10 Best Ways to Market a Behavioral Group Home

Are you looking for the best ways to promote a behavioral group home? If YES, here are the most reliable ways to promote a behavioral group home.

A behavioural group home is a transitional living quarters where residents can get behavioural healthcare services. These homes provide or coordinate covered behavioural health services. They treat mental health and substance use conditions.

A behavioural group home allows a member to get all of their healthcare needs met in one place by the same care team. This includes physical health and mental health services. While living in the group home, privileges are often earned through a level system or token economy system.

Teens can get privileges such as electronics time or opportunities to go on outings based on their behaviour. Teens that adhere to the rules will be granted access to more privileges. Teens living in a group home are actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the home, such as shopping and preparing meals, cleaning the house, and planning group activities.

Within the context of living and learning together, these behavioural group home setting offers opportunities for teens to acquire new skills with staff support. Staff provide ongoing coaching and look for teaching opportunities when problems arise.

Teens may learn skills from how to do laundry to how to manage their anger, in preparation for independent living. Group homes have become one of the fastest growing businesses within the human services field. More states are moving to community-based services and downsizing large institutions.

This transition has created a growth in demand for group homes that allow residents to live in regular neighbourhoods and become a part of their community.

According to reports, this change in treatment focus has made the group home business extremely competitive and in need of a marketing plan. The key to success in marketing a group homes business is to combine time-tested marketing techniques with the most cutting edge strategies in today’s marketplace.

However, if you’re looking to leverage marketing to give your behavioural group home business an edge over the competition you’re not alone. Here are options to consider.

Best Ways to Promote a Behavioral Group Home

1. Create And Distribute A Promotional Brochure

Create brochures that contain pictures of your group home and text describing life in the home. Make sure to include information that details the types of people living in the home. People interested in finding a group home for their loved ones want to know that their friends and family members are in a safe place. You can mail brochures and ask for permission to leave some in nearby schools and facilities.

2. Take A Video Of Your Group Home

If you want your business to look professional and appealing you can’t just use blurry photos in a bad lightning made with your phone camera.

Make a video tour of your group home and edit it to perfection. Note that freelancers from all over the world can help you with this for an insanely small amount of money. When your video is ready, place it on your website and on YouTube.

3. Create A Website

As we all know, almost everyone has access to the internet. Websites provide a great opportunity to market your agency.

Case managers can provide this information to families and they can research the agencies for themselves. Note that your website also provides an opportunity for a virtual tour before the face to face site visit. The virtual tour is also a useful tool for case managers who are often too busy to tour every new group home when it opens.

4. Leverage Broadcast Advertising

Broadcast advertising has indeed taken some hits over the past few decades. The number of consumers who tune-in to local TV and radio has reduced, and the industry has struggled to regain its footing. However, it would be a mistake to discount broadcast advertising entirely.

Note that many group home businesses can still use it to their advantage. It’s imperative to know the limits and opportunities available in today’s broadcast advertising industry.

5. Develop Connections

Establishing and maintaining professional connections is necessary when starting any business. This is indeed true when working in the human services field. Word of mouth referrals from case managers and other human services professionals account for most group home placements.

Also note that most waiver programs require a case manager to be involved in the coordination of services so it’s crucial to establish good professional relationships with local Community Services Boards and Human Services Departments.

6. Put Your Group Home on “Google My Business”

The importance of putting your group home at Google My Business cannot be overstretched. First of all, it’s free! And if you put your group home on Google My Business real people and search engines will partner up and bring you at the top of their page.

So, if somebody types “group homes” or “group homes in my city”, your group home together with the most important information will appear right in front of their eyes. You need to make sure that all the information you have on your Google My Business is accurate and up to date.

7. Consider Rebranding

There are many reasons why it might be ideal to consider a rebranding initiative – but a lack of alternative tactics is not one of them.

Note that the most successful rebranding initiatives are the culmination of a deliberate process. For a group homes business, brands are tied to specific stages in the life of a business. Note that if your home is expanding, you will more or less outgrow your brand and it will be time to prepare for a comprehensive rebranding effort.

Unless you are confident that you possess the skills necessary to rebrand your business, it is imperative you consult with a professional marketing firm before you introduce a new brand.

8. Use Social Media

Social media is another free method to promote your group home. Facebook and Twitter are some of the best platforms to market and provide information about the services that you can provide.

9. Target The Audience And Get A Mailing List

People with mental disabilities use behavioural group homes, but it is more or less family members, friends, healthcare workers, social workers and educators who refer someone to a group home. Create or buy a mailing list of hospitals, schools, churches and any other potential interested groups from your target audience.

10. Use Marketing Collaterals

Always remember that every piece of collateral your group homes business creates is a tangible reflection of your brand distinctive and core values. To absorb the most impact from your collateral, it has to be targeted toward its recipients. Delivered to the wrong person, a valuable piece of collateral will collect dust.

For instance, if you’re spending good money on direct mail collateral, it’s ideal to invest in a premium mailing list from a leading mailing list provider. If you’re like most group home owners, you invest substantial resources in the creation of quality collateral.

If you don’t invest similar resources in mailing lists and other distribution channels, your group homes business investment in collateral will be pointless.

The treatment provided in a behavioural group home focuses primarily on improving self-esteem, teaching new skills and holding teens accountable for their behaviour. Promoting your group homes will let people who need to use the homes to be aware of the homes’ existence.