Kenyon Connects

Inbound marketing continues to grow in importance for home care, and while it hasn’t made the more traditional outbound marketing techniques irrelevant, it is the way that more and more customers are finding the home care products and services they need. In fact, of all the daily online searches, nearly half (46%) are searches for information on products or services. This means clients are now looking for you, and not the other way around. Is your home care agency easy to find?

In this new marketing landscape, home care agencies should be shifting considerable focus from pushing their services out to prospective clients to pulling customers into their sites with inbound marketing techniques. According to Google, 70% of the links that search users click are organic, or not paid. This means that shelling out money for pay-per-click ads probably won’t get your home care agency the return on investment you were hoping for. So it’s time to start focusing on relevant, search engine optimized content, social media, and blogging, all of which can help bring potential clients to your virtual doorstep.

Use Your Website & Your Knowledge & Get Found

A good way to show potential clients that your home care agency is a home care authority is to provide them with relevant, timely resources that help them solve a problem, make a decision, or simply inform them. Staying current with ever-changing industry information shows potential clients that you are an authority within your industry and understand clients’ needs.

Including industry-related resources to your site is also great for search engine optimization, or SEO. While a home care agency’s website should be a hub of relevant information and communication, it should also be easy to find when potential clients are searching for the services you provide in your area. Search engine optimization is a key aspect of online marketing as inbound marketing continues to replace outbound marketing efforts (advertising, PR, email campaigns, etc) as the number one way in which consumers find the products and services they need. Industry-specific keywords help companies get found and get customers.

In addition, incorporating a blog and staying current with social media can improve SEO and give a home care agency another forum in which to be found online. Blogging provides a virtual soapbox where agencies can voice their industry expertise and inform their customer-base with up-to-date information. Using keywords within your blog and posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn will further your SEO efforts and help you be found on the great world wide web.

A Match Made in Marketing Heaven

With all the buzz and focus going to inbound marketing these days, it’s important not to neglect your tried and true outbound marketing. In fact, the two work together quite well. Ensure that your messaging across both inbound and outbound materials is uniform and targeted to the right audience, and include links to your website, blog, and social media sites on all print materials and email campaigns. Post news releases and print articles to your blog, and don’t forget to share them on Facebook! For a successful, well-balanced plan, use all your marketing strengths to create the total package.

Merrily Orsini is the founder and manager of CoreCubed, a full service integrated marketing communications agency with a focus on using the internet as a component of a strategic branded approach. Specialty is senior and elder care businesses, the private pay industry in home care, home health, Hospice, hospitals, geriatric care management, assisted living and retirement communities. Experienced and successful in marketing to and reaching those seeking niche products and services targeted to a mature affluent audience. She if the creator of MOSTSM, the first industry turnkey monthly marketing communications program designed specifically to increase billable hours and referrals for private duty home care, home health and Hospice.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Pat Drea, a dear colleague and friend, who has agreed to share some of her great wisdom with all of us. Pat, Chief Operating Officer for Visiting Angels, a leading national private duty company with 430 offices, is a popular featured speaker at national and state private duty events.  Like all leaders in this industry, Pat has her finger in the wind and sees the changes coming and is sharing some of her tips for not only survival but for thriving and growing your home care business.  Enjoy!

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It’s no secret that our economy has changed in crucial, fundamental ways that are redefining what it means to be successful in private duty home care. Competition has increased in some markets as people displaced from other industries see private duty home care as an attractive business opportunity. Consumers are less likely to purchase high-hour services, and nervously seek cheaper, untrained, unsupervised alternatives to what professional private duty home care companies provide. Marketing has emerged as a full time role for Private Duty home care companies that wish to become known as preferred providers with a recognizable brand. Overhead has increased in the form of regulation and oversight, increased expectations of consumer families, due diligence in hiring and orientation, and the requirements for maximum efficiency. Growing your Private Duty home care business, demands that you take several steps to adapt to the new tough economy.

New Rules for the New Economy

1. Make “disciplined reinvention” your mantra. In this new world where consumers’ buying habits, expectations, access to information, needs and resources are changing, there is no substitute for an attitude that says, “What can I do better today than I did yesterday?” Keep your awareness on the opportunities and possibilities that lay in front of you – untapped private duty referral sources, adding growth services, satisfying prime referral sources so they send you more referrals. Celebrate and share your victories. Be determined to create a private duty home care business that will leave a lasting legacy.
2. Become experts at lead conversion. Barbara Akst’s article last week, It Starts With Hello, provided the best practices to achieve a high lead conversion. We invest a great deal in time and money to create leads for the lead funnel. Now is the time to challenge your team to achieve higher conversion rates which translate into more care for those consumers who need your services. The decision about home care is a complex one for families and their loved ones. Let us also achieve a high level of proficiency at assisting our consumers to navigate through the decision making process making it easy for them to say “yes” to the private duty home care services that their loved one really needs.
3. Establish marketing and networking as core functions of your office operations. Gone are the days when a home care agency could achieve dramatic growth by passing out brochures and placing newspaper ads. Internet media, competition, vanishing print media, and the wide variety of senior living and support options create an environment where we must deftly customize our messages to referral sources. The new marketing concept cultivates relationships which exchange high valued resources. We find out what problems they face and become part of the solution. We work to make their lives easier. The referral becomes secondary to a deep connection that has meaning and value to both parties. It’s about the relationship, smartie!
4. Refine your private duty home care operations for maximum efficiency. We have achieved great efficiencies in our scheduling of caregivers with scheduling software and telephony. Technological advances have made our operations more efficient: enhanced communications through the use of smart phones, voice mail blasts, customer friendly bill-pay approaches, safety and security technology for the care recipient when they are alone. To enjoy some of the latest technological advances for older people view the Para Robotic Seal and listen to NPDA’s Consumers conference calls, “Ready Talk,” by going to the Consumer tab at the NPDA site: www.privatedutyhomecare.org. Use some of the sophisticated and affordable options to compare your dashboard results to national benchmarking private duty data and motivate your staff and your caregivers to be at the cutting edge of extraordinary performance measures. Consider comparing your results to those of the Home Care Pulse 2011 Survey or Stephen Tweed’s Benchmarking Study.

So what if it’s a new world. You wouldn’t be in the private duty home care business if you didn’t love a challenge.

Please attend Pat Drea’s presentation “New Rules for the New Economy” at the PDHCA conference at the Bellagio, Las Vegas, January 23 – 25, 2012. Website: www.nahc.org/meetings/PD/12/

It is with great pleasure that we present a colleague of mine, Barbara Akst with Training Unlimited. Barb’s unique insight into the process and her ability to educate and train agency personnel has proven to be a gold standard tool for success for the agencies that use her services. I hope you enjoy her article as much as I did.

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Personality Counts

Ever thought that a home care competitor was successful because of the personality of the person answering the phone? Well, you are right. Mystery shopping results in home health care show that when a person answers the phone with a warm, caring voice and a positive attitude, the caller is more likely to trust you and want to do business with you. The results also show that the most successful home care agencies are sensitive to the callers personality and modify the questions they ask in order to make the caller comfortable talking about a sensitive situation.

Personality counts, especially in private duty home care. It’s not always natural, and even for those that it is, conscious effort is required to get the most out of personal interactions. It’s not just your personality that matters, but the personalities of the potential clients who call you. Your caller will not modify their personality style so you must!

In home care, we must be especially sensitive to our customer’s personality styles and modify our own to grow our business. In this article you will learn about personality styles, how to identify your own style, and how to modify it to meet your customer’s needs.

First let’s look different types of personality styles. There are four basic behavioral styles based on two dimensions: openness and directness. No style is better than another – they are just different. Every style has advantages, and every style has drawbacks. Understanding how the types of behaviors each individual displays affects their decision making process is critical to growing your business.

Openness

Individuals show their emotions in very different ways. Some folks will tell you all of their problems the first time they meet you, while others don’t show their emotions at all. Most fall somewhere in-between.

OPEN BEHAVIORS: An individual who is considered ‘open’ shares his thoughts and feeling willingly and typically has animated facial expressions and open physical gestures. Such individuals are very people-oriented develop relationships quickly, and often make decisions based on emotion.

CLOSED BEHAVIORS: Other individuals are less likely to show their emotions. They display ‘closed’ behaviors. They often have ‘poker faces,’ and are physically more rigid and much less expressive. They are very task oriented and will make decisions based on facts.
Directness

In addition to showing emotions in different ways, individuals also show different amounts of control over people and situations. Understanding the amount of control your customer needs in order to feel comfortable is another key factor in gaining their confidence and earning their business.

DIRECT BEHAVIORS: Individuals who are very direct are often viewed as ‘forceful’ and referred to as having ‘Type A’ personalities. They confront conflict, change, and decision-making head on.

INDIRECT BEHAVIORS: Individuals who are indirect approach risk, decision making, and change much more cautiously. They are diplomatic, patient, and cooperative, and avoid conflict whenever possible. It can be difficult for them to make decisions.

Use the diagram below as a guide to understanding the different personality styles.

Socializers are open and direct. They are spontaneous, enthusiastic, persuasive, and think quickly on their feet. They are very creative.

Directors are self-contained and always in control. They like to get things done effectively and efficiently. They are good leaders and have the ability to make decisions.

Thinkers are indirect and self-contained. They are concerned with the analytical process, are persistent, and systematically solve problems. They are very organized.

Relaters are very open and indirect. They are warm, friendly, and personable. Their greatest strength is their ability to relate to, care for, and love others.

NOW – think about your personality. Where do you fit into the continuum? What about your customers? Are their personality styles different from yours? Will you be able to relate to them?

The answer is YES BUT….. You must modify your behaviors to accommodate your customers. To be successful, you must know your behavior style and be able to identify your customers’ styles. YOU must then adjust your style to meet their needs. It is not always easy, but anyone can do it. Here’s how.

Increase your Openness

If your caller wants to talk, you must ask open ended questions and allow them to share their story. You must be willing to digress from your agenda.

Increase your Self-Containment

If your calls do not stay focused on the callers needs, you may need a script to guide you. Your script should include focused, but include open-ended questions such as: “When do you think it would be best for a caregiver to be at your loved ones home?’

Increase your Directness

If you do not set up a home assessment on every private duty inquiry call, you must be more direct and ask the caller for their business with a question such as: “When would be a good time for us to come to your home for a home assessment?”

Decrease your Directness

If the caller requests information about the home care services you provide – do you give them a list? If so, you need to decrease your directness and ask your caller open-ended questions so you can learn more about their situation and share only the services you offer that are important to helping them.

Understanding how to modify your personality style is the first step to actually doing it! Now it is time to practice modifying your style and approaching your potential customer with renewed sensitivity to their individual needs. By modifying your style, you will be more successful.

For more information on how to increase your business, visit www.trainingunlimitedva.com.

By: Barbara Akst
CEO/President
Training Unlimited of VA, LLC
www.TrainingUnlimitedVA.com
Barbara@TrainingUnlimitedVA.com
703-969-0104

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce Ken Accardi with Ankota software, who is our guest writer this week.  I think you will find his article helpful and thought provoking.  This is good advice from an expert in the know.  Enjoy!

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When you acquire technology for your home care organization, you need to consider a five year life for the technology. As such, it’s necessary to anticipate how care delivery will change in that timeframe and choose technology that prepares you for the future. Some changes in your care delivery operations are merely evolutionary changes. Examples of this are new OASIS forms and new coding rules. While I’m not implying that these aren’t difficult changes, they don’t represent the need for a fundamental shift in the technology systems that you use. By contrast, other changes are revolutionary and may require fundamental shifts in your technology needs. Continue reading “Include Care Coordination in Your Next Home Care Technology Upgrade” »

It is my great pleasure to introduce Merrily Orsini, a colleague and friend who is a wealth of information on social media marketing.  Merrily owned and ran private duty agencies for many years, but in the last few years has given this up and developed a company devoted to social media marketing for home care.  I think you will find, as I do, some very valuable information in the article she has so graciously agreed to write for us. 

With the veritable onslaught of new and ever-changing technology of the last decade, businesses of all types and sizes are being forced to reevaluate the efficiency and ROI of their marketing strategies. Think about it: when someone wants to find something, where does he go first? He SEARCHES on whatever device he has handy. Mobile phones, iPads or computers are now the door to products and services, and the smart home care agency owner will understand this, and create and integrate marketing efforts accordingly.

Those who have embraced web and social media marketing are seeing some amazing results in brand recognition and customer loyalty. Why? With Facebook’s usership at 750 million people worldwide, YouTube at the top of the world’s search engines, and the recent arrival of potential game-changer Google+, companies are finding that when they integrate the web and social media into their marketing strategies, they are able to virtually “hang out” with an enormous customer base. And who is it that is searching for home care? It is usually the adult child of a frail elder, and that adult child is probably between 45 and 65. Continue reading “Utilizing the Web and Social Media in Home Care Marketing Strategy” »

None of us want to think that someone we hire would commit fraud or abuse. However, fraud and abuse in home health and hospice is on the rise. With all the details that owners and managers must contend with, no one needs to add this to their list!  Fortunately for us, a nurse colleague of mine, Linda Vincent, R.N., P.I., is in the business of helping businesses like ours put policies in place to help prevent
fraud and abuse. We are fortunate to have her as a guest writer this week. I am sure you will find Linda’s article informative and helpful.

Providing quality care and comfort to patients is the primary concern of hospice and homecare agencies. Unfortunately, it’s not the only one. Owners also need to be proactive and vigilant to ensure they are preventing healthcare fraud and abuse.

Whether the fraud is an accident due to negligence or a scam carried out by an unscrupulous employee, hospice and homecare owners must take precautions to legally and financially protect their businesses. The process of safeguarding themselves, their agencies, and their patients begins and ends with their employees. From nurses to accountants to receptionists, healthcare fraud and abuse can be carried out by anyone at any level of the organization. Continue reading “5 Steps for Preventing Healthcare Fraud and Abuse at Hospice and Homecare Agencies” »

Today, I’m happy to present Terri Wallin, RN MHA, who has written an article for us on change. Terri is a master at this process and has proven it over and over in her 30 years as an administrator in multiple settings, including home health. She has much to offer. 

Will change in home care ever stop? The short answer is probably no, at least not in the foreseeable future for health care business and services. The truth of the matter is that we change every day – what we wear, what we eat, the routes we take to work, where we shop. Although change seems to occur with ease and regularity in our personal lives, the same experience rarely plays out in our professional lives. So what makes the workplace and environmental changes so difficult? The former examples are often within our control; the latter are not. The drivers or activities causing the change are often external, making the need for change mandatory.

Most healthcare leaders and their staffs are tired of change. However, in a health reform climate, survival depends on managers and staff finding ways to embrace it. Continue reading “Managing Change: Embracing Change” »

Guest article from my friend and colleague, Scott Siders.

Most business owners know their target audience is searching for their products and services online. They know they need to consistently produce relevant search engine optimized (SEO) content to attract those potential customers. This content includes SEO articles, press releases, case studies, blogs, social media posts, and more.

But many business owners overlook the importance of the quality of the SEO content they publish for the world to see. SEO content that doesn’t attract the search engines and their target audience doesn’t just waste time and money. Poor quality SEO content can actually damage their brand and reputation. Potential customers may see their company as inferior, even if their products and services are superior to their competition. Continue reading “Are You Giving Your Customers Quality SEO Content?” »