Senior living communities serve varied and diverse older adult populations, each offering services and amenities marketed toward a target audience. And while each retirement community may be unique in many ways, some senior living communities have unique selling points that are more obvious than others. From the physical layout of the property to its marketing strategy, every community has distinct and individual characteristics that make it stand apart from other senior living properties. Public relations is an excellent way to showcase these unique selling points, raise brand awareness and credibility in the market, and emphasize the lifestyle benefits and advantages that your community offers, all in support of bottom-line business goals including increasing the number of inquiries or occupancy rates.
When it comes to senior living public relations, having a comprehensive strategy is essential. A well-crafted plan will help you reach your target audience, become a thought leader in your industry, and create positive relationships with reporters and local media outlets. AKCG understands the trends and nuances of the senior living industry, the importance of tailoring media relations strategies to each community, and our experienced team is here to help you navigate through the world of successful PR strategies.
What is Senior Living PR?
A robust senior living public relations strategy promotes and raises the profile of your senior living community. This includes a strategic media relations strategy that targets various media channels, such as print, radio, television and online platforms, to reach key audiences, including potential residents, families, caregivers, referral sources and more.
Media relations strategies for senior living communities must be tailored to each community’s individual needs. It is not a “one size fits all” approach. At AKCG, our goal is to create an effective PR campaign that will drive real results for your community and help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Why is Senior Living PR Important?
Public relations efforts among senior living communities has become increasingly important in recent years, as the senior population continues to grow and competition among communities heats up. A strong media relations or thought leadership strategy for your senior living community can help you reach new potential residents while strengthening relationships with existing residents. It can also help you build trust in your community and create a positive perception among potential residents.
Additionally, strong media relations strategies can help you engage with local news outlets, which can lead to more exposure and greater visibility for your community. This could translate into an increase in inquiries, applications and ultimately occupancy rates.
Consider the main pros to having a media relations strategy:
- Increased visibility in the marketplace
- Established relationships with local media outlets
- Improved trust and awareness of your community
- Greater engagement with potential residents
- Increase in inquiries, applications & occupancy rates.
What Are the Greatest Challenges?
1. Creating the right kind of content
One of the greatest challenges for senior living communities when it comes to public relations is creating content that resonates with your target audience. It’s important to create content that will stand out and make an impact. AKCG’s media relations specialists have worked with clients to spotlight major initiatives at retirement communities and have also helped spotlight the fascinating residents who live at the communities. From big splashy announcements to the human interest stories found at senior living communities, knowing how to position the stories and content found within any community is key to a successful media relations strategy.
Creating a successful senior living PR strategy requires an experienced team that understands the unique challenges and opportunities of this industry. At AKCG, we understand the complexities of senior living media relations, and our team has deep experience creating customized strategies that will help your community stand out in today’s competitive marketplace.
2. Understanding local media outlets and their audiences
To be successful, you must understand the different focuses found in local versus national media outlets, as well as their audiences.
In addition to understanding these outlets, you also want to develop and maintain relationships with local media outlets. It can be challenging to reach out to various news outlets, build trust and create meaningful partnerships. At AKCG, we have years of experience in this sector that can help you build relationships with local media outlets.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, a successful senior living communications strategy requires an experienced team to understand the distinct challenges facing providers in this industry. With our extensive knowledge and skill set, AKCG is here to create a customized strategy that will help your community stand out in today’s competitive marketplace.
Contact us today to learn more about our PR and media relations efforts for senior living communities. We look forward to helping you create a strategy that will produce the best results for your community!
