Around this same time two years ago, we published a post entitled, "6 Ways to Increase Referrals for Your Home Care Agency." I suggest you give the full article a read for a more in-depth look, but as a starting point, here are the broad strokes:
- Provide Exceptional Service
- Request Online Reviews
- Build Trust with Influencers and Cohorts
- Get Involved in Your Local Business Associations
- Connect with Folks in Your Industry from Outside Your Area
- Build Your Email List
A lot can change in two years, especially with marketing Best Practices, so I took another look at our list to see if I felt it was still relevant. Indeed, the six suggestions posted above, though not "hi-tech" or "on the cutting edge," are still tried-and-true methods to help folks grow their business.
I understand that between taking care of the administrative needs of your business plus the time needed to make sure your clients or patients are receiving the highest quality of care, it can be difficult to find time to build a mindful marketing and sales strategy.
That said, marketing and sales are a vital part of maintaining and growing the success of your business. With that in mind, I thought I'd share 3 ideas that you may find interesting:
Client and Employee Referral Program
Even if you're part of a "high growth" organization seeking to "scale up"---that is, a company with national or international reach seeking to capture a big chunk of the market share---Given that home care and similar caregiver-related fields are such personal industries dealing with folks' loved ones, a referral from a trusted friend, contact, or relative can go a long way for prospective customers to trust an agency with their family member's care.
Beyond that, by incentivizing your clients and/or employees to provide referrals, you are not only rewarding them for their efforts, but you are involving them in the success of the business.
Collaborate on an Event with an Organization from a Different Industry
Something I quickly discovered during my event-planning days was that combining two (or more) audiences/communities or leveraging ones that are already engaged or mobilized, not only leads to higher attendance numbers for the event, but it often means the co-organizers involved can share the time, effort, and costs needed to produce the event.
As for what the content of the event can/should be, the sky's the limit, but some suggestions include a panel discussion on a general business topic, a cross-promotional networking mixer, or even a community event unrelated to your business that is designed to bring the community together with music, entertainment, and informational booths from local businesses.
Events can take a good amount of effort, and I know you don't have a lot of time, but once you find the event strategy that fits your schedule, they can be a cost-effective way to build your brand awareness, get to know folks in your community, and to have face-to-face conversations from prospective clients.
Create a Simple Social Media or YouTube Video
In 5 years, over 80% of content on the internet will be video. And while I spent years as a video producer creating high-end video content, I've come to embrace the idea that, very often, video nowadays is judged and viewed more on the information expressed within the video than how how professional the video is.
That is, a video that builds your business' brand and/or generates leads does not need to be professional-looking for it to be effective...It needs to be authentic, honest, and feel "presentable", but that's about it
It is important to put your best foot forward and to show your business in a positive light, but that can often be achieved with very little cost, time, or equipment.
What it does require is time to plan what the video will show, time to produce/upload it, time to improve your approach, and time to repeat the process.
To start, approaches could include an introduction by the owner/operator or CEO, interviews with your team, a video tutorial, or even something simple like a "Boomerang" video on Instagram or Facebook.
The bottom line is that while you want to make sure that you present your brand and business in a positive and professional light, how you achieve that is open to a good amount of creativity.
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Are there any strategies, campaigns, and techniques that have worked well for you to get the word out about your business? Feel free to share in the comments below or feel free to contact us!
On a somewhat-related note, though it doesn't cover the topic of marketing and sales, you might find our new e-book, "Homecare 101" helpful as you grow and improve your business.
Just click the link or the buttom below to download a free copy.
Ankota provides software to improve the delivery of care outside the hospital, focusing on efficiency and care coordination. Ankota's primary focus is on Care Transitions for Readmission avoidance and on management of Private Duty non-medical home care. To learn more, please visit www.ankota.com or contact us.
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