Marketing to Alternative Channels- How to get started, and get noticed

By: Chris Clark
The Senior List.com

I get asked multiple times a day what elder care providers can do to get noticed out there online, and I was recently approached to write a brief post about getting started with an online strategy in mind. So... here it goes... :)

A number of organizations do a great job in getting the word out... it's usually these communities/providers that are able to capture attention, and capitalize on the power of internet search. However, in my experience many senior care marketers don't understand one of two things; Where their existing customers come from... and how to promote their services in alternative channels. This know-how can have a huge impact on one's bottom line.

First off, there are a number of excellent professionals out there that can assist providers that would like marketing assistance. Valerie VanBooven, President of LTC Expert Publications does a great job of showing her clients the ropes, and getting them comfortable with social media, directories, and other online channels. Once a provider understands the fundamentals, they're off and running! Locating and learning from an expert is probably the best way to put your operation into high gear... but not the only way.

This post will focus largely on the online effort, but relative to customer acquisition in general, I'm amazed at how many organizations don't ask their customers (as a matter of protocol) how they heard about them. If you're not asking everyone that walks through your door, "how did you find us?" you need to start today. Then keep a ledger with this valuable data handy to discuss in meetings etc. At year end, it will become apparent where your business is coming from, and where you might expand your marketing efforts.

I can offer a few tips to providers that are just getting started with an online strategy. First, google your company name, then your business phone number and/or address. Then search for your "service" in your nearest metro area. For example, if you own an adult care home that serves Portland Oregon, but you're physically located in Milwaukie Oregon, make sure you google "Adult Care Home Portland Oregon". Then do the same exercise for your biggest competitors. By doing a little online investigating you can find out if and where you are showing up online. You may also uncover some great resources (directories, etc.) that you weren't aware of...

As mentioned above, perhaps just as important as doing a self assessment of your business, is doing a competitive analysis. When I look at the analytics for The Senior List.com I get to see the "key words" that end up hitting our site. (These are search terms that individuals have typed into a search engine. These individuals then end up clicking on a Senior List link in those results.) I get to see the entries that led to that click- as a life long marketer it's fascinating to see what terms hit the site. I see phone numbers, Doctor's names, addresses, and more. I know that some of these "hits" are savvy marketers performing due diligence on themselves, and maybe you as well!

Some other tactical questions you can ask yourself as you get started include; where should I list my service? (what directories yield the better search results- and at what cost?); second- how effective is our own website? (is it optimized in any way? Do I give consumers a reason to click around? Would a customer want to visit if they found us online?) And Lastly- learn a bit about social networking. Invest some time learning about Twitter, Facebook, AARP, and maybe even LinkedIn (just to name a few).


Lastly, it's important for the marketing professional to realize that image is everything these days. If you don't have a website- get one! (Yes there are care providers out there without websites!) You may even want to have a logo professionally designed (you can have this done for next to nothing). A great online resource I've used for crowdsourcing logo designs can be found at 99Designs.com . It's a very interesting process, and it works amazingly well.

Developing or refining an online strategy takes some time, but a few simple steps can impact your bottom line down the road. If there is interest, we can examine this area further and in greater depth. If you're just getting started, take the plunge... the water is great!