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.

The post The Importance of Digital Marketing for Senior Living Communities appeared first on RSPR Marketing + Communications.

Whether your company posts daily or hardly at all, there are times you run out of content ideas. The important question is what should you post that will have the greatest benefit, making your time (and possibly your social media advertising dollars) well spent?

If you want social media to work for you, your company has to have a strategy. Before you choose the content that will influence your audience, make sure you first determine who your audience is and what platforms they’re using.

The most valuable platforms for businesses, in order, are Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter. Instagram is fifth and is actively growing in size and popularity. Other sites that currently benefit brands are Google+, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Each platform has its own style of posts—YouTube is obviously all video—but a few basic principles can apply to all.

According to the Clutch 2017 Social Media Survey, the three most engaging types of content on social media—by a huge margin—are written articles, videos, and images. (View the full report at https://clutch.co/agencies/social-media-marketing/resources/social-media-survey-2017.) The following ideas should help you come up with social media post plans.

Written Articles

If you don’t have a blog on your website, get one. That’s where you need to be writing content, and then sharing it to social media. Keep in mind that written articles should always include relevant images.

• Write an article of tips. If you regularly offer educational information in an accessible format, you’ll build a genuine community with your company positioned as the expert. It could be a how-to, a list of things to avoid, or tips for the current season or holiday.
• Disagree with a popular opinion. Is there a misconception in your industry? A popular product you don’t like or a popular method you take issue with? Write it up.
• Answer a question. When people call up your company, what questions do they ask? Pick one and write out your answer.
• Do a review or a compare and contrast.
• Interview a customer or post a testimonial with your own commentary on the project.

Videos

• Walk through/around a completed or almost completed project, discussing what has been done (great for Facebook Live, also YouTube).
• Interview a happy customer (YouTube).
• Take a tour of your company’s headquarters, introduce staff, talk about how customer service is handled (great for both Facebook Live or YouTube).
• Take a video on location before a project and another video after, and edit the two together (YouTube).
• Make a video at a trade show (Facebook Live).

Images

Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without. Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets. Articles with an image once every 75-100 words receive double the social media shares. (View the full BuzzSumo study at http://buzzsumo.com/blog/how-to-massively-boost-your-blog-traffic-with-these-5-awesome-image-stats.)

• Photos before, during, and/or after a project.
• Photos that illustrate trouble areas.
• Infographics.
• Photos of the team at work.
• Event photos.
• Product photos.
• Take photos in and around the community.

Make sure that all social media posts have a relevant visual element—photo, infographic, or video.

Join the Conversation

In addition to posting your company’s tips and stories, it’s a good idea to search for groups and conversations to join. On Twitter and Instagram, check out hashtags that relate to your industry. What are people talking about? What questions do they have? What stories could you comment on and share? Even branching out into conversations about your city or your state, local events, or local news will show that your company is a part of the community and approachable.

Frequency

Most social media experts recommend posting between 3-15 tweets per day, and around one post per day each for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Having a strategy and planning ahead are essential for staying on top of this schedule.

In the end, determining what to post, where to post, and how often to post can be tricky. The best course of action is to run experiments. Spend a couple weeks making two Facebooks posts per day, followed by a couple weeks making two posts per week, and check the “insights” that Facebook provides. Which frequency had better results? What content got the best engagement? Every platform offers insights or analytics to help you move forward and make the most of social media.

RSPR is ready and able to take your online presence to the next level. Give us a call to get started.

The post What to Post on Social Media appeared first on RSPR Marketing + Communications.

In theory, it’s a simple and painless process. Here are a few guidelines for merging Facebook pages, plus a few notes on what may go wrong.

If you are an admin for both pages:

1. Change the name of one of the pages so that it exactly matches the name of the other. Do this by clicking “About” in the left column of the page you’re merging. Then under “General,” next to the company name, click “Edit” and change the name. It will take some time for Facebook to approve the name change.
2. Once you are notified that the name change was approved, go to Facebook.com/pages/merge. You will have to reenter your password.
3. Choose the two pages from the dropdown menus. The second page will be considered the one that is merging, and its posts and photos will be deleted during the process. Likes and check-ins will be combined.

NOTE: If you don’t want to lose the posts and photos from the page that’s merging into the other one, don’t start the process — it can’t be undone.

If you want to merge an “unofficial” page with yours:

1. On the unofficial page, click “Is this your business?” at the top of the page just under the header photo.
2. Select the option to merge the page into a Verified Page you manage. Hopefully you can now select your official page and wait for Facebook to complete the merge, but if not…
3. If nothing happens when you click “Continue,” congratulations, you’re part of a Facebook glitch that has yet to be fixed. You must select the option to “Claim and verify” the page “with a phone call or documents.” Click continue.
4. Now you will need to upload a .doc, .pdf, or .jpg of a business document that must contain two pieces of information—your business name and address. This will probably be one of these documents:
   • Utility bill/Phone bill
   • Business license
   • Business tax file
   • Certificate of formation
   • Articles of incorporation
5. Once this document is submitted, you can now wait for Facebook to complete the merge.
6. In some instances, Facebook will allow you to verify by phone call—the automated call to your business number will contain a verification code you enter to complete the merge.

If you don’t have access to an official Facebook business page that is using your company’s information:

• One option is to click the three dots icon below the header photo and click “Report Page.” You can then select that “This Place has duplicate or inaccurate info” or “I think it’s an unauthorized use of my intellectual property.” Facebook will investigate and get back to you. Sometimes the duplicate page is removed in 24 hours. Sometimes you have to report the page many times before you get a response from Facebook. It can take a long time and be very frustrating.
• Another option is to fill out a form and contact Facebook. They have a specialized team that reviews Intellectual Property claims such as trademark and copyright infringements, and you can contact them directly here: www.facebook.com

Do you have more questions about how to merge Facebook business pages? Give us a call or shoot me an email.

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The post How to Merge Facebook Business Pages appeared first on RSPR Marketing + Communications.

Today, thanks to round the clock digital connection between customer and company, empowered consumers are requiring more from the corporate world. Companies can respond in a variety of ways as they operate in this new landscape where they are expected to be more transparent, communicative, and hands-on in trying to improve the community in which they do business.

The following are five ideas to consider developing a corporate social responsibility program:

Crowd Source Ideas

A top-down, command-and-control type of company hierarchy is a bad match for inspiring a truly vibrant corporate social responsibility program. Engage employees in the idea generation process. Ask them what they want the company to take on to give back to the community. Then, use those ideas to create a corporate social responsibility culture that is more inclusive and participatory.

Enlist Customers

Customers expect companies to carry their weight when it comes to social responsibility. When a company aligns its mission with corporate social responsibility, customers and business partners are much more likely to jump on board.

Make sure your company puts its money where its mouth is. Then don’t be afraid to ask others to join your cause. Use social media, e-newsletters, and blog posts to generate interest and gather support.

Partner with Other Organizations

Businesses leery of building (and staffing) an entire corporate social responsibility program can seek partnerships with organizations aligned with their company’s mission. The partnership may generate more on-the-ground results and goodwill than a company’s corporate social responsibility program built from scratch.

Combine Philanthropy and Corporate Training

Make philanthropy an integral part of how the company operates, learns, and grows. Building empathy, collaborating on charitable projects, and connecting to those in need can offer employees valuable business lessons and help create a strong corporate culture. Don’t miss the opportunity to give and grow at the same time.

Create Something That Lasts

Some corporate social programs have encountered skepticism and the perception that the efforts are one-offs. Customers can tell when a company is simply cutting a check and not fully invested in a program. Impress your customers by creating a self-sustaining social responsibility program that is designed to make significant social change over an extended period of time.

The post Corporate Social Responsibility Done Right appeared first on RSPR Marketing + Communications.

Many companies now use YouTube to reach out to current and potential customers. All you need is a video camera and some creativity to build long-lasting relationships.

First Impressions Count

Creating a brand channel is an excellent way to build and engage a loyal audience of supporters. The site can be customized with banners and background images to reflect your company’s identity. You can also integrate links to your other social media channels to make the content easier to share.

Keep Content Consistent

Remember that building viewers takes time. The most popular YouTube channels are those that are consistently updated. So if you want to use web videos as a marketing tool, you will need to produce relatively frequent content. Be sure to upload new videos as often as your schedule and budget allow. Eventually the audience will follow.

Make Content Interesting

You don’t have to be an award-winning director to produce engaging video content for your business. You can post things such as company webcasts, webinars, product demonstrations or installations, or a virtual tour of a recently completed project. You might want to consider sharing a video of your company history or even interview longtime customers or employees.

Also keep in mind that a video doesn’t have go “viral” to be effective. However, there are some common elements that most viral videos share. Try to keep the video relatively short, upbeat, and engaging, plus make it timely. And most importantly, include a call-to-action.

Take Advantage of YouTube’s Tools

YouTube also has resources available to track your channel’s overall performance. From monitoring site traffic to breaking down visitor demographics, you can personalize reports to help you tailor your videos to your audience – current and potential customers.

The post Four Fundamentals to Using YouTube for Business appeared first on RSPR Marketing + Communications.