What do you do when you see something funny on Instagram or an interesting article on Facebook? Usually, after liking or commenting on the post, you share the content with friends and family. Why? Because most of us want to share what we find entertaining or valuable with the ones we love.

You probably also do this with your senior living community’s social accounts. When another thought leader or authoritative organization in your space produces exciting content, you share or repost the information to help your followers. You pass the post on because you know the content will be helpful for them, too.

And this is precisely what social media was created to do—make connections based on common interests, passions, and hobbies. Sharing thoughts from senior living leaders is great because reposting populates your social feeds with awesome content while collaborating with fellow thought leaders in the senior living space. Win-win, right?

Sort of. Because if your goal is to become a thought leader in your own right, you’ll have to do better than simply sharing other peoples’ great ideas. If you want people to like, share, and repost your content, you must create your own.

Duplicating articles people have already written will only get you so far. Eventually, your followers will want to know your take on a particular subject or hear more about your experiences and expertise. So give them what they want! Here are some of the benefits of creating original content for potential new residents.

1. Build Relationships with Future Residents

There’s a reason why content marketing is one of the most popular forms of digital marketing: it connects you with your audience in an easily digestible, on-demand format. Your prospective residents want to hear from you. They’re interested in what you have to say and are eager to engage with your opinions and learn more about the solutions and advice you offer for the problems and situations they’re facing in their lives.

People seek out content using social media, and when they find content that resonates with them it increases their feelings of connection with the brand that produces it. Each piece of content that offers insight, solves problems, or engages with its audience contributes to their relationship and connection with that brand. Fifty-seven percent of consumers will increase their spending when they feel more connected to a brand. Another 76% will favor that brand over a competitor.¹

2. Increase Trust

One of the reasons content has become such a popular marketing medium is that people perceive original articles as trustworthy. In a world tarnished by skepticism and apprehension, this is huge!

Consumers trust original content so much that content has become the preferred means of learning about a brand. Seventy percent of consumers say they favor content marketing over other types of digital marketing.²

Perhaps even more interesting is that 90% of people think organizations that pursue a content strategy have a vested interest in creating long-term relationships with their customers.³ Building long-term relationships with an ideal target audience is particularly important for industries like senior living, where the decision-making journey is typically months instead of days—or even minutes. 

3. Get More Backlinks

The more content you create, the more likely it is that other thought leaders and organizations will link to your content. These links are called backlinks, and they’re a critical ranking factor for Google search. The first result on the search engine results page (SERP) has about 3.8 more backlinks than every other result on the page.⁴

The more quality content you have, the more backlinks you’ll receive. The more backlinks you have, the higher your rank on the SERP. The higher your rank on the SERP, the more frequently seniors will find your community.

4. Become a Thought Leader

Thought leadership is the next level of content creation. Creating interesting and engaging content will expand your authority as a thought leader and firmly establish your position as an industry expert.

And that’s exactly what you want. Consumers revere and respect the ideas and opinions of thought leaders and are eager to hear what they have to say. But despite the numerous benefits, few senior living marketers have time to devote to content strategy to establish thought leadership. That’s where we come in. We can help you create content that increases your presence on the SERP and establishes you as a commanding voice in the senior living space. Get started by connecting with us at 888.307.7304 to schedule a strategy session.

 

For a list of references, please contact us.