Resources such as aCe, along with WAVE and SiteImprove browser plugins, make it easier than ever to check your website’s current compliance status. These automated tools quickly scan your website for basic accessibility trademarks and give you a checklist of elements that need work.
However, there is a limit to what these grading tools can do. No matter how advanced site-crawlers get, they’ll never experience a website as people do. W3C, a leading industry voice and worldwide guide for web standards, says that “comprehensive and effective evaluations require evaluators with an understanding of web technologies, evaluation tools, barriers that people with disabilities experience, assistive technologies and approaches that people with disabilities use, and accessibility guidelines and techniques.” In other words, it takes real humans. Teams of knowledgeable experts collaborating and manually testing to find the most accessible solution.
4. Include Valuable & Supportive Content
Give away free advice. Seriously. It’s important to help consumers navigate their options, and in turn, help them understand why you’re the right choice.
Transparency = Truth = TrustBecome a credible ally. With increasing amounts of misinformation circulating the media, consumers are eager to find resources they can trust. The only responsible way to exist as a brand anymore is to meet the demand for transparency and truth. Now is the time to start sharing your industry knowledge on every platform (website, blog, social media, email, etc.) to educate and empower your audience.
Increase Engagement, Add ValueTake every opportunity to engage with your community and better the lives of your consumers. Your brand inherently holds more power than the individual person. So, use this to everyone’s advantage. In demonstrating a deeper sense of care and commitment through voice and action, you’ll earn unmatched levels of growth and consumer loyalty in return. Speak honestly on topics that align with your brand and benefit your consumers, participate in local fundraising events, provide useful tips, like how to find the right doctor for you, or find other ways to add a little good to the world.
Now, Not TomorrowBaby boomers place higher importance on being well informed, socially relevant, and more connected than ever before – and future generations will only require a heavier focus on this. Brands need to adapt their strategy to reflect the same priorities. The sooner, the better. Taking the extra steps now to educate and inform your consumers will demonstrate a deeper level of care and put you ahead of the curve. If done well, it will position you as an industry leader.
5. Extend Your Reach
Bring in-person services online. Heavy reliance on technology during the pandemic has created a new world of connectivity and increased trust for many things, like virtual meetings, virtual tours, and telehealth appointments. In all aspects of healthcare, technology can be used to extend your reach and make you the obvious choice every time.
Virtual Tours VideosThe more information and context consumers get from your website, the better. But sometimes words and pictures don’t say enough. Videos allow consumers to imagine themselves in your space and get a better feel for what you offer. The more engaged they are with your content online, the more likely they’ll be to schedule a visit in real life.
Go LiveLive video calls, group information sessions, family orientations, and check-ins are great ways to engage with consumers, especially those in your peripheral audience. A family member living in Houston, for example, might be looking at retirement homes for their mom in St. Louis. In this case, it’s hard for your website alone to build a high level of trust. But, live video chats and extended appointment availability, will allow you to connect with far-away family members, busy caretakers, or even baby boomers looking to retire in a different city. Simple offerings like this will help you tap into an audience that’s otherwise out of reach.
