Posted by Brian Geyser on Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 09:08 AM
I write a lot about senior living and social media here at CareNetworks and I love how social technologies are transforming the industry for the better. Case in point:
I recently discovered Senior Living Residences
(SLR) via Twitter and I wanted to share what they are up to because they have a pretty advanced presence on the social web and we can learn a lot from them about how senior living companies can leverage social media for the good of the company - and their constituents. First, their website homepage (shown below) is very well designed with a good mix of relevant information, nice placement, and opportunity to connect with the company via Facebook, Linkedin, blogs, and YouTube. It also provides ample opportunity for visitors to easily share content from the page with their friends using Add This.
I love the "Unscripted Videos" section which demonstrates both the utility of YouTube and the power of "word-of-mouth" marketing. With a flip camera and a little creativity, senior living companies can produce an unlimited stream of entertaining, helpful, and informative, videos to share with the world. Done right, these videos can provide proof that you, as a company, are who you say you are.
The SLR Facebook Page is very well done. The landing page highlights their various senior living communities with contact information and links to each community. They also showcase the SLR CEU Program and list employment opportunities using separate tabs for each. Content from their various blogs is posted automatically to their Facebook Page along with videos from YouTube and calendar events from across the entire company.
But my favorite aspect of the site is the Alzheimer's Care Blog. This is a fantastic resource for members of the SLR community (residents, family members, staff, prospects, etc.) and the general community who are caring for people with dementia. Content for the blog is produced by staff from across the company's ecosystem - which is a fantastic example of how to leverage champions from within your organization to create great content for your various social sites.
Social media empowers senior living and other senior care organizations by giving them tools to connect, communicate, and share in ways never before possible. These tools provide an opportunity for companies to engage their audience, build trust and credibility, and be part of the conversations that are taking place both on and off the Web.
There are many more examples of senior living, LTC, homecare, and hospice providers who are pioneering the use of social media on my blog. If your organization is using social media successfully and you would like to be featured on this blog, contact us. Is your company using social media? If not, why not?
Posted by Brian Geyser on Wed, Apr 21, 2010 @ 09:23 AM
I found this good, albeit long, presentation by Laura Deaton over at Full Glass Consulting and wanted to share (great job Laura). Interestingly, hospice organizations are adopting social media faster than many other industry segments. I personally think social media tools are fantastic for hospice because of their potential to build community and foster support. Here are some other reasons why hospice organizations should consider using social tools and new media applications. Take a look at Laura's SlideShare and let us know what you think.
Posted by Brian Geyser on Mon, Dec 21, 2009 @ 08:38 AM
Lately, I've been asked a lot about how hospice companies are using social media. While I have not found many examples, I did run across this pioneering organization, The Community Hospice, based out of New York State. They are building a branded online community and social media hub on their website (smart move) and connecting it to various outposts such as Facebook, Digg, Twitter, and StumbleUpon. They also use video pretty effectively to promote their services through interviews of actual clients/patients. Here's a screen shot of their community page:
I'll be reaching out to The Community Hospice to see if they're interested in being interviewed. Hospice organizations around the country could learn a thing or two about what they are doing to build community on the Web.
Related Posts:
Need A Company Blog?
CareNetworks is now helping senior living and LTC companies build awesome corporate blogs on the WordPress platform. If you've been thinking about starting a company blog, contact us. We'll help you figure out the best solution for your organization. At the very least, read these posts:
Brian Geyser, APRN-BC, MSN is a clinician,
consultant, educator, blogger, online community manager and the founder
of Carenetworks, LLC. He blogs regularly here at Carenetworks.com and
would love to connect with you on Twitter, Linkedin, and/or Facebook.