In the News

Senior Living Experts Launch First Industry
Crisis Communications Solution: ResponderHub™

Chicagoland, IL: “A perfect storm is brewing in the senior housing industry,” said Debra Sheridan, president of 30-year-old IVY Marketing Group and creator of a new crisis communications solution called ResponderHub™.

Alarming statistics in senior housing substantiate Sheridan’s prediction. Out-of-court lawsuits average $750,000; 95 percent of all crises are the result of human error; 75 percent of the industry is infected with Malware; one in 10 elders suffers from abuse; and 3.5 million more workers are needed to serve the Baby Boom generation.

To address this gloomy forecast, Sheridan and her team of certified crisis communications specialists have developed the first solution designed exclusively for crisis in senior housing and services. “Seventy-five percent of crises in senior housing are smoldering and could be avoided with proper preparation, training and response,” said Sheridan.

This new product combines response training specific to the senior housing industry with HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based software and a real-time communications app. It hinges on three tenets of crisis communications – preparation, prevention and response – in four categories of crisis: widespread, serious, business disruption, and reputational.

Users of ResponderHub™ receive onsite training including industry-specific response role playing, appropriate setup of a situation room and demonstrations of the easy-to-use software. For a higher level of instruction, users can add media training complete with on-the-spot questions, videotaping for feedback and coaching on what to tell the media.

The HIPAA-compliant feature ensures the privacy of the entire community. Accessible from any device, ResponderHub™ serves as a step-by-step guide to crisis response as well as a repository for important information germane to each community. It also houses best practice information, trend reports of crises in the senior industry, descriptions and treatment of the four major types of crises, sample holding statements and policies, timelines for responses, monthly updates and other reference tools.

ResponderHub™’s accompanying app functions as a real-time channel for protected internal communications. Push notifications go out to core team members, who then log into the site or app from any device to communicate via text, email and voice in a recorded, HIPAA-compliant setting that ensures documentation for future reference.

ResponderHub™ offers optional comprehensive monitoring of all online negative reviews and comments as well as community directories to ferret out smoldering crises and quell those that have erupted. With management’s approval, ResponderHub™ can quickly craft reasonable, factual and empathic responses.

This timely new product will be available to senior housing providers in January 2020.
Sign up today and receive a free day of media training, a $5,000 value!

Call for pricing and further information about this important new solution for crisis in senior housing and services. Visit us at responderhub.net and ivymarketing.com.

ResponderHub™ is a product of IVY Marketing Group, a 30-year veteran in marketing and public relations, specializing in senior housing and services. IVY’s team of professionals also manage crisis response and are certified in content marketing and crisis communications by the Public Relations Society of America. In addition, they are media trained and educated in crisis communications by the Institute of Crisis Management. IVY has received multiple national awards for excellence in content marketing, web and print design.

IVY MARKETING IS FINALIST FOR
PRESTIGIOUS CONTENT MARKETING AWARD

IVY Marketing and Monarch Landing
to Present at LeadingAge Expo

Glen Ellyn IL: IVY Marketing Group founder and president Debra Sheridan will address audiences at the 2018 LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Expo in Schaumburg on April 19 about the impact of content marketing on senior housing sales. She will be joined by Kimmy Giudice, sales and marketing manager of Monarch Landing independent senior living community in Naperville, and Samantha Breden, business development director at The Springs healthcare community connected to Monarch Landing.

While Sheridan will shed light on the strategies that comprise a strong, successful content marketing program, Giudice and Breden will punctuate those tactics using the example of their winning teamwork with IVY Marketing Group. Identifying content marketing as the creation and sharing of online and print material that is focused on consumers’ needs as opposed to a company’s, Sheridan will stress the value of a responsive, content-rich website that encourages consumer interaction and moves them to action. A niche expert in quality accommodations for older adults, she will also impart what she has learned, and continues to learn, over nearly 30 years of marketing for senior living, particularly as it has moved into the digital age.

In her sunny, approachable style that welcomes questions and sharing from the audience, Sheridan will illuminate the various components of robust content marketing, including the aforementioned and all-important website, blog and news (and the difference between the two), visual media, newsletters, press releases, social media strategies, stories, testimonials, search engine optimization, data analytics, interactive forms, and website functionality. She will also discuss time and budget allocation and expectations of content marketing results.

 

IVY Marketing Group Receives
Award for Excellence in Four Categories

Glen Ellyn IL: We are delighted to announce that IVY Marketing Group has won four National Mature Media Awards: one Gold for the IVY Marketing Group website; one Silver for the website IVY created for Monarch Landing; and two Merit awards, one for The Danish Home blog entitled The Hope Chest and the other for Friendship Senior Options’ 2017 annual report entitled, On the Record. Just this year, the agency also won a Merit award from the Content Marketing Institute for the 2015 annual report for Friendship Senior Options.

The awards program, presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior marketing, is the largest program of its kind.  The awards were created to annually recognize the best materials produced for those who are 50 and older, the nation’s fastest-growing population group.  

Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit certificates were awarded in more than 40 categories.  Categories included marketing communications, publications/editorial, educational/training programs, mature work and retirement and art/design.  Entries included brochures, newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles, web-based and mobile resources, radio and television advertising, books and annual reports.

The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of judges from across the United States, representing years of expertise working in the mature market.  All Gold Award recipients, which represent the top five percent of all entries, were reviewed by a special panel of judges for the 2017 Best of Show Awards. 

IVY Marketing Is Finalist for
Prestigious Content Marketing Award


Glen Ellyn, IL, USA, August 4, 2017 – The Content Marketing Institute just announced that IVY Marketing Group in Glen Ellyn, IL, is a finalist for the 2017 Content Marketing Award in the Best Annual Report category. IVY’s creation of the 2015 Friendship Senior Options (FSO) annual report earned the company this notable honor. The Content Marketing Awards, produced by the Content Marketing Institute, is the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards program in the world.

Winning this recognition is no small feat, as there were more than 1,100 entries from which to choose the “best of the best,” from over 70 countries. Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute founder and co-author of the upcoming book, Killing Marketing, said, “It’s an honor to be able to recognize companies and organizations who are the true leaders and innovators when it comes to implementing a content marketing strategy that is exceeding expectations and truly helping companies or clients succeed.”

IVY Marketing’s fellow finalists in the Best Annual Report category include Akron Children’s Hospital, Allianz Customer Report 2016: “Results for the Customer,” Content GmbH, and the Society for Neuroscience. The winner is a German company, Mission Zukunft.

This is IVY’s second prestigious award for the 2015 FSO annual report; the first was from 2016 Mature Media Awards. “It is a great honor to work with FSO and to represent the caliber of this organization. We are grateful to have been allowed to serve FSO and proud to share in this recognition from the Content Marketing Institute,” said Debra Sheridan, IVY Marketing Group founder and president.

IVY Marketing Group is a boutique marketing and public relations agency based in suburban Chicago. IVY’s dedicated team of creative professionals is limited only by their clients’ imagination, offering them strategy, content creation for print and online, website design, digital marketing, social media, radio/TV coverage, video production, advertising, blogs, newsletters, email campaigns, and more.

For more information, contact IVY at 630-790-2531 or visit www.IvyMarketing.com.

Meet Debra Sheridan of IVY Marketing Group in Glen Ellyn

August 15, 2017
Today we’d like to introduce you to Debra Sheridan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 1989 I was working for a small advertising agency that was merging with an agency handling Mattel, the toy manufacturer. I had brought five accounts into the firm and they no longer wanted to service them. I shopped my band of clients to other agencies to see if they would be willing to accept them as clients with me as the account executive overseeing that they received what had been promised to them. Just like any bad shopping experience, I couldn’t find any firm I wanted to work with and that would give these clients the services they expected and were promised. As a result, and with all of their enthusiastic urging, I started IVY Marketing Group 1990 in my home.

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IVY Marketing Group Earns 2016 Constant Contact Solution Provider All Star Award

April 4, 2017
IVY excels at email marketing and is proud to be named a Constant Contact All Star. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10% of Constant Contact¹s customers. We’re happy to be recognized for achievements using online marketing tools to drive success.

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Ivy Marketing’s New VP Shares
Golden Opportunities For Today’s Senior Living

March 25, 2016
“Today’s senior living communities have made the lives of their residents fulfilling and exciting beyond what they could have anticipated, and in sharing their stories, we’re helping to perpetuate these possibilities,” said Wendy Foster, newly appointed vice president of Glen Ellyn-based IVY Marketing Group, a marketing and public relations company primarily serving the senior housing arena.

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Q&A: Glen Ellyn marketing group president talks agency’s 25-year anniversary

April 28, 2015
GLEN ELLYN – When you think of the best places for a public relations and marketing firm to hold a meeting, a family bedroom may not come to mind.

However, for Deborah Sheridan, that was the birthplace of her Glen Ellyn-based agency, IVY Marketing Group, which is currently celebrating 25 years in business.

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It’s addicting!  The fast-paced, ever changing world of public relations and marketing captures your interest and keeps you charged up to learn more everyday.  I love to find the best ways to tell our client’s stories and man, they have awesome stories!

It’s my job to discover our client’s goals and then match the best processes to achieve them, within their budgets, of course.  I get to explore traditional, digital and every manner of communication to determine which tactics, whether it is direct mail or TV advertising, a new website or PPC (to name just a few) will efficiently and effectively capture the attention of prospects. 

I also get to work with great people at IVY – they’re creative, fun, caring and super smart.  We’ve all been around the industry a while so there is not a novice among us.  Our clients are very cool too and totally passionate about the services they offer.  We’ve been working with most of them for years so we know they truly care about being innovative and responsible to the markets they service.  I have great admiration for all of them and look forward to every day. 

It’s true what “they” say, if you love what you do, you won’t work a day of your life!

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IVY was established in 1990 with a basic premise to offer professional, ethical and highly creative marketing, advertising and public relations services. We have successfully maintained our core values and have been part of many amazing projects, client growth and changes in the world of marketing that continue to happen at lightening speed. Most of our clients serve older adults in some capacity so we keep abreast of the opportunities and challenges they face.   Each day, we keep it real and fun and consistently deliver positive results to our clients and their markets.

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As a hybrid graphic and digital designer/web developer with over 17 years of experience, I am always on the lookout for innovative digital and print visual communications. IVY Marketing Group’s broad range of projects keeps my job challenging and rewarding, as each campaign is a new and exciting opportunity to effectively communicate our clients’ messages and help them achieve their goals. It’s my passion!

My body of work encompasses a diverse design style and wide base of clients, ranging from national associations, small businesses and big name brands like Hyatt and LiftMaster. I firmly believe that form follows function and highly value the communicative power of simplicity. 

Areas of professional expertise include Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Word Press, Responsive Design, CSS3, and HTML5. The industries I’ve served include senior living, health care, hospitality and finance.

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All my life, I have loved writing. As a child, I could often be found in my room “writing a book.” While “novelist” is not (yet) on my resume, I am a storyteller. I believe that everyone and everything has a great story, and it is my joy to find that story and share it with the world.

After earning my bachelor’s degree in journalism and completing my master’s studies in the same field, I joined a small advertising agency with powerhouse clients in the hospitality industry, such as Hyatt, Hilton International and Carnival Cruise Lines. I began as a proofreader and achieved the position of senior copy writer within a year.

After my first son was born, followed by two more, I started a freelance writing business that included (among several others) such clients as Advocate Health Care and Coldwell-Banker Realty. Clients in the education arena included DeVry University’s Becker CPA and Stalla CFA Reviews, DePaul University, and Naperville School District 203, for which I won two state public relations awards.

For nine years, I was employed as Communications Director for a large faith community, where I managed all aspects of internal and external communications. I was writer, editor, designer, web master, and content manager.

As such, I am experienced and comfortable writing multimedia for a broad variety of industries, products and services.

I joined IVY Marketing Group in 2013, when I began writing client press releases on a freelance basis. I loved the work—and my teammates—so much, I was thrilled when I was invited to come on board in a greater capacity.

I have immensely enjoyed getting to know our valued clients in the senior housing industry, the people they serve, and telling the many wonderful stories that come out of content marketing done right—with the love and care our IVY teams puts into everything we do.

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It all starts with one idea. Working with the Ivy creative team for over two decades has always meant taking one great idea and bringing it to life to help our clients meet their goals. We enjoy the challenges offered with every creative opportunity and try to make the design process itself enjoyable for our clients.

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Making certain that the projects IVY produces are word- and picture-perfect is my specialty. But I also love implementing marketing campaigns and programs that bring our clients success. Details are my thing, so it is a pleasure to have worked with IVY twice now, first after college four years ago and, recently, for the past two years.

The IVY Group is a terrific team of creative, positive and talented professionals that I love working with and, judging from the length of stay of our clients, I think they love our team, too!

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Rock-climbing, training for an 80-floor stair climb event, running a 5K…This is just a tiny peek into what people 20 and even 30 years older than I am, are doing on a fairly regular basis at some of the retirement communities that IVY represents.

I’m of the generation that still has reoccurring nightmares about what the next step looked like when my grandmother could no longer live by herself. The very best option at that time was living at a “facility” and  included eating rubbery chicken and playing an occasional game of BINGO. Period. That’s why my parent’s generation begged us not to ever put them into “one of those places.”

I am so proud that IVY’s clients are at the very forefront of an industry that creates opportunities, challenges, and most of all freedom for seniors, allowing them to explore hobbies, interests, passions…the next chapter of their very full lives.

I feel reassured for my own future. Even more, I feel honored to be able to share the impactful stories about this paradigm shift in the world of senior housing. What we hear and see at our clients’ communities is fascinating and inspiring!

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Keeping up to date on new public relations strategies, online engagement tactics, and promotional tools is my passion.

With my hospitality background in marketing top Chicago restaurants and hotels, I was eager to bring fresh concepts and communication strategies to our clients and have really enjoyed learning various industries.

Our clients have such exciting and unique events and programs, which really makes it motivating for me to make the most of their content.  Results like increased sales leads, website visits and social media connections make everyday rewarding and interesting.

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I oversee, plan and implement projects and processes at IVY.  Often,  I am the conduit between our writers and designers, with printers, and other vendors to fulfill the marketing needs for our clients. I also manage media buys and coordinate production of advertisements.

Working for a flexible and fluid company that is constantly growing, changing and evolving is fun and rewarding. There is always something new to learn.

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My bio has a big blank in the beginning—Mom and Dad rescued me in Wisconsin, and no one really knows my origins. They were probably ruff. What matters though is where I am now, running IVY Marketing Group. There are humans here who think they’re in charge. In truth, they do actually have amazing experience in content marketing and public relations, but I’m super important and the center of attention. I mean, look at this face. Right? And I know I’m the top dog because honestly, I’m the only one allowed to sleep through staff meetings and eat things that people drop on the floor.

The fact is though that I truly love staying awake at staff meetings. Everyone talks and laughs and they’re always excited. That surprises me a little because it’s not like anyone has thrown a ball to play fetch or anything. But I guess what gets my pack of peoples’ tails wagging is their work and their clients. I don’t know what a website or a blog is, but I do know that my pack must be good at them because they’ve earned all sorts of awards for these and other things. My bed had to be moved because the framed certificates were taking up so much room. Despite the inconvenience, I’m proud of these awards!

I serve several important purposes at IVY. I always let Mom (and the world) know when the mailman is here. When people come into the office, just one (usually) quick non-invasive (usually) sniff, allows me to determine important characteristics…like if they had anything good for breakfast, own any pets (pet owners are the best!) or if they stepped in anything on the way in. (It’s sort of like me conducting a first job interview.) I generously share my tummy because I know people like to give it a good scratch. I always give kisses, whether one is feeling lonely or not. And I’m always happy to share someone’s meal, especially if they’re trying to lose weight. My pack describes me as being engaging, amusing, and entertaining. (When I hear a siren, I “sing” along and it makes them laugh.) NPR talks about the benefits of having a pet at the workplace. Studies show pets lower stress hormones and improve morale and productivity. I wholeheartedly agree that a dog in the workplace is the best thing since rawhide bones.

As for my pack of people at IVY…they are amazing and always make my tail wag!

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I could not be more thrilled to work alongside the IVY team.

For over 25 years, I have been employed in top executive positions across the Chicago area and have consistently built profitable businesses, generated sales, and developed and launched new product lines.

Strategically positioning companies and commodities for growth is a strong suit I’m eager to bring to ResponderHub™, IVY’s new crisis communications solution. I’m also excited to help expand IVY’s reach in the senior marketing industry.

I believe people are more open than ever to thinking outside the box and looking at new ways to reach their customer base, while at the same time reducing their cost of sale. The senior industry is exploding, and IVY is perfectly positioned to respond to the need for innovative, quality content marketing services and effective crisis communications.

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I love being able to use my skills to help improve other people’s lives, and with a growing elderly population, it’s important to create meaningful and user-friendly digital solutions to aid the senior living industry.I have a wide range of technology and design skills with a deep interest in Human-Computer Interaction– helping IVY provide outstanding web design and print design services. IVY has a long-proven track record of excellence, and I’m proud to be able to help carry on that tradition. 

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