Creating a Home Care Marketing Strategy: 5 Steps

Running a home health care agency takes dedication, and it’s important to attract staff (such as home health nurses) and patients who will help sustain your efforts. In such a competitive industry, home care marketing is essential for gaining exposure and revenue that will keep your operations running smoothly.

If you’re wondering how to get private home care clients, this guide will walk you through the fundamentals of developing a sound marketing strategy. We’ll discuss the importance of pitching your home health care agency and provide five practical steps to building a stronger, more attractive brand.

What Is Home Care Marketing?

Marketing refers to any business efforts made to promote or sell services to customers, and is closely related to advertising (with some overlap). Home health care marketing in particular is geared toward elderly populations or people with disabilities and illnesses who are seeking care services in their own homes. Marketing also more broadly attracts healthcare staff who want to work at your agency.

Marketing can be conducted in many ways, using in-person, written, and/or digital forms of communications. Fundamentally, the goal is to make your agency well-known and give potential clients a reason to pick your services over others.

Home health care is an intimate type of service. A patient receives one-on-one, tailored care within their own homes, so they need to be able to rely on your agency to support them and keep them safe. Proper marketing techniques can help you convey why patients and families should trust your staff, while differentiating how your service options meet their individual needs compared to other home care companies.

Why Should You Market Your Agency?

Even if you’ve mastered the art of delivering quality services, they won’t be used unless potential clients understand what your agency offers. Marketing is an essential way for you to showcase why you’re a cut above your competitors and emphasize the unique aspects of your services.

For instance, does your agency have thorough safety measures in place? Do your services cater toward both long and short-term health needs? Does your hiring process have a more rigorous selection and credentialing method than others? These are all common questions that clients may ask when scoping out an agency that meets their needs.

By honing in on what sets you apart, you can begin growing a recognizable brand that will:

• Attract more patients and staff.
• Foster a positive reputation.
• Increase home health sales.
• Improve client retention.

5 Steps for Creating a Home Care Marketing Strategy

While it can take some exploration to figure out what works best for your agency, these five steps can provide a starting foundation for you to begin growing your industry presence.

1. Know Your Target Audience

The first step to marketing is understanding what your target market for home care services is. You’re likely going to be caring for elderly populations and people with long-term disabilities or illnesses. With this in mind, it’s important to put yourself in the shoes of your potential patients and their families, asking questions such as:

• What services would be most useful?
• What information would they want to know?
• Why should they trust our staff, especially in the privacy of their own homes?

The answers to these questions should be tailored to your patient base as you create your marketing materials. For newer agencies, it can help to research forums or reviews of competitors to better understand the priorities of potential clients. If you’re more established, you can also send out surveys to gather feedback from your current patients.

2. Develop Unique Branding

Developing an identifiable brand as part of your home care marketing strategy helps visually set yourself apart from competitors. Cultivating a recognizable brand that conveys your organization’s value to prospective customers can be accomplished in many different ways. For initial marketing purposes, it can help to establish a name and logo that prospective clients can easily recognize.

Based on your unique name and logo, you can start fleshing out other branding initiatives that will help identify and differentiate your agency from others. This can include developing a:

• Slogan. This is a simple catchphrase describing your agency. In home health, you may want a slogan that centers around compassionate, high-quality care.
• Mission statement. Typically, this would be a few sentences describing your agency’s goals, values, and commitment to care. This can be used to hone in on what makes your services special.
• Brand voice. This will showcase the personality of your agency. For instance, you may want to strike an informative, casual, or empathetic tone as you write up marketing materials. Whatever you decide, it’s important to stay consistent.

3. Create an Online Presence

It has become increasingly important for agencies to build an online presence to attract a wider audience. This involves producing content across a variety of channels, including:

• Social media platforms.
• Blogs or digital articles.
• Paid advertising.
• Emails or newsletters.
• Your agency’s website.

Your online materials don’t always have to be pitching your services directly. Relevant educational content can also indirectly attract people to your brand. For example, producing search engine optimized (SEO) blogs that educate readers about what home care is can help garner more attention and credibility for your services.

4. Build Networks and Partnerships

Referrals are a great way to gain more traction to your agency through other health professionals. As a home care agency, a lot of your patients may have primary care providers or specialists who can recommend your services as part of their long-term care plan. You can build relationships with these providers by:

• Networking with professionals at healthcare conferences.
• Sponsoring or attending community events.
• Holding information sessions at long-term care facilities.
• Reaching out to hospitals or social workers online.

5. Maintain Your Reputation

Once you’ve established a reputation in the industry, it’s important to maintain it so that you can continue to attract and retain patients. You can do this by creating platforms to collect private and public forms of feedback, which also allows you to actively engage with clients.

For instance, you could email surveys to your patients to gather information and learn more about what can be improved. Additionally, maintaining online review platforms allows prospective clients to read first-hand experiences people have with your agency. Generating positive reviews from real patients will show that your services are not only being used, but are preferred over competitors in the industry.

Seeking More Ways to Grow Your Client Base?

Now that you’ve learned the basics of creating a home care marketing strategy, you may be seeking more resources to expand your industry presence. Sign up for IntelyCare’s free newsletter and gain access to all the latest tips and insights that will help you build a stronger brand.