Colorado Real Estate Journal - December 2, 2015
Marketing the various options available at AltaVita Memory Care Centre as well as AltaVita Independent and Assisted Living to potential residents and their loves ones is as unique as the level of care provided in each environment. Given that memory care and, more specifically, memory care provided in a secured environment is very much need driven, it is imperative that we keep focused on building lasting relationships both with the general public, the community we serve, referral sources that also serve the families in need of our services and the potential resident to move into our community. Our potential resident may be coming to us from home, hospital or any other traditional senior care solution. More times than not, they have not been successful in living in an environment that is not designed specifically to serve someone who struggles with memory-related illnesses. Their needs may differ from the care provided at a traditional assisted-living provider as each memory related illness depicts a specific care challenge. That being said, we continue cultivating relationships built with various health care providers to include hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, independent living communities, assisted-living communities and residential care homes to ensure they are mindful of the level of care services and amenities provided at AltaVita Memory Care Centre and keep prevalent our availability to serve said resident. For our newest development, AltaVita Independent and Assisted Living, we are intentional in marketing our services and amenities to those who are not in need of a dedicated memory care solution. Potential residents for these communities are usually more involved in making the decision as to where they will live so we market to their lifestyle preferences. While the need for care is typically the reason for their consideration in living in an independent and assisted-living community, this resident is intensely focused on the perception of their environment. AltaVita is unique in that we are locally and family owned. Our developer, Macy Development, and medical director, Dr. Nekoorad-Long, are both huge supporters and participants in the various opportunities to serve the families residing in Boulder County and surrounding communities. Oftentimes our marketing efforts are enhanced by their community involvement, which also perpetuates our growth and stability. Dr. Nekoorad-Long is on-site full-time as her private practice as a geriatric psychiatrist also is located at AltaVita. Due to her expertise, she is an advocate in introducing families to the lifestyle of AltaVita while preliminarily determining if they are the right fit for our unique environment. Strategic sales and marketing, media advertisement for appropriate senior local and surrounding community publications, outreach and senior expo plans are in place to ensure our concentrated marketing efforts. With these plans we are also able to create special events, educational seminars, panel discussions and supportive services related to our industry in which potential residents and their loved ones as well as senior care professionals attend in order to learn of the opportunity to utilize and partner with AltaVita.
Balfour Senior Living, headquartered in Louisville since 1997, strives to be the most admired senior living company in Colorado through outstanding customer service, innovative architectural, landscaping and interior design and valuedriven operations. Preparing for a new wave of residents, the baby boomer generation, we already have begun strategically planning how Balfour will be best positioned to appeal to our current target market as well as this new wave of clientele. A few key approaches include continuing to establish Balfour as a well-respected and trusted community resource, relying on word-of-mouth referrals by our satisfied residents and a dedication to continually advancing technology. Inviting the public to Balfour sponsored educational lectures, philanthropic updates and wellness seminars at our communities always have been an important part of how we support our mission to be a well-respected and trusted resource in our industry. For example, we hosted Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim Campbell, who spoke about Glen’s battle with Alzheimer’s and, most recently, dZi Foundation spoke at our downtown Denver property regarding its work in Nepal after the earthquakes. Offering a wide range of events draws several different audiences into our buildings, most who have never been to Balfour and may have misconceptions of a retirement community. Once they experience the Balfour difference they are quick to return and spread the word. When our founder and CEO Michael Schonbrun began planning Balfour Senior Living, he did so with his mother, Madeline, in mind. The unofficial motto at Balfour is “What Would Madeline Want?” Our company culture is resident focused; we treat our residents with respect, dignity and with a personal touch that feels as though we are one big family. It is the attention to detail, dedication to quality and service that have residents, better known as “Balfour cheerleaders,” singing our praises to their close circles. When Michael is stopped by a resident when walking down the hall and told that the move to Balfour was life changing, there isn’t an advertisement in the world that could be more impactful. Lastly, in today’s ever-changing technological world, people use their smartphones to shop for almost everything and this is no different when it comes to looking for a retirement community. We understand the importance of having company information online that is easily accessible and user friendly. The process of finding a new home can be overwhelming; we wanted our website to be an inviting and warm experience, one that mirrored how it is to live in our communities. For these reasons we partnered with a world-renowned Web design company to build Balfour a state-of-the art website that is mobile responsive and can be viewed on several different devices. In addition, the events calendar is in an application format, allowing residents to view the day’s happenings with a touch of a finger on their iPhone. The new www.BalfourCare. com represents our company’s commitment to continuously evolve and meet the demands of the new generation of Balfour residents. When choosing a community, potential residents and their families are faced with several different options; we have always held the position that we are a resource, here to help individuals select the best community that fits their needs, even if that fit is not Balfour.
Marketing the many housing options for today’s seniors. We live in an exciting time where senior consumers and their families have many choices and options for health care and housing. As a provider of full continuum services ranging from post-hospital rehabilitation therapies to in-home health care, Vivage has created a broad-based marketing strategy to reach an ever-growing target market. Our target market can include active seniors who come to us for short-stay rehabilitation services and receive follow-up home health care, or it can be residents who are looking at permanent move-in to our independent living, assisted living, memory care or skilled-nursing communities. Creating the right messages in marketing your services. Today’s market strategies also must include messaging that appeal to seniors as well as to other generations such as adult children or even grandchildren who are frequently decision-makers and supporters in finding the right housing options. Knowing that over 65 percent of seniors are avid Internet users in selecting housing and care options, social media has become a dedicated focus. We offer interactive websites filled with helpful consumer resources not only about our services but also about many things important to seniors and their families. Facebook, LinkedIn and You Tube are all used by our many senior living communities. We utilize social media to showcase photos, virtual tours, special events and provide information about our services, amenities, unique programs and pricing. Relationships remain an important marketing strategy. Building relationships is a key component in our marketing efforts. Vivage strives to become a trusted resource not only to consumers, but also to become a preferred partner to other professionals working with seniors. We frequently host community events at each of our locations to invite seniors and their families in to see what we do and the wonderful life we help to create for our residents and short-stay guests. Additionally, we have a team of professional nurses and social workers who make rounds daily in local hospitals providing support to patients and their families needing senior care or housing options. Vivage is active in many events across Colorado, partnering with groups such as the Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, hospital foundations and many other groups serving seniors at events such as local races, educational seminars and exhibits. While we do a lot of marketing to physicians and hospitals, our key marketing strategies always are focused on the individual consumer and being a resource to them as they navigate the maze of selecting the best housing and health care options for their unique needs.