Now, that you know what you want to do on each site, back to those goals & the steps to get there:

• To direct more traffic to your site/location, in the end getting more clients?
  • Create Facebook Page & keep it active posting events, pictures, videos & links that are important to prospective clients & seniors in the area.
    • Implement “Like” Campaign & continue to promote page
    • Need persona or user personal profile?
  • Create profile on FourSquare & check/update regularly.
  • Create Profile on LinkedIn & join local & national groups to “watch” what’s going on & offer help when you can.
  • Use Online tools to watch for posts where you can offer expert advice.
  • Create a Twitter Profile where you can also feed your information.
  • Consider adding a blog to your site.
    • It can help with SEO as well as others linking to it, tweeting posts, etc…
• Increasing Resident & Family Communication/Retention/Satisfaction?
  • Create a group in Facebook where residents &/or families, etc.. can join to keep up with each other & goings on at the community.
  • Create Twitter Account & find residents’ family members &/or employees on Twitter, have them follow you, then make lists to disseminate & gather information needed.

Now, that you know what you want to do & how it needs to be done, who is going to do this for you? Do you or someone in your organization have time for these tasks? Can you create the page in Facebook or do you need professional help? Make these decisions then reach out for help where you need it. It’s a waste of time to create profiles, pages and groups if you aren’t going to keep up with them.

Good luck! Social Networking correctly is a lot of work, thus the name, but it can be worth it in the end if done correctly. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions. Please also share your success stories & lessons learned so we can all continue to learn as this medium grows.

When it comes to the distribution network of the New LifeStyles guides, it’s all about location. Not only the address of where the resource is available, but making sure they are out where people can see them, know the value and take them with them.  We continue to work hard to make sure our extensive distribution network is doing the job.  But, we depend on the public and our advertisers to give us feedback on adding new points to the distribution.

You can find our guides at hospitals (normally given by discharge planners/social workers), senior organizations and centers, physicians/care providers, libraries, churches, many CVS locations and other retailers, real estate offices, senior fairs and many other locations and events.  We are also continually mailing guides directly to seniors and their families.

But, it is never enough.  We are working daily to increase the distribution.  Do you have locations that you frequent that would be great for our distribution?  Please take the time to send us your suggestions, as every market is different and there are always local spots that we need to know about.  Everyone involved in the process appreciates your help!!!

Thanks!  Doug

Can You Ever Have Too Many Leads – How to Handle Them

http://tinyurl.com/2bryxc9

Are Seniors Better Off Renting Versus Buying in Downsizing Move?

http://tinyurl.com/2eo5uxj

Internal Link Building Tips to Remember

http://tinyurl.com/22jt7ud

Sales Success selling To Seniors – Steps 7 &8, Parroting and Box and Close

http://tinyurl.com/266j3su

We were recently asked to do a social networking plan for a client in the senior living industry. My first question was: What are your social networking goals?  Are you trying to direct more traffic to your site/location, in the end getting more clients? Increasing resident & family communication/retention/satisfaction? And/or communicating more effectively with company employees? These are all things that can be accomplished using social networking.  But where to start?  I say start small, one step at a time, so you do not become overwhelmed.

Facebook: Create a personal profile & get comfortable using it. Find friends, connect & communicate with them. Find brands you personally like (cosmetics, restaurants, retail stores, etc… and “Like” them so you can see how they are using the tools. Check out your competition. Do they have a page or a group? How are they using this tool?

Foursquare: Do the same here, checking out your geographic area. Is this one worth your time?

LinkedIn:  This is more a business referral tool, but there is a lot of information being passed around, so it’s a great place to keep up with what’s going on in the industry. Remember that the people you do business with are a great referral source and may need your services for themselves or a loved one someday, so create a profile to start. The more you complete on your profile, the better your chances of being found when someone does a search. Then use their tool to find your business contacts to “link” (you can always request a link from myself & Luke Jansen at New LifeStyles). As you find people you are associated with, check out the groups listed on their profile. If the group is interesting to you, join. Then do some searching for other groups in your geographic area, industry, hobbies, etc… Once you are accepted to a group, introduce yourself, listing what you do. Then you can keep up thru email notices & comment when you see something of interest. This is a great place to ask for professional advice, referrals, etc… also a great place to get referrals from people you have business relationships with, such as vendors as well as residents & their families. If you see a need, you can always create your own group to communicate with them directly.

Twitter:  Create a personal profile & then look for people/businesses you like/admire/want to keep up with like business colleagues, friends, public figures, etc…  As always, check out your competition. Do they have a presence? What are they doing? What posts do you like & find useful? Which don’t you like? Figure out if this is the place for you. Are your residents &/or their families &/or your employees using Twitter? If so, is this a good place to communicate with them? You can make lists & send them direct messages which can be passed on as needed.

There are numerous other sites out there, but this is a good starting point.

Click here to read part 2

History and lore will tell you that baseball is America’s favorite past time.  But, football drives the American sports scene in today’s day and age.  Now that high schools, colleges and pro teams have kicked –off their 2010 seasons, it marks a good time to make sure your team looks good for the next season.  Summer is gone, time to get back to business and position yourself for a winning season.  As team owner or coach, what are some things you need to do?

-          Make sure your team is trained and in shape.  Make sure all employees know the goals and have received the best internal and external training.  Consider your marketing materials as uniforms, making sure they are still pertinent.  New materials always help update your message.

-          Invest in your stadium.  A fresh coat of paint, some nice fall landscaping or a new HD TV in the common area gives you a better home field advantage.  Don’t forget your virtual home field, making sure your web site is up to date and looking good.

-          Develop your rookies.  It’s important to have new players on your team, but if you don’t give them a chance to contribute, it’s a waste of resources.

-          Evaluate your veterans.  Are they continuing to learn new things, provide fresh ideas, keep their energy level high and not get stale?  We need to keep the whole team challenged.  In today’s game, nobody can coast.  Get them in shape, challenge them with new strategies and keep them involved.

-          Know your opponent and playing field.  Who are your direct competitors?  Do they have new offerings or new advantages?  What have we done to increase our market share and make sure we are ahead in the game?  How was the market changed?  Have the economy forced any rules changes?  If you cannot relate to the outside world, your efforts are doomed.

Business is just like sports in many, many ways.  It’s fun to incorporate games into business as ways to motivate, team build and change things up.  But, like sports, it still comes down to winning and losing.  Make sure your team is strong, your playbook is up to date and you are out hustling the competition!

I had to share a great comment I read last week on LinkedIn:

“…you are on the money. This is a generation that still reads and the easiest form of information for them to read is print (if the font is the proper size)…
Print is still king with this age group! “

We are all reading that seniors are the fastest growing age group online (specifically now using social networking sites). But don’t put all of your eggs in one basket! People still want options. So if they choose to start their search online, make sure they find you there (in numerous places they may look). But if they want something tangible to take with them, leave with Mom, etc… Make sure you are listed there too.

Have you ever looked at a house or apartment & not walked away or walked in with papers in hand including specials, floor plans, rates, etc? Choosing where to live is a very important decision for everyone. And when we make important decisions, we usually want something concrete to review, where we can make notes, jot down questions, and compare. Likewise, with serious issues like healthcare, there is always paper involved, for good or bad. I think it makes people, especially seniors, feel more comfortable to hold something and see information in print. It’s more permanent.

So cover all of your bases. Make sure you are listed online in the major search engines, on portal sites like www.NewLifeStyles.com, association, network, and social networking sites and the like, but don’t neglect your print pieces. Keep a nice brochure in case you are asked for one, and advertise in the guide(s) that bring you the best results.

Do you agree with this comment? Do you still find print in king? Where are you getting the most ROI?

Who is your competition?  http://tinyurl.com/23exrjd

One Way to Judge a Nursing Home – Something to keep in mind: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/one-way-to-judge-a-nursing-home/

Social Media & Older Adults:  http://tinyurl.com/2cxy4ah

Short Term Stays in Senior Housing a Necessary Part of Senior Care?  http://tinyurl.com/256gnyp

Time saver for busy executives & seniors: www.sendoutcards.com

As a last hurrah of the summer, New LifeStyles has gone bowling for the past 5 years on the Friday before Labor Day (not to be outdone by our Spring picnic/kickball/wiffle ball/cracker eating tournament, Fall Mac & Cheese cook-off, and winter chili cook-off or Valentine’s bake-off). Never one to disappoint, we held to tradition this year and all 6 teams headed to the bowling alley Friday afternoon:

The X-Pindables (Kariamu, Bill, Cynthia & Pam) – 2^nd place winners of the name contest

We’ve Been Framed (Fancy, Richard, Allison, Michelle & Ellen) See the idiom

Some Girls have all the Luke (Luke, Michele, Kristina & Cara)

Gutterly Ridiculous (Doug, Donna, Nikki & Jennifer) – 1^st Place winners of the name contest

New LifeStyles Shore – Bob “The Strikeuation” and his Guidettes (Bob, Megan, Vicki, & April)

We’re the High Rollers (Andrea, Jason, Paige, Tanya)

We all arrived, shoed-up and picked balls (except those who have their own balls & shoes. Watch out for them!).

Let the bowling begin!

I love watching the different bowling styles, which say a lot about the person… There’s the thrower that throws the ball down the lane, the slow bowler, whose ball barely make it to the pins, the guys palming the ball & blasting it down the alley so fast you are amazed the pins don’t shatter, and you have to love the poses at the end…

Congrats to Bob & Paige, our 2 high scorers. And welcome our newest member of the sliders club. Now 6 of us have taken a “trip” down the alley (BEWARE, bowling alleys are really slippery after you pass the foul line!!!!).

As for myself, I won the team a pitcher of beer, but don’t let that lead you to believe that I ever broke 100. Good enough for me!

If you haven’t been in a while, go bowling! You will laugh & find muscles you have forgotten about. And you can’t beat the ads in the bathrooms…