{"id":14015,"date":"2015-10-27T05:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=14015"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:32:31","slug":"marketing-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/marketing-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Traditional senior housing marketing\u2014idyllic stock photos and expertly crafted text– no longer stands out to prospects. A growing trend reveals the power of marketing that features real residents, their quotati\"SeniorStar3\"ons, and their experiences at the community.<\/p>\n

Yardi client, Senior Star<\/a>, is far ahead of the trend. The company made the decision to focus on resident-centric marketing more than 15 years ago. Letitia Jackson, Vice President of Corporate Engagement, explains, \u201cWe could think of no one better to represent what Senior Star does, why we do what we do, and who we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Star rarely uses stock images. A good stock image gains popularity and circulates throughout websites targeted towards seniors. Brands become indistinguishable. Jackson says, \u201cWe believe this may have a detrimental impact on organizational credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast, custom images add value to the prospect\u2019s online experience. Branding is reinforced: the logo on staff uniforms, the color scheme in interior d\u00e9cor, and most importantly, faces that the prospects will recognize once they visit the site.<\/p>\n

Real residents come with genuine ties to the local community, which is a major win in most cases. \u201cThere is much to be said for the value in the local markets of a resident’s influence,\u201d says Jackson. \u201cMost communities in the industry have a resident or two who is well known or even a local celebrity. \u00a0 We know the power reviews carry; a resident who is known locally and is used in our advertising may be perceived as providing a tacit endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same rings true for staff. \u201cIn addition to using residents, we also use actual Senior Star associates. \u00a0It creates a degree of confidence and an early connection when someone who is considering our community actually encounters and recognizes an associate they’ve \u2018met\u2019 in our ads or brochure,\u201d Jackson says.<\/p>\n

T\"SeniorStar1\"he custom images also carry other advantages. Anja Rogers, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Senior Star, has witnessed how custom images change resident morale. \u201cUsing actual resident photos brings pride and energy to the community, inside and out,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Preparation for the photo shoot or commercial is a rare opportunity for most residents to experience their 15 minutes of fame, some for the first time. An ordinary day becomes extraordinary.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn photo shoot days, we make it an all-day affair,\u201d recalls Rogers. \u201cFrom special chairs, to makeup artists, to photographs framed with \u2018a star is born.\u2019 A great time is had by all! You get to hear life stories and watch residents truly come to life on film. There is so much emotion! Seeing three and four generations interact while snapping a great picture of a daughter hugging her father–when perhaps their last professional photo together was her wedding day–it\u2019s priceless. It is the experience and the marketing materials are made!\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision to use real residents in marketing isn\u2019t always easy. Residents may take a while to warm up to the camera. Sometimes shoots are rescheduled for health concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother consideration is how important it is to remain current. \u00a0The loss of a resident is a sad and sometimes difficult reality in our industry. It is important to be sensitive to the impact that an ad featuring a resident may have on a family that has experienced the loss of a loved one,\u201d says Rogers.<\/p>\n

Finding the right professionals poses another challenge. Seniors are a unique group and not all photographers have the social skills needed to serve them. \u201cIt i\"red-hat-ladies-senior-star\"s important to choose the professionals who will handle the shoot carefully; that is the biggest challenge,\u201d Rogers says.<\/p>\n

Yet the marketing team\u2019s efforts have been well worth it. Jackson says, \u201cWhile we have not done any formal measurement regarding the response to the use of residents in our advertising, I can tell you that the response has been positive. The families of our residents are proud to share our information when their parents are included, which proved to be an unexpected benefit. \u00a0Referral partners are able to recognize their former clients or patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The real marketing also resonates with the generation that is currently being served. Rogers explains, \u201cWe are a very transparent\u00a0company, and that includes advertising. We learned this from the Greatest Generation,\u201d she smiles. \u201cThey did not want \u2018models.\u2019 They wanted real<\/em> faces, real experiences. We\u00a0remained in constant battle with [the residents], looking for the \u2018real\u2019 resident. This is such an important decision, one of the greatest, toughest decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resident-centered marketing isn\u2019t a trend for Senior Star. It has no plans to return to traditional marketing techniques. The benefits and joys of featuring residents have outweighed the challenges. \u201cThey deserve for us to keep it real,\u201d says Rogers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traditional senior housing marketing\u2014idyllic stock photos and expertly crafted text– no longer stands out to prospects. A growing trend reveals the power of marketing that features real residents, their quotations, and their experiences at the community. Yardi client, Senior Star, is far ahead of the trend. The company made the decision to focus on resident-centric […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":14017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1440,2952],"tags":[62,842,1020,868,116],"class_list":["post-14015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-senior-living","tag-marketing","tag-senior-living","tag-senior-star","tag-seniors","tag-yardi-client-profile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Traditional senior housing marketing\u2014idyllic stock photos and expertly crafted text-- no longer stands out to prospects. 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