Brand building elements for starting a residential assisted living business starts with the power of art.
There’s an old adage that says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Pictures communicate what words alone fail to articulate.
Through its color, shapes, shadows, and lighting, a picture or image conveys a message that words alone in their traditional outlay cannot communicate.
Why is this the case? It’s called art.
Art stimulates thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and ideas through intimate connections with one’s senses. Whether complex or straightforward, art continues to awaken the hearts and minds of viewers.
The power of art extends far beyond the elegant halls of galleries and museums.
Perhaps, the most powerful display of art is within the realm of advertising and marketing.
CAN YOU FEEL THE SENSATION OF YOUR BRAND?
In the realm of advertising and marketing, art is central to the success of any business. While the world revels over Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, it is the power of marketing that makes the arms of an economy push and pull.
Art is the images formulated by marketing engines that create or resituate artful photos and graphics that resonate with consumers.
These images evoke an emotional reaction or connection with a product that no word alone could ever accomplish.
When consumers gain an emotional connection to an image, a certain magic happens – this is called brand loyalty.
Brand loyalty is the consumer’s affection for a brand beyond its performance.
It is illogical but yet it is logical to the consumer. The consumer has an emotional connection to a product based upon the branding – brands can be felt.
Great brands will create emotions such as:
- Comfort
- Security
- Wellbeing
- Creativity
- Solace
- Benevolence
- Inspiration
- Relevant
The product itself does not create brand loyalty. It is the presentation of the product and the associated images that draw the consumer’s emotions into the transaction.
Together, these components make it an emotionally fulfilling event – this is the power of art in action.
HOW TO BUILD A BRAND
Brands do not just happen, especially not in the residential assisted living industry. They are the result of detailed research, testing, and hard work.
To build a successful brand, a business must:
- Intimately know the problem consumers face.
- Create a process to resolve the consumer’s issue consistently.
- Create a brand identity, so consumers identify with the solution to their problem.
At first glance, the process above seems simple, maybe even trivial. While three steps are listed, the intricacies of each stage are vast.
Those entrepreneurs who take the time and effort to complete these steps thoroughly will launch successful brands in the marketplace.
- Intimate Knowledge of Consumer’s Problem: Hearing of an individual’s struggle or problem is one thing, but to feel the residual discomfort or pain caused by the battle is another. The feeling of pain, discomfort, disappointment, fatigue, or anxiety caused by a consumer’s problem gives the entrepreneur an intimacy with the situation. In other words, the problem and its effects become fundamental to the entrepreneur. Engaging the entrepreneur’s emotions causes this intimacy, and the work to create a process to resolve becomes a sole focus.
- A Process for the Problem: Not all entrepreneurs are masters of technology, products or services. Critical to the success of any entrepreneurial endeavor is the process. Have you ever thought, what constitutes a business? The answer is simple – a duplicatable process. It is the process that solves the consumer’s problem. The result of a successful strategy is a successful product or service. Once the process is refined and efficient, the entrepreneur has a solution that can be duplicated.
- Associate a Brand with a Problem: This is where marketers and advertisers come into the picture. They must observe what the entrepreneur has processed. They must listen to the entrepreneur relate the pain or desire of the consumer. It is imperative that the branding is correct. It must be as precise as the process created by the entrepreneur. The marketers must:
- Identify and tier to consumers.
- Create images that communicate resolution to the consumer’s problem.
- Associate those images with the problem consumers experience.
Building an effective brand takes work.
However, to those who take the time to understand the consumer’s present experience, the work associated with solving a problem is more of an exploration and adventure than a grueling task.
The ambitious entrepreneur is on a mission, and failure is not an option.
THE VALUE OF A BRAND
The value of a brand is not a simple calculation. It is more than the revenue associated with a product or service.
The value of a residential assisted living brand is evident in its identity. The value of a brand is a combination of:
- Customer Loyalty
- Customer Retention
- Competitive Advantage
Sales revenue does factor into brand value, but the above three elements sustain the brand. Customer loyalty speaks to the emotional connection the brand has with the consumer.
Customer retention is the reliability of the brand.
The emotional bond is unbroken because the product or service solves the consumer’s problem.
By connecting a particular brand to a consumer’s emotions, customer retention becomes robust.
Branding is most effective when the product solves the problem. Competitors will struggle to get inroads in your market segment.
Even if a competitive product is better, consumers gain an emotional connection to reliable brands.
Consumers see no reason to switch when they are satisfied. Their pain diminishes, and there is a solution to their problem.
EVERY BRAND HAS A PERSONALITY
What makes such a strong emotional connection to a brand? Beyond the pain point, successful brands have personalities.
Consumers become acquainted with the brand as if it were a friend.
Strong brands will resonate human characteristics with the consumer. This personality makes for the strong bond between consumer and product. It is as if the consumer knows the brand and the brand the consumer.
Achieving effective branding causes consumers to share their experiences. The similarities will be striking, and the word will spread.
People will tell others what the product can do.
They will articulate the nature of the service so that others who are still suffering will undoubtedly believe the current users.
As a result, others will secure the product immediately. Later, they, too, will articulate the personality of the brand.
BRAND AWARENESS IN THE ASSISTED LIVING INDUSTRY
Assisted living homeowners should embrace branding just as much as any other entrepreneur.
It is vital to the home’s existence. It builds awareness and gives the house its place in the community. Consider the following:
- What is the pain point associated with senior housing in your community?
- What is missing, lacking, or poorly provided in terms of senior housing?
- What do seniors want as it relates to senior housing?
- What do family members want in terms of senior housing?
- Is there a need for high-quality memory care?
- What are the demographics of your community?
The answers to these questions will give the assisted living homeowners an idea of the nature of the need in the community for senior housing.
In addition, investors will want to know this level of exploration exists. The specificity of the home will become the driving force for its identity.
What images are associated with the present problem of seniors living in your community?
The assisted living homeowner may not be a marketing specialist. Therefore, secure one as soon as possible.
Get the right image, colors, shadowing, size, and font.
Make sure the vision aligns with the type of service given at home. Also, ensure the image is on all literature, entry and exit ways, on the walls at specific places throughout the house, and on every electronic medium used.
Lastly, the assisted living homeowner should make sure the brand becomes a community-wide recognized emblem.
Everyone should be able to associate the brand with the assisted living home.
It should communicate both the problem and the solution.
It should evoke an emotion in the viewer, and if the process is solid and efficient, the service will adequately align with the brand – the result is brand loyalty.
Other homes may enter the same marketplace, but if your brand is strong, they will steer clear of it.
They will instead build another brand to resolve a particular problem. However, if the market is large enough, they may attempt to mimic your brand because of its strength.
Consider this a compliment.
You’ve built a brand that is powerful but does not allow competition to encroach too much.
Protect your brand and continue being the market leader in high-quality assisted living homes.
Often considered futile, building a brand is vital in the 21st-century marketplace. Consumers today connect with your business through digital means first.
Therefore, branding is critical and should answer the following the questions:
- What will the digital consumer see?
- What will catch their eye?
- What will sustain their attention?
LEARN HOW TO BUILD A BRAND AT RESIDENTIAL ASSISTED LIVING ACADEMY
People should always recognize your brand. Do not skimp on building your brand.
When done correctly, the brand will capture both the heart and mind of the consumer. It will keep them attached to your business continually.
The Residential Assisted Living Academy educates and trains new and existing assisted living homeowners to be successful in this incredible industry.
Expert trainers paint with a broad stroke the overarching concepts of the industry. With the same persistence, these trainers use detailed strokes to provide the intricate details of effectively operating an assisted living home.
Contact the Residential Assisted Living Academy today and begin your journey to successfully building a brand for your assisted living business.
