We have historically seen a lull in traffic to our site during the holiday season, and we have heard the same from many advertisers. Rather it’s due to families not wanting to place a loved one in a “home” during the holidays, they are too busy with other things to think about it, or they just don’t want to move until after the New Year, once it warms up, etc… There are many reasons.

Do you see a drop in inquiries and tours this time of the year? If so, what do you do to make the most use of the time?

Your residents/clients, their families, and your community are a great source of referrals, so take the time this holiday season to thank them & make sure they are having their needs and wishes met!

• Host a holiday party for your residents/clients & their families (seniors always love to see their family).
• Take time to talk to each senior to make sure they are happy with your service, see if there is anything you could do to go that extra step. And maybe even find out something they want and pass it on to a family member. They will appreciate the help!
• Host a lunch for your referral sources. A nice free lunch is a great way to say thank you!
• Do you have some residents with time on their hands? Can they wrap gifts? If so, offer a free gift wrap service to your local community &/or resident families (you can always set a limit on packages), or charge a small fee to donate to a good cause. I know I would use this service! Just be organized for the event!
• Switch things up! If the school or church choir usually comes to you, ask about going to them. Give your residents another reason to get dressed up in their holiday best and go on an outing!

There are many fresh ideas to show your appreciation during the holidays! Find one & make the most of it!

P.S. Don’t forget to video these events and post them on your site & You Tube! If you don’t have a channel, send them to us & we will post it for you!

Happy Holidays!

Welcome back! Only 26 days until Christmas????

Does your senior community go all out for the holidays? Do you you inspire joy and smiles with lights, greenery and ornaments?

If so, submit a picture or your community to win a slide show* of your community on www.newlifestyles.com.  Post it here, on our Facebook page, or email it to us for consideration.

Happy decorating!

Is it time for a new website?

Is your website bringing in the leads and traffic you exepct?

Does it show up on the search engines?

Do you need help in the social media jungle?

Let the web team at New LifeStyles Media Solutions help! We offer all of the services above and more with proven results at very affordable rates.

Check out our new site at www.nlmswebdesign.com for more information on how we can help you reach your online goals.

Here are some articles that we found informative and/or entertaining:

Reader Survey Results: Social Media Marketing in Private Duty Home Care:

http://blog.privatedutytoday.com/2011/11/reader-survey-results-social-media.html

SEO Tips for 2012, if you aren’t doing your own SEO, make sure somebody is!

http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2011/10/13/seo-tips-2012/

A good reminder about change for all of us:

http://tinyurl.com/7gtrpxo

In visiting various retirement and assisted living communities, as well as nursing care centers, I always notice the “feel” of whether of not there is a sense of community at the property.  This is based on a number of factors – the activities that are taking place, the number of residents in the common areas and the decor of the common areas, among others.  It’s of the utmost importance to quality of life, mental and social stimulation and vibrancy of a community to have an active group of residents that have a full slate of activities and many reasons to socialize in the common areas of a community and not just stay in their apartments/rooms, living in isolation.

Are you creating this sense of community?

Take inventory:

- Are the activities that are on your calendar, which looks nice and full to the outside eye, really happening?  If not, find out why.  If needed, solicit your residents on their ideas for new activities.  Seniors are changing, their likes and dislikes, make sure your calendar is keeping up with their needs.

- Look around your community at different times during the days.  When there aren’t meals or activities how many residents are out and about in the common areas?  Talk to those you never see and figure out ways to get them out with the group.  Creating an atmosphere where people are talking, enjoying music or conversation, creates a better environment at your community.

- Take stock of your common areas.  Are they well decorated?  Is the temperature OK?  Is there plenty of seating and room for wheelchairs and walkers?  Is their fresh coffee, snacks or other beverages?

By creating a better sense of community at your Community, you can both enhance the experience of your existing residents and make your community more attractive to prospective residents.  Why move into a community where everyone just stays in their rooms? 

What do you do to create a great sense of community?  What new activities have you incorporated?  Please share, there are many people looking for new ideas!

Fifty Years in Five Days Blog – 22-Year-Old Blogger Infiltrates Senior Living Community for a Week of Insights

Online Video Ad Budgets Expected To Rise Sharply In 2012

Life Enrichment and Wellness Programming

Nursing home residents use iPad to vote in House primary election

Where Was This Ad When I Needed It?

Thank you to all of the Veterans who have and still serve all of us!

Happy Veterans Day! 

There is a great discussion happening on the Leading Age Marketing & PR Forum. One member is re-doing their website & reached out to ask if other members post their pricing and fees. The responses have been interesting! I have been surprised by the amount of people that DO display their rates, and how the end user truly appreciates the information and transparency. Many reasons have been cited as to why some choose to display & some don’t, everything from wanting to explain the array of services included to wanting the make sure the shopper is truly ready & interested before releasing the data. But the majority of responders display something rather it be daily rates, or a basic monthly fee.

I hope to see this happening more, as we are asked so often, “what does that cost”, or “why don’t they show the prices?” Online consumers have come to expect a lot of information and they get frustrated when they can’t find what they are looking for. I certainly understand wanting the opportunity to present the benefits to a potential client, and to gather potential leads, but if they truly can’t afford something, it’s a shame to waste their time & that of your sales people.

Do you post your fees? If so, have you had any negative effects from it?

If you don’t post them, why? Can you find a mutually agreeable number to post on your site that would give the online researcher something to go by and entice them to reach out and give you more?

Let us know!

A beautiful, cool day here at Headquarters.  In the shrinking distance, we hear the thundering onset of the holidays, but for now, we can relax with the last remnants of Halloween candy and sort through some senior housing and care industry articles:

A very personal reminder regarding how a lead’s status can change in an instant:

http://tinyurl.com/6kaath3

A new, convenient and hopefully comfortable way to monitor dementia patients.  Maybe Nike will buy the patent and add a swoosh?

http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/27/a-gps-enabled-shoe-to-track-wandering-alzheimers-patients/

A good view and recommendations on the current and future of the senior housing industry:

http://seniorhousingforum.net/2011/10/the-senior-housing-gap-part-1/

Enjoy the calm before the storm……