WHAT'S GROWING ON

When it comes to your senior living community’s digital marketing efforts, we know a lot of things are at the top of the to-do list. For example, build/maintain your company website, post to your social media accounts, send emails to your current and potential customers, manage your paid advertising efforts, etc. However, one marketing to-do item that often gets overlooked is business listing management or citation building.

Recently, Google announced that “Google My Business” will be called “Google Business Profile.” While the obvious change is in the name, other points are associated with this update. 

You are proud of your senior living community, the care it provides, and the amenities it offers. You have a great website and an engaging social media presence that showcase your brand, but how do you get to the next level? How do you go one step further in building trust and a good reputation for your community?

Many people tend to attach greater weight to negative experiences. As a business, you have likely seen this many times. A user could read multiple positive reviews about your business, but one negative review may turn them away.

Now, more than ever, digital evolution is inevitable. According to statista.com, there are 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide, 59.5% of the global population, as of January 2021.

All of us have researched a new product or service, whether for personal use or business, so we know how powerful testimonials can be. After all, would you rather read a website where a company describes the benefits of their services or read real people’s firsthand accounts of their experience using the product or service?

As a brand, you control what you say about your company, but you can’t always control what others say about you. Whether it’s a customer or an employee, users are taking to the online community to share their thoughts and experiences regarding companies, brands, and products.

We are in an era where your online reputation can very well be one of your strongest assets. As social media becomes more of a search engine, online reviews are becoming the digital form of word of mouth. Ensuring that your senior living team is properly responding to a negative online review will not only determine whether the user chooses to remove the review, but it will also affect the long-lasting impression it has on your business.