A lot of senior care providers are creating free profiles in our new senior care directory - and we invite you to do the same. But unlike our sister directory for human resource vendors, few senior care providers have used this powerful directory to syndicate content (see how HR vendors do this) from their web site.
The reason is that most senior care vendors do not have useful content on their web site. Most sites are what we call brochureware.
These sites provide basic information on the services the respective provider offers and some contact information but they don't engage visitors to their site (e.g., potential customers), don't give them a reason to return and certainly don't give them a reason to share their contact information such as signing up for a newsletter or a blog feed (what blog - most senior care vendors don't even have one).
There is no excuse for senior care providers not to be providing useful content for their site visitors.
In a related "people" industry, Human Resources, we find that HR buyers LOVE and need information! HR vendors who produce compelling non-promotional content to address the needs of HR professionals reap the rewards through increased sales leads, higher web site traffic and improved search engine rankings.
As great as the demand is for HR content, it is much greater for senior care. Consumers need information. This would explain the enormous popularity of sites like Caring.com. Assuming that people know the differences and all the nuances of assisted living, nursing homes and in-home care is a mistake. Most don't. In fact, assuming the adult caregiver knows anything about their care needs is a mistake. Most don't because unlike say preparing for a newborn, elder care needs often blindside us and we are initially clueless about what to do. I know I was.
Senior care providers who understand this and can create useful educational information for their buyers will reap the awards described earlier.
Yet, too many senior care providers have web sites that look like this.
Here is a great example how senior care provider Home Instead uses content to educate caregivers. And here is how one franchise in Fort Worth, Texas leveraged useful content in their marketing during the recent holidays.
Producing great content for your web site results in increased traffic, improved search engine rankings and more sales leads. And this content can be leveraged in ongoing marketing and PR activities.
Content marketing includes white papers, webcasts, podcasts, articles, tip sheets, videos, etc. You want whole-brain content marketing messages that quickly engage and entice and motivate intellectually as well as emotionally - i.e., I want to know more.
What's the context of your marketing content? Are you targeting the right audience with the right content? Remember, your long-term marketing efforts are not one size fits all. Cold marketing may start out that way, but how you use other activities like social media to spark conversation with content definitely needs to be tailored to the audience.
Are you optimizing for your buyers' experience? Is it easy to download your content? Can they easily submit feedback? Can they easily have a conversation with you if they want to know more? Ensure that your landing pages include clear call-to-actions for what you want them to do and why the content is valuable to their organizations.
Regardless of what size you are or what stage of the business you're in, the lead generation tower is best built with content and conversation in context.
The reason is that most senior care vendors do not have useful content on their web site. Most sites are what we call brochureware.
These sites provide basic information on the services the respective provider offers and some contact information but they don't engage visitors to their site (e.g., potential customers), don't give them a reason to return and certainly don't give them a reason to share their contact information such as signing up for a newsletter or a blog feed (what blog - most senior care vendors don't even have one).
There is no excuse for senior care providers not to be providing useful content for their site visitors.
In a related "people" industry, Human Resources, we find that HR buyers LOVE and need information! HR vendors who produce compelling non-promotional content to address the needs of HR professionals reap the rewards through increased sales leads, higher web site traffic and improved search engine rankings.
As great as the demand is for HR content, it is much greater for senior care. Consumers need information. This would explain the enormous popularity of sites like Caring.com. Assuming that people know the differences and all the nuances of assisted living, nursing homes and in-home care is a mistake. Most don't. In fact, assuming the adult caregiver knows anything about their care needs is a mistake. Most don't because unlike say preparing for a newborn, elder care needs often blindside us and we are initially clueless about what to do. I know I was.
Senior care providers who understand this and can create useful educational information for their buyers will reap the awards described earlier.
Yet, too many senior care providers have web sites that look like this.
Here is a great example how senior care provider Home Instead uses content to educate caregivers. And here is how one franchise in Fort Worth, Texas leveraged useful content in their marketing during the recent holidays.
Producing great content for your web site results in increased traffic, improved search engine rankings and more sales leads. And this content can be leveraged in ongoing marketing and PR activities.
Content marketing includes white papers, webcasts, podcasts, articles, tip sheets, videos, etc. You want whole-brain content marketing messages that quickly engage and entice and motivate intellectually as well as emotionally - i.e., I want to know more.
What's the context of your marketing content? Are you targeting the right audience with the right content? Remember, your long-term marketing efforts are not one size fits all. Cold marketing may start out that way, but how you use other activities like social media to spark conversation with content definitely needs to be tailored to the audience.
Are you optimizing for your buyers' experience? Is it easy to download your content? Can they easily submit feedback? Can they easily have a conversation with you if they want to know more? Ensure that your landing pages include clear call-to-actions for what you want them to do and why the content is valuable to their organizations.
Regardless of what size you are or what stage of the business you're in, the lead generation tower is best built with content and conversation in context.
I totally agree concerning your comments about information for seniors...but that's exactly what I've been doing for the past two years on my website...TheSeniorConnextion.com. I have a few sponsors covering Reverse Mortgages, In-Home Health Provider, and Wealth Consultant...and I link to their website, and also provide seminar material on their specialty. My hits have been going up since I started...but still not fast enough. I also have a personal blog about my thoughts to stimulate conversation. I also have an open phone line for anyone to call and ask for help...I get a few calls. I change my news material (gathered from over 100,000 senior media sites) twice a week, and include two senior featurettes for provide more detailed info. It all takes a lot of time...but my goal was to keep seniors informed on what's going on in their world since local South Florida newspapers offer very little in the way of senior news.
Posted by: Bernard Block | January 09, 2010 at 11:18 AM