If you’re a fan of Queer Eye, you already know how the Fab Five, as the hosts of the show are known, performs astounding makeovers, designed with depth and meaning for each person. How could this approach be translated into marketing home care? The correlations are significant, and provide for some creative home care marketing ideas for your agency.
Self-Care
The Fab Five’s makeover recipients are hardworking, selfless individuals who neglect themselves as they give so much to others. Sound familiar? It’s typical for family caregivers who finally approach your home care agency to have lost themselves in their focus to provide “perfect” care for their senior loved one. They feel guilty even thinking about taking time for themselves.
Yet we know that self-care is vital in caring for others. The opportunity for regular periods of rest and relaxation allows the caregiver to provide better care and guidance to his or her loved one. Conveying this to those who inquire about your services is a great way to promote the message that you’re there to provide the support that will allow them to provide even better care for their loved one.
Relentless Optimism
When the Fab Five team gets an assignment, typically they are meeting a person at a low point in his or her life. They’re often down on themselves or feel stuck in a rut. And one of the Fab Five’s top motivators is their relentless optimism, refusing to let negativity enter into any of their conversations with their makeover candidate.
Similarly, home care clients are often stuck in a rut and resistant to change. But what if we took the approach of relentless optimism, acknowledging the client’s reality while providing a vision of a brighter future? For instance, “We understand that your situation feels overwhelming. In no time though, our caregivers will have you enjoying your favorite hobbies again, going out to visit museums, exercising – whatever your heart desires!”
Don’t Change; Elevate
The word “makeover” may bring to mind a major change. But the Fab Five make it very clear that they want the person they’re helping to feel comfortable with and to like what they’re doing. The goal is never to change people; it’s to elevate the things they already love. Similarly, many older adults are afraid that home care will change their lives, or that someone else will be “taking over.” Make sure your message is clear to clients that you are there to elevate the lives they’ve built, not change them.
The elder care marketing experts at MOST love providing creative marketing ideas for home care to help agencies stand out from the crowd. Contact us at 800.370.6580, x3, to see how the MOST program can give your agency the boost it needs!