Smooth Digital’s Top 10 Care Marketing Tips
Posted on | Posted in General, Care Home Marketing, Home Care Marketing, Blog
1. Have a website that is informative and fit for purpose
A website is a priority investment for any care business. It is the backbone of your online presence: any form of communication and advertisement online or offline will drive clients to your website, so it is essential for digital marketing campaigns. It also helps your clients understand what your brand represents, what your USP is and what types of care services you offer. That said, not all websites are created equal, so here are a few tips for a user friendly website that is more likely get you conversions:
- Focus less on aesthetics and more on functionality. Whilst it is important that your website is branded and aesthetically pleasing, it should also be clear, concise and easy to navigate, as well as both desktop and mobile friendly.
- Spend time making sure your website has a quick loading time. This will not only help with SEO but also with conversions as people will return to the search results page in seconds if your website does not load quickly enough. You can check out this blog on how to improve the speed of your website and why speed matters.
- Provide as much value as possible on your homepage/landing page. There are things users are expecting to see when they land on your site, for example, location, your CQC rating, what your USP is and things that build trust. These can be testimonials, videos and images, accreditations you have acquired over the years etc. For more tips on landing pages you can read our e-book ‘The 10 Landing Page Commandments’ or we have a ton of blogs on different website tips.
- It is vital to have clear calls to action, for instance “Download our brochure” or “Call us to arrange a virtual tour”. These clearly signpost to the user what they should do next and inspire them to take specific actions. Additional lead triggers can include having a Live chat widget available that a visitor can interact with. Click here to see why we think Live Chat makes a big difference in care marketing.
Having a website that is functional, informative and has clear calls to action will ensure higher conversion rates, better SEO and help you determine if a visitor is a good fit for the service you are providing.
2. Make the most of PPC marketing using Google Ads
PPC marketing has rapidly developed as a successful online advertising channel. This is essentially where you bid on keywords in an auction to appear at the very top of the search engine results page. You may have noticed these listings at the top of Google and Bing with a discreet “Ad” symbol beside the search result.
PPC is extremely powerful as the person searching has a high purchasing intent: they have gone to the search engine specifically to find the service they are seeking. Plus, as the name suggests, you are only charged when someone clicks on your ad so it is reliable and profitable. For businesses that have a tighter marketing budget, PPC marketing is an extremely effective solution to target potential clients.
Another huge benefit of PPC is that it is measurable and trackable. You can use Google Analytics to readily and easily track spending, traffic and conversions.
PPC also works great alongside other marketing channels you may have. For example, if you are making lots of unique content as part of your strategy already, it can drive visitors to that content more quickly and improve the ROI on your content investment. Data on impressions, clicks, and conversions can help prioritise and inform your SEO efforts also.
There’s little risk in testing it out to see where it can move the needle, you will gain a wealth of valuable data to inform your other marketing and optimization efforts and it is also quick and easy for you to get started.
If you need a quick introduction to Google Analytics then check out this blog post of ours!
3. Make good use of social media platforms
Leveraging consumer-facing social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to market services is something care businesses should really take seriously.
Social media helps increase brand awareness and give exposure to your business, whilst allowing you to engage with both your audience and other businesses on a daily basis.
Before choosing their care provider people will often browse through your website and social media. As social media is more personal, it paints a more authentic picture of the reality of your business, and updating these profiles regularly will improve your brand’s authority as a legitimate business whilst setting a positive first impression. It is also a very accessible way to show everyday aspects of your business, perhaps testimonials from clients that are happy with the service you are providing them and their families. It really allows you to build and sustain a consistent brand image.
Social media is also a great place to impart wisdom: It allows you to share FREE content (videos, blog posts, monthly newsletters) that is valuable to your clients and other businesses, helping you gain trust and credibility. As well as being a great place to keep track of your competitors and what kind of content they are putting out, what hashtags they are using, how much engagement they are receiving from which kinds of posts etc.
Additionally, paid social advertising is something to be considered, because it’s a highly cost-effective way to expand your reach and may also improve your site traffic and conversions. It will allow you to get your content in front of a bigger audience at a very low cost. Most social media platforms offer very good targeting capabilities, allowing you to focus your budget on exactly the types of people that are most likely to be interested in your business.
4. Utilise blogging for search engine optimisation (SEO)
SEO is the practice of optimising content to be discovered through a search engine’s organic search results.
One of the best things you can do to improve your chances of ranking high in the search engines is to start blogging. By adding more content to your website you are giving search engines like Bing and Google more opportunities to find information to show organically to the user. However, it’s not just technical benefits blogging brings, blogs play an important role in customer acquisition too. Choosing home care for a loved one is a highly considered process. Having a helpful blog might just be what differentiates you from another care provider. You can showcase your expertise and build trust, which is invaluable to people searching for care.
Blogging is good for SEO because it helps with a number of things that are important ranking factors. When you have a blog that’s updated regularly with blog posts that are high quality and on topics relevant to your audience, it can make a huge difference to how your overall website performs in the search engines.
This is because blogging keeps your website fresh and current, it can improve the amount of time people spend on your site, it helps you target specific keywords (you can write blogs using common search terms that your audience may be using) and it gives you opportunities for internal linking.
If you need blog ideas for your care business you can check out this blog of ours!
5. Make the most of email marketing
Email marketing can help you to leverage new customers and develop existing relationships. With email marketing, you can segment your audience into lists and send them tailored messages which will resonate and provide readers with something of value. With the increased use of mobile phones, people are constantly checking their emails and you can easily embed phone numbers, links to your website and social media, as well as link buttons to enable potential customers to contact you or follow up on your message with just one click.
Once you have gathered a distribution list, there are a few ways you can get the attention of your readers, you can send them news about: updates on the business, industry specific news, blogs, expert advice for those looking for care for their loved one perhaps etc.
Keep in mind also that when it comes to conversions, there isn’t a more powerful channel than email. In fact, the average click-through rate of an email campaign is around 3% (of total recipients), whereas the average click-through rate from a tweet is around 0.5%.
This means you are 6x more likely to get someone to click through to your website via email than you are from Twitter. As discussed earlier, your email subscribers have told you they want to hear from you and this isn’t typically the case with social. The other issue with channels like Facebook and Twitter is they’re owned and controlled by third parties which means marketers are at the mercy of changes the platforms make to their platform.
Meanwhile, email isn’t owned or controlled by any one particular entity and it has a long history of stability so make the most of it!
All this information can feel overwhelming, however go away, do some research and to start with, keep it very simple, think about 2 main things: email marketing software and an email list.
6. Consider the benefits of using Live Chat
Searching for care for a loved one can be an emotional experience, so it really makes a difference when you are able to provide a personal touch.
While browsing online can feel impersonal, connecting to a real person through live chat can be both reassuring and helpful. It is also very helpful for a potential client to be able to speak to someone directly, without having to manually find information on your website and it gives you more time to generate leads as a lot of people are searching outside business hours or on weekends.
Live chat is also a very powerful lead generation tool. Here at Smooth Digital, we can set up live chat on your website and landing pages and you are only billed for the chats you deem valuable/ones that generate a lead. We also deal with the conversations 24/7, using our global network of carefully selected agents to capture leads when you are not there to pick up the phone or answer emails. All your chats are stored in an easy-to-manage platform where you can review and follow up at any time. Another huge benefit is that you get to approve the script ahead of time, so the conversations will always match your business tone.
Live chat support is fast, efficient and convenient. It can improve the support experience for your customers, it helps you acquire new ones, allows you to provide 24/7 support, increases customer engagement and above all it can give you an edge over your competition.
Today’s consumers are getting more and more comfortable with live chat technology. And not only do they prefer it, they expect it, too.
7. Make the Most of PPC marketing using Bing Ads
For the last decade, Google Ads has dominated the paid search engine market, with the majority of people favouring Google as their chosen search engine. However, this is rapidly changing.
Bing Advertising has the potential to wield a far greater return on investment than Google Ads and we believe you should be making use of both of these search engines.
Bing is the default search engine for all Windows devices, meaning that Amazon Echo users, Siri, Xbox users, Cortana searches and all Windows mobile users will be searching on Bing. More importantly, Bing’s main demographic is users aged between 45 and 64; most common between 55 and 64, which is also the age range of your potential customers who are looking for either care homes or a few weekly home care visits for their loved one.
Another reason to incorporate Bing into your paid ad search is because the average CPC is cheaper on Bing than Google, meaning you are able to bid on more competitive keywords and have your ads on the first page for less money.
You can look above at number 2 for a reminder of reasons why PPC is great to incorporate into your marketing strategy.
8. Make the most of directories
With so much competition, potential customers may look at directory listings to find companies that are relevant to their own needs, due to the fact that the information is usually concise and more objective than, say, a piece of marketing copy.
Listing your business in online directories is therefore one of the quickest, easiest, and most effective ways to get your services in front of qualified potential customers; however, as with all digital marketing strategies, relevance is key. Niche directories can be great for SEO and exposure, they help to build authority, are great for lead generation, and they can help you save on marketing costs.
Lead generation wise, most of the directories have a search function and many have a specific option that allows users to request quotes or further information from companies they are looking to work with. It may not cost anything to be listed but could very well send some leads your way.
SEO is all about increasing your website’s traffic in an organic way. When someone searches the web for the services or products you provide, you want your website to be one of the first results returned to that user. With that in mind, legitimising your business across the internet is extremely important, and directory listings are an excellent way to help do that.
Marketing can cost a lot and it may not be feasible to spend so much with a small budget, but many online directories offer free listing services especially within your local community. Some websites may require additional payment if you want special features such as multiple locations or multiple categories but you can take advantage of free directories such as Google My Business. All you need to do is spend some time submitting your information, wait for verification and keep it updated.
9. Remarketing to lost leads
Remarketing gives you a chance to reach out to customers who have previously visited your site, it gives you another chance to convert them and therefore is a really important tool.
For example, visitors who are looking for care for their loved ones may visit your site and browse for a while but it may not be the right time for them to make the decision right there and then. Your site can then tag them as ‘site visitors’ which will then allow you to deliver a remarketing ad to anyone tagged ‘site visitor’. You can even segment visitor groups based on which particular pages they viewed on your site to show them the most relevant ad to them, increasing the likelihood that once they are ready to take the first step, they will head back to your site and contact you.
Remarketing gives people a gentle reminder to finish what they started doing on your site, while also reinforcing your brand and USP. They’re getting to know you, and learning to trust you and when the time is right this makes them more likely to come back to you and your business.
It also helps you increase your marketing ROI. A lot of time and money goes into a marketing campaign and it is possible that only a few first time visitors end up contacting you. Adding remarketing to the mix can help you convert more leads!
10. Recruit using Facebook & Instagram
Recruiting using Facebook and Instagram is great because you can create highly targeted campaigns and use lead handling automations. Users can fill in forms with their personal details directly on Facebook, without having to leave the site.
Follow ups can also be super simple as Facebook within the platform also has lead follow up automations available. Another great thing is that a lot of people are on these platforms, meaning your ads have the potential to reach a lot of people. On these ads people can like, share, comment and interact and if they do this it’ll reach a whole new audience of people.
If you aren’t recruiting using Facebook and Instagram, we highly recommend you look into it!
If you would like more information on how to utilise Digital Marketing within your care business, call or email our team today!