Leveraging Prospect Decision Journey Insights

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Are you Leveraging Prospect Decision Journey Insights to Build Your Senior Living Marketing Program?

The decision to move into a senior living community is a deeply personal and significant one, often marked by a complex journey that can span several months or even years. Understanding the nuances of this journey is important for senior living communities aiming to connect with potential residents and their families effectively.

Orchard Senior Marketing leverages our custom primary research to truly understand this journey in order to help senior living marketers craft their multi-channel communications program to effectively connect with prospects at each touchpoint, and ultimately guide prospects closer to choosing their community.

This Article Highlights The Five Key Stages Of The Decision Journey And Discusses The Marketing Implications Of Effective Communication At Each Stage.

1. AWARENESS STAGE: RECOGNIZING THE NEED

The journey often begins with a growing awareness that a change in living arrangements might be necessary. This could be triggered by various factors such as health concerns, a desire for social engagement, or the need for a safer environment. At this stage, potential residents and their families are just beginning to explore what senior living might offer.

Our research revealed that 64% of respondents said it is very important for them to be aware of a community for future consideration in the research process.

This underscores the critical role of building early awareness to ensure that your community is on the radar when potential residents begin their journey.

TV remains the most often used channel in the awareness phase, followed closely by social media.

To build brand awareness and educate the audience on senior living options, use a mix of channels including TV (including traditional, online video & OTT that can be highly targeted based on demographic and psychographic information), search engines, and social media. Showcase the community and your unique points of difference and connect to trigger moments to drive personal relevance.

2. RESEARCH STAGE: GATHERING INFORMATION

Once the need is recognized, the next step is to gather information. Individuals and families begin researching their options, comparing different communities, and evaluating the services and amenities that align with their needs.

Our research indicates that two-thirds of respondents are engaged in the research process for at least six months, with 40% researching senior living options for over a year.

Due to this often lengthy research stage, maintaining an “always-on” advertising plan and taking full advantage of the different opportunities to intersect interested prospects is critical.

When prospects are in the research phase they are just starting to “shop the category” with the goal of understanding the different options, offerings, pricing as well as location and accessibility as they begin to investigate potential solutions. Not only should you continue to advertise in this phase, but create content that engages and educates.

3. CONSIDERATION STAGE: NARROWING DOWN CHOICES

Many steps are taken to inform a decision. As potential residents narrow down their options, they begin to engage more deeply with their top choices. This may involve detailed inquiries, in-person visits, and discussions with family members or advisors.

Among the most qualified survey respondents, community visits, community websites, search engines, and rating and reviews were top mentions for steps taken to inform their senior living decision.

Be sure to maximize the effectiveness of community and website visits with helpful content as well as strong email nurture and retargeting approaches that highlight aspects of the community your prospect cares most about. Build trust by leveraging how current residents feel about the community.

4. EVALUATION STAGE: PREPARING TO DECIDE

At this stage, potential residents and their families are close to making a decision. They may be comparing final options, consulting with family members, or reviewing financial details before making a commitment.

The research indicates the top 3 decision criteria for choosing a community are cost, floor plans and overall amenities. The top reason for not selecting a community is the decision to stay home followed up closely by cost.

Promoting independence, better addressing negative emotions, informing and cost/comparison and helping prospects visualize where they could be living next are strong marketing opportunities to overcome decision barriers.

5. RESIDENCY STAGE: WAIT LIST DYNAMICS

If you are fortunate enough to have a wait list, prospects in general have high intentions when they join, however they do join more than one.

Respondents of the study revealed prospects on average join 2.2 wait lists. Over 85% cited they were very likely or somewhat like to move in when joining a wait list.

These prospects want to stay informed. There is a significant opportunity at this stage to keep wait list participants informed of community happenings to better prepare them and be more likely to accept the future move in offer.

Testimonials, stories about community outings, access to amenities, move-in incentives and participation in community social media are key ways to keep these prospects highly engaged for when the time is right for them to make a move.

In Conclusion

Understanding the senior living decision journey is critical for crafting effective media targeting and messaging strategies. At Orchard Senior Marketing, we understand all communities are different and may require prioritization of activities at specific stages of the journey.

By understanding the full resident journey and creating an integrated program, we help communities plan, budget, and launch a customized strategy that fits their needs. Reaching potential residents and their families with the right message at the right time helps senior living communities build stronger relationships and achieve better results.

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