The last NIC report tracked assisted living communities at an average of 86.5% occupancy . . . yet we know the secret sauce to make that average 94%!

By Susan Saldibar

As you may know, the National Investment Center (NIC) reports quarterly on the state of occupancy in the senior living industry. The last report tracked assisted living communities at an average of 86.5% occupancy. So, when G5 (a Senior Housing Forum partner) discovered through their own surveys that their clients were experiencing an average 94% occupancy, they decided to share some of the things they know are helping to achieve those numbers.

In fact, they’ve published a document called “Marketing Truths” that cites 5 key “truths” that G5 clients have found to be effective in improving occupancy rates. You really should read the article to get the full impact. Here’s my take on 3 of them:

  1. SEO still reigns supreme. G5 makes a great point in their article that people “will not spend a lot of time to find you, especially if your competition catches their attention first.” Think about it. Why would they? In most cases, they don’t even know you exist! You can’t overestimate the importance of creating a solid SEO foundation for your website. Once achieved, G5 urges companies to keep current with all the latest “rules of the road” put out there by Google and everyone else. But make sure you have someone on your team who lives and breathes this stuff. It’s not a part-time job.

  2. Keeping your online information current is critical. When was the last time you did an audit of your online directory listings? The more listings you have out there, the higher the likelihood that there are some outdated phone numbers and other anomalies. Whether you are on A Place For Mom, Caring.com or one of the other directory services, incorrect information equals a lost lead. If a prospective resident can’t easily access your community, they will simply move on to the next listing.

  3. You need to be where your audience is. Today that means mobile. And your site needs to be clean, attractive and easy to navigate and engage with. Today, G5 senior living clients experience 50% of their website traffic comes from mobile devices. And it’s increasing each year. Make sure your site is optimized to adapt to fit any media from smartphones to iPads to laptops. And don’t take anyone’s word for it, check it out yourself!

As I mentioned above, I urge you to read the entire article for additional points and some great insight. Don’t leave your online presence to college kids or delegate it to the admin person for when he or she isn’t busy. As a marketer, I’ve seen this backfire dozens of times. Those who take this stuff seriously will gain an advantage over those who don’t. It will take the form of more leads. And leads turn into move-ins and occupancy rates like 94% (or more).  

Get started today and begin delivering more qualified leads to your community with the G5 Intro to Integrated Marketing Guide.


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