A Decade of True Partnerships: How Collaboration Transforms Results

Ten years ago, Markentum embarked on a mission that would reshape how senior living communities approach marketing partnerships. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re not just reflecting on business milestones—we’re honoring the authentic partnerships that have driven extraordinary results for our clients and transformed the senior living marketing landscape.

The numbers speak volumes: 365.84% increase in organic traffic, 202% increase in qualified paid leads, and an average cost per lead in 2024 of $177.66 across all marketing channels. But behind these impressive statistics lies a deeper story about what happens when marketing agencies stop working for clients and start working with them as true partners.

Redefining Business Partnerships in Senior Living Marketing

A business partnership is more than a vendor-client relationship; it’s about shared vision, mutual investment, and collaborative problem-solving that benefits both sides. For senior living communities, this distinction is critical. Your marketing needs are complex and deeply tied to helping seniors and their families find the right community—cookie-cutter solutions simply won’t do.

True partnerships in senior living marketing mean your agency understands your occupancy challenges, local market dynamics, and commitment to serving seniors with dignity. It’s about working together through late-night strategy sessions when census drops, celebrating move-in successes, and constantly refining strategies based on real-world results.

The Power of Collaborative Marketing Excellence

When marketing agencies work with senior living communities rather than for them, the transformation is remarkable. Collaboration unlocks insights that neither party could achieve alone, leading to more effective campaigns, higher-quality leads, and stronger return on investment.

Enhanced Strategic Development

Collaborative partnerships combine your team’s knowledge of the resident experience, local competition, and operations with our expertise in marketing, data analytics, and industry trends. Together, we create authentic campaigns that drive results, with partners achieving higher lead volumes, better lead quality, and improved conversion rates—often surpassing industry benchmarks.

Improved Campaign Performance

Working side-by-side with our partners creates a feedback loop that improves campaign performance continuously. Your team’s insights inform our messaging strategy. Our data analytics reveal the marketing channels that drive the highest-quality leads for your specific community.

This collaborative intelligence has helped our partners leverage the perfect blend of human savvy and AI efficiency. While technology drives targeting precision and optimization speed, human insight ensures messaging remains compassionate and relevant to seniors and their families.

Sustainable Growth Through Shared Success

Partnership-based marketing creates sustainable growth because both parties are invested in long-term success. Rather than focusing on short-term metrics, we work together to build marketing foundations that support consistent occupancy growth and community reputation enhancement.

Our Values: The Foundation of Every Partnership

Our corporate values aren’t just words on a wall—they’re the principles that guide every partnership and drive exceptional results for senior living communities.

Endurance: Building Resilient Relationships

We nurture caring and resilient relationships in and out of the organization.

Senior living marketing requires staying power. Market conditions change, new competitors emerge, and consumer preferences evolve. Our endurance means we’re here for the long haul, adapting strategies while maintaining consistent support for your community’s growth.

Endurance also means supporting our partners through challenging periods. When occupancy drops or unexpected market disruptions occur, we don’t step back—we step up with enhanced support and creative solutions.

Perseverance: Overcoming Marketing Challenges

We overcome obstacles, put our best foot forward and deliver.

Senior living marketing presents unique challenges: longer decision cycles, complex family dynamics, and highly regulated environments. Our perseverance means we don’t give up when initial campaigns need refinement or when market conditions create unexpected hurdles.

This perseverance has enabled our partners to achieve breakthrough results even in competitive markets. When traditional approaches plateau, we persevere to find innovative solutions that drive continued growth.

Partnership: The Heart of Our Success

We value trust, collaboration, support and open communications with our clients and team members.

Partnership is more than our core value—it’s our competitive advantage. Open communication creates the trust necessary for sharing sensitive market insights, occupancy data, and strategic concerns. This transparency enables more effective marketing strategies and faster response to market changes.

Trust allows for honest conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. When campaigns underperform, we address issues quickly and directly and collaborate on solutions rather than make excuses.

Give Back: Contributing to Community Success

We believe it is more important to give than to receive.

Our commitment to giving back goes beyond our work—it’s about supporting causes that truly matter to the senior living community. For years, we’ve proudly supported the Alzheimer’s Association, recognizing that 1 in 3 seniors in senior living experiences some form of dementia. During COVID, we launched initiatives like creating Christmas cards for seniors who couldn’t see their families, spreading joy during a tough time. Most recently, our Miles for Memories campaign united senior living supporters across the industry to walk daily in honor of those affected by Alzheimer’s. Giving back is at the heart of what we do.

Integrity: Ethical Marketing Practices

We do the job right, on time, using honest, trustworthy, and ethical practices.

Integrity in senior living marketing means respecting the vulnerability of your audience. Seniors and their families are making life-changing decisions, often during stressful circumstances. Our marketing strategies and tactics honor this responsibility with honest messaging, transparent practices, and genuine care for prospect experience.

Integrity also means delivering on our commitments. When we promise specific deliverables or timeline goals, we honor those commitments or communicate proactively when adjustments are necessary.

A Decade of Partnership-Driven Results

Throughout our first decade, we’ve worked side-by-side with senior living partners to create immersive, engaging experiences that help seniors find their perfect-fit community. These partnerships have consistently delivered results that exceed industry benchmarks:

Organic Growth Excellence

Our collaborative approach to search engine optimization has generated extraordinary organic growth for partner communities. One partner with an internally-created website achieved a 365.84% increase in organic traffic when we recreated it. This increase reflects not just technical SEO expertise, but a deep understanding of how seniors and their families search for senior living options and delivering authentic, helpful content that addresses their specific concerns and questions.

Paid Campaign Optimization

While organic growth ensures long-term sustainability, paid campaigns can deliver immediate results when executed with partnership intelligence. By combining our advertising expertise with your market knowledge, we’ve achieved impressive outcomes, including a 202% increase in qualified paid leads for one partner community. Your insights into prospect preferences guide our targeting strategies, while our data analysis identifies the messaging that resonates most effectively with your audience.

Strategic Lead Nurturing

Nurturing leads requires a strategic approach, as not all prospects are ready to move in right away, and community salespeople often lack the bandwidth to provide consistent follow-up. Email marketing offers the perfect alternative to ensure every lead is engaged effectively over time. At our core, we’ve honed this service since our inception, crafting custom content that speaks to both the heart and the head, supporting prospects throughout their decision-making journey. The results speak for themselves—our 2024 average lead nurture email open rate reached an impressive 43.12%, demonstrating the power of personalized, empathetic messaging in driving meaningful engagement and conversions.

Comprehensive Marketing Transformation

The results extend far beyond lead generation. Partner communities report improved brand reputation, enhanced online presence, and stronger competitive positioning. These comprehensive improvements create sustainable growth that continues long after individual campaigns conclude. Notably, we achieved a 2024 cost-per-lead average of an unprecedented $177.66 across our partner base, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and success.

Technology Partnerships: Extending Our Innovative, Collaborative Network 

Our partnership philosophy extends beyond client relationships to include collaboration with a wide range of technology vendors. These partnerships allow us to leverage cutting-edge tools like CRM systems, marketing automation software, call tracking solutions, and BI tools to deliver innovative marketing solutions that drive sustainable growth for our clients. By aligning with technology vendors, we foster collaborative innovation that benefits everyone involved.

By refining platforms to meet the real-world needs of senior living marketing, we contribute to industry advancements and create seamless marketing ecosystems. These integrated solutions maximize efficiency and enable communities to focus on their core mission: serving seniors and their families. Together with our technology partners, we deliver exceptional results and elevate the standard of senior living marketing.

Gratitude and Growth: Looking Forward Together

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re profoundly grateful to our partners who have helped us grow our business as they grow their own. This mutual growth exemplifies the power of true partnership in senior living today.

Lessons Learned, Wisdom Gained

Each partnership has taught us valuable lessons about senior living marketing, community operations, and the unique challenges of this industry, making us better partners and more effective marketers. We’ve learned that successful senior living marketing requires deep empathy for the emotional journey seniors and their families experience, that authentic messaging outperforms polished marketing speak, and that long-term relationship building is far more effective than short-term lead generation tactics.

Future Partnership Opportunities

Looking ahead, we’re excited about new partnership opportunities that will push the boundaries of senior living marketing excellence. As the industry evolves, we’re committed to evolving alongside our partners, developing innovative solutions to address emerging challenges and opportunities. With exciting developments in marketing technology, consumer behavior, and industry dynamics on the horizon, we’re eager to navigate these changes collaboratively to ensure our partners stay at the forefront of senior living marketing excellence.

Building Tomorrow’s Marketing Success Today

True partnerships have been the cornerstone of our success over the past decade, driving incredible results for senior living communities. From significant organic growth to improved lead quality, our partners’ achievements highlight the transformative power of collaborative marketing.

For senior living executives, the right marketing partnership makes all the difference. Choose agencies that work with you, not for you—partners who align with your values, understand your challenges, and are committed to your long-term success. The best partnerships are built on shared goals and mutual trust.

As we begin our next decade, we remain dedicated to fostering these partnerships and delivering exceptional results. It’s about more than metrics—it’s about the relationships, challenges overcome, and sustainable growth achieved together. Ready to see how partnership-based marketing can transform your results? Let’s connect and start the conversation.