Those seeking an appropriate in-home care solution have very likely completed their due diligence by asking for recommendations from friends and family members, researching online reviews for local home care providers, and perhaps even scheduling interviews with prospective home care agencies or individual caregivers before selecting the best fit for a senior loved one.
Industry expert Katie Roper of Catenary Consulting, and former Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Caring.com, says that if consumers are approaching home care in this way, they may be setting themselves up for disappointment and frustration.
According to Roper, most family members don’t understand the intricacies of home care and are not equipped to ask the appropriate questions to determine which care provider is the best fit. All too often, families are looking for a friend for their mom or dad – placing more emphasis on personality over quality care and ensuring safety needs will be met for the senior loved one.
So what should your agency highlight for consumers when marketing for home health care services to help them see the benefit of partnering with you? Roper recommends:
- Emphasize how long your agency has been in business
- Showcase the size of your pool of caregivers and the quality of those caregivers (training, certifications, years of experience, etc.)
- Reassure families that if their caregiver becomes ill or is on vacation, that deep pool of qualified caregivers is on hand to step in, providing seamless, high quality care
And while of course it’s important for the person completing an in-home assessment to be friendly and compassionate, the bottom line is conveying your ability to meet and exceed the needs of the senior – both now and as needs change over time.
For more helpful tips to keep in mind when marketing home health care services, contact the aging care industry experts at MOST at 800.370.6580, x3.
