By Bob Gregory
Social Media is one of the fastest growing segments of the
internet and in 2012 it accounted for 25% of all on-line time! Most facilities understand the importance of
Social Media to promote their facility to potential residents and their
families, but don’t overlook the value of Social Media for your current
residents. There are two different uses
for Social Media at Senior Facilities and both require different strategies. These two strategies overlap significantly
and are often mistakenly treated as one strategy. In this post, I’m going to discuss the use of
Social Media to connect your current residents with their families. If you would like to learn about using Social
Media to promote your facility, please visit www.seniorfacilitymarketing.com to learn about our services.
The
giant in Social Media is Facebook boosting over 1 billion users! Over 700 billion minutes are spent on
Facebook every month and one of the most noted activities is looking at photos
and videos posted by friends. Users of
Facebook always site it is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family
that are not in the same city or whose lives take them in different
circles. Thus the opportunity for your
Senior Facility to help your residents and their families stay in touch!
If
your facility does not have a Facebook page, you need to start one! If you have a Facebook page, here are a few
tips to keep your residents’ families connected:
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| Senior Facility Finder Facebook |
- We’ve all heard the old saying “A picture is worth a
thousand words” and we all know it’s true.
Everyone likes to look at pictures and it is especially true of
families that are apart. Your first
order of business is to post pictures of your residents. Candid shots are great, especially if
the resident is participating in activities and enjoying themselves. Be sure to include all residents, even
if they are camera shy. Try and
coordinate photos with the major activities you list on your calendar and
post them as soon after the event as possible. Make sure you are consistent with your
posts as this will keep “friends” checking back often.
- Videos can be a bit more difficult for some, but even
short clips from a cell phone can be a great way to enhance the story you
are trying to tell when a still shot just won’t do. Videos of dancing, singing and playing
musical instruments are great to show action. Be sure and record clips of guest
speakers or entertainers—this shows the families you are providing great
activities.
- Announcements are also great to post. Make sure marriage anniversaries and
anniversaries of residency are posted and certainly do not forget
birthdays! You will also want to post
announcements of upcoming events and outings that families are invited to
attend.
- Short stories are also good to share. Whether you have a blog or not, be sure
and post stories about residents that they would like to share as well as stories about staff and events that have occurred.
- Ask families for content. Create a section of your Facebook page
and devote it to photographs of residents when they were younger. This can become a virtual on-line
scrapbook for residents and their families to enjoy. Keep in mind that the intent is to
connect and not embarrass!
Encourage family members to comment on posts and make it a point to
share them with the residents. Post
information about your residents prior work lives and professions should
they wish to share—get permission on this one so as not to upset anyone.
These
are a few of the more important items to have on your Facebook page but there
are many others. Make sure you are
consistent and diligent as that’s what keeps people interested and coming back. Start a program to assure family members know
you have a Facebook page and that it is important they stay connected. Be mindful of residents’ privacy and be sure
to be tasteful in all your posts. Safety
is always a concern so be sure details of outings do not create a safety
concern. Make sure you include your
residents as they should be the “star” of your page—they are the ones the
family members come to see! Also, show
your residents your updates on the Facebook page so they will know what their
families are viewing.
For families that find they need an Assisted Living
Facility, Nursing Home or any other type of Senior Facility, I hope they will
consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. And if
you would like to learn about using Social Media to promote your facility,
please visit www.seniorfacilitymarketing.com to learn about our services.
If you would like to contribute your thoughts and ideas,
please leave them in our comment section. We want to hear them. Helping people
care for themselves or their loved ones is what we care about.
We look forward to reading yours.
Bob Gregory is an advocate
for Seniors and is one of the founders of www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. At SeniorFacilityFinder.com, we are dedicated
to helping families get the Elder Care help they need without having to provide
their personal information! If find you need an assisted living facility or
other type of senior facility, please consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com
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