As someone who analyzes industry trends every day, I’ve seen how the drivers of occupancy in senior living are changing. Sales and marketing still matter, but they’re no longer enough on their own.

When a community is struggling to meet minimum occupancy—or launching a new building—success depends on more than outreach. It requires team alignment and disciplined execution. With that foundation, supported by data-driven decisions and targeted outreach, communities can achieve real, lasting results.

That’s what I’ll be discussing at SMASH 2025, where I’m co-presenting with Traci Bild, CEO of Bild & Co. Our session, “The Turnaround Blueprint: How to Rapidly Rescue Underperforming Senior Living Assets”, will be held 2:15–3:00 PM Tuesday, October 21 in Las Vegas. 

Together, we’ll explore how to diagnose occupancy challenges and design smarter, faster paths to recovery.

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Understand Who Today’s Senior Living Prospects Really Are

One of the most important shifts I see is in the demographics and expectations of prospective residents and their families. Today's prospects are more digitally fluent, financially cautious, and value-driven than ever before. Sales teams need to adapt their messaging to reflect both lifestyle aspirations and affordability realities—meeting the adult child and the resident where they are.

Why Real-Time Data Must Lead the Way

It’s not enough to track metrics. We need to integrate real-time data into every level of decision-making, from pricing to staffing. I’ve seen operators who adopt a single source of operational truth move faster and more confidently—and that has tangible benefits. Real-time insights reduce uncertainty, accelerate action, and boost investor confidence.

One insight I often share with organizations: for newly opened properties, first-year occupancy performance sets the long-term trajectory. The same holds true in a turnaround. The faster you stabilize, the faster you rebuild value and momentum. Delays in decision-making can become costly, long-term setbacks.

Recovery Starts from the Inside

If you’re designing a recovery plan, don’t make the mistake of isolating it within your sales or marketing departments. True recovery starts with alignment across your entire team. That means involving operations, dining, clinical staff, and the executive director. Culture, consistency, and resident experience can’t be marketed—they must be lived.

Sales teams can only fulfill the brand promise if everyone else in the building is living it every day.

Targeting the Right Leads: Traci Bild’s Framework

Traci and I both agree that understanding data is the first step in diagnosing performance issues. She often says, “The first step is to look at the data. It never lies.” Her approach to targeting income-qualified leads for independent living (IL), assisted living (AL), and memory care (MC) communities is both practical and effective.

Key strategies we’ll cover

• Geo-target affluent ZIP codes with higher home values and incomes.
• Use layered targeting that includes age (50–65+), caregiving interests, and downsizing triggers.
• Show starting rates on landing pages to help visitors self-qualify.
• Add negative keywords like “affordable,” “free,” or “low-income” to block unqualified clicks.
• Write emotionally driven, value-focused ad copy rather than competing on price.
• Retarget only high-intent users, like those who view pricing or tour pages.

These tactics are essential if you want to reduce wasted spend and focus on leads with real conversion potential.

Event Details

The Senior Care Marketing & Sales Summit (SMASH) brings together the brightest minds in our field. If you’re looking to improve occupancy, align your teams, and future-proof your strategy, this is the place to be.

Event Dates: October 20–22, 2025
Location: JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa
Featured Session: “The Turnaround Blueprint: How to Rapidly Rescue Underperforming Senior Living Assets” — October 21 at 2:15 PM

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