Home care services for senior citizens are booming across the nation. There are more and more seniors looking for home care services than ever before. And the number is expected to rise, as the baby-boomers of the 1950s and 1960s are retiring.
Home care services for senior citizens are booming across the nation. There are more and more seniors looking for home care services than ever before. And the number is expected to rise, as the baby-boomers of the 1950s and 1960s are retiring. The market is huge, but there are a lot of players and marketing is crucially important. The services are complex, they need to be explained to potential clients and your message, as the provider, needs to get in front of them.
Here are a few great tips to help you market your home health care services:
Tip #1 – Have a great website
Your website should be your #1 priority when marketing your home care services agency. It should be great. And when we say great, we mean informative, updated, interactive and helpful for anyone who visits it. You should assume that not everyone is tech savvy and not everyone knows how to navigate a complex website. Your target audience includes seniors, their children and grandchildren. Everything must be clear, easy to understand and follow. No, you don't need a fancy website or awesome graphics. However, you need good functionality, intuitive buttons and menus and every bit of information should be easy to find. Your guest should know what you offer in just a few minutes.
Tip #2 – Create an identity
Even home health agencies need a powerful branding campaign. You'll need a good brand in order to dominate your industry and attract clients. This means having a logo, a slogan, a business card and a lot of different items that help you build the brand. You'll have to create an image of trust, you have to convince your clients you are an authority and a professional in your market. This is the key to any successful marketing campaign – people have to trust you.
Tip #3 – Listing the business in directories
You may think that directories are obsolete, but there are important directories that are very visible and active in the healthcare industry. There are both online and offline directories – make sure your business is present in at least one category. For instance, your home health care services agency should be visible in the local yellow pages, in the directories maintained by the hospitals or in the directories maintained by the local town offices. Make sure you are visible in every spot that your potential clients are. Don't avoid a platform just because it feels outdated – there may be a lot of potential clients even there.
Tip #4 – Online advertising
Yes, you should spend money on online advertising. This is because a lot of people are looking for services online, and your business should be visible in search engines. Don't put a lot of money into this; ideally you should spend at least $1,000 per month on online advertising. Focus on the main platforms, for starters: Facebook and Google should be your main choices. Make sure your ads are catchy, but professional. This will attract clients who don't know exactly what they are looking for, but want a professional experience.
Tip #5 – Become an authority
Home care services are a special type of business – your clients will always look for a trusted provider, a company that provides excellent service and knows its industry. What's more, your clients will not always know what they need, and you will have to explain the services you offer. Simply put, you must become a source of information for them. Do this on your website, where you can write a daily blog, offer relevant, updated information and detailed reports about the industry. Explain each service and what it means for the seniors, how the services can help them and how their future will look like.
In time, your business will be seen as an authority on the subject, people will trust you and you will get many leads. Another fabulous way to create trust is to be active on social media. Post relevant articles, photos or videos. Help your clients learn more about your services, explain what you have to offer. Also, answer any questions, be polite and be open to criticism.
Tip #6 – Create a newsletter
Newsletters are something that we rarely think about when creating a new marketing strategy. However, they do work, especially in the healthcare industry. Ask your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletter and create a professional email strategy. Make sure you provide excellent information, but make it easy to understand and read. Also, you can send out special offers, quizes or even funny photos or jokes. However, don't go overboard – you should send out these emails about once per week.
Tip #7 – Partner up with hospitals
You are active in the home health care services industry, so you will be working closely with hospitals. Some of your clients will come to you from hospitals. Some of your employees already have hospital experience. So, partnering up with hospitals seems the logical thing to do. There are many cases which are treated in hospitals, but most of them will require home care. Whenever a patient asks about this type of service, the hospital can guide him or her to your agency. Make sure you have excellent connections with all the major hospitals in your area. Talk to hospital managers and learn more about the possibility of working together.
Tip #8 – Conduct seminars and talks
Most home care agencies don't have financial or legal experts in-house. This is perfectly normal, but your clients may ask for these types of services. A great idea is to partner up with these service providers and create a small conference or workshop to discuss the services. Conduct talks on important topics related to insurance, legal and financial issues. Do these in hospitals or communities, where many seniors are present. You can find a lot of potential clients with this method; you'll only have to show that you care, that you offer solutions and are there to help.
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