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Using Marketing to Increase Referrals for Home Care Agencies

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Part Three: Creating differences for your agency will set you apart from competitors

 In follow up to a post on marketing success a few weeks ago, I posted a very unique method that one of my customers used to find an incredible marketing rep that produced immediate results and grew an agency substantially in a relatively short amount of time. Per your requests for additional examples, another example of success comes to mind that was facilitated by a good friend, Robin Finkelstein. I asked Robin if she would mind writing about this and she kindly agreed. Here you go:

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Great sales people need a message that allows them to communicate to their referral source why they should refer to your agency over another one. All homecare and hospice agencies provide similar services and have "great staff," so why refer to you? Physicians will refer to you because they believe you provide great care with excellent outcomes to their patients. Service and outcomes motivate patients and referral sources and give them a reason to prefer your agency...simple yes, but hard to accomplish.

Take a home health agency in Louisiana who was struggling to grow and give reasons to their referral sources why they should refer to them: Their marketing staff was making frequent sales calls to their referrals sources but was not able to convince the source to refer to them.

Research conducted with competitors and referral sources identified that the agency was not calling on the right target audience and their messages were not motivating to customers.   Basically, the agency was perceived to be the same as all the others! A common problem with home health and hospice agencies.

A needs-analysis was conducted with referral sources and the agency's clinical and marketing teams to determine what made them different in the market.  A clinical and communications plan was developed that included the following elements:

1. A clinical development plan that included specialized cardiac, pulmonary and low-vision disease management programs
2. New clinical technology was purchased to differentiate their agency with surgeons
3. A psych nurse was hired to develop a dementia program
4. A marketing and communications plan to re-launch their agency

The results were significant: admissions doubled for the agency within a year and the marketing staff was focused on working with the right referral sources, delivering messages that differentiate the agency and motivate them to refer to this agency.

If your agency finds itself in this position it is time to act!

• Review your strengths and weaknesses
• Learn about your competitors and customers
• Develop a plan to improve your services and communicate those differences to your customers

 contributor: Robin Finkelstein, Marketing Consultant, Market Insight, Inc robin@marketinsite.org

Read Part One: Howdy Doody Visits

Read Part Two:  Finding the Right Home Health Marketer