Posted by Brian Geyser on Fri, Jul 23, 2010 @ 01:07 PM
I was recently contacted via Twitter by Arbor Company Senior Living who informed me that one of their communities recently had three tours directly related to leads that came in from their Facebook Page. Here's the tweet...
Posted by Brian Geyser on Sun, Jul 18, 2010 @ 12:58 PM
After months o
f data collection, story boarding, editing, and motion graphic experimentation, we've finally completed and uploaded our first YouTube video. I want to thank Steve Povilonis for the many hours of work he put in on this project. Also, thanks to Eric Qualman, who's Social Media Revolution video, which to date has been viewed over 2 million times, inspired us to create this one. Finally, thanks to all of the early-adopter senior living and home care companies featured in the video. You're all pioneering social media best practices for the industry.
We plan to update the video each year with the latest stats and hottest social companies from the industry, so if you think your company is worthy of inclusion in the 2011 version, let us know. Enjoy.
Posted by Jennifer Hill on Mon, Jun 28, 2010 @ 01:19 PM
These days, an increasing number of senior living, home care, and LTC companies are using social media to reach out to social customers and prospects. At CareNetworks, we're always on the look out for companies who are innovating in this space and who are helping to shape social media best practices for the industry. So we scanned the web and found five companies worth taking a look at.
1. Senior Helpers. This non-medical home care company has a well designed website that acts as their social media hub with active outposts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. They also have a WordPress blog
where they post generic articles about wellness, aging, and care giving. Their reach is pretty significant with 2,302 Twitter followers, 488 Facebook fans, and thousands of views of their many YouTube videos.
2. Adeste In-Home Care. This welcoming site is definitely one of my favorites. The non-medical home care company has an awesome blog
that is updated multiple times per month with search-optimized articles such as, "Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Companion Agency for Your Elderly Parents." The blog provides great information and tips, especially for people whose parents need home care. On Twitter, they post tons of informational articles to over 1,550 followers. I was also very impressed with the list of resources they provide. They suggest support sites like Senior Information Network and SeniorNet to help family members feel comfortable and confident with their decisions. Their Facebook page seems to be new with very little content and only a few fans.
3. Emeritus Senior Living.
This national senior living company has definitely made a dent in the social media world. They have one of the best senior living Facebook pages
I’ve seen with over 1,440 fans. There are tons of images of different events they've held or conferences they have attended. It includes discussion boards and personal testimonials about the transition into senior living from both residents and family members. I was also impressed by the “Ask the Expert” portion of the website. Viewers can ask Dr. Vicki Rackner, M.D. any question and have an answer within 24 hours. Emeritus has partnered with an agency called Aging with Grace that seniors and their loved ones can call with questions and see what others are asking. They also have a Twitter page with about 345 followers.
4. Provision Living. This senior living company website includes links to developing Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages, as well as a tab dedicated to their Senior Assisted Living Blog. The blog is updated often and keeps readers informed on current events and happenings in the each of the companies communities. Blog readers have the option to e-mail articles or share them on Twitter, Facebook, Digg and LinkedIn. The blog's most popular article to date is "Green Tree at Post Road Opens New Units and Adds Jobs."
5. Senior Living Communities. While this senior living company has a Fledgling social media presence, what they seem to do very well is video. For example, Donald Thompson, the company CEO, has a series of video blog posts where he talks candidly about everything from the cost of living in one of their communities to the company's stability over the past 21 years. The videos are very well done, except for the fact that there doesn't seem to be a way to share them across the social web - big mistake! Additionally, the company's Facebook page is not very engaging and doesn't take advantage of the great videos they produce. This is a good example of missed opportunity where a company has great social objects (videos) to share, but no way to easily share them on social sites.
If you find other senior living, home care, or LTC companies experimenting with social media and they're worthy of writing about, let us know about them in the comments section below. Also, we welcome your feedback on these sites!
Related Posts:
To learn more about how we can help you build or enhance your social media presence, contact us.
You can also join our free Online Marketing Community for marketing professionals and executives in senior living, homecare, LTC, and hospice. Just click the image blow:
Jennifer Hill
is currently at senior at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is a Communications major concentrating in Public Relations and Journalism and minoring in Psychology. You can connect with her on Twitter on LinkedIn.
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 Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 12:56 PM
Senior living communities are dynamic, social places. Every senior living community offers a unique blend of people, environment, activity, culture, and energy. Whether you're an active adult retirement community, an assisted living residence, a CCRC, or a skilled nursing facility, new media tools (like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs) and community platforms (like Groupsite.com and Ning) can help you put your physical community's style and personality on display to the world.
But, they can also help you do a whole lot more. Here are just some of the many things these Web 2.0 technologies can help your organization do:
Set yourself apart from the competition. Most senior living companies are not yet using social media, but the ones who are will have a leg up as social media goes mainstream.
Expand your online reach and drive traffic to your website. Google now uses a social media index in its search algorithm. A senior living company with little or no social media presence is increasingly irrelevant to Goolge.
Engage prospects, nurture leads, and drive sales. Social media tools allow you to have a 2-way conversation with the people you are trying to attract - seniors and their adult children.
Publish company news as it happens and create buzz for community news, activities and events. Now anyone in your organization can post information to your website in real-time, keeping content relevant, fresh, and sharable.
Post information about jobs and recruit top talent. Job seekers are increasingly using social media as a way to find jobs and connect with companies in the senior living and long-term care industries.
Gain new business insights and stay on top of best practices. Everyday, senior living professionals from around the country share their thoughts and experiences via Twitter, Facebook, and other online communities.
Build better relationships. Build your professional network, develop relationships with potential partners, connect with new referral sources, and enhance existing relationships.
Provide a platform for word-of-mouth. Allow your best residents/families to share their love for you with the world. Give them a place to post information, perspectives, stories, and tips.
Provide support. Help residents and family members get the answers and support they need in a faster, more efficient way.
Share best practices. Share knowledge and insights across your organization in real time and keep that knowledge stored forever in a searchable database. Provide a place to capture and exchange knowledge and information - positioning your company as an experienced expert and trusted resource.
Related Posts:
Posted by Brian Geyser on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 12:25 PM
In case you missed it, the cover story in the March 2010 issue of Provider Magazine is all about how retirement communities, nursing facilities, assisted living residences and CCRCs are beginning to discover the operational and marketing benefits of social media - something I've been writing about for almost two years. I've embedded the entire article below for your viewing pleasure, but here are some of the highlights:
Ignore Social Media at Your Own Peril
- The internet is playing an increasingly important role in the lives of baby boomers caring for sick or elderly loved ones. Social media and social networks are changing the way people learn and make decisions.
- Your brand is no longer what you say it is, it's what others say it is. Social media helps companies learn about their stakeholders and their priorities - how they make decisions and what they value.
- Your competition is already in the game. An increasing number of senior living communities are using Facebook and other social tools to keep residents and families connected and to enhance corporate communications.
- Despite the above fact, there is still a misconception among many senior living executives and long-term care providers that social media tools would not be used by residents, family members, or prospects.
- Baby boomers who are seeking care for a loved one value word-of-mouth recommendation, expert opinions, and trusted brands - all of which can be enhanced using social tools.
How To Start
- First off, don't let fear stop you. Social media is a process, not an event. It's always better to be part of the conversation. It does not replace traditional relationship-building, marketing, PR, or communications - it augments and enhances them.
- Start with a clear strategy. Answer the questions: who are you trying to reach, what are your goals, how are you going achieve them, who is going to do the work, what kinds of policies do you need in place, and how are you going to measure success.
- Consider your audience: residents, staff, family members, referral sources, business partners, prospects, potential donors, potential employees, the media, legislators, and other possible stakeholders.
- Consider hiring a pro. You have a brand and a reputation to protect. Delegating social media to an intern, in experienced staff member, or volunteer could be a costly mistake.
Provider Magazine March 2010_________________________________________________________________________
For more on how your company can benefit from social media and online community, contact us. You can also join our free Online Marketing Community for marketing professionals and executives in senior living, homecare, LTC, and hospice. Just click the image blow:
Posted by Brian Geyser on Mon, Nov 16, 2009 @ 09:55 AM
"Why the heck would any senior living company want to invest in an online community? What's the big whoop about all this social media babble anyway? I need to see some hard figures. What's the ROI?"
Sound familiar? It kind of reminds me of back in the '90's when companies were still trying to decide if they should have a Website. "I mean, why do we need a Website? People can just look us up in the phone book." That statement is laughable now, but the same phenomenon is occurring today when it comes to social media. While some progressive senior living companies have seen the light, most are still either burying their heads in the sand or just don't get it (yet). The fact is, the vast majority of senior living company websites today are static, information-only billboards that don't allow for user interaction, participation, or engagement. Smart senior living companies are capitalizing on the new social Web by building online communities for their audience, joining the conversations, and combining information with participation.
Wait, lets back up. What exactly is social media anyway? Well, according to Wikipedia, social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing tools (like blogs, wikis, discussion forums, shared videos, etc.). It supports the human need for social interaction with technology, transforming broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogs (many to many). Social media supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.
"Got it. So, what's an online community?" An online community is simply a group of people who have something in common and who gather together using social media tools to connect, communicate, collaborate, and share. Everyday, millions of people with common interests or facing similar challenges create, join, and contribute to online communities; and business in every industry have taken notice.
"Okay, so how do I apply this to my business?" Senior living companies are in the business of community. An online community is simply a natural extension of what you already do everyday. Senior living communities are vibrant, dynamic places made up of residents, family members, staff, outside professionals, referral sources, and many others. The interactions, conversations, and activities that happen everyday in your offline community, can (and should) also be happening online. An online community can have marketing and operational benefits for you, and, more importantly, can provide a host of benefits to your residents, family members, and staff.
"Yeah, that's all great, but (and here is the dreaded ROI question) what's the ROI? I need to see some hard data." Okay, I'll show you some data in a minute, but let me first ask you a few questions.
- What's the ROI for that Veteran's Day event you held last week? You spent $1,700 on food, decorations, the bag pipers, and flyers. How do you measure ROI there?
- What's the ROI of your phone system?
- What's the ROI of your email system?
- How much would it be worth to have the ability for prospects to easily find you online and have an open dialog with your sales and marketing team, your clinical team, or your executive team anytime, from anywhere?
- What's the value of providing a platform where staff can post articles with photos about the amazing things going on in your community every day; you can easily communicate company news to the world; and family members can stay in touch with their loved ones or reach out to staff for support?
Okay, now back to your ROI question. This video should cover it...
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.
Posted by Brian Geyser on Wed, Oct 28, 2009 @ 12:00 PM
Here's a great example of a senior living company building an online community using a blog as their platform. Beacon Hill Retirement Community, located in Lombard, Illinois, recently set up and launched a resident-owned "online magazine" called "Let's Talk" built on the popular blogging platform WordPress. The blog allows residents (average age of 86) to publish multimedia content to the site including articles, videos, photos, menus, polls, and more.
According to the marketing firm that helped Beacon Hill set up the blog, nearly 1500 visitors have visited the site to date. Fresh content is added to the site over 50 times per month with an average of 23 feature stories designed to appeal to seniors and their adult children along with other items geared to resident's interests. A Beacon Hill resident committee helps steer and develop content by telling management what they want to read, link to, write themselves; and also how to promote the site to other residents, peers and family members.
Management is also helping to promote the use of the site. They have installed two computers in common areas that are dedicated to Let's Talk; they've added special suggestion boxes in the dining areas; they promote the site in the monthly newsletter; and local TV stations have apparently picked up on the story.
Beacon Hill's marketing firm created the site and assists with community engagement, content creation, site management, evaluation metrics and strategy. According to the firm, Let's Talk is becoming as popular with the resident's as Nintendo Wii and the site is helping with marketing to prospects.
This is just another example of what the future holds for senior living and eldercare as more and more seniors take to the social web and social media marketing moves into the mainstream.
To learn more about how online community and social media can benefit your senior living, homecare, or eldercare company, visit CareNetworks.com. To ensure you continue to get great articles and news like this delivered as it's published, subcribe to our blog.
Related Articles
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.
Posted by Brian Geyser on Fri, Oct 23, 2009 @ 01:33 PM
In my recent post on social media and HIPAA, I added a couple of resources to help you develop your own social media strategy. One of those resources included a link to the Red Cross Social Media Handbook, which includes a full PDF version of the handbook, an online communications guideline, and and a nice slide presentation that wraps it all together. The information covers the Red Cross social media strategy, national social media presence, a reference for how to create your own social media presence, social media best practices, and much more. If you're thinking about getting into social media, or need to beef up your current social media strategy, these tools offer are a good reference for you. Here is the slide presentation. Let me know what you think.
Posted by Brian Geyser on Tue, Oct 06, 2009 @ 09:24 AM
What? Why?
If there's one thing every senior living company needs to have on their Website right now, its a blog. Why? First, a blog allows you to easily post dynamic content to your site, broadcast it across the Web for free, and puts your company on the social media grid. Second, your competitors are doing it. Third, your customers are all over it. Forth, done right, your blog will supercharge your SEO, establish you as a trusted resource, and drive prospects, potential partners, and potential employees to your Website. If you want proof, check out this interview with SeniorsforLiving.com. And finally, without one, you will become invisible online.
Explain.
Every day, boomers with elderly parents, caregivers seeking senior living or eldercare solutions, and skilled employees looking for a good company to work for use the social Web and new media to search for answers and opportunities. Your blog is the place that can (and should) provide them with the information, advice, tips, resources, knowledge, skills, help, support, and opportunities they need. Unless your Website has social components (like a blog), its basically an online brochure with nothing more than canned marketing messages, fancy photos, and information about you. These days, that's not enough. You need more, and a good place to start is a blog.
How?
Setting up a blog is fairly easy. For companies on a serious budget, I recommend using WordPress, a free blogging platform that has all the features a company needs to get started. The more challenging aspect of having a blog, of course, is the blogging itself. Blogging takes time and has to be done right. But in this new world of social media, you can't afford not to do it.
Here are 14 tips to help you succeed with a company blog:
- Pick the "Main Blogger." Someone in the company has to be responsible for posting to and maintaining the blog. That person should be someone who you trust to be the online voice of your company or organization. Staff like your conceirge, activity director, or marketer may be a good choice. Senior executives should contribute to the blog at least monthly. If you can get your department heads to post one article a month, that would be ideal.
- Be human. Write as though you're writing to a family member, not a faceless mass of people. Use your postings to connect with
your audience through your own (or your company's) style and personality. Let YOU come through. Write in the first person, using "I" and
write almost like you're having a conversation. Speak to your specific
audience and always keep them in mind as you write.
- Be Helpful. I hate to say it, but nobody really cares about the fancy messaging on your company Website. Every senior living company Website says pretty much the same thing. So on your company blog, you want to give people fresh, honest, unique content and actionable information they can use today to make informed decisions and get stuff done.
- Break information into chunks. People typically don't like to read long
drawn-out paragraphs. Break up your
paragraphs, use bullet points, use lists, and stay on topic. If you want to cover other topics, it's
better to write new posts covering those other topics.
- Use a captivating title. Your title should prompt people to want to read
the post. Use calls to action like, "Three
Must-Read Books On Healthy Aging For 2009" or lists like, "15 Ways To Stay Connected To Family
In Assisted Living." Use all caps in the
title.
- Post from experience. Boomers and seniors love stories and first-hand accounts. If you have personal experience in certain aspects
of care giving for example, write about it. Use case studies; tell readers how you or your company solved a
particular problem. This shows readers
that you know what you're talking about and you're trust worthy. It can also begin to position you and your
company as an authority on the subject.
- Write well. This cannot be taken for granted. I don't care how salient your
post is, if it's poorly written, you will not be taken seriously. In fact, you
can even damage your online reputation.
- Use images. Always try to place an "intro image" at the beginning
of a
post. The image should have something to
do with your content.
Be mindful of copyright issues. Try to use images licensed under
creative
commons licensing. You can find a lot of
these on Flikr.
- Post regularly. Readers are more likely to read your blog if you have a
regular posting schedule. Post at least
once per week, and stick to it.
- Market your blog. Syndicate your content out to other social media sites
like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Put a link to your blog in your email signature and on business
cards.
- Create a "sneeze page." A sneeze page is a blog post that reviews your
previous blog posts and provides links to them. You can do this one a week or once a month, depending on how often you
post.
- Link out. Whenever you reference something or someone that can be found on
the internet, make it a link. Always give others credit for their work and
link to their sites. At the bottom of
your post, add your name, title, and a link to your main Website.
- Don't sell. People who read blogs don't want to be sold to. They want interesting and informative
content. Help your readers by providing
them with this, not by trying to tell them on how great you your company is. If you provide great content, it will be a
reflection of your company and will help you sell your brand organically.
- Don't give up. Blogging requires commitment and focus. While most of the time it's great fun, it can get tedious and time consuming sometimes. Don't let that stop you. Just push through and keep
blogging. Your audience will appreciate
it.
For senior living companies that want to go beyond just a blog to fully tap into the social web, I recommend setting up a branded online community, which combines a blog with other social media tools like member profiles, discussion forums, event calendars, photo galleries, and much more. You can learn more about the benefits of blogs, social media, and online communities at http://carenetworks.com/benefits.
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Related 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.