Tips For Senior Living Reputation Management 

Reviews and Listings in Senior Living

Will bad reviews make or break your success in senior living marketing? Not necessarily. Find out why having a well-rounded marketing strategy is key to bringing in new leads.

Sites that offer a review feature (like A Place for Mom, Facebook, Google, Yelp, etc.) are crucial for helping people understand what it’s like to live in your community. Your sales team needs to be aware of when those living in the community and their families leave a review so that they can respond. However, there are several reasons why reviews alone won’t save your reputation. Having an effective marketing strategy to manage your online presence makes all the difference.

1. Reviews only represent a small view of your community and not a complete picture.
2. Reviews can be one-sided, both good and bad.
   • For example, competitors could leave reviews, disgruntled employees can make it a point to air their grievances online, unfair reviews that leave out important information, and reviews from current employees trying to boost ratings, can all paint an inaccurate picture.
   • In a study published in The Journal of Consumer Research, researchers found very little correlation between objective reviews and online consumer ratings. This points to the fact that online reviews are subjective and often circumstantial, and involve emotions.
3. It’s better for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to have more reviews.
   • The response rate tells Google and other search engines that your business is active and engaging. It boosts customer confidence and builds trust and credibility. Reviews also give the business another outlet to use key phrases in the response.
   • Reach for getting close to matching your competitor’s review count. This tells Google your business is in the same league.
4. How you respond makes a difference.
   • The response to a review isn’t just for the person who left the review — it’s for the many users that will come along afterward and see how you handled it. Potential residents and families are taking note. Are you listening to your audience? Are you accusatory in your response? Can you take care of the problem? Are residents happy with your services?
   • Studies show that when a customer has a complaint and it is responded to and handled well by the company, it actually increases loyalty.
   • As long as negative reviews are responded to, Google won’t penalize you.
5. People who have had a negative experience are more likely to leave a review, and we’re primed to take negative reviews more seriously. According to research, because there are typically fewer negative reviews, they stand out more, and because we want to make wise decisions, we pay more attention to those negative reviews.

You may have held the greatest birthday bash for a centenarian in your community, and the only review you received is from a friend of a visitor who complains about your health and safety policy. In that case, what do you do?

This is where Public Relations comes in. Senior living reputation management should be proactive. Responding to reviews is important and so is getting the good stories out there. Letting people know how great it is to live in your community is key. Having an updated website and full social media presence will help to give a clearer picture of who you are.

How Directories Impact Your Online Presence

Directories, sometimes called listings or citation platforms, are websites that list local businesses along with their important contact information. There are thousands of these types of sites across the web, and you could spin your wheels trying to get your communities listed on all of them.

Citations are excellent for SEO, ranking high on search engine results pages, but by themselves, they still fall short in pulling in qualified leads.

Listings management is an important tool to have at your disposal, ultimately helping your sales team be more effective. Listings management is important to:

• Ensure your information is correct so leads can find you.
• Let search engines know you are a legitimate business that offers a valuable service to those searching for you.

However, your listings management strategy must go hand-in-hand with your overall marketing strategy. It’s an important step in the process of effective marketing in senior living. Reputation management processes that include reviews and listings will help you generate qualified leads.

What else should my marketing strategy include?

• SEO-focused and keyword-rich website content (website and blogs to get your message out there)
• Digital ads
• Social media presence
• PR pitches to local media
• Crisis management
• Local marketing, WOM
• Email marketing
• Print media

Do you have the time and expertise to manage all of these components? Not to worry, that’s where having a senior living-focused marketing partner comes in. A full-service agency like Craft & Communicate can customize your marketing strategy to creatively generate leads. We focus on building your brand and getting your message to the right audience.

Don’t waste time worrying about how to manage your online presence. Partner with an expert whose only focus is senior living. Reputation management including digital listings and reviews, PR, web design, email, and print design are just some of the ways we can help you and your sales team increase leads and move-ins.

Let us show you how we can communicate your value to the right audience.

Connect with us today to learn more about how we can help guide your marketing efforts in the right direction. Want more helpful tips and inspiration? Check out our blog.