How to Attract Clients to Your Home Care Agency
Struggling to get business? Here are some helpful ways to get more clients on your home care agency's roster.
The demand for care is only rising, are you reaping the benefits of this increased need for care?
You might be noticing an influx of inquiry calls coming to your office, but how do you get clients in the door from a call?
Whether you’re a home care agency that’s just starting out, or you’ve been in business for 20+ years, here are some helpful ways to get more clients on your roster.
Use the voice of your client and consumer reviews.
When marketing, we have to face the harsh reality that clients are wanting to hear about your services from other consumers. Not marketers or administrators.
Nowadays, everyone relies more heavily on reviews. Most consumers read up to 10 reviews before making a purchasing decision, while some do more than that.
What you can do to improve your agency’s appearance to prospective clients and their families is by using the voices of your clients on your home care agency's website, your brochures, everything.
If your clients frequently comment on your ability to pick up on the first ring, tap into that attribute of your care in all of your marketing efforts. “We’ll be there to pick up the phone when you call.” Something like this would be a nice addition to any homepage copy.
Or if your caregivers are the center of the show in your reviews section, use that! Your caregivers are consistently showing up and delivering the quality care that your clients expect, use your clients’ words in all of your marketing. Talk about what your clients rave about.
Once you nail down the way that your clients speak about your services online and in person, more will come your way.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
When you are talking about services with a client, a client’s spouse, or their adult child about beginning services: communicate. It’s just that simple.
Clearly explain your sign-on process. When you receive a last-minute inquiry that wants to start today, be upfront and fair about your procedures of signing on a client, and the availability of your caregivers.
Don’t forget to outline the scope of what you offer. You can also take a minute to explain what non-medical means, noting what you can and can’t assist with.
Anticipate what questions clients will ask so that you have the answers and information in front of you. By sounding knowledgeable and prepared, prospective clients will be more likely to pick your home care agency over the last one that they called.
If you don’t offer a specific service that a client needs or if their location is outside of your service area, give them the contact info of a company that will best suit their needs. This takes extra time, but it shows that you care and will take the time to help people who can’t immediately benefit from your services.
Stand out from the competition
According to IBIS World, there are 437,967 home care agencies in the United States. Home care is everywhere, and with the ubiquity of the business, you need to have a set of differentiating factors that set you apart from everyone else.
These don’t have to be change-making, earth-shattering differences, but enough to make a family think twice about calling another agency. What can you do to stand out?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Having a quick sign-on process that is all-age-friendly
- Condition-specific protocols or specialty care services (like hospice or dementia)
- Giving clients the ability to pay on your agency's website
- Make provisions for allowing caregiver interviews so that clients can meet the caregiver before care begins to ensure a smooth transition
This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but there are a variety of things that you can try. See what works best for your agency with the resources and staff you have available.
We previously talked about using the voices of your clients, and this is something that you can lean into with your differentiator as well. Who better to assist in your differentiator, than those who saw what was different about you in a highly saturated market?
If there are features of care that your clients rave about, try to do that one thing well. It’s much easier to master one thing, than to be decent at several. This doesn’t mean neglecting other parts of your operation, but if you do something well, master it.
Understand your clients’ lives.
One way to attract clients is to meet them where they’re at. You are not just offering medication reminders or a weekly shower, you are selling someone on the possibility of independence. They might not have it otherwise. You are a network of connections to them.
As a home care agency, you can refer clients to quality home healthcare, hospice, and rehabilitation centers. Learn what matters most to your clients and how you can best help them.
When a client is returning home from rehab and has a sheet of physical therapy exercises with stick figures on them: Are you going to make a care plan that tells caregivers to encourage their clients to perform those exercises? Or, are you going to ask the client what their goals are in returning home and think of ways to braid the exercises into a routine that helps the client achieve those goals.
Whether they want to drive a golf cart around or eat food on their own again, you can help clients see the benefits of home care by helping them return to what interests them.
Until you understand your clients’ lives in their context, it will be difficult to connect with them on a level that expedites desired outcomes.
How can you help your clients get back to their independent lives before they needed care? Or, if are your clients independent and want to stay that way? Learn what keeps them motivated.
Focus on outcomes, not services.
Whether it’s home care or buying a new sofa, consumers are looking for the “I’m so glad I got this.” Your clients are looking for outcomes and results when they enlist help.
Oftentimes, it’s in a moment of crisis. Your home care staff and caregivers have an opportunity to be a part of the end result: the calm of the storm when the stress has passed. By focusing on your clients’ lives and how they want to live, you will have no problem attracting clients.
Want Help With Bringing Clients to Your Home Care Agency?
If you want some assistance in creating your client marketing strategy, we’re here to help. One of our experienced marketing managers can take a look at your current marketing plans and see where your next billable hour increase will come from. Schedule a 30-minute call with one of our home care experts here. Together, we can come up with a rock-solid marketing plan that will elevate your home care agency to the next level.
