We are living in a truly unique day and age where the first step in the buying process is an online search. Especially when conducting Senior Living research, there’s a good chance that an adult child is doing the groundwork from afar and they need to be able to see your company, read reviews and bring themselves to a position where they are ready for a physical visit.
With this in mind, it is imperative that your Senior Living Community occupy the most important real estate on Google – the Map Listing.
To begin this process, you’ll need a Google Business Profile (GBP) account. This account will need to be fully completed, optimized and utilized frequently. You need this important exposure to compete in the digital age that we find ourselves in.
How to Get Your Senior Living Community on the Map – Google Maps!
GBP Set Up
To get your business set up you first have to sign up and get verified. Step by step instructions are here. This is a fairly easy process and when you’re finished and have your account completed, it will look like the account in the image to the right. Verification happens one of two ways, either via a landline phone call associated with your business’s mailing address or a postcard sent from the US Postal Service to the location. Either way, you’ll receive a PIN number that needs to be plugged in to the account.
GBP Category Choices
Once you’re ready to start completing your GBP account to 100%, you’ll start with choosing a category that best suits your business. The relevant categories to Senior Living are:
- Assisted Living Facility
- Nursing Home
- Retirement Community
- Retirement Home
- Senior Living Center
Category selection is very important because it helps Google return accurate, specific result to a search query.
GBP Photos
Populating your Google Business Profile account with photos is a very important piece of the account completion process. Actions have been linked to the amount of photos you have, so don’t be afraid to load them up. Be sure to choose your Logo and your Cover Photo.
Let’s make sure you read that … Actions are linked to the amount of photos you have. Photo categories are Interior, Exterior, At work, Team and Identity. Don’t hesitate to fill out all of the categories with high quality, non copyrighted, photos. To verify that your actions are increasing, click on the Insights link in the navigation.
Photo sizes are important. Please reference these sizes when using photos of your Senior Living Community on Google Business Profile:
Posts: 1200 x 900
Photos: 720 x 720
GBP Website
When you click on ‘Website’ in your Google Business Profile navigation, Google will automatically start creating a website for you. Allow this to happen but do NOT press the Publish button.
GBP Posts
Carve out some time do your Google Business Profile Posts approximately every 6 days. There are options for Events, Offers, Products and Updates. We gravitate towards the Updates because it gives you the most space (3 lines) for your content. Always use a Call to Action so you can direct readers to your website where they can get more information or to call you directly from the post.
GBP Questions & Answers
The Questions & Answers section in Google Business Profile is a perfect opportunity to accurately answer common questions about your Senior Living Center. The community is allowed to ask questions, but the owner of the account is also allowed to. Take advantage of asking questions you know the community needs answered, and take advantage of answering them accurately. If a community answer shows up as the first answer and you’d rather your answer shows up first, have as many people as needed, LIKE the preferred answer and it will gravitate to the top.
Need Help With Your Senior Living Community’s Digital Marketing?
Mannix Marketing is an award-winning marketing firm that has won awards in Senior Living Marketing for both senior living website design and senior living interactive marketing. We hope this helps you with your quest to work on your Senior Living Marketing. If you need assistance, the crew at Mannix Marketing is ready to help!
If you are serious about getting your senior living community found on the web, contact us, or give us a call at 518-743-9424 to schedule a free 15-minute review of your plan and get recommendations from our Senior Living Strategists!
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