Branding your business is all about creating consistent images and messages that enable the public to identify your company.
Branding is how your customers recognize and experience your business.
A strong brand is more than just a logo; it’s reflected in everything from your customer service style, staff uniforms, business cards and premises to your marketing materials and advertising.
Welcome to the world of branding. Your residential assisted living home needs to be well-branded.
Consider how your competition advertises, and then clearly explain why you are different and better. Evaluate your branding strategy by asking your marketing team 8 questions.
8 QUESTIONS TO EVALUATE YOUR BRAND STRATEGY
1. What are the main essentials of your neighborhood or community?
If asked, most seniors do not want to move into a community for the elderly, especially not the baby boomer generation. A loved one may have specific needs they can no longer accommodate on their own. Ensure your brand effectively communicates your capabilities of addressing the assisted living needs of activities of daily living.
2. Do you own your message?
It is important to ensure your business is unique to your community. Always make sure you own the message of seniors in your community. Show prospects why your RAL home is the best choice of any other community.
3. Are you the first residential assisted living home in the community?
Are you the only player at the table in your community? You have the upper hand if you’re the only sheriff in town. There will likely be large-box facilities in your area, but if you are the only residential assisted living home then you are at a great advantage. As the first in the community, you are able to set a standard of service. Others that may come later will have to spend quite a bit of capital to gain any of the market-share. Being established as the first always has an advantage.
4. Are you able to produce?
It is important to make sure you can deliver on your advertisement. Not being able to produce what you have branded will immediately turn prospects away. It will make it very difficult to regain trust. Be sure you have the capabilities to deliver on every single promise you make.
5. Does your business compliment the community?
Don’t try to change and rebrand an entire neighborhood. Make sure your residential assisted living home compliments the area selected. It is much easier and financially sound to build upon the reputation of an already established community. Build upon your community’s rich history and reputation matching it to your brand to reach the ultimate promise.
6. Are you branding for long term success?
Approach your brand with long term endurance. It takes a dedicated strategy to establish a message in the minds of the community. Repetition of your brand message is the greatest approach to develop your prospects. Stay firm on your brand. Don’t change your brand. Changing your brand exhibits instability and prospects will have to relearn your company.
7. Does your staff embrace your company message?
Make sure that the staff is in support of your brand – they must buy into the message. If your staff does not support your brand you are already set up to fail. Ensure your staff actively participates in reinforcing, and in some cases even developing your message. This will allow the staff to feel a part of your company and therefore represent you well in the community.
8. Is your business marketable?
Are you able to present your home in a sales presentation format? Brochures, Banners, Billboards are all tools used to brand your assisted residential living facility. Consider all media forms and engage your audience as much as you are able.
WHY IS BRANDING IMPORTANT?
Branding adds value to your company and allows you to stand out amongst your competitors. Make sure you engage your community.
Branding can help you add value to your offer and engage with your customers.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Effective branding elevates your business from being not just run of the mill. Once a community sees your investment they will give it greater support.
Ensure that you highlight your programs and clearly give reasons why you’re the best in the community. Residents will start to create an emotional connection to your RAL home.
Commitment to your community will lead prospects to develop an emotional attachment to your residential assisted living home.
ADD VALUE TO YOUR BRAND
Prospects will pay full price to consume a branded product. Brands come in many different shapes, sizes, and ranges.
Find where you can add value to your brand. Offering services that are absent elsewhere in the community.
SHARE YOUR VISION
Long term companies look toward the future. It is paramount to create a vision for your company.
A vision does not have to be out of the box.
A well thought out vision can assist you in shaping your brand. Creating a vision will help you structure your overall brand and develop a successful strategy.
SHOW YOUR VALUE
Exhibit to your community what your company stands for. Positive public perception of your residential home is critically important.
Show your value in your everyday communications.
Ensure your values are authentic and genuine and be prepared for the community to put you to the test.
Empower your staff to show compassion when sharing the vision. Remember, it is important to always work as a team, be flexible, and innovative. These are called shared values. Following these steps will definitely raise your brand recognition and help you stand out from the competition.
GENE GUARINO’S RAL ACADEMY WILL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Gene Guarino is an American businessman and author.
He is the founder of a number of companies in the assisted living space, which includes Family Legacy Homes, Residential Assisted Living (RAL) National Association, Pitch Masters, and Residential Assisted Living Academy (RALA).
RALA is an assisted living education company that teaches everything from A-Z about meeting the rising demand for senior housing.
Guarino’s 3-day accelerated RAL course empowers students to achieve true financial independence.
Guarino owns and operates RAL homes and has students across the country that are also benefiting from this lucrative niche in business and real estate.
He travels internationally facilitating seminars and business teachings. He helps individuals generate cash flow through passive activity focused on owning and operating RAL homes.
The RAL Academy’s motto is “Do Good and Do Well.”
There is a lot of information and research needed in order to run and operate a residential assisted living home.
Reading our resource articles is a great start to put you well on your way, but there’s so much more to learn.
During our RAL Academy 3-day course, instructors use an interactive live training approach to teach students how to gain the most success.
Participants learn everything from A to Z about owning and operating a residential assisted living business.
Visit www.RALAcademy.com to learn more about every component you need to brand a successful residential assisted living home.
