Category: Seniors Housing

Potential residents and their families are increasingly turning to the internet to aid in their search for a retirement community. Nearly every community has a website, and most employ lead-generating tactics on them (contact page, downloadable brochures, etc.). But there is always room for improvement. Over a period of three weeks, we’ll provide you with three actionable tips that you can use to improve your digital footprint.

Today we’re tackling the every important “call to action.”

A call-to-action, often referred to as a “CTA,” is a tool used in web design to direct the user to do something that the website owner wants. In the old days, this was a blinking piece of text that shouted, “CLICK HERE!!!!” Today, the CTA has matured into buttons, forms and other interactions. These elements have converted websites from being static, digital brochures to engaging marketing tools that put the user in the driver’s seat when it comes to how they are advertised.

Retirement community CTAs are most often an attempt to get the user to provide some personal contact information so that he or she can become a warm lead for marketers. The site might offer a free e-book or resource document in exchange for an email address or phone number. Potential residents may also be able to register for seminars and tours through a website call-to-action that encourages them to “Sign up now!” The trick is for the potential resident to make that initial contact so that a salesperson can follow up and begin working him or her down the sales funnel toward a move-in.

Mixing up these calls-to-action, offering different incentives and using different copy will help you determine which ones work best and which are ineffective. No one gets it right every time when it comes to marketing. Testing, honing and refining are key steps in creating strong, lead-generating CTAs. At Varsity, we’ve had the privilege of working with many varied clients, in all market conditions. Our curiosity drives us to continually test and refine the CTAs we develop for our clients. This accumulated knowledge and testing then proves its real-world value with not only increased leads, but better quality leads that are more likely to commit to purchase.

Chocolate gets eaten, flowers wither, but how do you make love last? In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked a couple in their 80s how they’ve kept their love strong through 60 years of marriage. (Guess what? Celebrating Valentine’s Day didn’t even make the list!)

Here’s what they said:

1. One or both should tell the other how much they are loved every day. Very important!

2. Maintain a balance of responsibilities — which is easier said than done.

3. Cultivate independent interests and encourage each other to do so. Too much togetherness can be a mistake.

4. Do not criticize. Nobody is perfect. Criticism is rarely useful or effective.

5. Talk to each other, and if there is a big topic, sit down and take time for it.

6. Plan fun together. It is easy to neglect, but many trips and social activities require pre-planning. Spontaneity can wither away with age, which is natural. (I always  watch Monday Night Football. I eat brunch at the café every Sunday. We go to Palm Springs every winter, etc.)

7. Try not to ventilate your problems too much to your other half. That can become a habit, but listening is wearying.

8. Last but not least, when you catch sight of a full moon, make your partner look at it, too. Same goes for rainbows. This is an easy rule, but important.

So this year, let’s learn from the experts at love and look at a little less Monday Night Football and a few more full moons.

The secret to keeping residents engaged in the dining experience is to invigorate and empower your chefs. Here are a few ways that communities around the country are energizing their culinary team:

1. Holding Food Network-influenced chef competitions where dueling culinarians must use offbeat ingredients or face other tough challenges
2. Asking chefs to conduct cooking demonstrations, and letting residents taste the results
3. Adding chef recipes, interviews and demos to their website or newsletter
4. Sending cooking staff to culinary training or bringing noted chefs in to share their expertise
5. Having chefs cook dishes, such as omelets or stir fries, out in the dining room
6. Planning unusual-themed events with menus that go beyond the typical holiday brunch
7. Changing the menu often — and allowing residents input
8. Compiling a cookbook of favorite in-house recipes
9. Celebrating the farm-to-table movement with fresh, locally sourced ingredients
10. Working creatively with dietary restrictions to offer healthy food with a gourmet flair

How is your community keeping things fresh in the kitchen? Let me know at wlangley@varsitybranding.com.

As we ring in the New Year, the phone is also ringing at retirement communities. Often, adult children notice a change in a parent during a holiday visit, which can lead to a post-holiday spike in inquiries. But is your community dropping the ball?

Let me tell you about the experience my friend Pam had. She, her two siblings and their families visited with mom over the holidays and noticed signs that she is not okay to live alone…not eating well, clutter piling up when mom had always been a fastidious housekeeper, unsteadiness on her feet, signs that the comfy chair in front of the TV is the hub of her daily life. These observations were a wake-up call they couldn’t ignore. Pam’s sister prolonged her stay with mom, while Pam got on the phone to find resources, contacting home health agencies and several senior living communities.

Unfortunately, when Pam called and visited the communities, the reception she received didn’t leave her feeling very confident. She was confronted with unskilled staff who didn’t know the answers to her questions, unreturned phone calls and general disinterest in helping during a situation that, to her, was a crisis. Here are five resolutions you can make to ensure that your community makes a positive first impression that can convert inquiries to move-ins.

#1:  Answer the phone and/or return calls promptly. Even though Pam contacted communities during business hours, the phone would ring and ring, or her call went to voicemail. More often than not, she called back rather than waiting a day or more for a return call.

#2: Be welcoming. Often, when Pam finally reached a live person, it was a receptionist who seemed almost surprised at her inquiry (during the holidays when everyone was off) and didn’t seem to know what to say. Train front line staff to enthusiastically greet the caller, ask the right questions, be empathetic and reassure the caller that the appropriate person will return their call that same day.

#3: Know the facts. The person on the phone often gave inaccurate information, such as saying the community provided “Life Care” when it was not a Life Care community in its true definition. Educate all staff on what your community offers and the benefits of living there. Craft a positioning statement that clearly conveys your community’s unique brand in the market and require everyone that works at your community to learn it and be able to recite it.

#4: Meet everyone’s needs. During community visits, make sure that you address the needs and questions of both the adult child and parent. Sometimes an adult child might be doing all the talking for mom or dad, either because he or she is trying to be helpful, has a controlling personality, or is overcompensating for a parent that may have some memory impairment. Always direct questions to both the child and the parent to make sure everyone is heard, all questions are answered and all wishes are being met.

#5: Don’t be pushy.  When you push people, they naturally push back. Instead of making statements like, “You need…”, ask questions of both the potential resident and the adult child that get them to state their own challenges, issues and needs. It’s much more impactful to have them come to realizations about their situation themselves rather than have someone else tell them what they need to do. Some questions you might ask the person who says they’re not ready: “What would have to happen in order for you to feel like you’re ready?” “Do you think it will be easier or harder to make a move a year from now?”

Keep these New Year’s resolutions, and make sure that post-holiday spike in inquiries leads to lots of move-ins. If you’d like to talk more about selling strategies, email me at jstone@varsitybranding.com.

Adventures like these prove that life in a retirement community is anything but dull. At Varsity, we salute all of the seniors who never let age stop them from growing, changing and challenging themselves, whether they’re freezing in motion or dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads, like these Ohio community residents did.

When kids are out trick-or-treating, they might want to hit up some houses over others.

84% of people 60 years and older give out candy on Halloween — more than any other age group, according to one study.  Seniors love answering the door to superheroes and pirates. But what if they live in a retirement community? There’s a simple answer: Welcome trick-or-treaters to your campus.

You can invite residents’ grandchildren, staffers’ children and even local neighborhood kids to trick-or-treat. The experience will not only benefit residents, but candy hunters as well — they won’t have to face the risks of crossing high-traffic streets at night in their black costumes. Residents can affix pumpkin- or bat-shaped signs to their doors to signal that they welcome trick-or-treaters.

So that residents unable to participate can still join in the fun, you can throw an all-age celebration with decorations, costumes and refreshments. Halloween is also the perfect time to invite prospective residents in for hot cider and pumpkin cookies.

Happy Halloween, all!

Elderly, frail, uneducated and with a lower income? Surprisingly, no. Those most at risk are actually younger, more educated and well off. According to a new study by the Better Business Bureau, 69 percent of scam victims are under 45, and 78 percent are college-educated.

Other surprising facts:

• Eighty-nine percent of seniors approached by a scammer recognized the scam in time, and only 11 percent lost money.
• Three times as many 18‒24-year-olds failed to recognize a scam, and 34 percent reported losing money.

A few reasons for this:

• Younger people think they’re invulnerable to scams.
• They are more likely to shop online.
• Seniors are more scam-savvy.

Another stereotype about age debunked.

We’re all vulnerable to scams, at any age. Find tips on protecting yourself here.

At a time when Taylor Swift is having all kinds of aggravation with Kanye and Kim, here’s something that could cheer her up. Residents of the Julia Wallace Retirement Village in New Zealand, average age 82, have paid tribute to Taylor by recreating her video “Shake It Off.” The video, which took a week to film, already has over 100,000 views on You Tube. Enjoy!

Watch video.

Even if you pack your diet with super foods like blueberries and broccoli, you could still be shortening your life if you’re not following the 80% rule. Why does this simple rule help you live longer?

Because it means eating only 80% of the food on your plate, which is one of nine healthy practices shared by people in longevity hot spots around the world. In fact, researchers found that in Okinawa, Japan (aka The Island of the Immortals), residents say “Hara Hachi Bu” before every meal. This phrase, which translates to “belly 80% full,” is their reminder to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.

We may not see an influx of 100-year-olds walking the earth, but the growing interest in leading a longer, happier life is a mature market trend we should all keep an eye on.

Next week, we’ll reveal what you should be eating.

Once again, Varsity participated in LeadingAge National, which was held last week in Boston. We wanted to share a few key themes we heard from keynote speakers and in conversation with conference participants (or attendees).

• What residents miss in care settings: Friendships, privacy and purpose — three brand attributes organizations should be chasing
• Boomers want to be the author of their  story as they age: An insight that can help communities design their offerings
• When investing in technology, pay for outcomes, not the device: Seems logical, but we’re not sure this is fully embedded in provider strategy
• Demographics are disruptive: More attention must be paid to the impact of demographics on aging service organizations
• Live longer. Live better: Nice tagline, and it reinforces that aging is about quality of life, rather than quantity
• Project Namestorm: “Life Plan Community,” an alternative to the name “CCRC,” was introduced
• Transition of leadership: From the top (Larry Minnix) to individual communities, we need to nurture the next generation of leaders
• The LGBT campground: A bold symbol of inclusiveness at the show
• The role of faith in branding and appeal: It’s about mission and non-profit status rather than specific denominational affiliation 
• The transitional generation is impacting communities NOW: We must appeal to the needs and desires of the Boomer while serving long-time residents from the silent generation 

One last insight to leave you with: According to our new study, “From the Outside In,” 0% of residents used the Yellow Pages to begin their search for a retirement community.