Social Media Matters

Many homecare businesses don’t understand the importance of social media to their marketing efforts. Many don’t understand what social media really is at all??that it’s meant to be (well) social and not a constant sales pitch.

Putting yourself in charge of social media when you don’t know what you’re doing is like driving a Ferrari (stick shift) at the Indianapolis 500 when you are only used to taking public transit. Your efforts will crash and burn, and cost time and money in the process. Social media communication, like that iconic racing car, is best left up to the professionals.

The problem we at corecubed see when businesses try to handle social media themselves is that they confuse social media with self?promotion. They try to hammer home what they offer, but their attempts at social media never get the traction they hope for, and they don’t understand why. Social media matters. Doing it well matters even more.

Don’t just take my word that social media matters to your business. Ninety?two percent of marketers surveyed said social media is important for their business, and 97 percent said they use social media in their overall marketing strategy, according to a 2014 study by Adweek.

corecubed also knows what drives social media and its users. Strategic social media engages clients and referral sources. It brings customers to your website where they can learn more about what you do and what you offer. It can distinguish you in a cluttered field.

Not too long ago, seniors stayed away from the virtual world. No more. A 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center found 59 percent of seniors age 65 and older are now online. Overall, 86 percent of the adult population uses the Internet. The percentage of affluent and well?educated seniors who use the internet is even higher: Among those with an annual household income of $75,000 or more, 90 percent go online—that’s higher than the overall adult population!

Facebook seems to be the most popular social media channel among seniors, with 49 percent of seniors who go online using the site, according to a 2012 marketing report, Digital Seniors, by Forrester Research.
Unfortunately for both many businesses and their potential clients, the information superhighway can be awfully confusing and congested. That’s where social media comes in.

Social media channels, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, provide an off ramp, if you will, for your audience to slow down, get some breathing space, and take in the scenery of what your homecare and aging services business can offer. It’s better than any billboard, because it doesn’t go by in a whir. Check out some examples of what corecubed has to offer in Facebook and YouTube.

Social media, if done well, stays with your audience. It gets them talking, or thinking, or sharing. It drives clients and referral sources to your website or business, rather than right by them.
Since I am here at the annual Aging in America conference, I am taking advantage of the American Society on Aging’s presentation focused on technology or social media. Driving Leads and Sales in the Longevity Marketplace focuses on “what innovative companies and entrepreneurs are doing to stand out, acquire customers and drive sales” using digital and social media.

If you didn’t have a chance to make this year’s conference, (and it has been a great one) think about attending one in the future. In the meantime, let corecubed help. Not only do we provide original written content to compliment social media, we extend its life. We repurpose original content in a variety of ways and take search engine optimization, SEO, into account. So, for example if a potential client Googles “homecare agency in X,Y,Z town,” your business has a better chance of being at the top of the results list. We use strategy. We use as many channels as possible. And it’s all focused on informing about issues that relate to homecare and aging care.

We handle all aspects of social media so you don’t have to get up to speed. Consider corecubed your autopilot button when it comes to managing social media for your business.