Choosing the Right Marketing Agency for Your Senior Living Community: A Step-By-Step Guide

Selecting a marketing agency for your senior living community is no small task. The right partnership can lead to increased visibility, more tours, and, ultimately, more move-ins. The wrong one can result in wasted resources and missed opportunities. With competition growing and digital marketing becoming more complex, it’s essential to choose an agency that aligns with your goals, understands your target audience, and can deliver measurable results.

Thinking about a new agency? Look below for tips about how to choose the best marketing agency for your senior living community and get the most value out of your new relationship.

Assess Your Marketing Needs

Before you start talking to potential agencies, it’s important to know what you truly need from them. Do you need help with lead generation, content marketing, website optimization, or social media engagement? Are you focused on increasing brand awareness and/or improving your conversion rates? Clarifying your goals upfront will help you narrow down the agencies that are best equipped to meet your needs.

Consider these questions::

• Do you need to rebrand, refine a brand, create awareness, and drive qualified leads?
• Do you need a full-service agency or one specializing in digital marketing for senior living communities?
• Are you marketing a branded house or a house of brands??

Your answers will change the agency (or agencies) you need.

Evaluate Agency Experience and Expertise

Not all marketing agencies are the same. Some have broad industry experience, others have some level of industry experience. It’s important to assess their specific expertise and approach and know what you need. Key questions include:

Expertise

• • What percentage of your business is senior living, community-based marketing?
  • What unique strategies do you use that set you apart from competitors?
  • What results or case studies can you share from similar clients?

Approach

• • How do you handle challenges or issues?
  • How much of your work is outsourced vs. completed by in-house team members?
  • Tell me about a successful client relationship and the factors that made it work.

Alignment

• • How do you balance process and creativity in your work?
  • What’s your approach to research and understanding client needs?
  • How do you align resources to meet client goals?

These questions will help you evaluate whether the agency is the right fit and capable of delivering the results you need.

Look for Data-Driven Strategies and Transparency

A good agency should promise results and back them up with data. Before you select an agency, you need to know that you are aligned on tracking  and reporting measurable outcomes. Make sure that you agree on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be part of standard reporting, along with a strategy for ongoing optimization based on performance data. Your basic KPIs include:

• Lead generation: Identify the goal for quality leads generated monthly and if appropriate the source breakdown.
• Cost per lead: Identify a range for the cost per lead so you know if your advertising dollars are being spent efficiently.
• Website performance: Create initial goals for website driving performance and engagement.
• Conversion rates: Identify the lead-to-tours-to-move-in goals.

Also, confirm that your agency of choice will update goals as needed to meet changing strategies.

Demand Strong Communication and Collaboration

One key to a successful agency relationship is ongoing communication. A smooth partnership requires clear, consistent interactions and a collaborative approach. As you evaluate potential agencies, ask yourself if they are responsive and proactive in their communication.

Red flags to watch out for:

• Delayed responses or unclear communications.
• Agencies that don’t ask questions to understand your goals and audience or deliver the requirements you requested.
• A “one-size-fits-all” approach to marketing, without tailoring strategies to each of your communities’ specific needs.

A good agency will take the time to understand your vision, target audience, and unique selling points. They will also be open to feedback and flexible enough to adjust strategies even during the sales cycle.

Smooth Transitions When Switching Agencies

If you’re switching agencies, you want a smooth transition. To avoid unnecessary setbacks, work closely with your current and new agency to ensure all data, historical campaigns, and insights are transferred efficiently. Here are a few key steps for a smooth transition:

• Provide historical data: Share past marketing performance, reports, and insights with your new agency. This will help them understand the strategies and tactics that have worked and those with room for improvement.
• Set clear expectations: Be clear about your goals and timelines, so the new agency can prioritize work appropriately.
• Maintain open communication:  Define roles and responsibilities as well as regular check-ins to ensure everything is on track.

Benchmark Your Results

Before you start working with your new agency, establish your baseline measurements against which you will judge the agency’s performance. This is where benchmarking comes into play. Ask them to compare your community’s performance against similar communities in the industry or their own benchmarks (let’s be honest, senior living industry benchmarks are hard to come by) to help you gauge how well your new marketing strategy is performing and identify opportunities for improvement.

How benchmarking helps:

• Identifies gaps in your current marketing efforts and gives you ammunition to request additional budget if needed.
• Helps set realistic expectations for performance.
• Provides a clear measure of success over time, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

If you haven’t benchmarked your results before, now is a great time to start. At a minimum, measure the KPIs listed earlier so you can track changes over time. It’s the only way to truly know that your marketing is delivering.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the right marketing agency for your senior living community or portfolio is crucial to your long-term success. It starts with defining your needs and evaluating potential agencies. Next, diligently transition your programs, both trusting and verifying that the programs are meeting pre-defined measures. Only then will you be in position to achieve your marketing goals and get the best return on your investment.

Ready to take the next step in optimizing your marketing? We’re here to help! Let us know if you need support or guidance in finding the right marketing partner for your community.