Over 50% of family members use the Internet to find assisted living facilities for their loved ones according to a new study published in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
Surprising?
Yes, I expected the number to be higher.
And it will be higher every year they repeat the study for the foreseeable future. This explains why we are seeing so many elder care directory sites - I just read about two more being launched this week!
Maintaining a strong Internet presence is so important in any business and it is becoming increasingly important for senior care businesses.
But most senior care companies are completely unprepared. Most don't even have the basics like a search-optimized, interactive web site. And even those that do don't follow through by producing regular content (white papers, research reports) and using the content in their ongoing marketing and PR like search-optimized releases, direct marketing, etc. And even fewer blog or use social networking to grow their business.
Why?
One reason why so many senior care businesses are late to the Internet and using web 2.0 tactics in their marketing is that historically, few of their "buyers" were online. They didn't have to be there.
But things have changed.
Here is another reason. In my experience a lot of senior care entrepreneurs are former social workers or people who got into this business because of a personal elder care experience like caring for mom and dad. While their heart is in the right place and their passion is admirable, their marketing is not. And without great marketing most businesses are doomed for failure - no matter how great the product. Competition is just too intense.
If you are one of those senior care companies in need of some better marketing, here are a few articles and white papers to get you started:
Aricle: Using Original Content to Generate Online Visibility, Web Site Traffic and Sales Leads
- Requires brief registration
Article: SEO and “Marketing” Web Sites: Internet Best Practices for SeniorCare Marketers
- No registration required
eBook: How to Reach and Engage Buyers of Senior Care Products and Convert Them to Leads: A Three-Step Guide to Achieve Increased Publicity, Web Site Traffic, Improved SEO – and More Sales Leads - No registration required
Good luck!
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