Why Online Reviews Matter for the Senior Living Industry
For the Chinese, 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Here at SeniorAdvisor.com, we’ve deemed 2014 the Year of the Online Review. Admittedly, it may not be as catchy, but with 2014 upon us, it’s time to accept that online reviews have permeated the senior living industry. Don’t believe it? Let’s start with the facts.
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- 85% of consumers read online reviews for local business, according to a 2013 Brightlocal Consumer Review Survey.
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- 73% of consumers say positive consumer reviews make them trust a business more (Search Engine Land, 2013).
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- Nearly 80% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (Search Engine Land, 2013).
- Online reviews improve your visibility in local search results on Google, helping you reach approximately 95% of the incoming traffic for your community’s website (SeniorMarketing.com).
The good news is, you can learn how to make online reviews work for your community. Check out these benefits:
Rapid Feedback:
These mini-testimonials provide you with instant feedback. In many cases, families will review communities within hours of visiting. This rapid feedback will enable communities to zero in on areas of success and opportunities for improvement in real-time.
Higher Move Rates:
At SeniorAdvisor.com, we regularly hear from customers who have removed a community from their consideration list simply because it had no or only bad reviews. So we did some research. The preliminary results show a striking correlation between a community’s consumer-provided star rating and its move-ins. The data suggest that a 5-star rated community is over 100% more likely to get a move-in than a community with no ratings or reviews. Other than communities with 1-star or lower ratings, communities with any rating at all had higher move rates than those without, suggesting that consumers have more confidence in communities with reviews.
Inclusion in the Conversation:
Current and future residents and their families are already talking about your brand online. SeniorAdvisor.com gives you easy-to-use tools to participate in and shape that conversation. This includes the ability to respond to existing reviews and invite new reviews from your residents and their families.
Free Marketing Material:
Of the more than 145,000 reviews we currently have on SeniorAdvisor.com, over two-thirds of them are 4 stars or above. Communities earn these positive rave reviews at zero cost, and they can pay dividends if you start using them in your marketing materials. Prospects view online reviews as unbiased third-party digital word-of-mouth that your community is outstanding, and will pay attention to them. Incorporate reviews in your on- and off-line marketing materials: include a link to your review page on your website and in your email signature, and include snippets from reviews on your testimonials page and in your brochures. All we ask when you use our site content is that you credit SeniorAdvisor.com as the source. Finally, ask your happy residents, family members, and prospects to review you on SeniorAdvisor.com!
Now that you’re ready to embrace 2014 as the Year of the Online Review, get started by claiming your community page on SeniorAdvisor.com and inviting your families to review! Instructions are below:
- Step 1:Claim Your Community
- Step 2: Invite Reviews via Email or Personalized Flyer
Amelia Willson
Based in Austin, TX, Amelia is the former Content Marketing Manager for SeniorAdvisor.com. When she’s not writing about online reputation management, online reviews, and social media in the senior living space, she enjoys yoga and running with her dog Rockefeller. She graduated from Wellesley College cum laude with a dual degree in English and Medieval/Renaissance Studies.
4 Comments
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interesting knowleable to us
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This comment is to say thank you, to one of your senior advisers, Miriam Bosch. My name is Victor Pagan, I will be moving into the Rocky Creek Village Community, in Tampa Florida, thanks to Mrs.Bosch. She has been very active, supportive, with intense advocacy skills and more important has brought a peace of mind and comfort to my search for a basic place to live and enjoy. Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Yes. But Mrs.Bosch, has been the ” angel ” that has put the seal needed. Psalm 19 ” the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” an angel was sent to help me. Thank you all, for the paramount humanistic efforts to help seniors like me. Victor Pagan. May 14,2014.
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I hope many people read this! I was desperate to get my father out of a nursing home/rehab after he got out of the hospital, as he was there for rehab. But they would not let him go back to his Dementia home because he now needed oxygen 24/7, but he wouldn’t wear it 24/7. I was a wreck wonder what to do. I was brought to SeniorAdvisor.com via Facebook. I suddenly was on a page where it asked for your name, number and email, reluctantly I filled it out. Somehow these things usual lead to something stupid and then your sorry you ever did it. Well the phone rang and at first I wouldn’t answer it, the call ended. But then it rang again and I reluctantly picked it up. Yep, it was Home Advisors. Oh boy here comes the rubbish! Well after a few minutes of talking with them I realized, these people were really and truly there to help. They helped me with options I had no idea existed! And it’s free! When I tell you I felt such a relief, I’m not exaggerating. I had result options happening within hours and It’s still the same day that I called, right now as I write this! CALL THEM !!!!!
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Try and keep relaxed while searching for a place to live. The more you know about the staff and the assistance you will need helps if you have never lived there before. Consider how many items you expect to receive and knowing that there will be a price that you will have to pay for each part of the service you can do and not endanger yourself or others living in the facility. To get an accurate report don’t try and hide anything under the rug. If you live within a reasonable driving distance visit the home around lunch time and join the community for lunch. You will get an earful of the daily fair is and how your days menu if the day is like any other days. If you don’t feel comfortable and you know how your friend or love one would react your in an excellent idea if this is a comfortable and compatible place or do you need to keep looking. If there are a number of people involved in the decision try and stay on the same sheet of music. Remember that the living facility is trying to evaluate your potential resident too. Neither party wants to have a bad match. If it is comfortable to have the potential resident come with you could be useful. If the one who is paying has a right to know how much they are expected to pay that will make everyone happier at the move in. The facility has a right to see if there is a problem that thy are not used to handling this is not right to hide,nor is it a good thing to avoid a visit with the management to avoid sticker shock.If something bothers you spit it out as a little problem today likely to stay with you for however long the stay will be. I was a bit leery that I would work out.
It is a nice place to live. I would give the place high marks to the med-techs and all the care givers a five star rating. Nobody works as hard as the cooking staff at trying to make every meal meet you expectations and every day a good day. This not a Hilton but unless you are rich, this place is more like home. I hope if your visit finds it acceptable it will be a pleasant stay.
