This post is part of a series sharing inspiration and actionable insights from the 2016 LeadingAge Annual Meeting, for non-profit senior living communities and service providers – “organizations dedicated to making America a better place to grow old.” Click here for previous posts.
Session: What Makes Boomers “Ready”?
Speakers: The Employees and Residents of Hoosier Village / Baptist Homes of Indiana
This LeadingAge session featured both continuing care retirement community (CCRC) team members and residents, who emphasized that the days of the sales pitch are in our rearview mirror. Today’s consumers are looking to find where they have the greatest connection with employees and residents.
Budgets should be allocated for hospitality and bringing prospects and residents together to form a sense of community. Rather than presenting to a prospect, the aim should be to develop a relationship with the future resident.
In that regard, advertising must be altered to have a greater focus on education. Prospects don’t need to hear that a provider thinks that their community is the best. Rather, they need the tools to make the determination on what community is best for their specific needs and desires.
The typical prospect for a CCRC (also known as a Life Plan Community) requires financial information to ease concerns that the community with which they wish to enter an agreement will have the means to honor the contract.
What comes through as a common theme is that baby boomers – tomorrow’s residents – are planners.
They know what they want for their future and they do not want to be either reliant or a burden on their children. These consumers want to be rewarded for a lifetime of good decision-making with options, entertainment, community, ease-of-living and a worry-free environment.
As one resident eloquently said,
“We were traveling and I got a call from the maintenance team saying that there was an issue with the roof of our cottage. They had already been in and fixed it and everything was all set. I didn’t have to worry about contacting an insurance agent. I didn’t have to worry about finding a reputable contractor. Heck, I didn’t even have to worry about finding a blue tarp to cover up the hole.”
MARKETING ACTION STEPS:
Prospects want to engage with a community that is open and transparent. They want to still have control of their lives and their community.
Your marketing materials should stress how the community will remove their headaches and provide them the opportunity to still be relevant.