The LIFT l October 2020

OCTOBER 2020 //

In Flight

In this edition – The Response to Virtual Events Balancing Local and Corporate Social Media The September 2020 Social Media Report

1

Virtual events work People respond with interest

In September, 71 event jobs ran through the system, with 84 emails, 60 Facebook event posts and 21 paid media placements.

Consider these examples.

The St. Louis Sheridans: The Sheridan at Chesterfield, The Sheridan at Creve Coeur and The Sheridan at Laumeier Park joined forces to host a “Cognitive Stimulation Therapy” event. A direct mail postcard hit the mail and a double-sided insert ran in local papers – and 24 phone calls came through. In addition, targeted emails brought 6 RSVPs, and Facebook posts got 288 responses.

UNDERSTANDING

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy An online event in partnership with Washington University Occupational Therapy

Presented by Lisa Carson, OTD, OTR/L, Washington University Occupational Therapist

Wednesday, September 16 • 2 p.m.

288

Facebook responses!

If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, join us for an informative webinar on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). This program is designed for individuals with mild or moderate dementia and has been shown to lead to improvements in: MEMORY • CONCENTRATION • LANGUAGE • VERBAL SKILLS • QUALITY OF LIFE Join us to find out more about our new online Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy program.

The world may be changing, but we’re here to support you. Kindly RSVP to one of our communities – we’ll send you a personal online meeting invitation and login instructions.

636-728-9911

314-649-5707

314-649-5706

16300 Justus Post Road Chesterfield, MO 63017 Assisted Living | Memory Care #045505

450 N. Lindbergh Blvd.

Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Memory Care #045060

12470 Rott Road Sunset Hills, MO 63127 Assisted Living | Memory Care #045102

WEARETHESHERIDANS.COM

2

21 RSVPs!

Thunderbird: Email for the community’s “Cooking with Thunderbird” culinary event got 21 RSVPs.

11 RSVPs!

Pastry GRAB and GO SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

We think you deserve a sweet treat! Give us a call to schedule a time to pick up your pastry. We’ll bring it out to your car for you to take home to enjoy.

Autumn Green at Midway Village: The tasty, tasteful “Pastry Grab and Go” was advertised via email and got 11 RSVPs.

Please call 847-673-7166 to reserve your pastry.

Independent Living | Assisted Living | #5103996 6700 S. Keating Avenue | Chicago, IL 60629 WWW.SENIORLIFESTYLE.COM

3

Fullerton Gardens:

• P R O U D LY S E R V I N G O L D E R A D U LT S F O R M O R E T H A N 3 5 Y E A R S ! •

Email and a Facebook event post supported the community’s “Who’s Who” virtual event. In their post-event survey, the community reported receiving 60 RSVPs, with 34 people ultimately in attendance.

Fullerton Gardens urges readers of The LIFT to try the “Who’s Who” event and reminds you to be sure you’re well prepared, with your whole team ready and on board.

60 RSvps!

The Who’s Who of Fullerton Gardens A Virtual Meet and Greet & Community Tour Wednesday, September 23 • 11 a.m.

Join us online to meet the directors and caregivers at Fullerton Gardens. We’ll take you on a virtual tour of our beautiful community as we talk about safety measures we’ve implemented so that your loved one can be safe, secure and connected. And we’d love to chat with you about our award-winning embrace memory care program and the role we each play in caring for your loved one.

Discover more about our warm and friendly memory care community as you meet our caring team. Kindly RSVP by calling 714-441-2636 to receive a personal online invitation and login info.

Memory Care | # 306004751 1510 E. Commonwealth Avenue | Fullerton, CA 92831 WWW.SENIORLIFESTYLE.COM

4

The collaboration boosting social media’s effectiveness Response rises with balanced content

Users respond better when social media content combines locally sourced and corporate office-fed posts. That’s why Fourth Quarter social media follows a new calendar. The majority of the posts are from the community, and they’re evenly interspersed with posts from the home office.

Wellness, holidays, COVID-19 protocols – these and other general-interest posts are developed for all Senior Lifestyle communities. Local communities tell their own unique stories with their posts, creating rapport with an audience of prospective residents and their families.

Social copy with video: What’s for dinner? Our dining is delicious, prepared for you and adapted to your particular diet. Watch our video and share in the comments your thoughts about how balanced, nutritious, delectable dining makes for healthier living.

Social copy without video: What’s for dinner? Our dining is delicious, prepared for you and adapted to your particular diet. We believe balanced, nutritious, delectable dining makes for healthier living. In the comments, tell about great dining you can remember.

Social copy with video: A little inspiration makes it a day. A song, a bird in flight, laughter, a good book – what will turn your head today? We like to think that life in a Senior Lifestyle community means keeping your eyes open for inspiration. Watch our video and share in the comments your thoughts about who or what inspires you.

Social copy without video: A little inspiration makes it a day. A song, a bird in flight, laughter, a good book – what will turn your head today? We like to think that life in a Senior Lifestyle community means keeping your eyes open for inspiration. In the comments, share your thoughts about who or what inspires you.

5

Social copy with video: Engage in a lifestyle loaded with opportunities for activities, conversation and adventure of all sorts – right outside your door. That’s well-being in a nutshell, and it’s the heart and soul of our senior living community, where fun, friendship and fulfillment thrive. Watch our video and share your questions about life in our community in the comments.

Social copy without video: Engage in a lifestyle loaded with opportunities for activities, conversation and adventure of all sorts – right outside your door. That’s well-being in a nutshell, and it’s the heart and soul of our senior living community, where fun, friendship and fulfillment thrive. Questions? Share your questions about life in our community in the comments.

Social copy with video: We appreciate the support of residents, their families and our staff in adapting to the rigorous sanitization routines that make all of us as safe as possible. Take a look at our video and tell us in the comments who’s keeping you safe in these times.

Social copy without video: We appreciate the support of residents, their families and our staff in adapting to the rigorous sanitization routines that make all of us as safe as possible. Who’s keeping you safe? Tell us about them in the comments.

Social copy with video: While we follow the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and mask usage – we also encourage every resident to fully engage in a lifestyle loaded with opportunities for activities, conversation and adventure of all sorts. Watch our video and share in the comments what you believe makes your life rich and full.

6

Social copy without video: While we follow the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and mask usage – we also encourage every resident to fully engage in a lifestyle loaded with opportunities for activities, conversation and adventure of all sorts. Share in the comments what you believe makes your life rich and full.

Video augments storytelling.

Community life is more relatable in video clips, and communities are encouraged to capture video of residents and staff in everyday interaction. Beyond these “slice of life” videos, however, are videos that speak to special themes. Continuing emphasis on dining, for example, can be reinforced by residents and staff sharing food stories of their own.

For a refresher on video interviews, review these guidelines:

Testimonial Questions 1. Share your interview questions a

couple of days prior so the person can think about their answers.

2. Find a place to record the video

that’s quiet and also highlights a nice area of the community.

3. Frame your video shot to best tell

Senior Lifestyle’s thematic posts are now written two ways – with and without a related video.

Prompts for a theme-related video are offered.

Ask simple questions for bigger stories.

To advance your community’s video success, simplify questions.

“Who made your day today?” can evoke an insightful story in a way “How do you feel about the staff?” can’t (“Oh, they’re wonderful!”).

the story. Viewers will want to see who’s talking more than they want to see furniture and walls.

4. If you will be asking the

questions on video, no need to include a slide with the questions prior.

5. Be sure to review the video

to ensure the sound quality is optimal for posting on Facebook or sharing via email. Strong background noise, inaudible testimony, interviewees who don’t speak loud enough and microphone noise will make most viewers lose interest.

6. Conclude every video with a call to action.

TARGET: RESIDENTS What makes today a good day?

Who would you like to say “Thank you” to – and why?

What’s one way your life is better for moving to [Name of community]?

Tell me about what you love most in your community.

Why did you choose to live at [Name of community] over others?

TARGET: STAFF What’s the best part of your work here at [Name of community]?

Lately, what makes you most proud related to [Name of community]?

What’s one way your life is better for working at [Name of community]?

What is [Name of community] doing to keep the residents and staff safe?

TARGET: ACIs How do you feel knowing [your loved one] lives here?

Who would you like to say “Thank you” to – and why?

What do you most appreciate about [Name of community]?

How does [your loved one] describe his/her life at [Name of community]?

Why did you/your loved one choose to live at [Name of community] over others?

7

Social Media in September 2020 OVERALL ENGAGEMENT RATE:

10.6% That’s up 9.7% over August’s 9.9% rate, although published posts fell 0.2% for the month.

44 communities had equal or higher engagement rates – which is up from 33 communities in August. These communities had an average of 4-12 posts per week, ranging from about twice per day to once every other day. It’s a consistent presence that doesn’t overload the social media channel – and it’s the right pace to maintain.

Vancouver Pointe had an engagement rate of

For all communities to keep this cadence, they’ll need to submit posts 3-4 times per week. Those submissions and the Grapevine-created content will sustain the right cadence for best response rates.

8

138%

on what was the highest performing post for the month. That post featured a 43-second video of a couple sharing their favorite activities at the community.

A 133-character caption was included.

Barrington of Oakley, averaging 1-2 posts per day, had an engagement rate of 21.8%. Month over month, the community is consistent with content submissions, always including multiple, high-quality photos.

Despite the noted 0.2% drop in published posts, the engagement rate continues to grow.

Why? Because the social media messages are connecting with people at a cadence that keeps them coming back.

Rutherford House had the highest number of shares for a post. A video of a couple dancing on their 70th wedding anniversary was shared 24 times.

Milestone events make for marvelous video storytelling, and when a post is shared, that story spreads!

We like it.

While it’s not the most important metric, it’s worth noticing that overall Facebook page likes are up 0.7% for the month. And when people like you, you should hear it!

9

303 East Wacker Drive, Suite 2400 Chicago, IL 60601 WWW.SE NIORLIFESTYLE.COM 10