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Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Apr 4 2012

Cultivating Credibility with Social Media

In marketing, we’re always harping on knowing your targets and generating interest with your audience, but there’s another factor to a successful marketing strategy: cultivating credibility. Whether you are a large health care provider or a smaller in-home care agency, managing your community’s perception of your business is crucial. So, communicating and demonstrating trust and experience should be at the top of your list.

Social media is a lightning fast way to communicate and publish content that expresses your authority in your field—you’re reading my blog, right? Social media can also increase your following and pump traffic to your website—and, as I’ve always said, a website should be at the core of all marketing efforts. Earning trust isn’t limited to your patients and clients, either; local media and bloggers may be listening as well.

A strong online presence is so important because search engines notice when content is shared. Google translates this sharing of information and links to recommendations and influence, thus moving your name up the search engine rankings—which helps potential clients find you in their time of need. And, traditional media are reporting through social networks and online news outlets more than ever before, and they reach a large segment with each post. Securing print and online coverage is still a sure way to increase valuable influence.

In fact, speaking of online reporting, dozens of newspapers are creating pages on Pinterest, which is the latest social media platform to really take off. I’m sure we’ll be posting quite a bit over the next few months about retailers and businesses pinning lots of hope on Pinterest accounts. Will you Pinterest?

My fabulous team at corecubed can set up social media accounts, create a strategy for success, and implement! We know the value of social media as well as traditional media in marketing, and are staying ahead of the curve.

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Nov 4 2011

What is Inbound Marketing?

In today’s technology-driven marketing environment, there’s an ever-changing language of buzz-words. At the moment, I’d say the most important term to have in your vocabulary arsenal is ‘inbound marketing’. To introduce and examine the most effective strategies for marketing home care, I’ll be sharing a series of blog posts that will work through the overall process of strategic inbound marketing and more. So, to begin, I’ll start with an old-fashioned definition.

Definition of inbound marketing: Using the Internet and related media to learn about products or services; offering useful information, tools and resources to attract and develop relationships, educate and engage.

Platforms used with inbound marketing: SEO; Blogs; PPC; Social media; QR codes

Inbound marketing means remaining relevant with your audience—and building an online presence that fits the new model for how people find goods and services. With high-speed Internet access available almost anywhere and with smart phones and tablet computers quickly becoming the hub for much of home care sales and marketing, social networking, mobile-friendly websites, online directories, industry blogs and interactive communities should be an active part of any marketing strategy.

Confused about where to start? My next post will explore website design and development—which is a necessary starting point for implementing inbound marketing. I have plenty to say about content creation, search engine marketing, and mobile applications. A good company website is arguably the most important marketing tool and absolutely crucial. Read this recent article that I wrote which may serve as a great introduction to our continued discussion.

In the meantime, if you have questions about marketing your home care agency, I would love the opportunity to strategize to help you meet your marketing needs. Or, book me to speak at your next home care or marketing event.

 

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Jul 6 2010

Flash in the Pan

Well it IS the 5th of July and the celebration is over for another year. Watching all those celebrants, the fireworks, and the enthusiasm made me think of marketing a business, and the difference between a hard launch of a product (like the 4th of July, don’t you wish?) and just getting the word out regularly about what you offer. Less flash, but definitely worth the effort.

Since we have loads of products and services that directly help those in the home care, home health care and hospice industries, you should know that we just upgraded our marketing site www.markethomecare.com so it is now easier to use, and better meets safety and compliance standards. Take a look see and let us know what you find there. We add in new products regularly, and the prices are right for those watching their budgets. And, in case you are not finished celebrating and want to see the largest fireworks display in North America, I am including a video from Thunder Over Louisville. Definitely NOT a flash in the pan, but the real fireworks deal.

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Aug 16 2009

Marketing as an Investment: The Key to Surviving The Great Recession

Is the recession over? It’s tough to say – foresight is never 20/20 – but according to a poll of economists conducted by The Wall Street Journal in the past few days, all indications seem to be that we’re emerging from the darkness, and economists believe Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke deserves a pat on the back for it.

Don’t try to tell that to David Wong, though.

Wong, along with his wife, runs a private dental practice based in Tulsa, Okla. According to a separate The Wall Street Journal article, Wong has seen a 10 percent decline in patients since the recession began. As patients lose jobs and tighten the belt, some expenses have to be eliminated, so in the battle between paying the electric bill and paying for a regular dental checkup, consumers often tell teeth to take a hike. (more…)

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