Marketing Onboarding Call — 2026-04-05

Overview

Initial onboarding call between ^[1] and ^[2]. The call established working relationships, reviewed the current state of all marketing channels, and set short-term priorities. Website revamp emerged as the clear top priority, with several critical technical issues requiring immediate attention.

Attendees:
- Asymmetric: Mark Hope (Chief Strategist), Melissa Cusumano (Director of Operations), Sebastian Gant (Account Manager)
- The Cordwainer: Erica Lathrop (Sales/Marketing), Maria Lastoria, Bodo Liesenfeld (Owner), Tamilyn Liesenfeld

Key Decisions

1. Website revamp is the top priority. The current site has accumulated too many incremental changes from multiple parties and needs a coherent overhaul. The benchmark competitor is Bridges by Epoch, whose site is described as personal and effective.
2. Google Ads spend is paused. The previous $2,000–$2,500/month spend was producing poor ROI with very high cost-per-click. Asymmetric will audit the account before any spend resumes.
3. CallRail dynamic number insertion will be disabled. The system captures fewer than 5 real leads per month and is mostly internal calls; the rotating numbers risk lead misattribution.
4. Meta Business account will be created to enable paid social campaigns. No paid social has been run previously.
5. Sebastian Gant will schedule an in-person site visit to The Cordwainer (approximately 1 hour from his location in Rhode Island).

Critical Technical Issues (Fix This Week)

Note: The missing ADA accessibility plugin is a legal liability. Websites are subject to the same accessibility requirements as physical buildings, and plaintiffs' attorneys actively scan for non-compliant sites.

Website Revamp — Detailed Notes

What's Wrong

The site was originally solid but has been degraded by incremental edits from multiple parties over time ("too many cooks"). It no longer conveys the premium experience of the facility.

Specific Changes Requested

• Hero image: Replace the aerial building exterior shot with interior photos and images of residents in the environment. Several strong candidate photos were found on The Cordwainer's Instagram.
• Navigation / Care Options menu: Reorder so "Dementia Care" appears before "Respite Care." Dementia care is the core business; respite is a secondary short-term-stay offering.
• "Photos" → "Gallery": Minor label change requested by Bodo.
• Service descriptions: Update to reflect the new "Complete Care Services" branding, effective January 1. Erica to send the updated disclosure statement.
• Social proof: Awards and testimonials are currently buried in the footer or absent entirely. Move them higher on the homepage (About Us / What Makes Us Different section). None of the awards are currently displayed on the site.
• CTAs: Simplify the homepage to drive toward a single primary action — "Schedule a Visit." Currently there are too many competing CTAs (phone, schedule, RSVP, apply).
• Inquiry forms: Remove pricing fields from website inquiry forms (action item for Erica).
• Footer: Add missing legal policy pages (Terms of Use, Disclaimers, Privacy Policy, etc.).

Competitor Reference

Bridges by Epoch (Hingham / Pembroke / Norwalk locations — all share the same site design). The team reviewed it live on the call. Key observations: very personal feel, heavy use of human faces. Mark's counter-point: The Cordwainer should go further by showcasing the place and experience, not just smiling faces — because families are choosing a home, not just a staff.

Next Step

Website deep-dive call scheduled: Tuesday, November 18 at 11:00 AM CST / 12:00 PM EST.
Attendees: Mark Hope, Sebastian Gant, Bodo Liesenfeld, Erica Lathrop.

Marketing Channels — Current State

Google Ads

• Status: Paused by client prior to this engagement due to poor ROI.
• Spend: ~$2,000–$2,500/month with very high CPC and minimal conversions.
• Account ownership: Believed to be owned by The Cordwainer (not the previous agency). To be confirmed.
• Next step: Asymmetric to send a Google Ads manager access link; Erica/Bodo to grant access so the account can be audited.
• Context: No ads were visible in a live search during the call (Mark was searching from Wisconsin; results may differ with a Boston-area VPN).

SEO / Local Search

• Map Pack: The Cordwainer currently ranks #4 in the local map pack for relevant searches. Goal is to move into the top 3.
• AI Overviews: Opportunity to create FAQ-style blog content (e.g., "What is the average cost of memory care in Massachusetts?") to capture Google AI Overview snippets.
• "People Also Ask": Same content strategy applies — blog posts targeting these question-format queries.
• Place for Mom: Active agreement in place; The Cordwainer has a strong ranking/review there.

Social Media

• Facebook & Instagram: Active, posting 2–3x/week with real resident/event photos. Instagram is linked to Facebook. Managed internally by Billie Jean (Learned Environment Director), Amanda, and Erica.
• LinkedIn: Active but underutilized. Primarily used for employment/HR. Amanda and Erica have access.
• Paid social: None to date. Asymmetric will create a Meta Business account to enable paid campaigns.
• Content strategy note: Mix authentic iPhone-style photos with more polished content. Avoid making the feed look entirely ad-driven.

CallRail

• Status: Active but ineffective. Fewer than 5 real leads/month; mostly internal calls.
• Problem: Dynamic number insertion is active, meaning the phone number displayed on the site rotates. If a visitor writes down the number and calls later, the attribution data is corrupted.
• Decision: Disable dynamic number insertion. Either the previous agency shuts it off, or Asymmetric gets account access to do it.

Email Marketing

• CRM: Eldermark (used for lead/resident management). Not well-integrated with digital marketing workflows.
• Email deployment: Previous agencies used Constant Contact or MailChimp. Asymmetric may use one of those or Go High Level.
• List size: Under 500 active leads/inquiries (roughly 300 inquiries + ~50 prospects in Eldermark). A larger historical list of 1,000–2,000 contacts exists from early mass mailings but is not actively worked.
• Lead categorization issue: Eldermark distinguishes "inquiries" (family members researching) from "prospects" (the actual potential resident). The categories are not consistently applied; Erica is manually cleaning this over time.

Events

• Internal programming: The Cordwainer runs 2–3 "Learned Environment" events daily (a proprietary programming model unique to the facility) plus traditional programming. These are separate departments that coordinate closely.
• External/marketing events: 1–2 events/month open to prospects, families, and professionals. Planned approximately 2–3 months in advance.
• What works: Professional speakers on Alzheimer's/dementia topics reliably draw attendance. Art gallery events have not performed.
• Marketing use: Select internal Learned Environment events are elevated to public-facing marketing events (posted on website, promoted externally) when Erica judges them compelling enough to attract prospects.
• Action item: Erica to build a 3-month external events calendar and share with Melissa/Sebastian.

Facility Context

• Type: Memory care only (not traditional assisted living). All admissions are need-based and require an assessment by the Resident Care Director.
• Current vacancy: 6 open rooms — 1 studio (soon to be 3 studios) and 4 companion beds.
• Companion beds: Private bedrooms with a shared bathroom. Not couples' suites — these are roommate arrangements (same-gender matching). The Cordwainer has housed siblings and spouses in companion rooms, but residents are not caring for each other.
• Waitlist: Exists, but functions more as a "future interest" list than a true occupancy waitlist, because memory care placement is triggered by a health event, not a planned move date. Erica contacts waitlisted families ~monthly. Currently 2–3 people on the list.
• Family engagement: Exceptionally high. Families visit daily and are deeply integrated into community life. This is a key differentiator and marketing asset.
• Google Reviews: Strong.

Photo & Media Assets

• Resident photos: Covered under the residency agreement (The Cordwainer owns in perpetuity).
• Employee photos: Release forms exist but details are unclear. At least one former employee explicitly opted out. Erica to review the employee release form and confirm it covers post-departure usage.
• Available assets: Full photo gallery on file; anything on Instagram/Facebook is available in original files. Erica/Maria to send gallery assets to Melissa/Sebastian.

Action Items

Asymmetric Applications Group

• [ ] Send access checklist (WordPress, Eldermark, social accounts, CallRail, DNS, Google Ads manager link) and payment instructions to Erica — @Melissa Cusumano
• [ ] Send calendar invite for website deep-dive (Nov 18, 11 AM CT / 12 PM ET) to Mark, Sebastian, Bodo, Erica — @Melissa Cusumano
• [ ] Schedule in-person site visit with Erica/Bodo — @Sebastian Gant

The Cordwainer

• [ ] Send awards assets, photo gallery, Complete Care Services disclosure statement, and AP (accounts payable) email address to Melissa/Sebastian — @Erica Lathrop
• [ ] Review resident and employee photo release forms; update employee release to include post-departure usage rights — @Erica Lathrop
• [ ] Build 3-month external events calendar and share with Melissa/Sebastian — @Erica Lathrop
• [ ] Remove pricing fields from website inquiry forms — @Erica Lathrop
• [ ] Confirm payment status with Lisa; update Mark — @Erica Lathrop
• [ ] Grant WordPress access to Asymmetric (Bodo has Sixth City credentials) — @Bodo Liesenfeld
• [ ] Confirm Google Ads account ownership; grant manager access via Asymmetric's link — @Erica Lathrop / @Bodo Liesenfeld

Related

• ^[3]