Caring.com is hosting a webinar this Thursday, March 16th at 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern) titled, Senior Care Reviews: How to Get Them & Respond to Them.

By Pam McDonald

By now, you probably have seen the research about how important consumer reviews are to senior living marketers. But asking your residents to write a review and post it online can feel awkward and uncomfortable. And, what do you do when you see a negative review pop up?

Free Webinar Provided by Caring.com

Caring.com, the leading destination for senior care reviews and a Senior Housing Forum partner, is hosting a webinar this Thursday, March 16th at 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern) titled, Senior Care Reviews: How to Get Them & Respond to Them.

They’ll share:

  • The latest research on why reviews are so important

  • Case studies from senior living companies that have done a great job getting reviews

  • Tips on how to respond to reviews (positive or negative)

Are You Missing Out?

“We’ve found that our website visitors click search results that have reviews and skip those that don’t, so we’re going to share some pointers to help senior living communities that are currently missing out on attracting those prospects because they lack consumer reviews,” says Denise Graab, director of industry marketing for Caring.com.

Joining Denise in the webinar is her colleague, Fiona Lee, Director of Content & SEO. Fiona recently joined Caring.com with over 9 years on the editorial team of Google. She will share review-gathering strategies, tactics, successes and challenges she gained from a “listening tour” with various of their senior living and home care partners.

The webinar will use case studies to describe how several communities use Caring.com’s platform to grow and manage their online reputation. Denise and Fiona will also be recommending ways to best respond to consumer feedback and embrace senior care reviews as a marketing opportunity.

The Crazy Rule of 6

Denise notes that in a recent study, Caring.com looked at traffic to listings from both search engines like Google and their own directory search. She says, “We found that listings with more than 6 reviews got a significantly higher volume of visits than listings with less than 6 reviews.” 

Last summer Caring.com asked senior care searchers whether or not responses to reviews by senior living communities had any influence on them. Nearly one-third said, “It lets me know the business cares and is listening,” and 22% said any influence it has depends on what the business says. 

The Importance of Responding to Reviews

Denise points out that responding to a review may not influence that specific reviewer. “But,” she says, “most visitors won’t know your community. When they read the listing, the review and your response, they’ll get to know you, how you operate, and how well you respond to criticism or concerns.

“They may be wondering: ‘If we ever have a problem or concern, will the executive director or administrator be approachable and receive the feedback well? Will our concern be addressed, ignored, or worse? Will we simply get a ‘brush off’ from their Legal department?’ Responses to consumer feedback give clues in advance to how you might react, and, if well written, can be very impressive and impactful.” 

Consumer Review Opportunities

Consumer reviews also offer an opportunity to add more color or detail about a community’s service or attributes. “For example,” Denise says, “if the review compliments the food, the community’s response can not only include a ‘thank you’, but add that their award-winning chef will be thrilled to know that her nutritious menu (designed with resident input) was so well received.”

Denise recommends that communities make time to respond to feedback as much as possible. She notes, “The reviewer took the time to write the positive feedback that’s going to help you increase inquiries, tours, and move-ins. Why not put in 15 minutes or less to thank them?” 

There’s no cost to participate in the webinar. To register for “Senior Care Reviews: How to Get & Respond to Them”, click on the registration button below:

For more information about Caring.com, call (800) 973-1540 or visit their website by clicking the logo button below:

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