Marketing is an essential step in growing your home health care business. Knowing which marketing methods to use, however, can be challenging. With multiple marketing channels available to you, the key to success is identifying which best suit your home health agency’s objectives and resources.

Keep reading as we explore home care marketing strategies and platforms that will give you a competitive edge.

Create a Marketing Budget and Strategy

Your home health agency will benefit from care marketing strategies that are well planned out. You likely have a limited amount of time and resources for your marketing efforts, which means you need to prioritize.

Begin by outlining your objectives, target audience and brand. From there, you can begin selecting your most important marketing sources.

You should also decide on your budget. To do this, you should consider:

• How much your home care business can currently afford to invest in marketing methods

• The cost of preferred channels (e.g. TV commercials are typically more expensive than social media marketing methods)

• Your average client lifetime value, i.e. how much you expect to earn from each client

Whether your strategy centers around social media platforms or referrals from professional connections, the per-client marketing cost needs to be significantly lower than the lifetime value.

Identify Marketing Channels

Your home care marketing efforts should be divided into two spheres: Digital marketing strategies and traditional ones. Online marketing sources are more important than ever, but offline and face-to-face marketing strategies can still be incredibly powerful.

Here are some of the marketing channels you can choose from:

Digital Marketing Strategy

Website and Blog Posts

A well-designed website is indispensable. Make sure your site contains all the information you want a potential client to see.

You can also use your website for content marketing by publishing blogs focused on your target audience's needs.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Once you have a website, focus on improving your SEO (here's Google's guide to doing so). Your goal is for search engines to list your website on the first page of unpaid or organic search results. For the best results, prioritize Google Search over Bing, along with local SEO.

Google Ads

With the Google Ads platform (previously called Google Adwords), you can pay to have your website shown at the top of search engines' results. This can complement your SEO efforts, especially if you're struggling to rank for a high-converting phrase.

Google Business Profile

Set up your Google Business Profile (here's how to do it) so you show up on Google Maps. This is a great tactic to boost local SEO and can be done in minutes.

Online Reviews

The more positive reviews you have, the better, whether it's on Google, social media or your website. Get more out of your positive feedback by quoting your best reviews in your marketing materials.

Social Media Marketing

With social media marketing, you can speak directly to your client base. However, don't stretch yourself too thin. There are multiple platforms, but most home health care agencies will find Facebook and LinkedIn to be their most valuable social media accounts. LinkedIn will let you connect with healthcare professionals, while Facebook is great for consumer marketing.

Traditional Marketing Strategy

Marketing Materials

Don't underestimate the power of a pamphlet for converting potential clients. Make sure your marketing materials are well-written and feature professional photography.

Networking

This can be an excellent way to meet a professional network of connections, including potential referral partners. Attend community events, whether they're specifically networking events or simply local events focused on home health care services.

Ads

Placing an ad in local newspapers or radio shows can help you reach your local community. With a larger budget, you may also want to consider local TV commercials. 

Referrals

Word-of-mouth marketing can be extremely persuasive. Current and past clients can be an excellent source of client referrals. Don’t be afraid to nudge them by asking for reviews and case studies.

For even more referrals, try building relationships with professional referral sources, such as hospital discharge planners.

Improve the Buying Experience

Marketing is just the first step in signing up new clients. Particularly in the home care industry, the journey from consumer awareness to signing up for services can be long. Your marketing work will have been wasted if an overly complex buying experience drives customers away.

Check how easy it is to sign up for your care services. If you were a potential client, would you know what to do? 

Ideally, all your marketing materials will include clear sign-up instructions, such as, “Call us today at [your number]” or “Register here for more information.” Ensure that interested clients have multiple ways to contact your business and sign up for your services.

Make the onboarding process as quick and simple as possible, too. Try to get all paperwork done at the same time and the client’s first shift scheduled as soon as possible.

Streamline Your Systems for Sustainable Growth

As your marketing strategies start to pay off, your home health care agency should begin to sign on a considerable number of new clients. The challenge will be to keep your growth sustainable.

Sustainable growth means that new and existing clients alike receive quality home care, your team isn't overworked, and you don't have to work late to schedule extra clients or get their paperwork filed correctly.

Make sure you have a plan for taking on new potential caregivers as well as potential clients. And review your systems: How easy is it to onboard more clients?

ShiftCare's home health care management software will support you as you grow from a small startup to an established home care business. You can add new clients in minutes, and scheduling is simple with our automated tools. We integrate with your accounting software, plus our financial reports will help you measure the success of your marketing efforts.

Discover how ShiftCare can help you run a successful business with a free trial.