Many people around the world are taking advantage of this time to think deeply about what is important to them and how they want to spend their time and energy over the next several years.
That is why it’s such a uniquely perfect time to seize the opportunity to talk about the truly important benefits of joining your community. After all, joining your community is a fun, enriching and transformative experience for most people. There is great opportunity to tell their stories and champion their resiliency.
Replace the Marketing Veneer with Authenticity
“Tell the truth attractively if you want to inspire people to act” is a marketing axiom worth heeding. Now is the time to strip away much of the marketing veneer and focus on person-to-person communication and connection. It is what everyone craves, particularly your prospects.
You’ve seen how accustomed we’ve become to seeing national network television shows being shot remotely and shown virtually unedited. You’ve seen videos shot on cell phones, national TV shows broadcast via living room computer, personalized mailed letters and postcards… clear and simple digital advertising, emails and communications are the order of the day. And creating these pieces or sourcing them directly from members of your community is easier than you think.
So, it’s the perfect time for your team to explore and conquer new ways to tell the authentic stories that are the fabric of your community.
Stories evoke emotion, change beliefs and inspire action. Consider telling the stories of the people who moved to your community, the ones who refused to let a house designed for a family or the need for assistance deprive them of opportunities. After all, the people who seize opportunities to improve the quality of their lives are the kind of people we’d all like to be.
When you tell residents’ stories of resilience, your audience can relate. And telling the stories of residents learning, growing, contributing, staying connected and having genuine fun will inspire others to want to know more.
Might your audience members start to envision how they can create their own story in your community?
The adult children who want the very best for mom will also be attracted by stories of people who are comfortable, rejuvenated and inspired. These stories will help the adult children accomplish one of their toughest tasks – getting mom on board.
Authentic Stories Are the Bridge to Building Trust
At the end of the day, the goal is to leverage the stories of inspiring residents to inspire action, but just as importantly, the collection of stories you gather will significantly contribute to your community’s archive of “social proof.” And perhaps more than any other asset your creative team can produce, social proof offers currency from which your community will benefit again and again. You will set up your sales team for success if prospects who expressed interest were inspired by authentic stories.
When you partner with residents to tell the stories of how they stay connected, learn, grow, contribute and have genuine fun, they will be thrilled as will their families. They will spread the word for you, amplifying your efforts.
If you’d like some easy tips on how to do video better (and on a reasonable budget), check out our blog post on the topic. And feel free to reach out to Tim Bracken (tbracken@loveandcompany.com or 410-207-0013) to talk through any particular challenges your organization is facing. We’re always thinking, and we’re here to help.
