The first task I was given was to start a marketing program at Fairwood Retirement Village in Spokane. For many years, Fairwood had success with minimal marketing because of word of mouth from its residents. With the economic downturn and more seniors being choosy with their money, the need for increased marketing efforts became apparent. I was commissioned to get the ball rolling and bring some new ideas. Starting the middle of January till the beginning of May I worked on getting bringing Fairwood into the marketing game. The environment in Spokane is dominated by Rockwood Retirement and Fairwinds Retirement Village who pump money into advertising like a faucet running wide open. I was very green in this venture so the first month I spent trying to gain my wits and get a grasp about what was going on around me. After doing this I set out to find ways to break in to the marketing environment, most of the way I thought of breaking in and stealing some market share from Rockwood and Fairwinds required more money and thought than Fairwood was willing to pay during my duration there. I also worked on turning their "word document" webpage into a website that could be utilized to attract potential residents. More and more the families of seniors are becoming the decision makers as to where their parents or other loved ones live. With the constant go-go-go of life, the easiest avenue to reach these decision makers and to give a good impression of your facility is through a website. My friend Daniel put it best "A website for your retirement village isn't about selling the place, it's about taking your potential client on a first date". My time came to an end at Fairwood at the beginning of June, but since they have adopting some of the very ideas that I had brought to them, and they have been successful which give me affirmation after the point. But it was time for me to move on to the next task.
-The Consiglieri