This is a list of things to do, not a plan. A plan decides how many move-ins you need, from where and at what cost; if you do not have one yet, start with the senior living marketing plan and come back.
Each idea below says what it is for and how you will know it worked. None of them is new. Few communities run all of them well.
Search and local
1. One page per care type, per community
A single “Services” page cannot rank for assisted living, memory care and independent living at once, and it cannot answer the different questions each family has. Give each care type its own page: who it is for, what care is included, what it costs to start, what a day looks like, and a way to book a tour.
Measure: organic visits and tour requests per care-type page.
2. Publish a starting price
Families want a number before they call. A starting range with a plain explanation of what changes it (unit size, care level, second occupant) filters out inquiries that could never afford the rate and builds trust with the ones who can. Hiding it does not make the conversation easier later.
Measure: the share of inquiries that are financially qualified, before and after.
3. Run the Google Business Profile as a census channel
For many families the map result is the first thing they see. Set the right primary category for each care type, add current photos (with written resident consent), keep hours and phone numbers right, and reply to every review, including the bad ones. We have written up how to treat your Google Business Profile as a census channel in detail.
Measure: calls, direction requests and website clicks from the profile.
4. Answer the tour questions in writing
The questions families ask on a tour are the questions they type into search and AI assistants first. What happens if Mom’s care needs change? Who is on the floor at night? Can we bring the dog? Put direct answers on the community pages, one question per heading, with the answer in the first sentence.
Measure: impressions and clicks on those queries in Google Search Console.
Tours and response
5. Let families book a tour online
A form that says “someone will be in touch” loses the family who is ready now. A self-serve booking calendar on every care-type page lets them pick a time at 10pm on a Sunday.
Measure: tours booked online, and the share booked outside office hours.
6. Text back instantly after hours
An automated text within a minute of an inquiry, naming the person who will call and when, holds the family’s attention until someone can. It costs almost nothing to set up.
Measure: contact rate on after-hours inquiries.
7. Film every floor plan
Short walkthrough videos of each unit type, shot on a phone by someone who knows the building, answer the question photos cannot: how big is it really? Virtual tours help families shortlist before they commit an afternoon to a visit.
Measure: tour requests from pages with video against pages without.
8. Confirm and remind every tour
A booked tour with no confirmation or reminder is a no-show waiting to happen. Send a confirmation at booking, a reminder the day before with directions and parking, and a text on the morning.
Measure: tour no-show rate.
Nurture
9. Nurture by care type, not one newsletter
An independent living prospect may take a year to decide; a memory care family may decide this week. Build separate sequences with different pacing and content for each. Email is the cheapest move-in channel most communities are not running properly.
Measure: tours booked from nurture emails.
10. Re-open old inquiries
Families who said “not yet” six to eighteen months ago are often ready now, and nobody has called. A short, personal re-engagement sequence to closed or stalled leads is some of the cheapest pipeline you will find. Our marketing automation service sets these up.
Measure: tours and move-ins from re-engaged leads.
11. Offer a planning resource worth downloading
A tour checklist, a worksheet comparing the cost of staying home with care against moving, or a guide to talking with a parent about the move. Useful enough that a family would print it, and gated only by an email address.
Measure: downloads, then tours from those contacts within the care type’s sales cycle.
Paid media and social
12. Give hard-to-fill units their own campaigns
The last empty units are rarely the easy ones. If two floor plans sit empty longest, give them their own ads, landing pages and budget, instead of hoping a general campaign fills them.
Measure: days vacant for those units.
13. Let the creative do the targeting on Meta
Senior housing ads generally run in Meta’s Housing special ad category, which removes age, gender and ZIP-code targeting. So write the ad for the person you want: “When Dad can no longer live alone” speaks to an adult child in a way no targeting setting can. Avoid copy that implies you know the viewer’s health condition.
Measure: qualified inquiries and cost per move-in, not clicks.
14. Post resident life, with consent
Real moments from the community do more than stock photos. Get written consent from each resident (or their representative) before posting, and keep a record of it. Staff spotlights work twice: families see who provides care, and job seekers see where they might work. Our social media management runs on that rule.
Measure: profile visits and website clicks from social, then inquiries.
15. Use CTV to open or reposition a community
Connected TV ads in a defined geography build familiarity before a family needs you, which matters most for a new building or one changing its care mix. It is an awareness channel, so judge it on what awareness should produce.
Measure: branded search volume and direct site visits from the target area.
Referrals and community
16. Host education, not open houses
Evening sessions on dementia care, paying for senior living, or legal planning with a local elder law attorney bring in families who are early in the decision. Promote them online, take registrations, and follow up afterwards.
Measure: registrations, attendees who tour within 90 days.
17. Build the professional referral channel
Discharge planners, elder law attorneys, geriatric care managers and home health teams refer families every week. Give them what they need: current availability, care capabilities, a direct phone line, and a fast response. Do not offer anything of value in exchange for referrals, and check with counsel where federal health program rules may apply.
Measure: referred inquiries and move-ins by source.
18. Work with local creators, with disclosure
A local creator or community figure who visits and shares their honest experience can reach families you cannot. If there is any material connection (payment, a free meal, a gift), the FTC’s Endorsement Guides require a clear disclosure in the post. Get resident consent for anyone who appears on camera.
Measure: referral traffic and inquiries from the creator’s link or code.
How to pick three
Do not run all eighteen. Look at where your funnel leaks. If inquiries arrive but few are reached, start with 5, 6 and 8. If tours happen but few become move-ins, start with 2, 9 and 10. If nobody is inquiring, start with 1, 3 and 12.
Then measure each one against the move-ins it produced, not the activity it created. Our guide to senior living marketing KPIs shows how to set that up.
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