Marketing Apartments to Active Adults - Mike Brewer

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Marketing Apartments to Active Adults - Mike
Brewer
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To preface

• Active Adults are not statistics
• Home really is where the heart is
• Taglines
• The third age
• Forward Living
• Gray Wave
• Aging in place
• Redefining small
• Right-sizing not down-sizing
• It is a process it is not a traditional leasing
  process. It takes time
• Not homogeneous, cant make sweeping
  generalizations
• Healthier and Wealthier than previous generations
  
• Embrace youthful lifestyle
• Want new pursuits and to fulfill undone areas of
  their life
• Motivated by lifestyle change not real estate
  purchases

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Active Adult Living

• Age 55
• 21 of the population is age 55 or older
• 330 an hour
• 25 of population by 2010
• 75 to 80 million people
• Born between 1946 and 1964
• 2 trillion to spend annually
• 22.3 million have incomes over 50,000
• Half will continue to work consulting and
  telecommuting
• Very discriminating when searching for housing
• They love to gab
• Desire independent living
• Desire to remain very active
• Desire a sense of community
• Do not desire to be confined
• Not all active adults desire to move to another
  city, state or country
• Climate is important
• Can focus more on wants vs. needs
• Young at heart

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Trends

• Want to be close to family
• Moving back from Florida and Arizona
• Moving back to the city from the burbs
• Overwhelming choices to com
• Smart living (for older Active Adults)
• Fridge that tracks use
• Flooring that tracks movement

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How they receive information

• News junkies
• Television
• 80 watch both regional as well as national news
• Watch more TV than any other activity
• Up to 6 hours a day
• News, game shows and talk shows
• Top networks Hallmark, TCM, Golf Channel,
  History Channel, Fox News, CNN, AMC, and TWC
• Newspapers
• 80 read the newspaper daily or several times a
  week
• Top Sections of the newspaper general news,
  editorial page, business/finance, sports,
  food/cooking
• Internet (according to Nielsen/NetRatings, active
  adults are the fastest growing age group online
• 70 of active adults go online (57 for news, 76
  to purchase goods and services)
• Use search to find information
• More likely to use print or product labels to go
  to websites

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What they face

• When they want to move
• Where they want to move
• How much they can afford to spend
• Proximity to healthcare
• Choices are growing
• Do we need two locations
• Does my spouse have the same dreams
• Climate
• Purpose
• Work?
• Volunteering opportunities
• Are we close to friends and family
• Want to be close to the city
• Want to be close to the beach
• Want to be close to small town and cultural
  events
• Want to be near a lake or river for fishing
• Close to resorts for weekend getaways
• Might move more than once
• They are on a fixed income

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Questions they ask themselves

• Do I want to maintain my current home as I age?
• Am I willing to leave the home where I raised a
  family?
• Do I enjoy being a part of a community?
• Do I want to live around others my age?
• Would I like to live in a facility with amenities
  such as a pool and golf course?
• Am I comfortable living in an apartment?
• Do I have the income or savings necessary for
  monthly rent?
• They make lists of things they enjoy and then
  they prioritize them

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Benefits they look for

• Low maintenance cost and time commitments
• Security
• Low cost
• Freedom
• Camaraderie
• Close to family and friends
• Uber-premium customer service
• Work on emotions and how you make them feel
• Key elements timing, dependability,
  communication and flexibility

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Community Amenities

• Super huge community centers
• State of the art fitness facilities
• Access to trainers and assistance in diet, health
  and well being
• Indoor/Outdoor swimming pools
• Saunas
• Shuffleboard
• Bocce ball
• Arts and Crafts
• Libraries
• Computer labs
• Game rooms
• Wii and other life enhancing video games
• Spa
• Tennis courts
• Basketball courts
• Horseshoe pits
• Walking trails
• Restriction on children

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Apartments in General

• Single Family Feel
• Single Story
• 2x1 and 3x2 most popular floor plans for
  apartment living
• 900 to 2000 sq. ft.
• 1x1 if older than 75
• Want space to be uniquely theirs (choice)
• Open space with lots of light
• Urban settings
• Smaller developments
• Attractive scenery

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Apartment Amenities

• Single floor
• Master, Kitchen, Living and Laundry
• If 2 story guest live upstairs
• Home offices
• Free wi-fi in unit and hotspots in the clubhouses
  and pool areas
• High-end kitchens
• Granite Countertops
• Hardwood floors
• Tiled Bathrooms
• Few steps or stairs
• Toggle switches
• Lever handles
• Wider doors
• Shower with a seat
• Little of no maintenance or upkeep (yard, snow or
  landscape)

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How to reach them

• Websites
• Print media guides (Senior Outlook For Rent
  Magazine)
• Rotary Club and other social meetings
• HR health fairs
• Company specific seminars
• Newspapers stories
• Television stories
• Infomercials

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Marketing Words to avoid

• Retiree
• Senior Citizen
• Aging
• Elderly
• Golden years
• Silver years
• Prime time
• Mature

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Marketing Messages that work

• Emphasis Active
• Value/Affordability
• Benefits
• Lifestyle they want
• Sense of community
• Both social and intellectual
• Amenities
• Social in nature
• Enhance experience around dining and activity

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Where to market

• Channels that deliver news and information
• Websites (must emulate the personality of your
  community)
• Video, hosted tour of community and specific
  units
• Easy to create and share conversation forums,
  blogs
• Maps and downloadable colorful and designable
  brochures
• Banner ads on relevant news oriented sites
• Online communities Web 2.0 or social media sites
  around the follow
• News, local dining, activity calendars, message
  boards, local events, weather, games,
  downloadable handbooks
• Branded E-newsletters
• Blogs
• Search engines (www.cranky.com)
• Media press releases
• Lifestyle, health and business reporters
• Grand opening, unique people in community,
  national trends that you can localize to your
  community

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Website tips

• Larger fonts or at least the ability to increase
  size
• Easy to navigate, simple, clean, consistent
• Provide checklists of things to think about
• Lists of questions to think about
• Provide common answers to those checklist and
  questions
• Test it with users and be open to change
• Link to sites dedicated to active adults
• Pay for links if need be
• Think about PPC (pay per click) Googles adwords
• Get SEO counsel
• Be prepared to follow up fast they expect it

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Resources where you can learn more

• Activeadultmag.com
• BestGuide-RetirementCommunities.com
• Activeadultliving.com
• Topretirements.com
• Myactivecommunity.com
• Newretirementcommunities.com
• Retirementhousingonline.com
• Senioroutlook.com (Forrent magazine)