What is REALLY Driving Senior Living Move-Ins?
Author:
Traci Bild
Date Posted:
March 26, 2025
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Over the last three years, the senior living sector has witnessed a seismic shift in how buyers approach decision-making. Today’s buyer is digital-savvy, and their journey begins online. With 92% of people using the internet to research services like senior living (source: Google Consumer Insights), operators must adapt with proactive, online marketing strategies that meet buyers where they are—online, 24/7.
With marketing budgets under pressure, senior living operators need to ensure every lead counts. But which sources actually convert? Bild & Co. Research Department has analyzed the data of multiple senior living community portfolios across the nation in regard to the effectiveness of their lead sources—Online, Professional Referrals, and Paid Aggregators—revealing powerful insights about how to prioritize investments and maximize occupancy.
Data-Driven Insights: Understanding Lead Source Performance
Senior living communities invest in multiple lead sources, but not all inquiries translate into move-ins. To maximize efficiency, it’s crucial to focus on channels that generate the highest conversions rather than just volume.
The Challenge:
Senior living communities often allocate substantial budgets to paid aggregators and online marketing, assuming higher lead volume results in more move-ins. However, the data reveals that professional referrals consistently produce the highest-quality leads, leading to better conversion rates.
The Strategy: Prioritizing High-Performing Lead Sources
Although Paid Aggregate Lead Sources provided the larger QUANTITY of leads during the time-frame analyzed, the QUALITY of those leads, as showed by the conversions, was not stellar.
By shifting focus from quantity to quality, communities implemented the following changes:
✅ Expanding Referral Networks – Strengthening relationships with healthcare professionals, social workers, and local influencers to increase high-intent referrals.
✅ Enhancing Online Lead Qualification – Implementing pre-screening tools and personalized engagement to improve online lead conversion rates.
✅ Reducing Reliance on Paid Aggregators – Allocating budget and resources toward referral-building initiatives and digital strategies that nurture high-converting prospects.
Leveraging Referrals: The Key to Cost-Effective Growth
Referrals remain one of the most cost-effective ways to grow occupancy. A robust referral program not only generates high-quality leads but also reduces marketing spend, positively impacting net operating income (NOI).
How to Maximize Referral Sources:
- Engaging Current Residents & Families: Incentivize referrals through discounts, gift cards, or other perks.
- Healthcare Partnerships: Collaborate with physicians, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers to position your community as the preferred senior living option.
- Local Community Engagement: Increase visibility through partnerships with organizations serving seniors and active participation in local events.
Communities focusing on referral programs see higher lead-to-move-in conversion rates at a lower cost, improving both revenue and NOI.
The Results:
- Higher Move-In Rates – More efficient lead handling led to increased occupancy without increasing marketing spend.
- Cost Savings – Reduced spending on low-converting paid sources while improving tour-to-move-in conversion rates.
- More Effective Sales Efforts – Sales teams focused on nurturing the right leads instead of chasing low-probability inquiries.
Conclusion: Optimizing Your Sales & Marketing Approach
Data-driven decision-making is key in senior living sales and marketing. Communities that prioritize high-converting lead sources see better efficiency, reduced costs, and higher move-ins. Instead of chasing volume, focus on referrals and online engagement strategies that drive meaningful results.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Invest in Professional Referral Networks: With conversion rates as high as 133%, fostering relationships with hospitals, social workers, and senior care advisors is a high-impact strategy.
- Optimize Online Lead Quality: While Online inquiries bring in volume, conversion rates vary. Filtering for higher-intent leads and refining digital marketing efforts can improve efficiency.
- Assess Paid Aggregator Performance: While Paid Aggregators contribute to overall volume, their impact on move-ins varies. Regularly reviewing performance and adjusting investments accordingly is crucial.
- Focus on Tour Quality, Not Just Quantity: High tour counts do not always translate to high move-in rates. Training sales teams to pre-qualify leads can improve conversion efficiency.
- Tailor Strategies to Individual Community Needs: No one-size-fits-all approach works. Communities should analyze their specific lead source data and allocate resources accordingly.
Are You Optimizing Your Lead Sources for Maximum Move-Ins?
Let’s talk about how targeted strategies can boost occupancy and revenue for your community!
1.800.640.0688 | revenue@bildandco.com
About the Author: Traci Bild
