Top Reasons Senior Living Communities Should Blog in 2018

The latest numbers are in.

And what they say is that blogging should be an integral part of your senior living community’s overall lead generation and social media strategy.

Why? Because blogging can make a measurable difference in your senior living community’s ability to engage, inform and attract prospective customers. In other words, “Lead Gen!”

However, beyond the growth metrics, blogging about important senior living topics also sends a message to your audience that you are concerned with their overall welfare, not just their business. Blogging demonstrates your expertise in the many facets of senior living and builds your credibility as a trusted and reliable source of knowledge and resources.

The Business Case for Blogging by Senior Living Communities

According to the recent Social Media Today article, “The Benefits of Blogging: 20+ Stats Business Owners Need to Know,” there are three highly compelling reasons why growth-centered senior living organizations should blog:

1. Search Engine Optimization – Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website.

2. More Website Visitors – The average company that blogs receive 55% more website visitors.

3. Increased Brand Awareness – 70% of consumers learn about a company through articles rather than ads.

But that’s not all. There are other facts that highlight the value of regular, ongoing blogging for your senior living community. For example, Website Builder and Tech Client share the following statistics:

• 77% of Internet users read blogs.

• Internet users in the US spend 3 times more time reading blogs than email.

• Roughly 7 out of 10 marketers that use social media publish blogs as part of their customer engagement strategy.

• Websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages.

• 82% of consumers say they enjoy reading relevant content from brands.

Blogging Is Now a Recognized Strategic Growth Tool

Today, blogging is a recognized strategic tool for engaging prospects and converting them into leads and sales. As an example, the top reasons why businesses say they blog today are:

1. To share their expertise with target audiences
2. To gain professional recognition as thought leaders in their marketplace
3. To attract new clients

Blog About What Matters Most to Your Audience

The first rule of successful blogging is to know your customers – whether they’re senior adults, their adult children or referral sources. Ask yourself, what are they thinking? What are they experiencing? What are they feeling?

Having a clear understanding of the needs, problems and concerns of your audience is paramount for connecting with them and establishing yourself as a valued and authoritative senior living resource. Only when your blog content responds directly to what your prospects want to hear about, will it be useful to them and beneficial to you as a marketing strategy.

As an example, if you’re a memory care community, blog about coping strategies that overburdened caregivers can use; or the benefits of social engagement strategies such as music and art therapy that can soothe a loved one’s dementia symptoms and enhance their quality of life; or how to distinguish the warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease from normal aging and the best ways to prepare for the different stages of memory loss a loved one will experience.

If you’re an assisted living community, blog about the importance of socialization and the types of programs and activities that help seniors to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit. You can also blog about the advantages of assisted living vs. living at home and the worry-free, hassle-free lifestyle it offers. How to pay for assisted living and guidelines for choosing the right assisted living community are also helpful topics.

For independent living communities, you can focus on personal freedom and the benefits of active, healthy lifestyles that are unencumbered by home maintenance and other related responsibilities such as lawn care and snow removal.

Educate, Inform and Inspire

Educational or “self-help” blogs follow a thought process similar to problem-solution advertising (considered by many to be the most effective form of ad messaging) without being viewed as an ad. You can make yourself extremely valuable to your target audience by focusing on common problems they have and offering authoritative advice on how to solve them. A wealth of helpful information is available from authoritative sources such as the Alzheimer’s Association^® and National Institute on Aging that you can share.

Experts tell us that these types of blogs are among the most sought after, linked to and shared content online. Why? Because they help solve problems and provide substantial value to your target audiences.

And while you’re sharing your expertise on senior living issues, be sure that you’re also informing your readers of the solutions your community can provide for them. Remember, they are searching for tangible ways to solve their problems as well as senior living communities that best understand, empathize with and respond to their circumstances.