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Home Health Marketing Ideas to Make Your Agency’s Phone Ring
Home health marketing has become increasingly challenging over the past several years. As new agencies spring up to serve the Baby Boomer population, competition for this growing market will only continue to rise as well. To emerge as a leading agency, you have to plan and execute a marketing strategy that takes advantage of both inbound and outbound tactics. From traditional marketing methods such as attending networking events to connecting with prospects online, you need to be both creative and active to establish a larger presence in your community. Word-‐of-‐mouth will always be the best form of marketing your agency, but you simply can’t rely only on referrals to acquire new clients. Let’s take a look at some tried and true home health marketing strategies your agency can start using right away to make your telephone ring. Hold An Open House Community outreach events are very effective marketing tools for home health agencies. They show your involvement in the community and provide excellent opportunities for
networking. Organize an open house at your facility once a month or, if your space won’t accommodate it, reach out to a local organization—such as a senior center—to host the event. Make sure all attendees include their email address when they sign your guest book. You can use this contact information to stay in touch with targeted communications to keep your agency top-‐of-‐mind. Specialize and Advertise We recommend that all agencies differentiate themselves by focusing on a niche market. These can include everything from childcare to home modifications to day surgery support. If you specialize in a particular service, gear your home health marketing towards promoting the value of the service. For example, an agency with a childcare specialty could reach out to a pediatrician’s office and ask if it can advertise with brochures in the waiting room. Educate With Your Blog If you haven’t started a blog on your home health agency’s website, you’re missing out on one of the most easy and effective ways to market your business online. Most prospective clients research agencies’ sites before making contact, and a blog with educational content almost always separates one agency from another. Use your blog to provide useful information for your target audience, such as tips for better elderly nutrition or how seniors with limited mobility can get more exercise. Get to know the needs and concerns of your prospects, and then write and post helpful articles on a regular basis. Get Social Treat your home health marketing activities online much like your in-‐person networking events. Focus on having conversations and getting to know your prospects rather than try to sell to them. Ask questions, share valuable information (including your blog posts), and show that you’re interested in helping them solve problems. Social media is all about building trust with your target audience, so stay engaged on the social sites where your prospects spend most of their time online. Speak and Write Speak about health care issues at local groups, such as Rotary, Elks, and senior centers. Become known as the local health expert by appearing on local talk shows to discuss ongoing challenges in the industry. If your local newspaper has a health column, pitch and write regular guest articles. If it doesn’t have one, see if the editor would be willing to add a
"Health Corner" column for you to contribute weekly or monthly articles on some issue in health care. Use Your News There’s a time and a place to be self-‐promotional online, too. Write and distribute press releases announcing new products, services, or team members. In addition to press releases, consider starting a weekly or monthly newsletter to stay in touch with prospects and clients (including the contacts you’ve made at your open houses). Don’t think you have anything new to announce each week? As long as you’re consistently publishing blog posts, you always have news to share with everyone on your email list. Take advantage of these home health marketing ideas to start improving lead generation today. Between using more traditional methods like in-‐person networking to leveraging inbound strategies such as social media, there are many opportunities to get the word out about your business. If you need assistance with your home health marketing plan, Kenyon HomeCare Consulting can help. Schedule an appointment with one of our consultants at www.KenyonHCC.com to discuss strategies for attracting more clients in your specific market. Don’t forget to subscribe to Kenyon Connects, our weekly newsletter that provides helpful tips for growing your home health agency.