AAHSA FutureAge Sept/Oct 2010 - 36

Who Decides How We Communicate With Consumers?
Providers are using the new tools of social media to leverage their roles as trusted sources of information for seniors and their families.
b y C o lle e n K i n de r

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iking to work one morning, Trace Oberholtzer happened	to	pass	Landis	Homes’	garden,	where	two	 colleagues	were	picking	fresh	herbs.	Rather	than	pedal	 past	this	scene,	Oberholtzer,	Landis	Homes’	HR	manager,	 paused	to	take	photos	of	the	early	morning	harvest.	Moments	 later,	the	500	individuals	who	make	up	Landis’	Homes’	online	 community	had	access	to	images	of	the	homegrown	herbs	 which,	Oberholtzer	enthusiastically	noted,	would	flavor	Sunday’s	ratatouille	dinner. These	are	the	kinds	of	efforts	that	Larry	Zook	is	encouraging	at	Landis	Homes,	hoping	to	harness	the	power	of	social	 media	to	put	a	human	face	on	the	114-acre,	632-unit	retirement	community	where	he	is	president	and	CEO.	Through	 Facebook	and	Twitter,	as	well	as	the	company	Web	site,	Zook	 showcases	the	ways	he	and	colleagues	go	the	extra	mile,	from	 inviting	a	local	artist	to	make	snow	sculptures,	to	running	a	 memory	loss	support	group. “There	are	many	good	things	going	on	at	Landis	Homes	and	 social	media	is	just	a	way	to	open	a	window	into	these	good	 things,”	Zook	explains.	He	makes	a	point	of	writing	to	new	 members	of	the	Landis	Homes	Facebook	group	to	thank	them	 for	joining,	using	the	“message”	tool	as	a	kind	of	handshake.	 “Making	human	connections	is	the	greatest	benefit	[of	social	 media],”	says	Zook. One	of	the	first	things	Zook	realized	upon	creating	Landis	 Homes’	social	media	platform	was	that	he	needed	help.	“I	 knew	if	only	one	person	held	this	responsibility,”	he	recounts,	 “we’d	be	limiting	the depth	and	breadth”	of	the	platform. He	 also	knew	social	media	was	not	about	high-cost,	big-splash	 publicity,	but	rather	about	free	and	frequent	postings	that	 would	captivate	a	broad	community	of	current	residents,	 prospective	residents,	relatives,	staff,	community	players,	and	 finally,	potential	employees.	 So	Zook	asked	four	team	members—employees	like	Oberholtzer,	who	were	already	passionate	about	social	media	and	 versed	in	its	basic	workings—to	help	him	update	the	Facebook	 page	on	a	regular	basis,	using	various	kinds	of	multimedia. “We	trust	team	members	to	represent	Landis	Homes	and	
futureAge	| September/October 2010

community life well,” Zook comments. The organization’s Facebook	page	reflects	this	team	effort;	a	visitor	to	the	page	 will	see	videos	of	ducks	on	the	Landis	Homes’	campus,	contest	 announcements,	links	to	helpful	articles,	and	notices	about	the	 most	recent	job	openings.	According	to	Zook,	the	clear	benefit	of	this	team	effort	is	“a	variety	of	perspectives	and	greater	 depth	in	making	connections	with	consumers.”	

Learning to Participate “You have to draw [consumers] in by being interesting,” reasons	Lori	Bitter,	president	and	CEO	of	Continuum	Crew,	an	 advertising	and	marketing	agency	specializing	in	understanding	baby	boomers.	She	sees	the	huge	surge	in	social	media	 activity	among	people	over	45	(a	surge	she	attributes	to	the	 recession	and	the	“cocooning”	Americans	are	now	doing	in	 their	homes)	as	a	mandate	to	aging-services	providers	to	 establish	their	presence	online	through	social	media	platforms. Bitter,	in	working	with	providers	to	do	just	that,	has	noticed	 a	common	pitfall.	“The	hardest	part	is	participating	[in	social	 media	conversations]	without	self-promoting	too	much,”	she	 says.	“The	community	owns	the	platform	and	this	is	more	 about	playing	by	the	rules	of	the	community.”	She	encourages	 clients	to	bear	in	mind	that	they	neither	own	nor	control	the	 medium	but	instead	participate	in	it.	“It’s	easy	for	a	company	 to	get	thrown	by	the	wayside	if	[it	gets]	too	self-promotional	 or	too	newsy,”	warns	Bitter. Finding	your	target	audience	can	be	just	as	challenging,	says	 Tina	McIntosh,	president	and	CEO	of	Joy’s	House,	an	adult	 day	provider	in	Indianapolis,	Ind.	“It	is	very	hard	to	target	the	 caregiver	through	social	media,”	claims	McIntosh.	“Few	people	 refer	to	themselves	as	caregivers,”	she	explains.	“They	don’t	 put	it	in	their	online	profiles	and	biographies.”	Consequently,	 Joy’s	House	has	tried	to	reach	caregivers	and	seniors	through	 indirect	means.	It	does	this	primarily	by	messaging	in	a	way	 caregivers	will	identify	with	(for	example,	images	of	women	 caring	for	loved	ones	while	juggling	various	responsibilities)	 and	by	developing	online	content	that	caregivers	and	seniors	 are	likely	to	run	Web	searches	for.

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AAHSA FutureAge Sept/Oct 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAHSA FutureAge Sept/Oct 2010
