Home Care Marketing Tips

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Providing Care at Home: Marketing with Visuals

Care at Home is the best care
Specializing in care at home is hard to represent visually

When I ran my elder care business, it was at a time that aging care at home was in its infancy. The numbers of people needing care were just starting to swell as life expectancy was starting to increase. The visual of hearts and homes were mainly in cross stitched grandmother made heirlooms, and those and rocking chairs symbolized care at home. Today, most home care agencies use some form of hearts and homes in their logos and visuals. However, we continue to strive to find ways to interest folks visually, and to bring some humor into an industry that really needs it at times.

Several years ago, we had a client whose business name was Care at Home, and his business provided mainly pediatric care. The first visual I had when he said “Care at Home” was a carrot home ala Beatrix Potter and the old children’s books illustrations. I thought it would be memorable and a way to showcase that the care was for children. In the process we developed a visual that I love. Even today, when I hear someone say “We provide care at home”, I think of Carrot Home. It still brings a smile to my face.

Granted that visual and the relationship to home care is a stretch, but, it is something that I think we should take advantage of more often, and that is humor in our daily lives. Running a home care agency is really one of the most difficult things I have done, but also, by far the most rewarding. We certainly get rewards from our clients’ successes, and we love partnering with and sharing the successes. However,  occasionally we get the opportunity to really be creative and to add in some of our humor and perspective. It is those times that I love the most. In this holiday season we focus on being thankful and appreciative for those with whom we work, for whom we serve, and to whom we hold thanks and respect.

My wish for you who do not work with corecubed is that you will explore the incredible depth of talent we bring to the aging care space, and give us a chance in 2016 to partner with you to tell your story in a way that garners interest: verbally and visually and in multiple channels.

Happiest of holidays to you. Merry Christmas and  very Happy New Year. Blessings in whatever form you will receive them most gratefully are sent your way.

Let’s make 2016 the very best yet. Now, when you hear, “I provide care at home”, I challenge you NOT to think of Carrot Home and get a smile on your face.

The Top 3 Things to Win at Home Care Marketing in 2016

It takes an entire team focused on results to win at marketing
Upgrade your home care marketing in 2016

As we close out 2015 and start looking ahead at 2016, what is your plan for making your marketing more in line with what works in today’s marketplace?

First, let me help you understand the importance of digital in the entire equation. In a word, “imperative”. It is, in fact, the most important part of your equation. That is not to say that branding, messaging, and targeting are not important, but all of those need to take place within a digital environment.

The user and searcher for home care services are going through a journey. That journey (if not one that needs immediate help) starts usually well before the need is acute. The home care marketer has to understand a) the journey and its possibilities and b) how to be where the searcher is looking as they start on and complete that journey.

The accompanying marketing strategy must evolve from more of a universal perspective, not just a digital or social one, and quantifying the marketing you are doing is one key to success.

Depending on the size of the agency, the model of care provided, and the budget, the path to success will vary. But that path must always be connected back to the brand, and extend the brand awareness. And be heavily reliant on the digital component.

If you think you can simply copy your marketing strategy and budget and do the same thing you did in 2015 for 2016—think again. As technology evolves, things are changing. If you want to continue reaching prospective customers and referral sources, you need to know what works, follow the trends, and stay ahead of the game when it comes to connecting with people in their journey searching for care through your digital marketing efforts.

If Content Was King in 2015, It Will Be Emperor in 2016

Google makes changes, some minor, and some major, about 500-600 times a year. Keeping up with what works right now (which is what you want – a searcher to find you TODAY, when that searcher is looking) is a task for the experts. Contact us at corecubed if you really want results from aging care marketing strategy and implementation. Your content has to be planned, executed regularly, measured for results and then changed as needed. That means content FOR the website, blogs, and all social media posts. They need to all work in tandem toward one goal: having the searcher find you when the need presents.

Content Must Be Optimized Across Channels and Remain Consistent to the Brand.

The search is getting more specialized and specific. Optimizing for the searcher seems to be moving more into overall customer experience across all channels. “Marketing” will become everybody’s job. (Attend corecubed’s January webcast “New Year’s Resolution: Make Marketing a Total Team Effort”) The smart company will leverage all internal resources to be social, to collaborate and to participate in marketing online and offline. Each and every person in the company needs to think about how they can participate in creating and adding relevant content and also engage in social media.

The focus is not just on SEO or just on social. The idea for 2016 is to create a consistent experience where you know (through data) that your audience is active. Analyzing data allows you to make smarter marketing decisions, stay relevant, and use the resources and talent at your disposal. The newly created content that is relevant to your searcher’s needs can “live” on each of your marketing channels. Created and placed in the right format, you can then better scale your efforts so your organization can make quicker actions that reap more results.

Should you be active on each and every possible marketing channel? Not necessarily, but where you are active, it is important to create a consistent experience.

Go Mobile or Go Home

Have you heard us speak of micro-marketing moments? With access to devices 24/7/365 and minds that want answers, users and searcher are accessing information at many times each and every day from many locations. Your website should be responsive to each and every possible device, and contacting you should be easy and you should be responsive. A “bird in the hand” is someone who finds you and reaches out. Designing for the mobile user facilitates that.

Seem too much for you to tackle while you are also trying to run a business, meet and greet important referral sources, and keep up with all the legislative and regulatory changes being thrown at you? Well, I have a simple answer to winning at home care marketing in 2016: partner with the aging care marketing experts at corecubed, and let us do the work. You focus on operations and relationships. It is a winning combination, and we have decades of success stories to prove just that. Is it too soon to wish you the best marketing ever in 2016? You know how to make that happen.

 

Deliver excellence, personalized.

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Bring Value to Your Client and Referral Relationships

Deliver excellence, personalized.
Stand out from the crowd by being better!

What is the #1 best source of new home care and aging care business? Existing clients and existing referral sources! Are you “mining” that source as well as paying attention to all of the new potential clients and referral sources to buy your home care services? Check out these suggested tactics and rate yourself as to how you are faring in the value/price equation:

When you find articles or items of interest (make certain the item is specific to the interest of the client or referral source, not just a blanket distribution), send those along to your existing clients and referral sources as well.

Consider quoting or profiling referrals sources when you post blogs or write articles.Invite clients and referral sources to any community presentations, special events, or anything your agency sponsors.

Ask both clients and referral sources for testimonials, and make it easy for them. (Give them URLs to use for industry reviews, or help them set up a Google account so they can post a Google review.

Encourage feedback on services, and admit and correct any mistakes or missteps immediately.

Make your clients feel important and special. Send thank you notes, small gifts and give them the gift of your time as well.

Make your referral sources feel important and special. Follow through with information about the clients and patients they have referred to you.

Whenever possible give a “yes” answer and always sport a can-do attitude.

Refer back to your referral sources when appropriate. And let them know you made the referral in case that person never calls.

Write personal thank you notes. Nothing says “thank you” like a personal note handwritten. Old fashioned? Yes, but appreciated.

Some say loyalty is built on the value/price equation. That equation roughly states, “A client will stay loyal to you as long as he/she perceives the value of the services he/she receives to be greater than the fee he/she pays.”  Communicating often to your clients and referral sources is one key to keeping top of  mind and to making that special feeling grow.

corecubed is well known for our implementation of ongoing communication tactics that build value. We focus on providing helpful resources to those who seek home care, and we educate about the home centered care industry. Attend one of our on-site presentations or check out our online library of past webinars to gain knowledge of how we provide value to our treasured clients.

 

NEW marketing geriatric care management chapter is worth a horn toot.

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Marketing Geriatric Care Management: I wrote the book!

NEW marketing geriatric care management chapter is worth a horn toot.
Tooting my own horn over a new chapter just published on marketing geriatric care management.

Well, I wrote the CHAPTER IN the book, that is. The 4th edition of the Handbook of Geriatric Care Management was just published by Jones & Bartlett and the chapter on marketing geriatric care management was, once again, written by me. The first edition I wrote a chapter on the future of the aging care industry, and the next three editions I have written how to market a geriatric care management business.

How to add geriatric care management to a home care business is probably the number one question I get when I speak around the country. The coordination component is one key to aging in place safely. Understanding the implications of the variety of factors that cause someone to need care allows for wise counsel when deciding on where the best place to age in place is.

So, yes, I am tooting my own horn on this one, but it is a horn worth tooting. An investment in a textbook that explains all the intricate parts to a geriatric care management business is a wise investment. The future of our home care industry will be heavy with need for those who understand all the moving parts, the silos of service, the chronic disease variations and what is needed to have safe and effective care at home, wherever home is.

So, when you have any question about who is the best at marketing aging care services, find the answer with my team corecubed, and let us discuss  with you how we can best take your idea or business to market for best results.

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Where do senior care buyers go when they need information?

Marketing moments are not limited with mobile access.
Going mobile is the key to being found for care.

The data is in from the latest Caring.com surveys from actual caregivers. Where do they turn when they need information? By far, they turn to the internet to find answers to questions and to find out if resources are recommended by others.

Only 17% said they go to trusted advisors. 29% use review sites and 27% said they go to the business website. Click here if you want to views the presentation on the latest survey results. They are eye opening and should be a game changer to a business if digital marketing, full of content and engaging tactics are not in the marketing plan and being implemented appropriately.

Couple this with the latest marketing information on mobile usage, and, as a business owner, what should be the #1 priority for marketing? The agency website! That, coupled with ongoing educational content and correct usage of social media, should form the basis for marketing.

Networking in the community should be a close second, and that networking can be supplemented by correct website and social media design and consistent usage. Publicize the events attended. Take photos and share on social media. Post information whenever possible that extends the agency brand, shows involvement in the community, and showcases the good work the agency is doing.

Just a quick reminder, that, no matter what changes are going on legislatively or with regulatory changes, the agency still has to maintain market share and be visible.

And, where do smart senior care providers go when they need to boost their online presence? Why, to corecubed, of course. Give us a shout either online or on the phone and we promise you will not be disappointed. Afterall, we know senior buyer behavior like the back of our hand, and we would love to help.

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