Assisted Living Reputation Management Strategies: Building a Positive Online Presence

A recent census data projected that one out of every five Americans will be senior citizens shortly.

With an aging population and rising accessibility to advanced healthcare facilities, more individuals seek assisted living facilities that ensure high-quality care, independence, and socialization for their loved ones.

Assisted living facilities also allow residents to maintain privacy while receiving personalized care and support from trained professionals.

This convenience in care and peace of mind increases the demand for assisted living facilities, fueling their growth to US$46.78 billion by 2032 from US$27 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.70%.

With a wide range of assisted living facilities available. Online reviews are set to offer valuable insights into the quality of care different facilities provide, enabling families to make more informed decisions.

Positive reviews can provide assurance and confidence in the chosen facility, helping prospective residents understand the overall reputation of the provider and the experiences of the existing residents.

This emphasizes the importance of reputation management for assisted living facilities, which can influence prospects' decisions and ensure they find a facility that meets their needs.

Let’s discuss seven online reputation management strategies for assisted living facilities. These strategies help them increase resident inflow and outperform their competitors. 

7 Strategies for Assisted Living Reputation Management

Reputation management is crucial for assisted living facilities to attract new residents and maintain a positive image in the community.

Here are seven strategies to help assisted living facilities improve their reputation:

Making It Easy to Connect

By actively engaging with residents, their families, and even the community, assisted living facilities can cultivate strong relationships that can help to build a positive reputation.

Here is how you can connect with residents and their families:

Strategy 1: Simple Appointment Scheduling

According to a survey, the average wait time for a physician appointment in 2022 is 26 days, increased from 24.1 days in 2017. For prospects, long wait times can lead to frustration, anxiety, and even a delay in receiving necessary care.

So, assisted living facilities must focus on effective appointment scheduling to increase resident satisfaction, reduce no-shows, and streamline operations.

Research reveals that:

• 67% of patients prefer online booking. 
• 26% of online appointments are for same-day or next-day.
• 22% prefer booking appointments by phone.
• 41% of all booking services are found through social media.

This data insists on offering multiple appointment scheduling options (online forms, phone calls, etc.) to cater to different resident needs and preferences, making it easier for them to book appointments at their convenience.

Besides offering multiple options, making them user-friendly is also important.

Same study reveals that 94% of individuals would be more likely to choose a new service provider if they offer online booking options, and 68% of patients are more likely to choose a provider that allows them to book, change, or cancel appointments online. 

So, assisted living facilities must offer online scheduling forms that allow residents to book appointments 24/7, with options to reschedule and cancel.

Automated reminders have been making a significant impact on reducing no-shows, with a notable 29% reduction. Automated reminders are important for those booking appointments amid their work days, ensuring they attend them, thus reducing no-shows.

Strategy 2: Virtual Tours: A Welcoming Approach

With 50% of executives thinking that a minimum of 25% of outpatient care, preventive care, long-term care, and well-being services would move to virtual delivery by 2040, offering virtual healthcare to patients has become increasingly important for healthcare providers.

Virtual healthcare benefits individuals with limited mobility or those living in remote areas with limited access to care facilities. Additionally, virtual healthcare can increase resident satisfaction by providing convenient and easily accessible options for receiving care.

Here are some benefits of virtual healthcare:

• Pre-Visit Orientation

A virtual tour provides an excellent opportunity for residents to become familiar with an assisted living facility before their visit. This helps individuals anxious about their upcoming visit be physically and mentally prepared.

• Remote Consultations

The virtual tour removes the necessity for in-person interaction, enabling people to access guidance and care from the convenience of their residence.

• Health Education

Gone are the days of passive reading or watching generic videos. Virtual tours now provide interactive anatomy lessons and comprehensive videos that simplify understanding complex procedures.

• Rehabilitation and Therapy

Virtual tours help create virtual replicas of outdoor settings, allowing for the simulation of walking and mobility exercises. This unique approach is beneficial, especially when people cannot move independently due to health conditions.

Here is how you can create informative and engaging virtual tours:

• Planning: Organize your tour carefully by outlining the key areas and departments you want to showcase. Consider the tour flow and ensure it highlights the most important aspects of your facility.
• Equipment: Use high-quality cameras and interactive elements to engage viewers. Incorporate 360-degree photos, videos, and detailed descriptions to view the space comprehensively.
• Testimonials: Include testimonials from residents and staff to add a personal touch and build credibility.
• Upload: To reach a wider audience, Ensure your virtual tour is easily accessible on multiple platforms and devices.

Strategy 3: Building Relationships Through Personalization 

Research reveals that 71% of consumers anticipate personalized interactions from companies, and 76% express frustration when these expectations are not met. So, assisted living facilities must consider tailoring communication and marketing efforts.

Tailored marketing and communication help understand residents on a deeper level and cater to their specific preferences and interests, creating more engaging and meaningful interactions.

According to research, 63% of respondents saw higher conversion rates as the primary advantage of personalization. 

Here is how you can implement personalization into your communication and marketing:

• Addressing Concerns During Virtual Tours

By considering the individual's needs and worries, assisted living facilities can ensure a smoother and more informative virtual tour that addresses specific concerns, such as services offered, financing options, etc.

• Sending Targeted Emails

By segmenting the audience and sending emails that cater to their specific interests and needs, assisted living facilities can better engage with residents and provide them with relevant information and resources.

Consistency Is Key: Maintaining a Strong Brand Image

Maintaining a strong brand image helps assisted living facilities build trust and credibility with existing and prospective residents while differentiating them from competitors.

Here is how you can improve your online perception:

Strategy 4: Consistent Branding Across Platforms

Maintaining consistent messaging and visuals across platforms is crucial to building a strong and cohesive brand identity, which has increased revenues by 23%. 

This ensures that your audience receives a consistent experience regardless of where they interact with your brand, whether on your website, social media, or other marketing channels.

Consistency helps to create brand recognition and trust, as residents are more likely to remember and engage with a brand that presents a unified image. Maintaining your messaging and visuals establishes a clear brand voice and personality that resonates with your target audience.

Maintaining a cohesive visual identity and consistent messaging across multiple channels enhances the chances of your brand catching attention and being remembered and recalled when there is a demand for your service.

According to a finding, consumers tend to place greater trust in information shared via social media by healthcare providers such as doctors and hospitals. So, building a clear and recognizable brand image is essential for establishing trust with your audience.

A strong brand identity helps create a sense of familiarity and consistency, building residents' credibility and loyalty. When residents can easily recognize and identify your brand, they are more likely to trust your services' quality and reliability.

Strategy 5: Encouraging Positive Reviews

According to RepuGen Patient Review Survey 2024, 73% of patients consider online reviews when choosing a healthcare provider.

Positive reviews boost a provider's credibility and reputation and play a crucial role in attracting new residents. Encouraging residents to leave positive reviews can directly impact a facility's growth and success.

Here are some strategies for asking for residents and their families to leave reviews:

• Ask them directly to write reviews.
• Place your review platform links across your website to direct residents.
• Print out instructions for those who are not tech-savvy to visit review platforms.
• Send a follow-up email to the resident or their family after their visit.
• Use snail-mail techniques for residents who want to receive physical mail.
• Send your residents a thank you video and ask them to leave a review.
• Connect with your residents on social media and ask them to share their experiences.
• Contact residents via phone and request a review.
• Make "asking for reviews" a part of your routine.
• Utilize online reputation management software to gather reviews from happy patients.

Besides acquiring reviews, responding to reviews helps maintain a reputable online presence, as it shows your residents that their opinions are valued and that you are committed to providing excellent service.

According to a study, 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews. So, expressing gratitude to residents who take the time to leave positive reviews encourages other residents to do the same while showing your appreciation for their kind words.

Also, responding to reviews allows you to highlight the strengths and positive aspects of your facility that are mentioned, further emphasizing the reasons why potential residents should choose your service.

Expanding Your Reach and Building Trust

It is imperative for assisted living facilities to reach a broader audience to increase brand awareness, attract new residents, and drive growth.

Here is how you can expand your reach and build trust with your residents:

Strategy 6: The Power of Referrals: Building Trust Through Advocacy 

According to RepuGen Patient Review Survey 2024, referrals from family and friends (60.11%) and medical professionals (58.08%) are the top two patient considerations when choosing a healthcare provider.

Referrals can be a powerful tool for assisted living facilities looking to build trust and credibility with potential residents. When someone refers a friend, family member, or colleague to a facility, they warrant that provider's service quality and reliability.

This word-of-mouth marketing can be incredibly effective because people are more likely to trust recommendations from someone they know and respect.

By actively seeking and cultivating referrals from satisfied residents, assisted living facilities can attract new residents and establish a reputation for excellence in their industry.

Strategy 7: Improving Search Engine Visibility: Getting Found Online

Maintaining a strong online reputation is crucial for assisted living facilities to attract and retain residents.

According to The Telegraph, the Vice President of Google Health, David Feinberg, stated that approximately 7% of Google's daily searches are health-related. Consequently, Google receives more than one billion health-related queries daily.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital in enhancing an assisted living facility's online presence. 

By optimizing their website with relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and obtaining backlinks from reputable sources, these facilities can drive more traffic, improving their search engine rankings and visibility.

This, in turn, helps potential residents find them more easily when searching for assisted living services online while establishing them as trustworthy and authoritative sources in their field.

How RepuGen Helps Assisted Living Healthcare in Their Reputation Management

RepuGen is a renowned company that specializes in online reputation management. It helps assisted living facilities maintain a positive image and strong online presence.

By monitoring online reviews, social media platforms, and search engine results, RepuGen helps assisted living facilities proactively manage their online reputation to attract more residents and enhance credibility.

With customized solutions and compatible services, RepuGen helps assisted living facilities shape their online presence, which increases brand loyalty and revenue.

Here is what RepuGen does to build and maintain your assisted living facility's online reputation:

• Developing a Comprehensive ORM Strategy

By utilizing RepuGen's features, such as analyzing online reviews and patient feedback, assisted living facilities can gain valuable insights into their reputation and areas for improvement.

This data can create a proactive ORM strategy that addresses negative feedback and promotes positive reviews.

• Monitoring Online Reviews and Responding Appropriately

RepuGen's monitoring tools can help track and respond to reviews in a timely and appropriate manner, enabling assisted living facilities to manage their online reputations and build trust and credibility with potential residents and their families.

• RepuGen Is HIPAA Compliant

HIPAA regulations are crucial in safeguarding resident privacy, especially today, where online engagement with assistive care providers is becoming common.

RepuGen understands the importance of adhering to these regulations to ensure the security and confidentiality of residents' sensitive information. 

Providing a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform, RepuGen allows assisted living facilities to collect, analyze, and respond to resident feedback transparently and confidentially.

This way, they can always protect their residents' data privacy and security.

Improve Your Digital Perception With Repugen

We understand that online reviews and ratings can greatly impact a potential resident's decision when choosing your assisted living facility.

That's why RepuGen is here to help your assisted living facility maintain a positive online presence. Contact us today for a consultation on improving and maintaining your facility's online reputation.