Senior Living + Inbound Marketing Go Viral

Walker Methodist is a faith-based, non-profit senior living organization that’s been serving older adults since 1945. They own, operate, and manage 12 senior living communities and provide housing, healthcare, rehabilitation, and services to seniors and the people who support them. Their brand and mission are strong: Life. And all the living that goes with it. Enhancing the lives of older adults through a culture of care, respect, and service.

Even though Walker Methodist is a leader for top-notch care, their marketing efforts needed a bit more focus to deliver results. Those results for Walker Methodist included: a marketing team, digital/online presence, an opportunity to convert + nurture, and information for patients and their loved ones. And that’s where the partnership with Leighton Interactive was established.

Intentional Marketing

To produce results, we knew a solid base would be necessary to build upon. This was established up front with inbound marketing tactics, methodologies, and continuous improvements. Because with a foundation, you start from square one, master the basics, refine, and repeat. That’s exactly what we did.

How We Got There

The inauguration of this relationship began in 2014. We conducted extensive research into the senior living realm: the business, industry, competition, and customers to generate the best data-driven online strategy to achieve mutual goals. From there, we took what we learned and applied it.

A key component in the messaging was to determine the ideal customer for Walker Methodist. We developed a detailed persona to direct and align our inbound marketing efforts. Our research uncovered the following facts about Concerned Kathy - the brand's primary persona:

Background

• Concerned about finding the right care, not sure how to approach it, and know when the timing is right
• The first generation to encounter senior care for parents 

Goals

• Needs mom/dad to continue or achieve a high standard of living
• Continue to live, not just survive
• Don’t bankrupt the family

Challenges

• Financial / cost of senior living
• Family decision making and emotions

Common Objections

• Cost
• Doesn’t want to force the issue
• Location isn’t convenient for siblings
• Giving up “home”

Incorporating various mediums of content has been integral to the impact on our reach to this persona. This helped guide the following efforts in which we implemented for Walker Methodist:

Blog

Highlight Walker Methodist as a thought leader and expert in the industry. Doing so has allowed blog authors to build their profiles, share information in a digital way, and create a space where senior living topics are addressed on a frequent, regular basis. This blog answers questions and provides information for the persona on things like:

• What to expect at a senior living community
• Tips and FAQs
• Care options available
• The difference in assisted living vs. independent living
• The importance of social life
• What NOT to say to your loved one
• Transition questions
• Nutrition and exercise
• Financial aspect of senior living
• Resident stories
• Social functions
• Conditions or symptoms/educational

Offers

Provide users the assurance that Walker Methodist is the right decision. Downloadable content to provide things like cost comparisons, questions to ask for a transition, financial planning guide, a checklist for moving to senior living, housing options, etc. This fills an instant need (digital) vs. going to a facility and requesting this information (traditional).

Social Media: Facebook & LinkedIn

Showcase how Walker Methodist cares about their communities and the people who live in them. With strong values and doing great things, getting social and telling people about who this organization is and what they are all about.

• Facebook is as powerful as another physical location to house links to resources and offers while promoting a positive image to the public
• LinkedIn has great potential for making business contacts and connecting directly with the personas to drive them back to the site

eNewsletters

In addition to the thank you pages and follow-up emails, this monthly communication allows the opportunity to nurture contacts into qualified leads and customers. It focuses on residents, timely/seasonal information, and the lifestyle at Walker Methodist.

Google AdWords

This includes the set-up of campaigns, writing, reporting, management, adjusting, and designing of AdWords campaigns. We keep reworking them until they work for us.

Google ReMarketing (Banner Ads)

Remarketing with Google is a way to display advertisements to people who have visited Walker Methodist’s website as they surf other websites. The Remarketing Ads only show to people who have actually visited the website in the past. This allows the messaging on the banners to be much more targeted. 

The Outcome

Before inbound marketing, Walker Methodist was receiving shy of 13,000 monthly views to their website. Fast forward three years, their views are now almost 20,000 across all pages on their site each month.

We started blogging in August of 2014 and publishing content on a consistent basis, month-over-month. Back then, the blog received 27 views for the month. Check out the reach of this content:

Just this month, Walker Methodist was recognized as a Top 100 Senior Blog and Website About Senior Living and Elder Care. This data is pulled from thousands of blogs and social metrics. It’s a true testament to the consistency and relevancy of information Walker Methodist produces, shares, and creates.

And the growth doesn’t stop there.

Wins Come in All Shapes and Sizes

Although data is always our preferred method to measure success, the unspoken emotional (without numbers or a place to credit “how”) wins are also a tally towards that success. Over our tenure together, the Walker Methodist team has shared the following notables to the benefit of our partnership:

• Nimble + flexible with content, data is now used to make decisions and drive content when appropriate
• Patients and loved ones are finding what they need to convert
• Innovation
• Relationship development within teams
• With patients and loved ones in a highly emotional state, Walker Methodist helps make this journey a little easier (it’s reflective in their brand, marketing, strategies, and delivery)

At the Leading Age Senior Living NOW Conference, one of the classes I attended was called "Improving Your Online Marketing Strategies to Boost Occupancy in Your Independent Living Building." They used Walker Methodist's web site as a best practice example in their education.

Our site and "30 Questions to Ask During a Tour" were up on the screen and they asked if anyone from Walker Methodist was present. I raised my hand and they said they LOVE what we are doing and it's exactly what should be done to generate leads through relevant white papers and blogs! Great job Jen and Team Leighton!

– Elizabeth Meyer, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Walker Methodist, Minneapolis 

Ongoing Return:

An online presence has strengthened the Walker Methodist brand goals by creating a non-obtrusive way to market to prospects on their terms. The long-term benefits of inbound marketing for Walker Methodist includes:

• Increased search engine ranking from SEO/SEM efforts
• Database growth for continued direct marketing efforts
• Content lives on forever and strengthens their position in the market
• Better user experience and positive perception by positioning as an expert and giving prospects what they want, when they want it

The ongoing efforts continue to build on the foundation and provide opportunities for both parties. A win for both teams and a bright future for success.