Many of the greatest marketing success stories we hear have a common theme. Facilities that attract seniors from their community are often deeply involved in that community. Making yourself a vital, everyday part of your town makes it easier for seniors and their families to become a resident when the time comes.
Becoming a positive fixture in your community takes time, consistency and plenty of visibility. Are you ready to think outside of the box and find ways to weave yourself into the fabrics of your local society? Here are a few of our best ideas for becoming a facility your community trusts and is willing to call home:
- Be active in local athletic events, festivals and traditions. Being a monetary sponsor isn’t enough. Staff a table at the event, put your items in goody bags and gather teams to participate in charity runs. Become an active part in these events, rather than a passive sponsor.
- Host your own events to invite the community in. You can go big or small with these, but the idea is to make it natural to come into your community. Encourage residents to have a part and consider events like health fairs, fundraiser dinners for resident organizations, Halloween trick-or-treating and breakfasts with Santa. Have admissions and senior staff offer tours during these events, but keep the focus on giving.
- Host workshops and sessions. Partner with local experts or grab one of your own to host informative sessions on topics that relate to seniors. Consider Medicare, knowing when it’s time to choose a facility, and being an advocate.
- Offer free meeting space. Advertise to your local Chamber of Commerce and community groups that you have meeting space available for members to use. Free meeting space can be a very hot commodity and make your facility a naturally frequented place in town!
- Sponsor a youth sports team. Sponsor a little league, swim or youth soccer team in your residents’ names. Arrange a social with the team, transport residents to games and have the residents create goody bags for the end of the season.
Think about your community as a whole and what’s important to the people who live there. There are countless unique ways to get involved and bring a positive impression of your facility.