Marketing Senior Housing

Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein have published the first “how-to” senior housing marketing compendium, based on their collective history of success, that is intelligent, forthright, and street savvy. From the very first chapter, Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing offers endless pearls and straight-line formulas for those who are beginning and inside advice for the especially experienced professional. There’s even a Marketing Plan Template on CD.

Don’t be fooled by the title into thinking this is a book only for the marketing professional. Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is a smart purchase for anyone who manages senior housing communities. Too often, the executive director or chief executive officer isn’t knowledgeable about the very foundation of the organization’s revenue stream. This leader often lacks assessment skills—or even the basic language of marketing. Leadership also tends to shy away from the tension between the marketing office and other operating departments. Trouble brews from a lack of understanding of, and an appreciation for, how interdependent operations and marketing are. Ensuring that each department head gains access to Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing can go a long way to resolving these tensions. It offers an avenue of knowledge that leads to more effective teamwork.

The confidence expressed in this straightforward read is both reassuring and inspiring in a competitive marketplace where future success is in the balance and where precious dollars are set aside from tight operations budgets. Hopefully, every senior housing community will have one or more copies of Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing eventually frayed at the corners and sagging from use. Those organizations who understand there truly is no maintaining any longer, only growth, whether at a single site or within a system, will seize this opportunity to learn from the wealth of experience Phyllis and Christine bring to such a critical topic. This book is long overdue.

ROBERT M. ALSTON
President & Chief Executive Officer
Friendship Senior Options, Inc.
Friendship Village of Schaumburg Parent Company

For senior housing providers to be successful year in and year out, they must have a marketing plan and program that every employee, not just the marketing staff, takes on as his or her own. Such a program becomes a way of life for staff in meeting the ever-increasing challenges of maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace. If you really want to learn how to turn your community into a powerhouse, where every staff member understands the power of his or her daily “marketing” presence within the community, I highly recommend this publication to you.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success has been developed by two of the most respected and successful innovators in marketing senior housing communities. They have combined their talents and energies to give us the gift of their vast experience in an easy-to-apply strategy for marketing success.

JOSEPH L. BENSON, RHPF
President
Wyndemere Senior Living Campus

I started out in the industry 14 years ago as that inexperienced young kid with a marketing degree who is described in Chapter Four of Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing. I found myself in a job with no manual, no textbook, and no idea how to market a retirement community. I struggled for a couple of years, running same old ad in the local newspaper and having those “cheerful open houses.”

As I continued to see occupancy rates drop, a card came in the mail advertising a marketing seminar and Phyllis Thornton was the featured speaker. It was one of those days that you say to yourself, “I need to attend, but who has time? I’m too busy trying to fill these apartments!” When the card reappeared, I decided to attend, and discovered all the things I was doing wrong, and then learned what to do right. I later worked with Phyllis to develop a marketing plan that I use to this day. I refer to it as my “marketing bible.” Today, Park Central maintains 98% occupancy in the midst of a competitive marketplace.

The information presented in Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing now makes it possible for other retirement communities to enjoy the same success. It lays out a step-by-step program to reach and maintain your occupancy goals. No retirement community should go into a master planning process without first having these proven strategies in place.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is the best investment you will ever make to ensure the success of your community and your profession.

PAULA BLISS
Assistant Vice President Marketing
Park Central Retirement Community

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing--The 15 Critical Components of Success is the best resource for senior living marketing I have ever read! It's a must for success oriented people and communities.

DENNIS BOZZI
President
Life Services Network

At last, there is a comprehensive, easy-to-follow book about how to market senior housing the right way. I plan to furnish copies of Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing to all our leadership staff and I recommend other boards do the same. Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein have given their readers all of the necessary knowledge, tools, and motivation to successfully market with ease, skill, and confidence.

SUSIE BUSS
Board Member
Hamilton Communities

As the senior housing industry becomes more competitive and new players enter the market, it is essential for marketing directors and sales staff to become more educated and adept. However, until now, there was no one source from which to obtain all the information needed. Most marketing directors rely on seminars or conferences that may or may not provide adequate information. Some organizations engage consultants to provide training for their marketing staff. Networking and information sharing is another common way of learning. The Life Services Network Marketing Professional Certification Program (MPCP), which I attended in 1998, is perhaps the only option that provides the essentials of marketing senior housing. Now Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing brings all the information and expertise of the MPCP to a broader audience.

As an 11-year veteran of the marketing profession, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein. I know first hand that the proven methods presented by these two seasoned professionals are based on their many years of development and implementation experience in a variety of communities. Their combined knowledge has come together in this comprehensive, yet easy-to-read book.

Finally, we have a complete guide and a step-by-step process for achieving marketing success in senior housing!

ROSEMARY CICAK, MGS, CMP
Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations
Otterbein Homes, Inc.

So often we hire marketing personnel and wonder, “How do I build their expertise, knowledge, and effectiveness within the organization?” Some of our choices are to allow staff to learn on their own initiative, to flounder as they learn slowly from experience, to send them to a fast-paced marketing seminar, or to hire an expensive industry marketing consultant to provide staff support.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success is the answer to this dilemma. Created by two of the most accomplished marketing leaders in our industry, it’s a highly valuable resource for the novice or experienced marketer and provides clear-cut advice that can easily be put into practice in any organization. What a refreshing alternative to the other fruitless training and education choices!

H. DAVID CLAUS
President & Chief Executive Officer
Holland Home

Marketing has become one of the most enigmatic aspects of developing and managing senior adult facilities and programs. The confusion is compounded by the many individuals who are attracted to the opportunities in a rapidly growing seniors’ market, and who attempt to retrofit their marketing skills from other careers. The welcomed, but somewhat opportunistic newcomers “cut and paste” their general experiences into the field of aging, whether they fit or not. This approach is akin to that old saying: “The trouble with being a hammer is that everything you see looks like a nail.”

Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein are a breath of fresh air in the frenzy. They teach and coach an approach that keeps marketing tasks simple, functional, and understandable for practitioners both seasoned and new. Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is a must read!

KENNETH T. DURAND
President & Chief Executive Officer
C.C. Young

How to spend money on marketing is a subject often misunderstood. It’s an investment, not an expense, and a systematic funding approach that pays dividends in the form of high occupancy and protection of the organization’s financial stability. Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success is a must read for board and staff. It provides comprehensive and definitive direction on how to establish a marketing program that uses all the right resources and ensures the highest return.

MICHAEL A. FLYNN
Chief Executive Officer
Smith Senior Living

Phyllis and Christine have come down from the mountaintop with tablets containing 15 marketing commandments. They have produced an invigorating book, chock-full of material based on years of experience garnered in the “tactical trenches” of marketing, not taught in the classroom. The Template contained on the accompanying CD is a virtual “how-to” on developing a marketing plan. They correctly see the essence of marketing as the “quality of the product” and customer service as “how you communicate that quality.” This is their mantra.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success should be required reading not only for marketing professionals, but also for anyone who manages or operates a senior living community.

BRIAN E. FORSCHNER, PH.D.
President
Senior Health & Housing Services
Mercy Health Partners

Many individuals in our profession don’t have formal training in marketing senior housing. They have the heart, but not the know-how. When I assumed my present position, I bought at least a dozen books in search of how to do my job. Each book had some information that helped, but Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is exactly what I needed. Its easy, no-nonsense style, along with step-by-step instruction, is excellent.

It is obvious that Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein have experience in what they are talking about.

CONNIE GARBER
Vice President
Community-Based Services
Greencroft Retirement Communities

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success is a very practical guide to developing a successful marketing program. I have experienced the results first hand! These components, when implemented effectively, result in an inspired team that is able to capture today’s senior housing opportunities.

BOB HAUSMANN
Partner
Director of Active Adult /Senior Housing
Miller Valentine Group

Finding resources that are both affordable and appropriate for the marketing staff at our nine communities has been a challenge. The information and direction provided in Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is clear, concise, and adaptable to each community and its unique situation. The materials are comprehensive and outline a tool for evaluating the marketing program for any community. When I began marketing senior living communities more than 13 years ago, this book would have been extremely helpful in giving a more successful focus to our early years. Thanks to Phyllis and Christine for putting together their wealth of knowledge.

MARCIA S. HEMPEL
Administrator of Marketing
Lutheran Senior Services

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is an excellent compilation of the nuts and bolts of marketing senior living and provides helpful insights for marketing professionals as well as other key administrative staff. It challenges traditional thinking in a number of areas, with the clear goal of raising the bar for all senior living providers. Whether you’re self-managing your marketing services or you’ve hired marketing experts to assist, this book provides wisdom and objective measures for bringing your organization to a stronger market, and ultimately, a stronger financial position.

DANIEL J. HERMANN
Managing Director & Group Head
Ziegler Capital Markets Group

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing reads as if it were written for the marketing director, because this position leads and directs the bulk of the efforts the book details. However, Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is not just for marketing staff. It is also written for the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, executive director, or administrator who has been in this field long enough to know how critical a good marketing effort is to the success of their senior housing communities.

The content makes it clear that no organization can succeed in marketing without involving the staff of every department. These staff make the marketing message real by practicing good customer service every time they interact with the public. The staff that clean apartments, maintain the grounds, answer phones, or provide food service do more in one day to affect the marketability of a facility than the marketing staff can collectively do in a month. The marketing department’s best efforts can be made worthless by lack of support for its efforts or lack of customer service oriented behavior by other departments.

In fishing parlance, although it is the marketing staff that brings the prospective resident to the boat, it is the efforts of the rest of the organization’s departments that make it possible to get the prospective resident into the boat.

Inside Advice On Marketing Senior Housing is one of the most detailed works I have ever read on this subject. It provides a comprehensive blueprint of the work in the trenches and the heavy lifting necessary to get the job done. If your staff are committed to the superior customer service described in this book, and your marketing staff use its techniques, you will reap the success your senior housing community deserves.

GREG HOLM
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President
Ohio Masonic Home

Reading Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing made me feel like Popeye after he’s guzzled down his can of spinach . . . charged with the strength and ability to make things happen and succeed! It’s like having a personal coach or mentor sitting across the table guiding you each step of the way. Direct, succinct—even the tough concepts are easy to grasp and implement.

Finally, a bible for our industry! A must have and must read for anyone in marketing, sales, or administration.

RANDALYNN KAYE, CMP
Director of Marketing & Sales
Wyndemere Senior Living Campus

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success is the best and most comprehensive tool on “how-to-market” to the mature market that I have encountered in my 30-plus years in the profession.

What sets this book apart is that the material is organized in an easy-to-read manner and flows from topic to topic smoothly. The information is not pie-in-the-sky, but the real nuts and bolts of how to be successful in marketing to seniors. Thornton and Wirthwein don’t shy away from dealing with issues that others gloss over or ignore, specifically as it pertains to helping all staff understand that they are an integral part of the marketing team and that customer service of the highest magnitude must be the norm.

The action steps and worksheets in the Marketing Plan Template are easy to follow and designed to be useful for the start-up project as well as the mature property trying to maintain market share.

THOMAS L. KELLY
Chief Executive Officer
Village On The Isle

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing has more than captured the essence of marketing—it’s the roadmap for newcomers to the field, and it serves as a resource for seasoned professionals to revisit some of the real issues that challenge us in this highly competitive, yet rewarding industry. The presentation of the information is well organized, practical, even fun—making it an easy read. I would highly recommend it for the CEO, COO, and CFO as well. Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is a book that will hold a high place of prominence and honor in my professional library.

JUDITH K. LEWIS, RHP, CMP
Vice President of Marketing
Fairview Ministries, Inc.

An excellent, educational, and common sense approach to marketing! Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing not only reinforces the importance of a scientific approach to in-depth analysis and strategic planning, but also addresses the art of customer satisfaction as it relates to the frontline staff. It presents the comprehensive skills and concepts mandatory for the entire spectrum of senior housing. This book should be required reading for any manager who works with senior adults.

PEARL MERRITT, ED.D., MS, MSN, RN
Vice President
Buckner Retirement Services, Inc.

As a former marketing professional, it was no surprise to me as a CCRC board member to experience marketing as the driving force of our organization. It was a surprise, however, to realize there was no definitive marketing “textbook” to use as our guide and compass. Until now!

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is written with confidence—no timidity here. It brings the perspective of experience, not theory, and it’s written in language the experienced marketer, as well as the average board member, can understand and use. Although our marketing team is one of the best in the business, I’ll highly recommend this comprehensive resource to staff and board members alike. Thanks Phyllis and Christine—you’ve given the industry a great gift.

MERSHON NIESNER
Chair, Board of Directors
Friendship Senior Options, Inc.
Friendship Village of Schaumburg Parent Company

Instead of fancy approaches or high level strategies that may or may not connect with the real world, Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing puts the “cookies on the lower shelf” and within reach of those seeking marketing guidance pertaining to our industry. The down-home, fireside-chat approach is both refreshing and focused. The work is to be applauded for its heartfelt passion and concern for practical strategies and applications.

RICHARD W. OLSON
President & Chief Executive Officer
Fairview Ministries, Inc.

I absolutely appreciate this marketing resource more than the writers will ever know. Most marketing directors and counselors step into their roles coming from other disciplines, learning as they go. I wish I’d had this book when I assumed the role of director of marketing 10 years ago. Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing would have also supported what I learned in the Retirement Housing Professionals (RHP) program and the Marketing Professional Certification Program (MPCP). Christine and Phyllis have done a superb job of putting together must-know information for those who market retirement communities. Thank you!

SANDRA H. SMITH, RHP, CMP
Director of Marketing
Appalachian Christian Village, Inc.

In a profession where marketing becomes more and more complex and confusing each day, this book serves as an excellent guide for developing an effective, common sense approach to marketing senior housing. Its authors’ many years of experience and expertise are presented in a down-to-earth approach that balances facts with practicality. It is well organized and a quick and easy read, providing enough detail without volumes of information that become unmanageable.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing—The 15 Critical Components of Success is a great resource for senior housing veterans and novices alike. In fact, I’m prepared to order several copies right now for my marketing team!

DUSTIN SCHOLZ
Director for Housing & Marketing
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society

There are many good managers and directors in the senior housing industry, however, there are very few marketing masters. Not because these individuals do not possess talent, but because they have never been taught how to master the art and science of marketing. Phyllis Thornton and Christine Wirthwein, the industry’s foremost marketing masterminds, have changed that. With Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing, both new and experienced industry professionals now have the opportunity to become strategic-thinking experts.

Inside Advice on Marketing Senior Housing is not just a reference guide; the 15 critical components discussed in the book collectively form the building blocks of a solid and strategic campaign. The components are explained in an easy-to-read and interesting format, and the Marketing Plan Template is an exceptional tool that can be adapted by all marketing professionals to assist with their annual planning.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have learned from and worked with both Phyllis and Christine. Their years of experience and deep knowledge of the industry have provided them with dynamic marketing methods that are successful time and time again. Don’t set this book on your desk and refer to it periodically—read it, learn the concepts, and apply them to your marketing efforts. You will not be sorry.

MARK A. ZULLO, RHP, CMP
Director of Marketing & Sales
Life Care Retirement Communities, Inc.