Senior Living Referral Program: How to Start One [+ Tools]

As people get older and map out what their life will look like after retirement, they and their families start to investigate senior living options. With so many care options out there, personalized recommendations make all the difference in whether an older adult or family chooses your senior living community. 

Your residents and their families know the quality of your services, and can vouch for you when their friends are looking for a senior community – whether that’s for themselves or their loved ones. And don’t count out professionals like doctors, whose expertise makes them reliable sources of referrals. 

You might think referrals can be unpredictable and hard to track. But a senior living referral program lets you track the source of every referral people send your way – and motivate more referrals through incentives. Here’s how. 

What is a senior living referral program?

Senior living referral programs simplify the process of sharing your senior community with others and allow you to track the sources of these referrals. With the help of trackable referral links, individuals can quickly share your website, and each referral will be linked to the person who sent them your way. This makes it straightforward to identify who sent you a new resident.

Benefits of senior living referral programs  

Senior resident referral programs focus on engaging individuals who are already inclined to recommend your retirement community. By building trust, you can grow your numbers of residents without relying on costly marketing strategies. 

Here are the main benefits of starting a senior living referral program. 

Increased brand awareness: Referral programs leverage the enthusiasm of satisfied residents and families, who share their positive experiences. This word-of-mouth promotion not only helps build a strong reputation for your community, but also enhances social proof and piques the interest of potential residents. 

Improved trust in your services: Referrals carry more weight than traditional ads or messages from your brand. According to a Nielsen study, 84% of people view referrals as the most trustworthy and effective form of advertising.

Creates warm leads: When people recommend your senior care services, they are connecting you with individuals who are already in need of a senior living residence. These referrers understand your offerings and can introduce you to others who would benefit from your expertise.

Higher conversion rates: People want to make an informed decision about their or their loved one’s senior living arrangements, and referrals help them make that decision in your favor. A personal recommendation greatly increases the chances that others will choose your community. Due to the trust factor, they are more likely to engage with you when they’re referred. Research shows that a personal endorsement can be up to 50 times more effective in driving purchases than standard ads.

Easier referral tracking: Establishing a referral program makes it simple to track client referrals. With the right referral software and the links it generates, you can easily attribute each referral to the client who made it.

Referral software for senior living communities [Free Tools]

These referral tools for senior living communities are a free and easy way to help you start your referral program.

Want a fully automated referral program for your senior living business? Run your referral program with us at Referral Rock. Find out how we can build your program with you (and tailor it to your unique needs)

Designing your senior living referral program 

Follow these best practices to maximize your senior living referrals:

Know your potential referral sources

The primary source of senior housing referrals are existing clients and their families, as they are usually eager to assist others facing similar challenges. But there are also many types of professionals who could send referrals your way, so leave no referral source unturned. No matter who is making the referrals, it’s beneficial to have a wide range of individuals and businesses involved in your referral program, such as:

• Physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals
• Social service professionals, like geriatric care managers
• Financial advisors
• Estate planners
• Elder law attorneys
• Other businesses that cater to seniors’ needs
• Nonprofits that serve seniors, such as food pantries and churches
• Hospital discharge coordinators
• Senior community centers 
• Home care providers (they may know someone who needs an increased level of care)
• Long-term care insurance providers
• Planners for events focused on seniors

Make sure you’re referrable

A remarkable senior living experience is crucial for motivating individuals to recommend your services. It’s essential to establish a strong foundation for referrals before launching any program.

Are you already enjoying five-star ratings, enthusiastic feedback on satisfaction surveys, and positive remarks or recommendations prior to starting your referral program? These are strong signs that your community is truly worth sharing.

You’ll also need a strong idea of your ideal residents so people know who to refer, and an online presence (say, a website or portal) for people to send referrals to.

Establish goals for your referral program  

What are your reasons for launching a referral program, beyond just attracting new residents? Are you looking to boost awareness of your community, or generate more potential leads from many different referral sources? Additionally, what percentage increase in new referred residents are you aiming for within a specific month or year? 

You might also have goals related to increasing resident numbers in specific communities of your retirement home, like memory care, assisted living communities, or independent living communities.

After defining your goals, how will you monitor your progress? Utilizing the right software can simplify this task and help you track important metrics. Over time, this will enable you to evaluate the success of your referral program, pinpoint areas that need enhancement, and measure its overall impact.

Choose the right rewards

For most people, rewards are the needed motivation to refer someone to your community. Yes, helping a friend is nice, but what’s in it for them? The most popular rewards for senior living referrals are cash and gift cards, because they give people the freedom to spend the reward however they wish. Plus, this works well no matter who is making the referral, whether it’s a resident, family member, or business partner.

Of course, if you’re focusing on referrals from current residents only, feel free to pay out the reward as a rental credit.
Regardless, be sure the amount reflects the value of a referral – senior living’s a significant investment. 

You might also try tiered rewards, which increase in value as someone makes higher numbers of successful referrals. Or, since senior living decisions take a lot of discernment, try a multi-step program, where referrers get a smaller reward when a prospective resident is qualified (they give you their information or come for a prospect visit) and a larger reward when they sign a contract to live with you.

What to do, though, if you get referrals from someone who can’t accept a reward, or you aren’t able to pay one out (say, because their expenses were covered by Medicare or Medicaid)? The answer’s simple – make a cash donation to charity in their name instead. They’ll appreciate the opportunity to give back! 

Make sharing easy  

To get the most shares from your referral program, prioritize a user-friendly and straightforward sharing experience. Participants should be able to access it with just a few clicks or taps.

Once they reach your program page, the sharing process should be as smooth as possible:

• Divide the program into three to four clear steps for better understanding.  
• Emphasize the benefits of sharing. Highlight both the incentives and intrinsic rewards, like the chance to help someone who’s looking for the right senior community.  
• Remind individuals of the unique advantages your community provides to residents.  
• Keep your program page organized—avoid cluttering it with too much text.  
• Make sure there’s a strong call to action (CTA) that encourages sharing.  

Additionally, strive to minimize the effort required to make a referral.

• Offer various sharing options that cater to popular communication methods, such as email and social media.
• Create a referral link that can be easily copied and shared anywhere—referral software can generate these links with ease.  
• Compose a friendly, pre-written message for referrers to send to potential residents and families, ensuring it feels personal and welcoming.  

With Referral Rock’s One Click Access links, people can instantly start sharing your senior community. This feature allows them to join the program automatically, without the hassle of signing up or completing any forms.

Be sure to include One Click Access links in all your promotional emails about the referral program, such as newsletters and transactional emails, not just those specifically about referrals.

Plus, Referral Rock allows both new and existing members to access their referral portal using popular social logins like Google and Facebook. This makes it a lot easier for them since they won’t need to remember a password.

Promote your program in lots of ways

Boosting the number of participants in your referral program can significantly improve both the number of referrals and your overall revenue. So, it’s essential to promote your program through various channels that your residents, their families, and other referral partners often use:

• Reach out to all residents, families, and business partners with dedicated emails highlighting your referral program. This not only attracts new referrers but also keeps the program top of mind with existing sharers. We recommend sending these emails monthly to quarterly.
• Include short promotions for your referral program in newsletters and other ways you share updates about your community.
• Mention your program in the emails you send with billing statements.
• Add a note about your program in the email footers when corresponding with businesses you’d like to partner with.
• If you have a payment portal, embed referral promotions directly within it, complete with direct links for easy access.
• Feature a noticeable banner or hero image on your website’s homepage that links directly to your referral landing page.
• Think about using subtle promotion techniques on your website, like adding a link in the footer or menu. If users can easily locate and access it, they are more inclined to join your program.
• Post updates about your referral program on your social media channels.
• Leverage Referral Rock’s Monthly Summary emails to engage current program members, offering them a personalized overview of their referral activities each month.

Thank referrers for their help

When referrers feel valued, they are more likely to keep spreading the word about you. A heartfelt thank-you note is a simple yet impactful way to show your appreciation without any cost.

You can decide how personal you want your message to be. Whether you opt for a handwritten note or an email, try to include specific details that reflect your special relationship with the referrer.

Alternatively, you might consider creating a general note to send to all your referrers, making small updates throughout the year to keep it engaging. No matter which approach you take, be sure to mention the person’s name and sincerely convey your gratitude for their referral.

Choose the right referral software

Referral software tools streamline the process of tracking referrals, pinpointing their origins, and swiftly distributing rewards. You’ll also receive important insights into your referral program, enabling you to evaluate its success and implement any needed changes.

Plus, referral software generates unique links that make it easy for people to share your program on social media and via email.

Referral Rock software enhances the creation, tracking, rewarding, and promotion of your program, making it a vital tool for anyone looking to execute a successful referral campaign.

With Referral Rock, you can:

• Easily track referrals: Each participant gets a unique referral link, enabling you to see exactly where each referral comes from. Customers can also track their own referrals through personalized dashboards.  
• Automate marketing efforts: Keep customers engaged with strategic, automated promotional emails, and simplify sharing with passwordless links.   
• Customize and streamline rewards: Set up any reward structure you choose, including tiered and multi-step rewards – then automatically pay them out
• Integrate with essential tools: Seamlessly connect Referral Rock with over 50 different tools, including your CRM.  
• Gather program insights: Quickly evaluate your program’s performance and make data-driven improvements.  
• Set up in no time: With Referral Rock, you can launch your program in just a few days, with expert support available at every step.  

Create your own senior living referral program

A senior living referral program enables you to leverage personal recommendations to draw in new residents. The benefits of such a program include straightforward tracking of referrals, increased visibility of your services, and reliable client acquisition. Be sure to set yourself apart by providing an outstanding experience, actively promote your program, give rewards people want to earn, and make sharing simple.