Engaging Future Residents: How to Create Early Interest in a Senior Care Community Before It’s Built

Senior care communities constantly face the challenge of attracting new residents. This task becomes even more difficult when the community is still in the planning stages and hasn’t been built yet. Take the case of Enso Verde, a senior living community scheduled to open in 2028 in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The community is turning to innovative marketing strategies to build excitement and entice residents to submit a deposit before construction starts.

How the Enso Verde Team Approached Marketing

Bradlee Foerschner, director of marketing at Enso Verde

Enso Verde Marketing Director Bradlee Foerschner explains that marketing for the community began in 2023 and encompasses digital marketing, direct mail, and hosting events throughout the Simi Valley area. “As many marketers of established communities know, prospective residents often fall in love on the tour of a community and by interacting with current residents so they can appreciate the look and feel of their new potential home,” she says. “For a community that has not even broken ground yet, it is important to create other ways perspective residents can get that experience.”

To create that perspective, the team turned to Enso Verde’s sister community, Enso Village, which is located in Northern California.

How a Priority Member Visit Helped Build Interest

While visitors couldn’t view Enso Verde, Enso Village provided an alternative destination. The Enso Verde sales team invited 60 prospective members to visit the community on August 6 and 7. “For this tour, we wanted to take advantage of the “rare opportunity” to walk prospective residents through a sister community to give them a feel for it,” says Foerschner. “We hoped that seeing for themselves what life may be like at Enso Verde would help them feel confidence about making a decision now.”

The individuals invited to the tour have already put down a property member deposit, and joined priority membership by participating in in-person or login events that are connected to the website with the sales team. These selected priority members each paid $150 to cover roundtrip airfare, transportation, and lunch.

During the visit, prospective residents went on personalized tours, exploring the Zendo, fitness center, yoga and tea rooms, and pool. The culinary team prepared a lunch for each guest. Current residents at each dining table meant that members could connect with and learn from those who already call Enso Village home. Foerschner notes that guest comments expressed admiration for the community’s openness, the enriching reactions, and the hospitality of the Enso Village residents.

Additionally, members who visited Enso Village are citing the trip as a reason why they’re feeling positive about a move to Enso Verde once the community is completed.

Additional Plans for the Community’s Opening

Enso Verde plans to host another Enso Village visit next year, and there will also be events scheduled on the Enso Verde site.

The marketing efforts are also structured to encourage potential residents to make deposits early on. “We recently started to welcome Enso Verde Priority Members to our new Preview Center for the “First Look Seminars,” where members began the process of securing a reservation for the future Enso Verde development,” says Foerschner. “We began taking reservations in October. Significant savings can be secured by joining the Wisdom Circle.”

While senior care communities may not always have a sister community that can host such visits, there are other ways to generate interest, even while a community is still under construction. Multi-phase marketing campaigns can generate interest during all construction phases, and offering incentives to put down a deposit earlier can increase the value that potential residents receive.  There are many ways to describe the value of making a deposit early on, and highlighting standout services and features of the community can help generate conversations with potential residents, allowing sales teams to build relationships and continue to engage with those leads.

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.