External Marketing: Reaching Out to Get Clients and Referrals

Hoosier Homecare & Hospice Conference

May 12, 2010

facebook.com/merrily.orsinifacebook.com/corecubed

@MerrilyO

Merrily Orsini, MSSWManaging Directorcorecubed

Strategic Marketing Questions for Planning

► Before you set out on a marketing/PR campaign, it is imperative to understand who your customer is, and what messages they should be getting about your business.

Strategic Marketing Questions

► What do you want customers to “think” about you?

► What subject matter is of greatest interest to them?

Strategic Marketing Questions

► What is your sales model? How are you “selling”your services now?

► What sales methods are effective? ► Do sales methods vary by targeted customer or

service?

Strategic Marketing Questions

► What message is of the greatest interest to your customers?

► Does that message vary by customer segment or service?

► To what kind of information are they most receptive?

Strategic Marketing Questions

► To what mediums are they most receptive? (direct mail, seminars, ads on radio, social media, etc.)

► Which of your messages has the greatest potential to impact beliefs?

► Are their seasonal opportunities?► What MUST your potential customers know about

you?

Strategic Marketing Questions

► What do you think you know about your target markets?

► In the past, what campaign(s) have you done and how successful have the effort(s) been?

Strategic Marketing Questions

► What major opportunities will you face in the next 6 months? 12 months? Over the next 2–3 years?

► What major problems/barriers to success exist or do you anticipate in the next 6–12 months? In the next 2–3 years?

Basic Promotion Strategies for In-Home Care

THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK

Understanding how small your target really is

Your target client?

So what is the strategy?

► Go to those who have the potential to refer clients► Look for joint venture opportunities► Always be looking ahead for places to market that

might have the potential to refer

Who are the best referral targets?► Trust officers for those with

uninvolved or no families

► Estate and trust attorneys

► Elder law attorneys

► Guardianship organizations and individual guardians

► Long-term care insurance agents

► Physicians with elderly patients (affluent clients are key to the private pay market)

► Discharge planners

► Nursing case managers

► Pharmacists

► Dentists

► Rehabilitation centers

► Medicare agencies (those who do not offer private duty) for when Medicare is exhausted

► Funeral home directors

► CPAs

► Real estate agents

► All chronic disease associations

How do you reach the referral market?

► Web site, cross links and offering resource downloads

► Direct personalized mail with a growing list as you identify more targets

► Educational seminars or presentations► Short informative emails► Social media► Get articles and mentions in the media

What messages work?

► Think what interests each audience.► Physicians – what do they need to know?► Churches, clergy – what would help them the

most in their counsel with frail elderly?► Geriatric care managers – what tools could you

provide them that would interest them in referring to you?

► Medicare agencies who do not have private pay – can you educate them about private duty?

► Funeral home directors – a secure referral when there is a spouse in dire need of care.

Educational seminars or presentations as public relations

► That inform about subjects relating to aging or options for long-term care or home care

► That offer helpful tools to solve aging and long-term care problems

► That are listed and offered on your Web site in case someone is browsing and is interested for their community group or conference

Increasing types and numbers of referrals will increase business

► Ask every inquiry, “Where did you hear about us?”

► Track who is referring► Get their name, address, phone and email

addresses► Follow up with them when a referral becomes a

client► Thank them for the referral

Branding is in the Mind

“A product is made in a factory; a brand is made

in the mind.”

— Walter Landor

Branding Thought Process

ImplementImplement

Who are we? Who do we want to be? How do we get there?

INTERNALINTERNALANALYSISANALYSIS

EXTERNALEXTERNALANALYSISANALYSIS

ASSUMPTIONSASSUMPTIONS

PositioningPositioning

DifferentiationDifferentiation

FocusFocus

MKTMKTPlanPlan

VISION

Why is BRANDING

important for my agency?

How BRANDINGplays a role in

EFFECTIVE MARKETING

Recognition and Reinforcement

► Research in psychology has shown that recognition alone creates more positive feelings than nearly anything.

► Consumers instinctively prefer something that they’ve previously seen to something that is new to them.

Marketing Materials:► Logo► Web site► Brochure(s)► Business identity materials ► Press releases► Email correspondence► Blogs► Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn

Marketing Touches:► Agency Office► Caregivers

► Logo wear

► Operational► Agency consent forms► Information left in patients’ homes

The Agency Web Site: Purpose► Attracting, educating and recruiting customers

and referral sources► A media resource► A road map as to services provided and locations

served► Attracting, educating and recruiting employees

The Agency Web Site

► Serves as a help to those seeking to refer for care

► Serves as another way to educate referral sources and the public

► Serves as a way to get customers, referrals► Who designs, builds and maintains the site

makes the difference in professional, user-friendly and a referral generator or NOT

Web Site

► They have to either know about you and be seeking you, or

► They have to be searching for a solution in your geographic area

► You can offer resourceful downloads► Have a sign-up for the short, informational emails► Post media hits and interesting articles► Offer educational seminars or presentations

Social Media► Two-way communication► Personal► Makes rankings better for SEO► New and unexplored tactic for marketing► Allows consumers to weigh in on services

Media Relations► Why media relations is the most effective tactic► The value of good press► Implementing media relations► Finding a story► Building media relationships► The big pitch

Basic Components of Strategic Branding►Research►Plan►Implement

Research

1. Know your competition and where you fit.2. Know yourself.

► Preferred client base.► Referral sources, current and potential.

Plan

3. Schedule something regularly.4. Vary activities across media, events, personal

contacts.5. Base plan on a set % of revenue and do as much

as you can within that budget.6. Understand your staff is your “face” to the public.

Implement

7. Make your marketing tasks a priority.8. Follow all leads, record them and follow up.

Implement

9. Revisit the plan quarterly and► Keep the research current.► Revise the plan as necessary,

based on what is most effective.► Make your staff a part of the process.

Failure to serve your right customer only leads

to frustration and dissatisfaction

Putting the Pieces Together

► Demystifying a strategic plan for your agency► Bringing in the team. Who does what?► Measuring results and ROI

Define your ACTION STEPS today for SUCCESS TOMORROW

For More Information

On Merrily Orsini:800.370.6580 x5

Merrily.Orsini@corecubed.com

facebook.com/merrily.orsini

@MerrilyO

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