Last weekend, I took a trip with my cousin to see baseball games in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, to cross two more stadiums off my list in a quest to see them all.  Pittsburgh’s PNC Park has the reputation of one of the best in baseball.  It did not disappoint.

The interesting thing is that I was sold on its greatness before I even entered the ballpark.  To get to the park, you cross the river on a great yellow bridge while being able to see right into the stadium.  The grounds are immaculate, with statues of Pirate greats around the outside.  The area around the stadium has great places to eat and drink and the outside of the stadium has great architecture.  The atmosphere is inviting and enthusiastic.

“I was sold on its greatness before I even entered the ballpark”.

Can potential residents and their families say that about your independent living, assisted living, nursing care or alzheimer’s community?  Take a test drive, from a mile away and see what your thoughts are as you approach.

Are the grounds well-landscaped with some color?  Is your property in good shape, showing no signs of aging.  Easy to find and read signage?  Is the parking lot clean, with an easy route to the front entrance.  Is your entrance easy to use and appealing to the eye?

If not, you may lose that potential resident before they enter your beautiful community which has great activities and a wonderful atmosphere.   They may have even turned around in the parking lot and decided this isn’t the right place for them.  I know for a fact that this happens.

In addition, make sure their first contact with the communities’ staff is warm, inviting and informative.  If they go into your tour already loaded with reasons why this is a great potential new place to live, you may already have won over a new addition to your family.

Take the time to shore up anything that takes away from your “walk-up appeal” and reap the benefits!

As a licensed FVP (family vacation planner), I have the huge responsibility of nailing down the logistics of our trips, including finding hotels in our destination of choice.  Unless you are returning to a previous spot, this can be a challenge.  A challenge the internet now makes easier.

I have a patented, secret method that I sell via a set of DVDs, but one of the important steps is reviewing pictures and online tours of the property.  This helps make sure the descriptions and reviews are somewhat accurate and also may show some things missed in the description.  Of course, the pictures can be outdated or taken only of attractive areas, thus, deceiving the customer, hasn’t happened much.

We hear more and more people that want to see pictures and tours of properties before they visit or as part of the narrowing process.  Does your web site and listing infomation with New LifeStyles include pictures and online tours?

If not, I would highly recommend adding them, immediately.  With New LifeStyles, you can get an extremely economical package of a multi-room online tours and pictures.  These pictures are yours to use in any of your marketing pieces, whether online of in printed materials. 

Take an inventory of your communities’ video image collection, including virtual tours.  If have outdated or minimal material, give us a call today to set up an appointment for a photographer to come out shoot a virtual tour and collection of still pictures.  You choose the areas.   Its fast, easy and high quality!

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The social media buzz continues… There are uncounted articles, webinars, & discussions out there on How to get the most from it, Is it worth it, Social Media Sins, etc…

I agree that social media takes time and effort, but you get out what you put in… You don’t have to be a zealot, but it is important to know about it & pay attention to what is going on!

I feel it is most important on two fronts:

1. To monitor what others are saying about you so you can address any issues good or bad
2.  As one of the “touches” a client needs before contacting a provider.

It takes a little bit of time to set-up Google alerts or similar to watch for mentions of your company and keywords, but isn’t it worth it to know right away & be able to comment when someone mentions your community or business? This is one step well worth the time & effort. Talk to your IT people or an intern if you need help.  

As we continually remind you, research now shows that it takes 7 touches before someone will reach out to a provider. Maybe some or most of your clientele is not into social media, but if they aren’t, their kids are, and I guarantee, they are researching online! I was recently tasked with finding a hospice & home care provider in an area I was not familiar with and had no industry contacts. So after searching our site, I reached out thru LinkedIn to get some recommendations, and then searched online for testimonials, ratings, etc… I was very disappointed to find very little out there. I’m not sure if it was more an industry issue (after reading a recent post that social media is not working for home care providers), or more part of geography, as I consider it a less competitive, non-metropolitan area. Either way, I can only suggest that you have some presence on social media as another point of information. Post testimonials & encourage your clients & their family to post their thoughts as well! There are so many sites out there that allow recommendations & ratings. If you receive a positive review, direct them to a site where they can voice their opinion!

There are so many other ways you can impress & inform thru social media with stories thru blogs, discussions on a forum, pictures of event, bios on your caretakers and more! There is nothing saying you have to do it all, but I have found that you will reap what you sow online!

Good luck!

•  How we collect them
•  The information collected
•  Who they go to
•  How they are sent
•  The formatting, etc…

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In doing some reading lately and talking to others in the industry, this summer seems like a very active one in the senior living and care industry.  There is new construction in parts of the country, new programs at existing communities, home care companies popping up, acquisitions and key legislation to follow.  As always, its crucial to stay focused and reach your audience.  Make sure you are keeping up with the New LifeStyles for the latest ways to maximize your marketing investment:

• The Preferred Position packages are the best way to take advantage of local online traffic.  We can quote you traffic for your exact area and level of care.
• Using New LifeStyles online is easier than ever.  Seniors, families, social workers and others are spending more time of the site, searching for all types of housing, care and other products.
• New LifeStyles continues to invest in key new distribution to complement our online products, APP and digital books.
• If you are interested in knowing more about both the print and online advertising options at New LifeStyles, we have a new animated, interactive media kit now up on our web site.  After reviewing everything available, you can contact us for closing deadlines, rates, statistics and more. 
• Need a web site?  Is your site getting a little stale or lacking traffic?  Contact Luke Jansen for a FREE review and analysis of your site.

July is the space reservation deadline for the following markets:

• Fresno/Bakersfield – one of our fastest growing guides.
• Arizona – many quality assisted living and independent living choices in both the Phoenix area and in Tucson
• Denver – demand is high in Denver for all levels of care including dementia care and home care
• Maryland/DC/No. Virginia – Distribution and online traffic is extremely high in this population dense market

New copies of our guide should be arriving for the following markets:

-         Houston

-         Fort Worth/Tarrant County

-         San Diego

-         Central and Eastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

-         Utah

For more information, contact us immediately!

Our web designers are busier than ever!  We have many new sites going live.  It’s time to update your site, or if you need a site, have it built by New LifeStyles.  Just ask to see some of our custom sites.  To get the latest information on our web design division, friend New LifeStyles on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter.

Thanks for spending some time with our blog.  Call us!  We will be an effective part of your marketing campaign.

 Doug

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