Back in October CBS news ran a terrific story about Judson Manor a senior living community in Cleveland.  Here it is:

 

The Back Story

Back in 2010 Judson Manor had a couple of senior living residences that were a little tough to sell.  The wife of a Judson Manor board member also sat on the board of the Cleveland Institute of Music and she became aware that there were a number of worthy students who were struggling to find affordable housing.

The light went on!

How about making those less desirable units available to some needy students in return for providing performances for residents?  There were discussions and a process was put in place for students to apply for these resident musician housing slots.

It All Works

At any given time there are two or three resident musicians.  They pay nothing for the apartment.  In return, they are required to regularly perform at Judson Manor and two other senior communities that are part of the same not-for-profit system.

For most of the students it has turned out to be much more than just a way to obtain affordable room and board.  It has created energizing long-term intergenerational friendships that serve both residents and students. 

One Example

One of the students was getting married on the west coast and invited one of the residents to be a part of the wedding party.  It ultimately didn’t work out because it was just to difficult for the resident to travel.  But on the couples return to Cleveland, the residents threw a full-fledged wedding reception at the community.

High Value Marketing

The story first aired on CBS Evening News, Friday, October 10 and within minutes of the broadcast Judson Manor received six inquiries via its web site.  The story repeated on CBS Sunday Morning  resulting in another 15 inquiries. But that was not the end of it.  Web inquiries literally poured in through the beginning of November.

Power of Social Media

Understanding today’s integrated media climate, Judson realized the CBS story was great content for its social media channels. 

  • They posted behind-the-scenes photos of the interview on Facebook as a buildup leading up to the Friday broadcast,
  • Posted stories pre- and post-broadcast on its web site blog, promoting the posts on Facebook and LinkedIn. 
  • The CBS story also became great content for e-mail blasts to warm prospects.

A few stats

Video on CBS Evening News web site

  • Facebook – 3200 shares
  • Twitter – 138 tweets
  • Comments – 8

Video on CBS Sunday Morning web site

  • Facebook – 8100 shares
  • Twitter – 180 tweets

Facebook post linking to full story at CBS

  • Reach – 14,112
  • Likes – 214
  • Comments – 20
  • Shares – 49

Follow up

In total, Judson received nearly 60 inquiries; the majority coming from people out-of-state expressing interest in all three Judson’s communities.  So, the effort wasn’t limited to just its Judson Manor community.

Judson’s sales team went into overdrive immediately following up with each prospect with detailed information.

To date, Judson  can attribute two move-ins to this story playing on national television.  Both ladies are moving from out of state.

That this story got air time was no accident.  Part two will be all about how Judson Manor went about making this happen.

Steve Moran