Case Study: From Leads to Move-Ins: How Canton Regency Improved Occupancy and Profitability

From Leads to Move-Ins: How Canton Regency Improved Occupancy and Profitability

Case Study — The Canton Regency Senior Living Residences

Canton Regency, a senior living community offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care, partnered with Sona Senior Living to optimize operations and increase occupancy. What started as a digital marketing and lead-generation overhaul in 2022 has grown into a multi-year turnaround — one that, most recently, has been driven by a renewed focus on Canton’s Independent Living and Active Aging population under new sales and marketing leadership.

Since 2022, Canton Regency has moved from a community struggling to fill units and overly dependent on costly third-party leads, to one with total occupancy approaching 95% and a marketing engine built around its own website, resident referrals, and community programming.

The Challenge

At the start of 2022, Canton Regency faced a set of interconnected problems:

Stagnant occupancy. Total occupancy sat below 60%, and three out of every four move-ins came from third-party commissionable sources rather than the community’s own efforts.
High acquisition costs, low conversion. Third-party leads converted at under 5%, cost more than $4,000 per lead, and brought in residents who stayed an average of just 12 months.
No sustainable lead engine. Canton needed to reduce its dependence on paid third-party platforms and build direct, lower-cost inquiry volume through its own website, resident referrals, and local professional partnerships.
An imbalance across service lines. Canton Regency had long performed well filling Assisted Living and Memory Care, but Independent Living and Active Aging units — the community’s largest service line — lagged behind, leaving significant occupancy and revenue on the table.

The Approach

Phase one: Website optimization and lead generation (2022–2024) Sona rebuilt Canton Regency’s website into a more user-friendly, search-optimized experience designed to attract high-quality, direct inquiries. Combined with improved SEO and content, this shifted the source of new move-ins away from third-party platforms and toward organic, owned channels.

Phase two: Comprehensive sales and marketing strategy (2022–2024) Digital advertising was layered on top of the improved website to drive even more direct leads. At the same time, Sona strengthened resident engagement and satisfaction on-site, which translated directly into a growing share of move-ins coming from resident referrals — a strong signal of word-of-mouth momentum.

Phase three: New sales leadership, renewed focus on Independent Living (2025–present) In fall 2025, Canton Regency hired a new, highly experienced Sales and Marketing Director. Under her leadership, Canton shifted marketing focus specifically toward Independent Living and Active Aging residents and prospects — a segment that had historically underperformed relative to Assisted Living and Memory Care despite being the community’s largest service line.

That shift showed up in the community’s day-to-day programming and outreach, with marketing built around the lifestyle Active Aging prospects are looking for. The new Sales and Marketing Director has rolled out a lineup of genuinely fun programming for active seniors — including a speed dating event, yoga and other exercise classes, and a variety of outings — all designed to showcase Canton Regency as the vibrant, active community it is.

The Results

2022–2024: Building the foundation

Occupancy: Total occupancy grew from 60% to over 80%, with a significant improvement in resident satisfaction alongside it.
Lead generation: 50% of business came directly from the community website by the end of the period; resident referrals grew from 1% to 25% of total move-ins.
Conversion rate: Doubled from its previous low of under 5%.
Cost of sale: Reduced by 50% as the mix shifted away from expensive third-party leads.
Lead source mix (2022 vs. 2024): Third-party leads fell from 75% to 15% of new move-ins, while the website climbed to 51%, resident referrals to 25%, and professional referrals to 22%.

2024–2026: Sustained growth, now led by Independent Living

Building on that foundation, Canton Regency’s total occupancy has continued climbing steadily — and the community’s underperforming service line has become its biggest growth story.

Total occupancy: Climbed from 80% in July 2024 to 96% by July 2026, with occupied units growing from 171 to 216 over the same period — a steady, near-uninterrupted climb month over month.
Independent Living / Active Aging: Occupancy grew from 68% to 93% — the largest service line at Canton Regency, and the one most directly shaped by the shift toward lifestyle-driven marketing and programming.
Assisted Living: Occupancy grew from 75% to 95%, continuing Canton’s long-standing strength in this service line.
Memory Care: Occupancy grew from 86% to 95%, maintaining strong performance through continued focus on professional referrals.

Key Takeaways

A multi-year, phased approach — website and lead-gen infrastructure first, then sales strategy, then targeted leadership and programming — built occupancy gains that compounded rather than plateaued.
Reducing reliance on costly third-party leads didn’t just cut cost of sale; it built a referral engine, with resident referrals growing from 1% to 25% of total move-ins.
The right leadership hire, focused on an underperforming but high-potential service line, can unlock growth that broader digital marketing alone hadn’t reached — Canton’s Independent Living occupancy jump from 68% to 93% under new sales & marketing leadership.
Programming and marketing built around what Active Aging residents actually want — fitness, live music, an active social calendar — did more to move the needle on Independent Living than digital tactics alone.

This case study illustrates how Sona Senior Living’s comprehensive, adaptive approach to senior living management drives sustained results — combining digital marketing infrastructure, sales strategy, and the right on-site leadership to help communities like Canton Regency thrive in a competitive market.

From Leads to Move-Ins: How Canton Regency Improved Occupancy and Profitability

Case Study — The Canton Regency Senior Living Residences

Since 2022, Canton Regency has moved from a community struggling to fill units and overly dependent on costly third-party leads, to one with total occupancy approaching 95% and a marketing engine built around its own website, resident referrals, and community programming.

The Challenge

At the start of 2022, Canton Regency faced a set of interconnected problems:

Stagnant occupancy. Total occupancy sat below 60%, and three out of every four move-ins came from third-party commissionable sources rather than the community’s own efforts.

High acquisition costs, low conversion. Third-party leads converted at under 5%, cost more than $4,000 per lead, and brought in residents who stayed an average of just 12 months.

No sustainable lead engine. Canton needed to reduce its dependence on paid third-party platforms and build direct, lower-cost inquiry volume through its own website, resident referrals, and local professional partnerships.

An imbalance across service lines. Canton Regency had long performed well filling Assisted Living and Memory Care, but Independent Living and Active Aging units — the community’s largest service line — lagged behind, leaving significant occupancy and revenue on the table.

The Approach

The Results

2022–2024: Building the foundation

Occupancy: Total occupancy grew from 60% to over 80%, with a significant improvement in resident satisfaction alongside it.

Lead generation: 50% of business came directly from the community website by the end of the period; resident referrals grew from 1% to 25% of total move-ins.

Conversion rate: Doubled from its previous low of under 5%.

Cost of sale: Reduced by 50% as the mix shifted away from expensive third-party leads.

Lead source mix (2022 vs. 2024): Third-party leads fell from 75% to 15% of new move-ins, while the website climbed to 51%, resident referrals to 25%, and professional referrals to 22%.

2024–2026: Sustained growth, now led by Independent Living

Building on that foundation, Canton Regency’s total occupancy has continued climbing steadily — and the community’s underperforming service line has become its biggest growth story.

Total occupancy: Climbed from 80% in July 2024 to 96% by July 2026, with occupied units growing from 171 to 216 over the same period — a steady, near-uninterrupted climb month over month.

Independent Living / Active Aging: Occupancy grew from 68% to 93% — the largest service line at Canton Regency, and the one most directly shaped by the shift toward lifestyle-driven marketing and programming.

Assisted Living: Occupancy grew from 75% to 95%, continuing Canton’s long-standing strength in this service line.

Memory Care: Occupancy grew from 86% to 95%, maintaining strong performance through continued focus on professional referrals.

Key Takeaways

A multi-year, phased approach — website and lead-gen infrastructure first, then sales strategy, then targeted leadership and programming — built occupancy gains that compounded rather than plateaued.

Reducing reliance on costly third-party leads didn’t just cut cost of sale; it built a referral engine, with resident referrals growing from 1% to 25% of total move-ins.

The right leadership hire, focused on an underperforming but high-potential service line, can unlock growth that broader digital marketing alone hadn’t reached — Canton’s Independent Living occupancy jump from 68% to 93% under new sales & marketing leadership.

Programming and marketing built around what Active Aging residents actually want — fitness, live music, an active social calendar — did more to move the needle on Independent Living than digital tactics alone.