Every senior living marketer knows the key to sales is getting prospects in the door. And most senior living communities use marketing events to draw in potential residents. But what happens when attendance lags and you can’t seem to get prospects to visit?
In the ever-changing landscape of senior living marketing today, a multi-faceted strategy is more important than ever. Did you know that by integrating PR into your event marketing efforts you can increase attendance, engage prospects and expand your audience base? Not only can senior living communities use public relations to increase prospect attendance, but it can also ensure positive visitor experiences and message consistency.
Take Grace Ridge for example, a continuing care retirement community with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Grace Ridge promoted a ‘life with a view,’ but the region is a popular retirement destination with numerous CCRCs, many of which also promote mountain views. Compounded by lack of an onsite wellness center and other amenities, Grace Ridge was experiencing lagging occupancy in a highly competitive market.
Walker Marketing was challenged with creating new interest and generating sufficient leads to achieve sales goals. A new brand, Good Moods at Grace Ridge, would serve as the creative platform for prospect events and communications. A variety of strategies were implemented to drive success and boost event attendance. Here are a few ways public relations enhanced event marketing efforts:
Community Relations
By leveraging local destination assets like vineyards, art museums and the symphony and integrating them into the Grace Ridge lifestyle, the community would foster new partnerships and identify more appealing offerings for prospect events. Initiatives included:
- Forming an Advisory Council to participate in collaborative brainstorming and offer feedback.
- Touting Grace Ridge’s affiliation with CHS Blue Ridge with a new Wellness Speaker Series.
- Integrating the Good Moods brand into marketing events and resident programming.
- Forging new relationships and tapping into local destination assets to enhance events and attract prospects beyond the primary marketing area.
Today, Grace Ridge’s prospect events have much more appeal and participation, and partners provide added promotion for marketing initiatives.
External Communications & Media Relations
Grace Ridge recently updated its dining room, lobby, library and sales offices as well as adding a new chapel and movie theater. Rather than a typical open house, Walker Marketing tapped into the area’s diverse art scene to host a public art exhibit – with a twist. Dubbed Creative Age, the exhibition featured Western NC artists aged 60 and over. PR played a huge role in this event, which combined two private receptions and a public exhibit. Initiatives included:
- Key messaging and branded event materials.
- Artist recruitment (personal outreach combined with press outreach and calls for artists.
- Artist selection, notification and correspondence.
- Publicity and media outreach (notable press coverage).
Ultimately, the Creative Age Senior Art Exhibit touted 45+ works of art. The event was a huge success and drew hundreds of visitors and prospects to Grace Ridge as well as valuable publicity.
Within nine months of launch, event attendance has tremendously increased and staff has seen weekly prospect tours more than double! New partnerships have formed and hundreds of leads have been generated. In the first six months of 2015, Grace Ridge has surpassed its total 2014 sales.
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