Everyone says they’re trustworthy. How do you prove it?
Key Takeaways
- Trust influences senior living decisions: Prospects and families are making significant emotional, financial and lifestyle decisions, making confidence in a community essential.
- Perception starts before the first inquiry: Websites, online reviews, media coverage, resident stories and word of mouth all shape how people view a community.
- Research can reveal what inquiry reports miss: Independent market research can help identify how people perceive a community, including those who never contact the sales team.
- Employees help shape reputation: Everyday interactions between team members, residents and families can reinforce or undermine trust.
- Trust can be measured: Surveys, reputation analysis, resident and family feedback, awareness and referral data can help communities evaluate how they are perceived.
- Public relations contributes to credibility: Authentic stories, media coverage and consistent communication give prospects meaningful reasons to believe what a community promises.
Ask almost any senior living executive what makes their community special, and you’ll hear familiar words.
Caring. Compassionate. Vibrant. Trustworthy.
All wonderful qualities. But here’s my question: How do you know your prospects and their families believe you?
It’s one thing to tell people your community is trustworthy. It’s another to know whether they agree.
And in senior living, trust isn’t just a nice marketing concept. You’re asking people to make one of the most important decisions of their lives. They may be leaving a home they’ve loved for 40 years. They’re making financial decisions that affect their future. They’re trusting your organization with their lifestyle, independence and possibly their healthcare.
That’s a pretty big leap of faith. So how do you know whether you’ve earned their confidence?
Trust Begins Long Before Someone Calls
Think about how people research senior living communities today. They visit websites, read reviews, ask friends for recommendations, talk with neighbors and increasingly use AI-powered search tools. By the time someone calls your sales office, they may already have formed an opinion about your community. The question is whether that opinion is accurate.
A beautiful website helps. So does attractive advertising.
But authentic resident stories, credible media coverage, consistent communication and positive experiences can provide something even more valuable: reasons to believe what you say.
And that’s where public relations plays an important role.
Through strategic public relations and storytelling, communities can share authentic experiences, highlight their people and demonstrate the values behind their promises.
What About the People Who Never Call?
Here’s something that has always intrigued me. Most senior living communities carefully track prospects who inquire, schedule tours and eventually move in. But what about the people who never contact you?
Maybe they’ve heard something negative about your community. Perhaps they think it’s too expensive. Maybe they don’t understand what your contracts offer. Or perhaps they’ve simply never heard of you.
You can’t learn much about those people by studying your inquiry reports. And they may represent a significant untapped opportunity.
Independent market research can help you understand how people in your market perceive your community, including those who have never contacted your sales team. That’s information worth having.
Stop Asking Only Whether People Liked Their Tour
Of course, it’s important to know whether visitors enjoyed their experience. But let’s ask some better questions.
- How confident are you that this community will deliver what it promises?
- What concerns do you have about living here?
- Would you recommend this community to someone you care about?
- What have you heard about our reputation?
- What information would make you feel more comfortable choosing us?
Those questions can reveal far more than a simple satisfaction rating. And don’t forget to ask people who chose another community. They may tell you something your happiest residents never will.
Your Employees May Be Your Most Credible Ambassadors
Your marketing materials can promise exceptional service. But your employees are the ones who deliver it.
The receptionist who warmly greets a visitor. The dining server who remembers a resident’s favorite dessert. The caregiver who takes a few extra minutes to listen.
These everyday experiences influence how people feel about your community. And employees talk. Their experiences can reinforce your reputation or undermine it.
That’s why employee engagement, retention and satisfaction deserve attention when evaluating trust.
How to Measure Senior Living Community Trust
Yes, trust can be measured. And I believe senior living organizations should be doing more of it.
Imagine having a Community Trust Scorecard that tracks:
- Awareness: How many people in your market know your community?
- Credibility: Do they believe your community delivers what it promises?
- Confidence: Would they feel comfortable choosing your community for themselves or someone they love?
- Advocacy: Are residents and families willing to recommend you?
- Reputation: What are people saying about your community?
- Consideration: Are more people including your community among their preferred options?
These measurements can be established through independent surveys, combined with review analysis, referral information and other meaningful data. Repeat the research periodically, and you can begin to identify changes.
Are people becoming more familiar with your community? Is confidence increasing? Are misconceptions disappearing? Now we’re talking about results that matter.
Of course, no single score can capture every dimension of trust. And an improvement in reputation doesn’t automatically prove that a particular marketing campaign caused it.
But measuring perceptions over time is a lot more useful than simply assuming everyone trusts you because your advertising says they should.
Public Relations Should Be Part of the Measurement
Public relations has traditionally been difficult to quantify. A story appears in the newspaper. A resident is interviewed on television. Your community receives an award. All good things. But what happens next?
Did people see the coverage? Did they visit your website? Did they share the story? Did it change how they perceive your community?
These are questions we should be asking.
With thoughtful tracking and independent research, we can begin connecting public relations activities with awareness, credibility, confidence and business outcomes. And that’s an exciting opportunity for senior living marketing.
At IVY Marketing Group, we believe authentic storytelling can help shape perception, build trust and spark genuine connections. From public relations and media coverage to client news and community stories, the goal is to give people meaningful reasons to connect with the organizations we represent.
The Bottom Line: Trust Must Be Earned and Measured
Trust isn’t something you can buy with an advertising campaign.
You earn it through consistent experiences, honest communication, relationships and doing what you promise.
Marketing and public relations help tell that story. But shouldn’t we also find out whether people believe it?
Trust may begin with a feeling. But that doesn’t mean you can’t measure it. And once you start measuring it, you may discover some very interesting things about your community.
Debra Sheridan
Founder and President, IVY Marketing Group
Real People. Real Stories. Real Results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a senior living community measure trust?
Communities can use independent surveys, prospect feedback, resident and family recommendations, reputation analysis and recurring market research to evaluate awareness, credibility, confidence and willingness to recommend. Tracking these measurements over time can help identify changes in public perception.
Why is trust important in senior living marketing?
Choosing senior living involves significant emotional, financial and lifestyle considerations, as well as potential healthcare needs. Confidence in a community’s reputation, leadership, services and people can influence whether a family considers or selects that community.
Can public relations improve trust in a senior living community?
Credible, authentic public relations can contribute to awareness and confidence by sharing real experiences, demonstrating expertise and providing evidence of a community’s values and performance. Resident stories, media coverage and consistent communication can help reinforce a community’s reputation.
What should a senior living community include in a trust scorecard?
A trust scorecard can track six key areas: awareness, credibility, confidence, advocacy, reputation and consideration. These can be evaluated through surveys, online review analysis, referral information and prospect feedback.
Why should senior living communities survey people who never inquire?
People who never contact a community may still have opinions about its reputation, pricing, services or lifestyle. Researching this audience can reveal misconceptions, awareness gaps and opportunities that traditional sales reports may not capture.
Resources: Measuring Reputation and Building Consumer Confidence
The following resources offer additional guidance on consumer research, reputation and the information families use when evaluating care providers.
- CMS: Five-Star Quality Rating System – Explains how Medicare’s Five-Star Quality Rating System helps consumers and families compare nursing homes using quality measures, staffing and health inspection information.
- CMS: Finding a Nursing Home – Provides consumer guidance and resources for evaluating nursing homes and long-term care options.
- Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule – Explains requirements related to consumer reviews and testimonials, including fake reviews, endorsements and review suppression.
- IVY Marketing Group: Senior Living Marketing and Public Relations Services – Explore how strategic marketing, storytelling and public relations can help senior living communities strengthen their reputations and connect with prospects and families.
- IVY Marketing Group: Client News – Discover examples of the stories and media coverage that help bring senior living communities into the spotlight.
Want to learn more about how your community is perceived? Visit IVY Marketing Group or contact our team to explore marketing, public relations and strategic positioning opportunities.