In senior living, there is a mutualism at play where vendors and operators depend on each other to thrive in our industry. By this point, you have likely developed a buyer persona for the demographics and types of customers you want to reach. However, bridging the gap between determining your ideal clients and attracting them can seem like a daunting task. To make this more manageable, we have highlighted 5 tips to attract operators and secure clients.

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5 Marketing Tips to Get the Attention of Operators 

Practicing the right steps to attract operators requires work, but the payoff is worth it in the long run. The good news is that these tips can be executed by anyone within virtually any budget. Following these steps will help your brand stand out and become attractive within the seniors housing industry.

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Capitalize on Your Unfair Advantage 

When working within an industry, you want to niche down to a more specific group of potential clients. In this case, you are attracting operators, but the work does not stop at finding your niche. Once you establish who you are reaching, you want to determine your unfair advantage. Every company/service has one, but the question is whether or not your potential clients know it.

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Begin by determining what your specialized skill set is and how it sets you apart from similar vendors. For example, an interior designer may specialize in procurement in a way that makes them unique. This would be considered their unfair advantage. Although it is important to let your potential clients know that you specialize in senior living – this is not your unfair advantage. You want to communicate how you are unique within the industry – not just that you can work within the industry. 

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As you market yourself, keep in mind this advantage. There are clients out there that have needs that your unique skill set can meet. There is a demographic that needs your unfair advantage. Letting your industry know how you can meet its unique needs is your first step to attracting operators. 

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Sell a Lifestyle 

A common mistake that costs nothing to correct is what your marketing sells. Many believe that the emphasis of their marketing has to be the product/service. However, it is important to sell the lifestyle that your product/service creates. If you sell emergency pendants for residents who are at a fall risk, you do not want your marketing to be filled with product images and specs. Your selling point is the safety and peace of mind your product creates for residents, their families, and operators. 

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Once you establish your unfair advantage, you want to show the life that product/service creates. This is known as Lifestyle Marketing, which requires you as the vendor to discern what life your desired client aspires for. As an interior designer, your job is to show the operator what life is like when their community looks its best. This goes beyond showing staged content shoots of remodeled rooms. How can a new couch improve the quality of life for the residents? How can this become a pathway to increasing occupancy within the community?

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There is a high chance your potential clients/customers will not be able to appreciate your product the way that you do. As an expert, you can appreciate the intricacies of your product design or methodology. However, much of this is lost once it reaches the consumer. An important part of having successful marketing is showing your products/services in communicable terms. In essence, you must speak their language. Speak to operators through showing them increased occupancy. Speak to residents through quality of life. These are ideas that apply directly to the lifestyle that both residents and operators can resonate with. This communicates that you understand your demographic, which will build trust and attract operators. To summarize, your end goal should not be to inform your potential customers, but rather to inspire them – and your product/service is the way to get to where they want to be.

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Create Evergreen Content

Two key parts of successful marketing are quality and credibility. We will discuss quality later, but for now, there is a simple adjustment you can make to boost brand credibility. When considering credibility in senior living marketing, remember that trust is key to attracting operators. Surveys revealed that the majority of consumers will not purchase from or recommend a brand they do not trust. So how do we avoid this in our marketing? By building a relationship with the consumer.

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You may not have the luxury of meeting every potential client face to face, so you have to become well versed in building relationships digitally. When it comes to content creation, many believe the end goal is to go viral. However, viral marketing is not conducive to building relationships. When you switch your way of thinking from going viral to building relationships with viewers, then you can begin creating an effective content strategy that will attract your desired audience.

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The secret is to create evergreen content. Evergreen content is counter-cultural in that it does not focus on passing trends that may be going viral, but rather emphasizes timeless content that consumers can interact with at any point and gain from it. Creating content for social media, articles, press releases, YouTube channels, or whatever platforms you utilize should have the end goal of creating a place where your viewers lean into your content. This is opposed to the style of content that promotes doom scrolling.

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If your content is consistently timeless, then your viewers are more inclined to relax and stay for a while. This means your content strategy may need to go beyond posting about holidays or announcements. Create timeless content that sells the lifestyle your product/service can create in senior living. A great way to do this is by showing face and telling stories. Invite your viewers into your business and let them see who you are. Promote employee and customer testimonials or show viewers your company culture. There are many possibilities for how you can create evergreen content, but as you do, you can be confident that this style of content creation will build trust among viewers. Content that invites a consumer in will make them feel like they know you better, which creates that trust that translates into a higher chance they will choose to work with you.

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Be Consistent 

Selling the right thing with the right content is a great place to begin attracting senior living operators, but there is something you cannot forget. You have to be consistent. Whatever content you are creating, you have to be consistent with it. Using social media as an example, giving viewers the evergreen content we discussed earlier is far more effective if you are consistently rolling it out for consumption. A sporadic content schedule breaks the trust you are trying to communicate.

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Statistics show 74% of consumers research a company on social media before making a purchase, and 71% of consumers are more likely to buy if that social media experience is good. Creating a pleasant social media experience directly impacts your ability to convert viewers into customers. The reality is that creating a consistent stream of evergreen content is the difference between a good or bad experience on your social media.

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Your socials aren’t the only area where consistency matters. On all platforms, consistent creation is the only way you will be able to collect valuable data that allows you to pivot your marketing. If you are sending a newsletter once every 6 months, you won’t be able to get the most accurate data on when to send or how to structure your copy because the pool of content to study is so small. Creating a larger content pool gives you more informed data to utilize for making better content your potential clients actually engage with.

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Regardless of where you have settled on promoting your brand, being consistent will be your key to success. Great content is important, but when it is shared sporadically, it may do more harm than good. If consistent content creation is outside of your scope, consider partnering with Solinity Marketing to help keep a steady stream of content going out to your viewers.

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Learn more marketing practices through our free resources.

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Invest in Quality

Now that you have an understanding of the theme of your marketing content and the best practices for getting it out there; we need to discuss one of the most important parts of senior living marketing – quality. Quality content is something that doesn’t always have a cost, but there are investments worth making. Let’s start with the free ways to improve content quality. 

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• Follow the rules: When creating marketing materials, it is important to follow the basics of color theory and ratios in your designs. There are numerous resources available for free to help you understand concepts like the rule of thirds and which colors to use with each other. Adobe offers a great, free color palette generator that helps you determine which colors work best for your design.

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• Frame your shot: Regardless of what camera you are using (even if it’s your phone), a free way to improve content is making sure your shots are framed properly. This means your subject is centered and the environment is not distracting. Taking the extra time to make sure your shot is ready for production can help elevate your content.

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• Don’t be afraid to edit: Apps like CapCut give you free access to basic editing capabilities on your computer and phone. Taking the time to utilize programs like this can be a game-changer. Removing awkward pauses and stumbles can make all the difference in how your content comes across to your audience. 

Attracting operators means you have to stand out, and applying these free steps can make that difference.

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Moving away from free options, if you are willing to make the investment, here are simple investments you can make to take your marketing to the next level.

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• A tripod/gimbal: Having a way to steady your camera/phone makes a noticeable difference. Shaky footage is difficult for anyone to watch –  and it certainly doesn’t encourage anyone to stick around and keep learning about your brand. Although prices can vary, there are affordable options out there. This allows you to utilize a cellphone as a stable camera (either stationary or on the go) for a variety of content.

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• Lapel mics: A general consensus seems to show that people are more willing to put up with lower video quality than audio quality. RODE microphones create a variety of mics that can be plugged directly into or wireless connect via receiver to a phone or camera. There is a large price range on microphones. However, this is an investment worth making on the front end of your marketing journey. 

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• Lighting: Most modern cell phones can shoot up to 4k video quality, but great content goes beyond the base resolution of your video. Lighting is incredibly valuable in that it can communicate mood and improve the already great video experience. Ring lights are extremely accessible and affordable, as well as basic softbox lights for more stationary content shoots. Learning the basics of lighting can be extremely beneficial to your content as you begin attracting a new wave of senior living operators.
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If this seems like too much for you, then the right investment in quality may be working with an agency that can provide assistance in all areas of marketing. Even more important is working with an agency that understands you and your desired clientele. That’s why working with Solinity Marketing is the best of both worlds. Not only are we highly qualified as marketing specialists, but we are also experts in the senior living industry. Partner with us to elevate your marketing and start attracting operators today.