Often, by the time February rolls, around New Year’s resolutions have started to fall by the wayside. Was regularly posting to Facebook one of your senior living community’s marketing resolutions?
As a marketing consultant specializing in the marketing and communications for senior living communities, The Ehlers Group often finds the regular posting of content challenges many assisted living and memory care communities. Quality of content is equally challenging.
Using Facebook has been embraced by a senior living community but the challenge is keeping it up to date with content that is of interest to influencers and end users. Influencers are the adult children who definitely are using social media to research communities and end users, those people who are 75+, are becoming more comfortable with Facebook.
Every assisted living and memory care community has their own distinct personality and this personality needs to come through in social media content. Sadly, too often it becomes the responsibility of someone too busy to take on. It’s too important a responsibility to assign to someone who is not a talented writer or who doesn’t understand the marketing potential of good content. We always remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we have to post content.
Based on our experience here are ten tips to improve Facebook content for assisted living and memory care communities:
- Content needs to tell a story. By answering the who, what, when, where questions the story incorporates more relevant information and tell a story.
“Betty celebrated her 100 birthday” fails to tell a story. An improved version could be “Residents and employees of XYZ assisted living community gathered to celebrate Betty ____ becoming a centenarian. She celebrated her birthday enjoying the occasion with traditional fanfare. Her advice on turning 100, greet each day with a laugh!”
- Post frequently and regularly. We aim for 18 posts per month and plan a schedule that usually is at least every other day. Unfortunately, it’s not an exact science. You can post too often, not frequently enough or at the wrong time of the day.
- Convey your community’s strengths through Facebook content. If your culinary team is outstanding, mention them along with an event post.
- Provide value, teach, and inspire. Can a blurb do this? You bet. That is why using colorful, high-quality images needs to accompany posts. Incorporate relevant research to offer a reader value. Share industry and consumer news and informative information.
- Ask readers’ questions. Have they tried a restaurant you mention or read a book the book club is reviewing? Questions engage the reader.
- Keep blurbs short but you can link to a blog and offer your reader a longer article.
- Share relevant images. Before posting a picture, ask why this picture is important and does it help in telling a story.
- Incorporate a call to action by including an RSVP to attend a class or event and a telephone number for information.
- Give people a laugh. Assisted living and memory care communities don’t need to be so serious. Facebook offers an opportunity to add humor.
- Incorporating pictures of real people is important but these need to be flattering and high-quality. Yes, your residents may be physically challenged but there still are flattering angles of a person in a wheelchair.
If you would like to talk to The Ehlers Group about having the company handle Facebook for your assisted living and memory care community, please give us a call at 954-726-9228.