Barely a week goes by without a piece in the news about care homes, whether it’s the rising cost of care, lack of quality care available, the effect of minimum wage or policy changes, all impacting negatively on the care sector.
Care homes and homecare organisations are under constant scrutiny within the industry, be it financially, from regulators, the board or the families they support, so it is vital that providers consider their public profile and how they can use the right marketing tools to better protect and enhance their reputation whilst attracting new residents.
A strong marketing and communications strategy can help care homes and domiciliary care agencies to manage their reputation within the community and wider care sector, as well as attract quality staff to join their team.
For providers without a public relations (PR) strategy in place, these can be tricky waters to navigate, especially when you know your business stands head and shoulders above others. Maybe you’ve got a great Care Quality Commission rating, excellent facilities or just want help attracting clients; a strategic PR plan can help you.
PR for care providers can encompass everything, from traditional media relations that highlight the expertise, facilities and care delivered by the home, to crisis communications, social media and engaging with the local community to share the benefits of the home.
With figures estimating the value of the independent care sector at £45.4bn in 2015, not including the wider supply chain and affiliated organisations, having a communications strategy in place is essential to protect your brand and reputation.
Get online
An increased presence online allows care homes to establish a profile within their community. It also encourages brand awareness for those who may be thinking about care for themselves or their family members. By using social media, for example to emphasise the quality of your home or service, your staff and facilities, you can highlight the benefits of your care provision directly to future potential residents.
The care market is a competitive one, so it’s important to have interesting and engaging content on your website. A website acts as a window into life at your home or for those you support and is an opportunity to showcase facilities, staff and care.
We recommend regularly updating your website with news and updates from the service and staff, consider a team page so people know who they are likely to meet or be cared by. Photography and video also really show the quality of the home. We’ve produced 360 degree tours for homes in the past, promoting the dynamic environment of the home and allowing web visitors to explore the facilities and grounds and get a feel for the home before visiting.
What about a crisis?
No-one wants a crisis to happen, however, having a plan on what to do in a crisis is especially important for care homes in the current environment. With regular stories in the press about the quality of care for older people or those with disabilities as well as frequent policy changes, it’s essential for care providers to have a plan in place in case their staff, home or residents are at the front of a media storm.
Handling a crisis as it unfolds is never an easy task. Crises are by their nature unpredictable, both in terms of when they occur and how they develop. A pre-agreed crisis plan is a necessity, but you also need to remain flexible enough to react to whatever may happen during the course of dealing with the situation. We stick to the three Fs – be first, fast and frank when handling a crisis.
Providers should be the first to announce a potential crisis, taking control of the situation and therefore being able to set the tone. You also need to react quickly and be honest with your audience – not being open and honest always leads to more severe consequences than admitting the problem in the first place.
What you can do
Whilst larger companies often have a marketing professional or in-house marketing team to handle communications and appoint agencies, we understand that many smaller care home groups and home care businesses don’t have the capacity to do this, and instead want to focus solely on delivering the very best care and service to their customers.
However, if you are developing a PR strategy, it should be based on conveying key messages to a defined audience and measured by key performance indicators, such as enquiries to the business, representation within key media titles or visits to the website or social media pages. This could then be used to inform a wider communications campaign which would be developed to work around key dates, audiences and activity within the business.
PR is something that all care organisations should consider. Whether that’s to raise awareness of what you do, help to attract new clients or ensure you’re prepared in case of crisis. Sharing positive stories of the sector can go a long way to raise awareness of the positive impact social care can have on people as well as conveying what care is really like and how it can help people to live full and supported lives.
Rebecca Jackson is Head of the Healthcare Division at Acceleris. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @r_jackson89
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