Do you own or run a nursing home and you are in need of marketing ideas that will help attract new customers? Then below are the top ten marketing ideas for nursing homes; these strategies can put your business on a growth pedal.
Due to improved healthcare, life expectancy has increased in many parts of the world, which means old people now make up a significant fraction of the population in most countries; especially the developed countries. This explains why nursing homes are becoming more popular.
Nursing homes are in demand because they provide residential care to old people who require continual nursing care and have significant difficulty coping with the required activities of daily living. With more nursing homes springing up, the market is becoming more competitive.
And only nursing homes that adopt smart and effective marketing tactics will be able to attract more clients and thrive in the long run. Do you own or run a nursing home? Here are 10 low-cost and easy-to-implement, but highly effective marketing ideas for nursing homes:
Result Oriented Marketing ideas for Nursing Home
1. Event marketing
A smart way to spread word of your nursing home is to sponsor events that cater to either old people or their caregivers.
Such events could be seminars, symposiums, and so on. If possible, you can try to relate certain parts of the events with the services you render at your nursing home. Invite the press to the event and distribute branded promotional products (such as wearables, bags, etc) to participants.
2. Start a blog
Blogging is a good medium for sharing relevant information with your target audience in order to build loyalty and establish your expertise in what you do. For example, you can start a blog that shares tips on how caregivers can take good care of their aged ones.
If you offer relevant and helpful tips consistently, such caregivers will prefer to bring their aged ones to your nursing home whenever they need to do that. Why? Because they have been convinced—through the helpful tips you share—that you really can take good care of aged people.
3. Social media
Social media is another effective online medium for creating awareness about your nursing home and attracting more prospects.
Set up profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, and gradually build your followership by sharing helpful and relevant information that will build your credibility and prove your expertise. With time, you will start getting clients or patients through these channels.
4. Offline advertising
Advertise your nursing homes in local newspapers as well as in magazines often read by old people or their caregivers. You can also print handbills and flyers promoting your nursing home, and have them distributed at senior centers, doctors’ offices, and other places often visited by old people. In your adverts, you must emphasize the benefits of bringing old people to your nursing home.
5. Pay-per-click advertising
This is another effective online advertising medium for reaching seniors and caregivers who are searching the web for nursing homes around them.
Your advert will be prominently displayed in the search results page when the queries containing the keywords you bid on are used. You can also use this tactic for directing visits to your blog or social media profiles in order to build loyalty first.
6. Encourage referrals
When you have old people in your care and are taking good care of them, you must encourage their caregivers to market your business through word of mouth. This will work well if your services are outstanding. A good idea for encouraging referrals is to promise a reward for each individual referred to your nursing home.
7. Cold calling
Visit the homes in your neighborhood where there are old people. Meet with the caregivers and make an offer to have their old relatives transferred to your nursing home for adequate care. However, you must emphasize the benefits that your nursing home offers clients. Most caregivers will be willing to accept your offer if they think you will be able to take good care of their old ones.
8. Offer discounts
A brilliant way to attract more patients to your nursing home is to offer discounts. For example, you can give a certain percentage discount to first-time patients. This will compel them to give your nursing home a trial. Once you are able to awe them with your services, you can charge your normal prices. You won’t lose them if your services are exceptional.
9. Get testimonials and share them
Encourage those in your care as well as their caregivers to leave their reviews and testimonials about your nursing home. Display these testimonials in all your advertising campaigns. Testimonials help to boost credibility and help you convert skeptical prospects.
10. Follow up
Contact your old patients’ caregivers at periodic intervals and ask after their old ones. Send your old patient customized greeting cards during holidays, so they know that you really care about them. This will keep your nursing home in their mind, so they can check when necessary and refer others.