In addition to a friendly smile, whenever staff encounters a family touring or visiting the facility, whether there is an opportunity to engage in conversation or just in passing, staff should always maintain eye contact. Focusing a friendly gaze (not an intense stare) and a pleasant “hello” creates the sense that you are paying attention and that you genuinely enjoy having visitors in the building (especially with the holidays approaching).

To cut through the clutter in today's fast-paced environment, successful communicators utilize both direct mail and email marketing to get their message across. Email marketing provides an easy and cost-efficient way to connect and keep in touch, while direct mail is highly effective when used as part of a targeted, consistent campaign. This dual approach has been proven successful over time.

Ensure that your entire staff is aware that a family is on a tour in your building by creating an “audible alert” system that can be activated the moment your prospects arrive. A chime, page or coded voice message sent through your sound system will signal everyone to smile, make eye contact and offer a warm welcome.

Don’t take long-standing referral sources for granted. Update these professionals regularly, so that awareness of your organization, services and your points of difference with your competition remain “top of mind.” Maintaining strong relationships is no less important than cultivating new ones. Both are critical to building admissions and census.

Demonstrate to hospitals and referring physicians that your building is focused on avoiding unnecessary re-hospitalization of patients within the first 30 days of their admission.  It will give you a distinct competitive advantage and can result in increased referrals. 

Adults age 55+ are generally the “decision-maker” for LTC placement and are the fastest growing segment of Internet users, with over 80% using the Internet to research health and LTC information. Your website is the window to this opportunity.  Make sure it’s designed by LTC experts to communicate effectively with all LTC stakeholders… is easy to navigate, provides information about all your care services and highlights your credibility on the home page.

Whether a free standing SNF or large CCRC, word of mouth referrals is a must in today’s competitive marketplace. You can increase your word of mouth referrals by leveraging your relationship with residents and families that have been “touched” by your services and programs. Remind them of your expertise and leadership in senior care and their good experience with your organization. Keep in mind that communicating with them via email can save time and money.

The central location for all your internet activities is your website. It serves as a hub for all your online communications. In digital marketing, your website acts like the front door to your facility. A website designed by a LTC professional, with copy written by an LTC professional, will work to immediately engage visitors – using the content on the site to quickly create a positive feeling about you and your credibility as a senior care expert.

When conducting family tours, always put the loved one in the picture. For example, it’s not just a dining room you’re showcasing, it’s “where Mom will enjoy a choice of great meals every day.” Make each tour experience personal… and watch conversion rates climb.

All staff can be a partner in reducing re-hospitalizations by being trained to immediately inform their supervisor of a change in a resident’s condition. Reinforce your staff training by posting “reminders” throughout the building and be sure to make this a focus in all your staff meetings.

Careful tracking of inquiries, referrals, admissions, facility denials, discharges and length of stay will explain why your census is trending the way it is. Armed with this information you can direct your census-building activities to be more effective and efficient. HINT: Often the quickest (and easiest way) to get a big increase in census is with a small increase in the percentage of conversions to admissions.

The goal of your website should be to generate inquiries. The way to do that is to create engaging, clear and relevant content that not only tells a potential inquiry about who you are, but also how you’ll be the solution to their healthcare needs. Americans tap search engines more than 12 billion times a month to find everything from stroke rehab to jambalaya recipes. Make sure that each of your care services has their own dedicated page on your website. By doing this, it will allow your services to get found by those searching and generate new inquiries into your building.