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Did you know that over half of boomers and seniors are watching online video, and YouTube is by far their favorite channel<\/span><\/a><\/strong>? What are you doing to tap into this market? Does your senior living community have a YouTube channel? Is it active? In this blog post, we’ll suggest some video ideas you can use to take advantage of this popular social network and reach more of your target customers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Boomers and seniors watch online video for two main reasons: to be entertained<\/strong>, and to gather information<\/strong> on a topic. You should strive to create videos that fill both of these needs, in order to reach the largest number of potential customers. Read on for 10 video ideas you can use to promote your community, along with example videos from senior living organizations.<\/p>\n Prospects love<\/em> these. Families greatly appreciate the ability to check out a community prior to touring by watching a short virtual tour. Customers can visualize themselves or a loved one living there, so they become more invested<\/em> in your community as a potential option. Make sure to include contact information at the end of the video, and encourage them to call you for a tour. This subtle sales pitch pushes a customer to pick up the phone and call you right then and there<\/strong>, rather than watching another video or visiting another website. Did you know you could save a PowerPoint presentation as a video? Create a slide deck using high-quality photos of your community and supplement the photos with comments highlighting special moments. Add music and slide transitions to give your presentation that professional look. New residents enter your community with a flood of emotions – a move can be a disorienting, overwhelming experience for anyone. Help them settle in with a video recording various key staff members and perhaps some resident ambassadaors. Each one can give a greeting, introduce themselves, and offer a tip for settling in. You might even reuse some of the footage from your virtual tour to point out key community features (such as the dining room, exercise area, or garden). Regardless of your community, there’s no doubt plenty of advice you can give to seniors and\/or their primary caregivers. Think of this as a way to introduce your community as a shoulder to lean on and gain some brand recognition with future residents. Potential topics could include tips for remembering to take medication, guidance for adult children broaching the conversation with a parent about moving into an assisted living community, or the explanation given by your Activity Director during an arts and crafts activity. Along the same lines, present your community to the broader community as an advocate for seniors and their families. If you have volunteers coming in to present an educational lecture, ask them if you can film it and post it on your YouTube channel. Tap into your staff and resident knowledge – maybe you have a retired carpenter in your midst, or an amateur cartoonist. Ask these people if they’d like to share their story or guidance in a video. This is an excellent way to reach out to viewers who could have no idea about your community, but live local to the area. Your residents have interesting stories to share. They also have a lot of opinions. Ask a bunch of residents the same question, and then clip all their answers together in one video. What do they like most about your community? Which celebrity would they most like to meet? What’s the funniest thing anyone has ever said to them? Anytime a music video goes viral, it’s a great opportunity to create a parody or sketch video featuring your own residents and staff. These are a ton of fun, and are sure to bring a smile to the participants’ – and to the viewers’ – faces. Do you often have groups or visitors come in to present concerts, dances, or plays? Ask their permission to film the event. Then you can share the videos with those who couldn’t attend that day, as well as share them on YouTube for posterity. Create a “Day in the Life” video where you follow a person around for the day. Film one of your caregivers to show how compassionate your staff is. Connect with a Resident Ambassador. Maybe you have a pet ambassador or two? Consider creating a film about your community through their eyes – people go crazy for pet videos! Be creative!5 Informational Video Ideas for Senior Living Communities<\/h2>\n
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Upload a virtual tour of your community.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Senior Lifestyle Garden Estates of Temple Texas<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nTurn your photo gallery into videos.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Mother’s Day Celebration at Sunshine Retirement Summerfield Estates<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nCreate a welcome video for new residents.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Merrill Gardens Anytime Dining<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nProvide advice through a how-to tutorial video.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Brookdale Senior Living: A Story in Starting the Senior Living Conversation<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nEducate viewers about a topic.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: BMA Management “History of Halloween”<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n5 Entertaining Video Ideas for Senior Living Communities<\/h2>\n
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Interview your residents and capture their thoughts on video.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Belmont Village 65 YEARS OF MARRIAGE<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nHop on the parody\/sketch video bandwagon.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: Emeritus Grandmas’ Response to Harvard Baseball Call Me Maybe Cover<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nFilm performances at your community.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: The Ladies of Sunrise at Webb Gin, GA, Can Sing!<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nShare a story about your community using an unique perspective.<\/h3>\n
\n Example: A Day in the Life of a Silverado Resident with Dementia<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\nGet in the holiday spirit.<\/h3>\n