When it comes down to choosing where to live, seniors start where most people start when deciding where to live—online. Creating an online experience is essential to prospective residents as it offers them and their families the ability to research and explore communities and decide if they can see themselves living there.

Social media is a marketing tool for any business; senior living communities are no exception. Your social media strategy should not only be about getting your communities' name in the marketplace, but it should also be about getting potential residents to visit and choose your community over your competitors. If you're looking for ways to improve your communities' online presence here are three tips to keep in mind while you get started:

Strategy

The first step is to determine which channels will help your community reach your target audience. According to the latest research from Pew, of adults age 65+, 50% use Facebook and 49% use YouTube. When you create YouTube videos, you can post them on Facebook. Seniors can then comment, like, and share the communities' YouTube videos, helping to increase brand awareness, which is likely to be shared with family members as well as friends in the senior adult age range.

Remember that adult children often play a significant role, so reaching them is important as well. 48% of adults aged 30-49 say they use Instagram. We've seen our client communities useInstagram and have great success with engagement.

Determine the right channels to start with and put all your effort into making great content that future residents look forward to participating in.

Content

Speaking of content, once you've determined which social media channels to start with, it's time to share high-quality content your followers will love. Consistency is key to creating asocial media presence, so your team will need to publish content on each platform often—we recommend at least 2-3 times a week.

Create a social media calendar to keep track of when to post. Your content should be informative and entertaining. Showcase programs, events, and other opportunities that show off what makes your senior living community exceptional. Happy staff and residents are your best brand ambassadors—let them tell their stories!

Engagement

Social media is about connecting with others. Building positive relationships with community partners, and thanking volunteers and donors goes a long way in making them feel appreciated and more likely to partner with your community in the future. Liking and responding to comments and answering questions will make a positive impression on your current and prospective clients.

We hope these tips will help you enrich your senior living community's social media presence. Your community deserves to be seen, so get the word out there! Our Creative Services team is always here to support your community. We handle social media content creation and branded posts for a number of our partners, providing them with brand awareness by increasing resident satisfaction while driving business success.

We're ready to work in tandem with you. Contact us to learn how we can partner with your community to define and achieve sales and marketing goals.

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