The Covid pandemic created a sea change in the senior living customer journey which likely will never be the same. While nobody can predict the future (not even new AI tools!), we’re fairly certain the critical role of digital marketing in senior living is here to stay.
Meeting Expectations of Modern Consumers
This is the new normal. On the Internet, questions are answered instantly. Pricing is accessible at the click of a mouse. Every feature, benefit and detail, from what dessert will be served tonight to the latest innovative in safety technology, is now readily available online.
Speed to lead is not just a catch phrase. It is the watershed moment that may decide the fate of your prospects’ customer journey and whether that path will lead to your door.
In the senior living industry, the customer journey is filled with opportunities to influence prospects in your favor. At least 75% of them start online and probably more.
More Providers, More Clutter
Senior living consumers are educating themselves about senior housing products earlier in the customer journey for many reasons, but mostly because they can. The wealth of information published by senior living providers online has increased relative to the growing demand of people searching and growing supply of housing.
Despite Covid-related setbacks and rising construction costs, senior housing construction activity has been increasing over the past decade, according to Senior Housing News. Investors hoping to capitalize on changing demographics have seen the writing on the wall.
More providers mean more supply along with a pandemic-fueled downward pressure on demand. According to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Chief Economist Beth Burnham Mace’s, demand projections in senior housing have declined as a result of the pandemic.
In digital marketing terms, this equates to more competition and clutter online.
Search Engine Expectations From Content
The reality is: due to safety concerns that reflect Covid-induced changes, there are less searches for senior living online and more competition, thanks in part to providers reallocating marketing dollars to digital channels and crowding the space.
Fortunately, in 2023, search inventory is back to pre-pandemic levels, albeit at a much higher cost.
That’s not all. The customer journey is still longer than pre-pandemic days, meaning prospects are online for a longer period of time.
In order to be in the consideration set throughout a longer customer journey, senior living providers must do everything they can to appear on page one of local search results.
Surprisingly, many fail to realize is that it’s just as important to meet Google’s expectations as it is to meet prospects expectations and standards. And, if you can’t outbid the competition in paid search, getting your website to rank organically is the only other option beyond paying aggregators for costly referrals.
Quality content is the key to appearing in organic search results. That’s because search engines can now sort quality content from fluff. Google knows the difference between keyword stuffed, mass produced junk from credible, researched editorial. It is the foundation behind E-A-T, one of Google’s search quality rater guidelines and one of the most important elements of search engine optimization (SEO).
If you are lucky enough to appear on page one results above your competitors and next to government, nonprofit and referral sites, you will drive more traffic to your site, and ultimately conversions.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Once you’ve attracted prospects to your site, you must meet their expectations, too, and deliver the type of content they are looking for at the right time.
Consumer Expectations From Digital Content
In the digital world, marketers who recognize the role of digital in the customer journey are furnishing every possible detail about their community online to tip the scale in their favor. This includes dedicated landing pages for services, features and programs as well as dynamic content such as educational blog posts and videos.
Due to the vast amount of information online, digitally savvy consumers expect to find the information they are seeking quickly and without hunting, digging or clicking through volumes of unnecessary text.
While Google may be using expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness—and a whole bunch of other ranking signals—to rate your content, your prospects’ clicks are the ultimate source of truth. Using analytics and tracking tools, you can watch consumer behavior to learn which types of content they prefer.
Prospects should be able to quickly navigate the website to find exactly what they need to make a decision. Avoid the temptation to hold back important information such as pricing and floor plans in the hope that a prospect will schedule a personal tour to get them. While this used to be a sales strategy five or so years ago, consumer expectations have changed.
Most senior living websites make pricing available because it is the single most requested type of information prospects are seeking in the online customer journey.
Moving From Foot Traffic To Form Fills
As a result of the pandemic, foot traffic has shifted online and most of the customer journey is now spent on the Internet. Sales collateral that may have once worked well in print must now be recast as digital content. In addition to landing pages that detail your services, digital brochures serve an important purpose at this stage to help educate prospects about the various services, features and benefits of senior living over other options.
According to leading CRM provider Enquire’s Annual Benchmark study, inquiries coming from the website increased 32% during the pandemic. Website form fills are now attributed to 44% of all senior living inquiries!
Prospects will expect photography and video of not only buildings and accommodations, but images that convey the kind of lifestyle afforded by your community. If it does not position your community as the most beautiful community in the world, then it is not good enough. (If you haven’t done so already, it may be time to invest in a professional photographer and videographer.)
Remember, senior living is a complex purchase decision. Resources and education content—whether blog posts, video testimonials or ebooks that impart some wisdom from your in-house experts—are used to seed preference for your community, help and guide prospects in their decision to move to your community.
Virtual tours, social media posts, activity calendars, menus—any content that provides a sense of the kind of lifestyle your community offers can influence a prospect online in lieu of an in-person tour.
Reviews and testimonials lend credibility through third party endorsements. Frequently asked questions answer your prospects’ questions even before they are asked. And map plug-ins make your community easier to find.
Instant chat and booking apps not only make it easy for prospects to ask questions and schedule a visit, but drive more website conversions, which is the goal, after all.
As you think about the type of content your prosects need, prioritize user experience, and remember, the fewer clicks it takes to find the information you are seeking, the better the experience will be with your brand.
Meeting Expectations of Senior Care Shoppers
Most of your website traffic is generated from search engine marketing, yet most website sessions never click past the homepage. Educational, useful and engaging content keeps prospects on your website longer, ultimately leading them down the path toward conversion.
As you create content strategies to meet new consumer expectations, be sure to keep the larger objective in mind, which is to drive conversions and generate qualified leads for the sales team. Make your best content accessible through forms and offers, also called “gated content,” to capture and collect contact information for ongoing lead nurturing.
Testing different types of content and calls-to-action can also help optimize your website for more conversions.
At the end of the day, the best approach to senior living digital marketing uses a combination of both paid and organic search to reach prospects and drive them to your website. Once they are there, ensure a positive website experience using a blend of promotional and education content that helps them understand what makes your community special.
For more information on meeting expectations of senior living and care shoppers online, contact Matura Marketing.