Everyone is always looking for that silver bullet. That one thing they could do differently, better, faster or cheaper to gain market share. And, sometimes it does appear that the silver bullet has been found, but, more than likely, it is simply the result of some good strategy and following the basic marketing tenets that bring success. Read the rest of this entry »

In home care the word “marketing” often means a person who performs the direct sales for the agency. And being a good sales person, is indeed, an incredible talent. Knowing how to sell, however, is vastly different from creating a strategy from which TO sell.

Marketing strategy starts with some basics, and the most basic is branding. Then messaging. Defining targets that are most receptive to the sale, and then creating a process to inform and communicate to all so the potential to MAKE the sale is spread across a wider and wider (although targeted) audience. Read the rest of this entry »

October 2-6, 2010, Grapevine, Texas

Merrily Orsini Presents “Swimming with the Current in the Social Media Tidal Wave: Strategy”

October 5, 2010 8:00-9:30 AM

Gaylord  Texan Hotel and Convention Center

Details soon at www.nahc.org

Twice in the past two weeks I have had home care agency owners say they need a new Web site, but that their cousin/brother, etc. is doing it and they are doing a good job. Twice in the past two weeks I have looked at those familial Web sites and, they do look fine. Should you have any questions as to HOW important having a Web site is to a home care company, take a look at the latest Pew Internet Report on usage among older people.

Then think about the fact that designing a Web site is not like designing a brochure. For a brochure, you are sending it out, or hand delivering it, or folks are picking it out of a rack in a health care facility. So it is the design and message that attracts them. For a Web site, unless the potential customer stumbles upon your site, or can find it via a search engine, they will not find it. So design, although important, is only one factor in what makes a Web site work. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though it is February and we are roaring into a week culminating with Valentine’s Day, I keep finding ideas that are exciting challenges to success in the future. Take these from Amy Casper who wrote them for Open Forum while she was lamenting on the woes of 2009:

• Some tips for surviving and thriving in 2010:
  • Lead with optimism–always.
  • Collaborate when practical and relevant–but don’t create subcommittees.
  • Focus on and build a culture of excellence, base it on trust and it will see you through the tough times.
  • Be a change agent.
  • Be fearless.

As I head to Miami for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice Board Meeting and then the national home care strategic planning day on Friday, Feb 12th, I am challenged to live by these tips and a few more of my own:
Plan the work and work the plan
Know the audience before you speak
Integrity will always win, in the end
What goes around comes around (although maybe not in the timeframe you would like)

Do you have any words of wisdom or tips for survival for 2010? Share them, please!

More and more the statistics are pointing to a way to buy products and services that is consumer driven, not business driven. Understanding the strategy behind the glitz and glamor is the key. Understanding how to apply that strategy to your business is crucial.

Yes, there is a shift in the fundamental way we communicate. Ask us at corecubed. We know of what we speak.

One of the great things about today’s technology is testimonials don’t have to be in the written word anymore.  Thanks to my handy Flip camera (which I take with me everywhere) I am able to share with you what our clients think in a much more personal way.  See what two of our clients, RemCare and Home Care Pulse, have to say below:

Read the rest of this entry »

Idaho Potatoes: Now how do you make that an exciting product to sell? How would you get folks energized about buying a potato? Well, perhaps social media and video are the answer. You tell me!

See how it works? You actually WATCHED it, didn’t you? That is the essence of marketing and how incredible it is to have access to the tools we have to spread the word about a product and to get folks to INTERACT! Call us today at corecubed to see how we can make YOUR product a star and get potential customers to help you tell your story so people will listen.

Thanks to Ken Accardi, CTO of Ankota, Inc. here is some video straight from the highly successful 5th Annual PDHCA Leadership Summit this week in Phoenix, AZ.

Enjoy! And thanks, Ken!

Yesterday’s Webinar was a successful one, with more than 50% of attendees who signed up actually attending, and, better than that, their attention was captured for the entire Webinar. The only way corecubed “advertised” that Webinar was through Social Media.
So, we can measure by results that our social media ROI was a success for that Webinar.

I suggest that there are several ways to gauge the ROI of social media. The first is to focus on the number of relevant followers not just followers per se. Read the rest of this entry »