As the owner or director of an assisted living facility, you may quickly become frustrated with trying to come up with creative new strategies to keep the beds filled in your business. If this sounds too familiar, inbound marketing could be the key to making a drastic change in our business. Your first step is to get knowledgeable about the selection process your potential customers go through when trying to track down the best long-term care provider. Then you can take that information and utilize it carefully to create an all new routine to give your facility a boost using inbound marketing for assisted living facilities.
The Caregiver's Burden
There is no question about it, choosing a long-term care facility for a loved one can be one of the most challenging situations to be facing as a family member. When a family decides that they must entrust the care of their disabled or aging relative to a facility, it becomes your position to create an obvious and logical solution. Even though choosing a assisted living facility may not always follow the same route, the buyer's journey to choosing the correct facility is a process that normally happens in stages. To boost your business, you must learn how to capitalize on every stage of the journey.
* This different stages are critical to the decision process in senior living. Potnetial residents are constantly evaluating the differences between different facilities. It's in this stage that you'll need to educate them as best you can about their options and how you can solve for any issues they're facing when it comes to the decision stage.
The Awareness Stage
Regardless of what type of consumer purchasing action it is that you are talking about, the awareness stage is almost always the first step in the buying process. At the awareness stage for a customer of a long-term care facility, the buyer is just starting to look at their options, get a feel for what may be available. In some cases, there ma not even yet be a definitive decision about choosing long-term care for a loved one, but a buyer is definitely looking for a solution. This is the first chance at inbound marketing for senior care that you have. At this stage, your most beneficial marketing plan is to be a source for much-needed information about long-term care in general. Be helpful, informative, and a guiding source for your future prospects.
Recommended senior care marketing tactics at the awareness stage:
- Use your company's website blog to promote helpful information, such as how a caregiver would know if it is time to seek professional care.
- Use your website FAQ to attract potential clients to our site by their most commonly asked questions on long-term care.
- Provide demographics, statistical information, and facts about long-term care.
- Offer a detailed checklist for customers to use when considering their long-term care options.
The Consideration Stage
Once the awareness stage is drawing to an end, potential customers will be at the point where they have made a decision that long term care is the most feasible option for their loved one and thus, the will be ready to start making real decisions and considerations. This may involve a prospect narrowing down what they want for their elderly relative and seriously considering enrolling their loved one in a specific facility. The consideration stage is often deemed the problem-solving stage because a caregiver has came to the conclusion that there is a problem that needs a solution. At this stage, your task is to continue educating and guiding potential clients without try to be salesy.
Recommended senior care marketing tactics at the consideration stage:
- Add blog topics to our website about choosing the best long term care facility.
- Compile a webinar or informational video on the advantages of long term care facilities.
- Offer eBooks on the topic of choosing a long term care facility.
The Decision Stage
The Decision Stage means that a potential client has arrived at their final decision about enrolling in a long term care facility for their loved one. They have most likely already created a checklist or outline of what they want. Even though this is where many long term care facilities focus their inbound marketing for long term care strategies, you should have already injected yourself into the process through awareness and consideration, which fosters a natural sense of loyalty with a prospect to your brand. Therefore, you could have already upped your chances above other facilities.
Recommended senior care marketing tactics at the decision stage:
- Make it simple for prospects to pay you a visit by emailing contact information or a form to schedule a visit.
- Continue to provide helpful blog entries on choosing the best facility.
- Post a virtual tour on your website , introducing interested customers to your facility and staff.
- Make sure prospects have access to video testimonials from other happy customers.
The Delight Stage
Even if you make it this far and a customer has chosen your facility for the long term care of their loved one, your inbound marketing should not stop here. Obtaining customers and keeping them are two completely different things. During the delight stage, it becomes your top priority to keep your customers happy. Even though the delight stage is often neglected, this is a key component in marketing to help you maintain stable business growth. This reassurance stage means your continued involvement to reassure customers that you were the best decision.
Recommended senior care marketing tactics at the delight stage:
- Stay active and connected through social media and face-to-face interactions.
- Continue to offer new information on your website that is catered to those with loved ones in a long term care facility.
To Get a FREE Website Marketing Assessment for your assisted living facility click the link below. We'd be happy to give you a free consultation on how to get your assisted living clinic found online.
