Does Your Community Have A Holiday Game Face?

It is important that your community celebrate the holidays in style. Take a look at decorations and make sure they reflect the image of your community.

We often see holiday decorations that would be appropriate for an elementary school but are not suitable for a senior living community. From activity bulletin boards to the reception desk, it's important to carefully access what first impression you are making.

Sometimes less is more if budget is a concern. Be sure that everyone understand how they may
decorate at home may be wonderful but not fitting of the community. You don't want staff's hurt feelings when their ceramic Santa is removed from the hostess station.

Holidays are a time when communities are on display as families and friends visit. It is also important to make sure holidays recognize both Christians and Jewish people.

If you go all out in your community, this is a wonderful time for holiday open house tours.

We have a community as a client that has a resident who traditionally sets up their electric trains. He's the conductor and everyone really enjoys this celebration. It's become a community tradition.

Celebrate with style and take advantage of this marketing opportunity with prior visitors to invite them for eggnog and cookies one afternoon.

Call Transferring & Lost Opportunities

Certainly there are times when we need to be away from our telephone but how missed telephone inquiries are handled is a critical link that needs to be strengthened.

I called a community's main telephone number. The electronic messages gave me few options and I selected to be transferred to the marketing department. Did a "live" person answer? You would have hoped so but no. I was now in voice mail heaven.

The marketing director's message explained she would be out of the office for 3-4 days and would not return to the office until the middle of the following week. I was told to either leave my telephone number or call her cell if it was an "emergency". Somehow calls to the marketing department of a senior community could hardly be considered "emergencies" so I opted to leave a message.

If I were a customer needing information and desiring a tour/visit, immediacy would be my concern. As boomer consumers who may typically be researching for parents; the desire for information now is typical.


Double check your telephone inquiry systems. Incoming calls for information should not be permitted to slip through the cracks.

Crafting Great Postcards

Postcards offer a wonderful use of direct mail but need to incorporate several key points.

Regardless whether post cards are E-post cards or those requiring postage, these tips may be useful:

1. Get to the point. Catch the reader's attention with a short, catchy phrase. This entices someone to read more;
2. Provide some type of offer. Make sure specific offers have a limited time duration. An invitation can be an offer, price incentive or something free such as moving guide or book;
3. Call to action with clear instructions. Someone who reads the post card should know what you want them to do...call, go to the web site, etc. and make sure they can read the telephone number you want them to use;
4. Use a dominant feature such as headline or picture. One strong photo is better than a collage;
5. Effectively use both sides of the post card but make sure copy is brief and easy to read.

Post cards are terrific and can be used for holiday messages, invitations and more. They often have greater readership than letters and find their way to someone's refrigerator as a reminder.

INVALUABLE FOLLOW UP

We recently did a mystery shopping assignment for several continuing care communities. All of the communities were happy to send us a brochure kit and in one case used federal express services to make sure the kit would be on our doorstep the next day.

Each package was extremely comprehensive to the point of overkill. It would take a specialist to ponder their way through the information but that's for another Blog.

None of the communities called to followup after the packages should have been received. This is alarming. Each kit cost nearly $5 to mail and that doesn't take into account the kit's printing and the time to address the package.

Additionally, since my inquiry explained that a visit to the community would be likely in several weeks, why the need to provide this endless amount of information.

The websites for each community were very comprehensive.

Encouraged is a review of the collateral that is sent to a prospective customer. Less may be more. Review content to see if everything really is necessary...after all, you want a first-hand visit by the customer.