Why Home Care Providers Need Marketing 

We know how frustrating it can be to invest in setting up a business and delivering the right service but with low patronage. In today’s competitive world and talent shortage, every business’s success is tied to its marketing strategies, and home care agencies are no exception.  

Marketing your home care services can be hard. If you are a home care agency that is thinking about marketing or is just new to marketing, you might not know how to do it right. Or probably do not have the people resources to do it. Either way, it is a critical ingredient for growth and revenue. [LINK: Download Our Home Care Essentials Marketing Checklist]. 

Delivering quality service is not enough to get the right number of clients trooping in. Marketing is required to regularly put you in the face of your target clients (not in an annoying way, though!). Amongst several reasons why home care agencies need marketing, here are some of the reasons you need to include marketing quickly in your strategy and the best marketing approach to adopt: 

Brand Awareness 

Marketing help build awareness of the agency and its services. This is important because many people are not aware of the services that homecare agencies can provide.  

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Market strategies to adopt: 

Social media marketing:

Invest in content marketing for social media. Create branded content, and client-focused content, run social media ads and use visuals to drive appeal and engagement. Ensure you are sharing valuable information about your company and its activities in the best possible format. 

You may argue your clients are seniors, therefore, they probably aren’t regular online, so why waste resources on social media? Well, the Pew Research Center estimates that 80% of Americans aged 55 overuse the internet, and since 1992, today’s 65-year-olds have spent a significant portion of their adult life directly experiencing technological advancements since the launch of the first internet browser. 86%, according to the report spend at least six hours a day online and own an average of five devices. They are online! 

Also note that these seniors have families, and these consist of Gen Z too. If you do a good job with your online marketing efforts, you will be seen by these family members who will contact you on behalf of their elderly ones. 

Set up Google My Business Profile:

You need to be visible online. This does not stop at having a website only. Google My Business is a free profile tool that helps your business get easily found by prospective clients especially those in nearby locations. Ensure to set up one if you haven’t. 

Increase client base through continuous engagement 

Effective marketing help attract new clients and grow the agency’s business. With a robust structure, and lead generation strategies, you will see a boost in your client base. And more clients mean increased revenue. 

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Market strategies to adopt: 

Social media marketing:

Be consistent and intentional about your social media presence. Put out quality and engaging posts regularly. Have effective Call-to Actions in all your posts. Try to get the posts in the palms of your clients’ hands. 

Ask for reviews and referrals from your clients and followers. It increases your visibility and boosts your chances of growing your client’s base.  

As part of your online marketing strategies, build a strong SEO strategy by having optimised landing pages that show up on search results for specific keywords. 

Word of Mouth Marketing:

This traditional way is still effective today. Ask clients, family and friends to spread the word about your services. Ask for shares of your posts. 

Run Google Ads:

Google ads are efficient at improving visibility if done right.  

Guest Post and webinar collaborations:

Volunteer to write a guest article for any of the popular healthcare blogs. You can also appear on webinars organised by home care agencies or organise one and get some of the prominent people in the industry on board. This boosts your credibility and increases your visibility. All these translate to increased followers and clients. 

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Foster a strong relationship with referral sources 

Marketing helps you develop strong relationships with referral sources and other health care professionals. [Anchor Group Sign-up ] 

This is essential as referral sources provide a steady stream of new clients for the agency. Establishing referral partnerships might be a challenging endeavour. It requires the right people and strategy to succeed. You will need a quality of care report to get started. You can run an internal survey to gather the data that can be presented to referral sources. Monitoring and addressing hospital readmission rates are another challenging aspect to address. Utilising this information will demonstrate to referral sources your credibility and commitment to the cause. 

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Ensure that on your website, you have a page that shows client testimonials expressing their care satisfaction. 

If you need help with this entire process, reach out to us here. 

Promotes your brand reputation 

Marketing promotes agencies’ brand and reputation. This is important because the agency’s brand and reputation can help it attract and retain clients.  To promote your brand reputation, utilise digital means. Everything from your online materials to the tone of voice, to visuals, should be clearly communicated and show your core values in all your communications.  

Conclusion 

No doubt marketing is important for all businesses as it provides immense value for growth. If your marketing strategies are not working as you hope to, then something is certainly wrong with that strategy. Get data insights on why and what is not working. This will help you make better decisions. 

Now over to you. Why have you not utilised online marketing options? If you have and you’re experiencing challenges, which area are you struggling with? Tell us below in the comments. 

If you need professional support, the Anchor Group offers marketing services that deliver results. Get in touch so we can make your marketing journey a seamless one. Leave us comments below