.

The good news is that the method for successfully marketing to millennials isn’t radical or new. Good marketing has always been about understanding what people want (not telling them what they should want), and being the best at giving it to them.

• You have to have data from reliable research. Read the articles, study the studies, then look closer to home. What is your Google Analytics data telling you? If you really want people to fill out a form on your website, make that action a conversion metric and watch the data. Who fills out the form? What steps did they take before filling out the form? How can you better direct people to take those steps?
  
• You have to be able to think the way other people think. Half of this ability comes from that data, and the other half comes from a good imagination combined with logic. The ability to get inside other people’s heads — the thoughts and motivations of people different from you — is critical for the next bullet point.
• You have to predict what will prompt a particular group of people to take action. Once you’re inside people’s heads, you need to be able to determine what they want (trying to sell something people don’t want has an extra step of trying to make them want it, and this usually ends badly), and you need to understand what it will take to get them to buy. Maybe they need more information, better packaging, more reminders, a deadline, or the belief in a great deal.

Data for Marketing to Millennials:

• They’re being paid less than you think. Why do you think they’re killing vacations? On average, millennials are more risk-averse and are less likely to spend money unnecessarily than previous generations. With hundreds of thousands in student loan debt, many millennials are very, very particular about where to put their paychecks.
• They care about the planet. It’s the only one we’ve got and we’re getting closer to making it uninhabitable for humans. The younger you go in generations, the more this seems to matter. Generation Z was born surrounded by post-apocalyptic stories, and this is bound to leave its mark.
• They value transparency. In this era where information is always readily available, being convoluted or vague means you’re not trustworthy.
• They value corporate social responsibility. When they do spend money, millennials prefer companies that practice business sustainably and ethically. “They want companies that prioritize ‘making an impact’ on the world around them.”
• They don’t want to ingest garbage. More and more information is coming out about artificial ingredients, harmful chemicals, pesticides, and bleach in our food, in the animals, in gas exhaust, in household cleaners, coming out of factories, and on and on. Millennials know these chemicals are hurting more than the ozone; they’re hurting our bodies.
• There’s a lesson in avocado toast. Why are restaurant chains hurting? Mashing up some avocado and putting it on a piece of whole grain toast costs less, takes less time, and is infinitely healthier. Where is the chain restaurant serving fast, inexpensive food made with only fresh, wholesome ingredients? Marketing is about meeting customer demand, not demanding customers want what you’re selling.

It’s not all positive, of course. Millennials also have reputations for laziness, arrogance, and self-absorption. We have to acknowledge that survey data is inconsistent. “One study finds millennials care about environment, education, and health. Another finds economic, gender issues, or wage as their most important issues.” What’s the truth? That lining real people up in columns and rows based on income and gender and race and the year they were born is a haphazard business indeed.

While it’s good to look for trends and not get too testy about what the trends say (“Not all millennials!”), it’s also critically important to market to the individual. That’s where you’ll reach millennials, by listening, by interacting with them one-on-one on their terms, by putting more energy into transparency and good deeds (and PR to spread the word) and less into pushy sales, by showing you care about what they care about, and by not being fake. And it couldn’t hurt to stop blaming them for not golfing or buying motorcycles.

US GENERATIONS BY BIRTH YEAR

Consensus varies, but this data is accepted +/- a couple years.

• Silent Generation: -1945
• Baby Boomers: 1946-1964
• Generation X: 1965-1979
• Millennials: 1980-1994
• Generation Z: 1995-2009
• Generation Alpha: 2010-present

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Slow or Inattentive Customer Service

Nobody likes to be ignored, and in today’s socially-connected world, a customer who feels ignored or unimportant can very easily share their frustrations with countless others. Not only are customers likely to leave your business and never return, but also negative online reviews can seriously damage your brand’s overall credibility with consumers.

Over-Promising and Under-Delivering

Research shows customers are often willing to pay a bit more if it means they will be receiving a premium product or service. The problem arises when a brand fails to deliver a product or service of the expected quality. Make sure your company is providing the level of service your customers believe their money warrants.

Ignoring Your Customers

It’s also a bad idea to act overly detached or disinterested in your customers. Consumers want to feel important and cared for. While you shouldn’t pester people after they make a purchase, try to make a connection with them and start a conversation. Word-of-mouth marketing requires connecting with the right influencers for your brand, so a follow-up message asking customers about the quality of their experience is a good idea.

Treating Some Customers Better Than Others

Showing preference for one type of customer over another makes sense for some businesses, such as airlines and their frequent flyer programs. Generally, however, providing perks for one group of customers and not another is an easy way to end up being disliked by the group that doesn’t receive the perks. This means your business should be treating public figures exactly the same as John Doe from down the street.

Failing to Provide Human Interaction

Customer service often ignores the second word in that phrase: service. Customers who call a customer service number expect to be helped, so when they end up talking to a machine telling them to “Press 1 now,” they end up frustrated. One of the easiest ways to lose a customer and make them have negative feelings towards your brand is to make them feel helpless when they have an issue with your product or service. Try your best to offer 24-hour support that will actually help your customers solve problems.

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Here are some of the most common grammar mistakes to avoid.

• Bring and take
  When using these words, think in terms of direction. People bring things toward you and take things away from you.
• Affect and effect
  “Affect” is a verb that means to do something that causes an “effect,” which is a noun. It may be easier to think that the “a” in “affect” is also used in “action,” which is what a verb does.
• Overuse of apostrophes
  Apostrophes indicate one of two things: possession or letters missing. They don’t belong on plural words. When you have more than one of something, there’s no need to add an apostrophe.
• Lay and lie
  Generally, if you can replace the word in question with some variant of “put” or “place,” you should use “lay.” If not, use “lie.”
• Borrow and lend
  Someone doesn’t borrow something to someone, but from someone, as in “I borrowed her calculator.” Likewise, lending is something only a giver does. Just remember, the person doing the giving lends and the person receiving something borrows it.

Source: Inc.

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