How Storytelling Can Enhance Your Senior Care Community’s Brand

To effectively market your senior care community, it’s essential to stand out amidst the flood of messages your audience encounters daily. While there’s constant pressure to discover fresh and innovative approaches, one of the most timeless and powerful tools — storytelling — could be the key to capturing their attention and driving your success.

Liz Weir, CMO of LevLane Advertising

“Storytelling almost has a magical effect on the reader or viewer,” explains Liz Weir, CMO of LevLane Advertising. “When you are listening to or reading a story, your brain goes into suspension and the story takes over. It connects with the person on a deeper level – an emotional level. And that has staying power beyond just listing benefits and attributes of your offering.”

She explains that storytelling can be transformational when used to build your brand, and that it’s far more powerful than the typical problem-solution marketing approach. “A good way to illustrate this is thinking about a really great book you’ve read or a movie you’ve watched where you are completely engrossed and invested in the characters,” explains Weir. “It moves you. It carves out a permanent place in your brain. It stays with you – sometimes for days, weeks, or even years – after you’ve finished the last chapter.”

Jeremy Johnson, creative director at LevLane Advertising, has nearly 20 years of experience in the senior living industry. He notes that storytelling, including featuring testimonials of real people who have experienced a senior living community or lifestyle, is the most beneficial type of marketing available. Most consumers don’t want to be “sold” on a product or service, but compelling stories create deeper, more meaningful connections. “By highlighting and featuring actual stories – real people – so others can absorb their truths and say, ‘They’re like me, and have had similar experiences, maybe I should consider this change,’ then we can make the best advertising even more powerful,” he says.

Patti Myers, senior account strategist at SmartBug Media

Research indicates that we’re 20 times more likely to remember a story than we are to remember a fact. “Storytelling can make abstract concepts, facts—and your marketing—come to life,” says Patti Myers, senior account strategist at SmartBug Media. “It brings your marketing to life and grounds your marketing in the reality of experience.”

The Types of Marketing Best Suited to Stories

Put simply, storytelling can be incorporated into any type of marketing. “Done well, you can find a way to translate personal stories into any channel,” says Johnson. He recommends creating a plan to tell a story through multiple marketing channels simultaneously. Smaller sound bites or quotes can be incorporated into direct mail, emails, or social media. Those marketing efforts can then connect to longer-form and immersive content that’s published on your website. “Video is the most engaging form of this type of content, but written accounts and interviews with still images can also be effective,” he explains.

How to Capture Senior Care Community Stories

Myers recommends that marketing teams start by understanding the story of the community or organization, itself. Factors like why the community was established; the values, hopes, and mission of the founders; and how those values connect with the organization today can provide a deeper understanding of the community’s story. “Telling the story of your organization allows others to see themselves as a part of your mission,” Myers explains.

Jeremy Johnson, creative director at LevLane Advertising

When it comes to capturing stories within the community, Johnson recommends working with an advertising agency or marketing partner. The partner can help outline a content strategy and develop a system to capture content. “Obviously, you can work with these groups to implement everything, but they can’t always be available to capture spontaneous moments—and this can also be cost prohibitive,” he says. “The best approach is to develop a partnership focused on training; how to capture things, what to capture, and even how to post it and manage it online.”

Effectively capturing a story partially depends on preparation. “We spend a lot of time listening and pre-interviewing subjects,” says Johnson. “It not only helps us get to know them better making them more comfortable, but it can help zero in on the high points, so that when the camera or tape recorder is running you can be sure to get the best material.”

He also notes that you can’t plan to get everything in a single take. While social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are full of videos that look extraordinarily professional, they’re the result of content creators using microphones, lighting, enhanced camera equipment, and editing software to create those emotions that the videos evoke. “Getting to that level of production value isn’t hard, but it does require planning and patience. And usually more than one take,” he says.

Strategies for Successful Storytelling

While the organization’s story is certainly important, Weir cautions against using it as the central focus in your marketing. “Don’t try to make your organization the hero in the story,” she says. “That’s a big mistake in marketing. The resident is the hero. The community is the background character helping them reach their goals.”

She encourages communities to choose stories that resonate with their target audience. This may mean that some great stories don’t land, and that’s okay. Instead, choose stories that support your overall vision and brand.

How you tell the story matters, too. “A good story has structure – It should have a story arch, a little tension. It should have a satisfying resolution,” says Weir. “The best stories always include tension or conflict in there before resolution, so don’t try to make it all unicorns and rainbows or it won’t have that same emotional connection.”

Myers highlights the importance of choosing stories that are authentic. “Prospects should be able to see themselves in the stories you choose to tell,” she says. Additionally, an audience is more likely to trust a testimonial if they can see the person who’s giving it. Myers suggests pairing a quote with a video or photos, rather than with a name only.

Getting Started with Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can enhance and transform your existing marketing efforts. If your community hasn’t previously explored storytelling, Johnson encourages you to start by talking with your staff and residents. “Every community is full of amazing stories and relatable experiences,” he says. “The trick is finding someone who is willing to share with you and really wants their story to be told.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” notes Myers. “The right agency partner can assist with video and content development and can make the foray into storytelling both easier and more strategic.”

Paige Cerulli

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