How you utilize Facebook will depend on your specific marketing objectives. For instance, many facilities use it as a key tool for driving traffic to their website by sharing valuable content such as blog posts or infographics. Others focus on using social media for customer service, generating leads, or enhancing their brand presence.
Here are five effective ways to leverage social media for assisted living and senior care facilities:
1. Showcase Daily Life for Residents
Share videos, photos, livestreams, and text updates to give your audience an inside look at the daily activities and experiences of your residents. Highlight what makes your facility unique by showcasing events like recreational activities, group outings, and accommodations. This not only provides prospective residents a glimpse of life at your facility, but it also allows families of current residents to stay connected and see what their loved ones are enjoying.
You can also demonstrate your commitment to caring for residents as individuals by featuring a “Resident of the Week” or celebrating birthdays and anniversaries throughout the month. This personal touch shows the warmth and attention each resident receives.
2. Promote Upcoming Events
Create dedicated event pages to promote your upcoming parties, fundraisers, open houses, facility tours, or community outreach events. Use these pages to build excitement, provide answers to any event-related questions, encourage sign-ups, facilitate connections with vendors, and share thank you messages with attendees once the event concludes.
3. Develop and Strengthen your Brand
Creating a brand using colors, values, content, and the unique selling points of your community is the most effective way to make your assisted living facility stand out and leave a lasting impression, helping you easily differentiate yourself from the competition.
Leverage your social media accounts to strengthen key aspects of your brand by:
- Maintaining consistent color schemes, fonts, and logos where relevant.
- Posting employee appreciation content to boost retention and attract ideal candidates.
- Responding to comments and messages using a tone and language that aligns with your brand’s voice.
- Sharing content that reflects your brand’s core values, such as sustainability initiatives or community engagement.
4. Engage with Potential Residents and Their Families
Almost 70% of people turn to social media for customer service, and more than half of consumers prefer contacting businesses through social media rather than making a phone call.
Your social media profile provides an easy way for current and potential residents, as well as their families, to reach out directly at their convenience, whether they need answers to questions or reassurance about any concerns.
The more active and engaged you are with your audience on social media, the more confident prospective residents will feel about your responsiveness. Building strong relationships with your followers fosters loyalty and increases the likelihood that they’ll recommend your facility to others.
5. Gather and Showcase Reviews
Positive testimonials and reviews from satisfied residents and their families play a vital role in attracting new residents and establishing trust with future families. Studies show that 80% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, and almost 90% read up to 10 reviews. before making a purchasing decision.
Social media platforms provide users with a space to publicly share their experiences. You can also use these platforms to encourage more reviews by having residents and their families tag your facility in photos or videos they post online. Additionally, share testimonials from your website or other social profiles with your audience to further build trust and engagement.