If your senior living community does not currently have brand ambassadors, consider creating a program this quarter. Packed with socializing, family visits and special events, the final months of the year cultivate strong feelings of community. Combined with the final push to increase occupancy before the year’s end, this makes Q4 an excellent time to nurture your brand ambassador program.
What Is A Brand Ambassador?
Brand ambassadors are individuals who represent and promote a business they’re enthusiastic about and invested in. An ambassador may use the product or service they advocate for themselves, or they may be an industry expert or influential figure. There are many types of ambassadors, each with their own unique value. These include:
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- Peer advocate ambassadors. These are the people who use and benefit directly from a service. As a senior living community, your peer advocate ambassadors may be residents, staff members or family caregivers.
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- Niche authority brand ambassadors. These are professionals with expert knowledge of your industry and issues relevant to your customers. As a senior living provider, your niche authority brand ambassadors could be physicians, senior centers or physical and occupational therapists.
- Influencer ambassadors. These ambassadors typically have a large or highly engaged niche social media following and are an excellent asset for businesses hoping to promote to a wide audience.
In this blog post, we will focus on perhaps the most powerful brand ambassadors you can have as a senior living provider: peer advocate ambassadors.
The Power of Ambassadorship for Senior Living
Time and time again, it’s been shown that consumers are more inclined to trust word of mouth recommendations over other marketing strategies. In fact, a recent study by Navarro (2023) for Statista found that 89% of respondents worldwide trusted personal recommendations. This figure was the highest of all the advertising strategies investigated, beating social media ads (64%), TV ads (78%) and even branded websites (84%).
As the ultimate experts on your brand, residents and family caregivers can truly be your greatest asset; testimony from the people directly affected by your care is incredibly impactful. Their lived experiences can be used to tell your brand’s story, providing compelling evidence that the values and missions you promote reflect reality.
How Can Peer Advocate Ambassadors Help Your Community?
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- Help boost your positive online presence by posting reviews, providing testimonials, and engaging with your community’s social media content.
- Speak to and support potential new residents and their families on tours and during the move-in process, helping foster feelings of community and belonging.
- Make recommendations and refer friends and family members to your community.
- Help with the planning and delivery of community events.
- Provide feedback on your services, amenities, and marketing campaigns, offering a valuable ‘insider’s perspective’.
- Help boost your positive online presence by posting reviews, providing testimonials, and engaging with your community’s social media content.
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How to Create A Powerful Ambassador Program
Establishing an effective ambassador program requires two key stages. First, you need to be equipped to attract the right ambassadors. You must then cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship that keeps them enthusiastic, engaged and eager to advocate for your community.
Step One: Building Your Ambassador Program
- Lay a Solid Foundation
Before anything else, ensure you’re providing a level of service that inspires ambassadorship and helps your current residents feel thoroughly supported, safe and happy. After all, nobody wants to advocate for a service they don’t truly love. While incentives and rewards are useful, the key drive to join your ambassador program should come from a heartfelt desire to advocate for your care.
- Clearly Define Your Brand Identity
Do you know the brand values you want to communicate through your ambassador program? The best programs attract residents and family caregivers who effortlessly align with a senior living organization’s unique brand. Being clear about your mission and goals will help attract ambassadors that identify with similar values.
Step Two: Nurturing Your Ambassador Program
- Educate Your Ambassadors
Ensure your brand ambassadors are well versed on your ethos and mission, and keep them updated on the latest community news. Be sure to provide regular training that empowers your ambassadors to confidently advocate for your services and amenities.
- Offer Worthwhile Incentives for Advocacy
Organizations with successful programs take care of their ambassadors, truly recognizing and rewarding them for their valuable service. While it’s true that the best ambassadors will naturally identify with your values and have a genuine desire to promote your community, it’s vital that they feel appreciated for doing so. For example, one way of rewarding your ambassadors is by hosting appreciation events.
Boosting Your Brand Ambassador Program Around the Holidays
In Q4, many senior living communities turn their focus to increasing occupancy and getting the best possible head start for the new year. Thankfully, November and December are the ideal months to launch and promote a brand ambassador program.
Communities typically host more activities and social events attended by residents and family caregivers in the lead up to the holiday season. Harness the opportunity to advertise your ambassador program during these events; they’re the perfect place to recruit new and enthusiastic residents, staff members and family caregivers as ambassadors.
Building an Ambassador Program with SMCG®
A strong ambassador program is immensely valuable in senior living. Ultimately, enthusiastic ambassadors allow senior living communities to present as authentic, honest, and trustworthy to potential residents and family members, while also nurturing a positive and supportive community environment day to day.
Scott Marketing and Consulting Group® are trusted experts in senior living marketing and sales. Just like you, our team of specialists are driven by a true desire to support seniors and family caregivers. With our expertise and you in the driving seat, we can get your community on track to see maximum occupancy in the final months of 2023.
Arrange a consultation today to find out how we can take your senior living community’s marketing and sales strategies to the next level, naturally fostering a strong ambassadorship culture in the process.