Keep an Eye on These 2023 Tech Trends to Give Your Home Care Marketing a Boost
Four trends that will change the way your home care agency attracts and retains business.
How prepared is your home care marketing plan for the tech trends that are already taking off in 2023? Daily reporting on a potential recession, whether or not a recession actually materializes, has changed the way consumers are spending their money, and businesses are having to adjust their strategies.
Home care agencies must pay attention to the relationship between consumer sentiment and tech habits—and here are four key trends to watch in 2023.
Data privacy
With the ever-expanding use of data-driven marketing strategies comes the need to use that data responsibly. Healthcare, especially, must be prudent about data privacy, and extra care must be taken to win and preserve client trust. In fact, the healthcare industry in the U.S. can expect new legislation in the coming years that aims to protect patient data.
Data privacy will matter for new client attraction, yes, but it will be even more important for client retention. Consumers who feel like your business is being cavalier with their personal data will go looking for safety and responsibility elsewhere. Outlining your data protection process is a necessary part of home care marketing in 2023.
Don’t be caught unaware when your clients ask you how you’re responsibly handling their personally identifiable information. This includes medical records, demographic data, insurance, and financial information, and even records on client engagement.
Investing in and demonstrating trust in data usage will have business implications. According to Gartner, “by 2026, organizations that operationalize AI transparency, trust, and security will see their AI models achieve a 50% result improvement in terms of adoption, business goals and user acceptance.”
Artificial intelligence
It’s remarkable what artificial intelligence (AI) does—and will eventually be able to do—for businesses. Home care agencies already use AI to power targeted client acquisition campaigns, gather and compare data on client behavior to retain customers, and make critical business decisions.
Exciting applications of marketing AI include:
- Real-time text messaging apps that let home care agencies add potential clients to their marketing funnel and answer questions after hours. It can even be used to vet caregiver applications and schedule interviews.
- Automate administrative tasks that normally eat away valuable time and resources, so you can devote your human resources to client care.
- Machine-learning apps that generate personalized recommendations for clients, like new home care services.
- Data-powered apps that can train your staff on anything from marketing and operational best practices to new care modalities.
Home care marketers shouldn’t be blinded by the shiny promise of artificial intelligence. Just because a piece of technology uses data, it doesn’t mean that tech is infallible. Any decisions you make as a result of your AI-powered tech tools should be subject to the same scrutiny one would apply to qualitative observations.
Marketers should also mind legal requirements for the use of AI in hiring and firing decisions. New York City has passed an anti-bias in hiring law, which is set to take effect in April 2023. It requires, among other things, that tech tools used in hiring decisions undergo annual third-party audits to screen for bias. It’s expected that other states will follow suit.
The growing value of social media
Home care marketing specialists are wise to invest in new forms of social media marketing in 2023.
Axios reports that the Meta-owned social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, as well as Snapchat and Reddit, have introduced new algorithms that prioritize short-form videos. Marketers are jumping on this trend. The same report notes that it will be easy for content creators to get lost in the noise. Avoid simply imitating the latest trends and instead opt for value-adding short-form video content.
In addition to greater investment in video, marketers also plan to lean more heavily on influencers to propel their strategies. According to a HubSpot report, 17% of marketers plan to invest in influencer marketing for the first time in 2023, and 89% of marketers who already use this strategy say they will either maintain or increase their investment.
HubSpot names short-form video and influencer marketing as the first and second most valuable in terms of marketing ROI, respectively.
Mobile device usage underscores the importance of local SEO
Don't neglect your search engine optimization plan in 2023. Near-global reliance on smartphones means mobile searches are ever-increasing, and local searches—meaning those that include the phrase “near me” or a specific location—are more frequent every year. According to CMSWire, in 2022, 97% of internet users searched online to find a local business.
If you have yet to invest in local SEO as part of your home care marketing efforts, 2023 is the time.
A good local SEO plan should include:
- Building a robust Google Business Profile
- Targeting specific local keywords
- Creating high-quality, long-form content
- Encouraging clients to leave Google Reviews
- Increasing the number of inbound links to your home care site
Ready to give your home care marketing strategy a refresh for 2023?
Whether it involves automation, social media, or local SEO, Home Care Marketing Pros can get your agency's marketing to where it needs to be. If you're ready to grow your agency, book a no-obligation, 30-minute call with us to see what we can do for you!
