How to Leverage New Tactics to Market Post-Acute Care Companies

Change can be daunting, especially when you’re already balancing the demands of providing quality care. However, staying abreast of emerging trends and adapting accordingly is crucial to maintaining relevance and effectiveness in your marketing efforts. In post-acute care, marketing is essential to find new customers, build your brand, and encourage new clients to sign on the dotted line. While traditional marketing tactics are still relevant, there are many new methods you can employ to grow your brand and find new customers.

If you’re feeling stuck in a rut and need some inspiration to refresh your post-acute care marketing tactics, these insights and strategies are a great place to start.

1. Promote Better Quality of Life

When clients are looking for a post-acute care partner, they want to know how choosing that specific company will enhance their everyday lives. Elevate your messaging beyond traditional notions of “care” by showcasing how your services empower clients to lead fulfilling lives. Emphasize not just help with daily tasks, but also the creation of opportunities for personal growth, exploration, and meaningful connections. Whether it’s facilitating new experiences, fostering engagement in hobbies, or nurturing independence, promoting your commitment to holistic care positions you as a catalyst for enhancing the overall quality of life.

Incorporating this approach into your care marketing strategy can resonate deeply with families seeking post-acute care services for loved ones. When sharing your services, highlight how you focus on holistic well-being and fulfillment to differentiate yourself in a crowded market and attract clients who prioritize a higher standard of care.

2. Embrace Artificial Intelligence

Ready or not, artificial intelligence (AI) is growing by leaps and bounds in the care industry. It’s time to not just acknowledge its existence but to explore the myriad ways AI can revolutionize your operations. From optimizing scheduling and resource allocation to enhancing client safety through predictive analytics, AI holds the promise of unlocking unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness in your business’ practices. Consider integrating cutting-edge AI solutions like Sensi and StackCare to harness the full spectrum of benefits AI has to offer.

Sensi is an AI-driven care assistant that uses audio technology to provide a full understanding of a senior patient’s needs. The program is able to detect care anomalies, capture relevant audio clips and transcripts, and alert supervisors with recommended actions for patients and their families. Sensi can also provide insights on caregiver-client dynamics and prioritize your team’s timeline to facilitate collaboration and task management.

StackCare leverages advanced, discreet motion sensors and AI to learn individual behavior and activity patterns. This allows care teams to monitor patients, ensuring you can prevent emergencies and note important activity changes that may signal a larger problem that needs to be addressed. The sensors are connected to the StackCare app to provide insights in real time, helping caregivers be proactive about the care they provide.

By embracing AI technologies, you can streamline workflows, improve decision-making processes, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for your clients. Additionally, AI-powered tools can help you stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving care landscape, positioning you as a leader in innovation and excellence.

3. Go Green

The spotlight on environmental sustainability and eco-friendliness is intensifying, and this increased emphasis includes the post-acute care industry. Are you integrating green practices into your care services? Are you utilizing safe, natural cleaning products, minimizing waste, and assisting clients in proactively conserving energy?

If so, make sure that your clients, their family members, potential clients, referral sources, and team members are aware of your efforts to care for our planet while providing exceptional care.

Consider promoting your status as a green company on your agency website and in other marketing endeavors to resonate with the ever-expanding eco-conscious client and caregiver demographics. By showcasing your commitment to environmental stewardship, you not only attract environmentally conscious clients but also align your business with the values of sustainability and responsibility, enhancing your brand reputation and attracting like-minded individuals to your cause.

If you haven’t invested in sustainability yet, there are a few ways you can incorporate eco-friendly initiatives into your business practices:
1. Energy Efficiency: Implement energy-efficient systems, such as LED lighting, Energy Star-rate appliances, and efficient HVAC systems to reduce your energy consumption. Hospitals like Regions Hospital have saved on energy costs and redirected those savings to patient care.
2. Renewable Energy: Investing in renewable energy sources like solar panels can further reduce carbon footprints. For example, Harborview Medical Center has a large on-site solar array that reduces emissions and energy costs.
3. Sustainable Food Programs: Post-acute care facilities can reduce their environmental impact by offering plant-based menus and sourcing local, sustainable food. Reducing meat consumption, as done by Jersey Shore University Medical Center, can lower the facility’s overall carbon footprint.
4. Waste Reduction: Recycling medical waste, using reusable surgical instruments, and repurposing items like surgical blue wraps into reusable products can help reduce landfill waste and lower environmental harm.
5. Water Conservation: Implement water-saving initiatives such as low-flow faucets and toilets and reuse gray water for non-potable purposes like landscaping.

4. Make Care Proactive and Personal

Let’s face it: no one wants to admit they are growing older. As a result, many people don’t plan for care until they’re facing a crisis. It’s important to shift to a proactive, personalized model that engages people earlier in the aging journey and modifying care services as needed over time.

A big part of this equation is ensuring the care plans you develop are highly personalized, addressing clients’ practical needs but also honoring their individuality and life experiences. Begin this process with a comprehensive assessment that not only identifies the client’s medical and physical needs but also explores their personal history, values, and preferences. You can then begin a collaborative care planning process that involves the client and their family, ensuring the plan reflects their desires and life goals. By fostering a deeper sense of connection and understanding, you can cultivate a more enriching and fulfilling caregiving experience for both clients and caregivers alike.

A proactive and personal approach allows you to anticipate and address potential challenges before they arise, empowering clients to live more independently and confidently. It also strengthens the bond between caregivers and clients, fostering trust, mutual respect, and genuine companionship. By prioritizing personalized engagement and empowerment, you can elevate the standard of care and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those you serve.

5. Ensure Cultural Competency

All caregivers should be trained to understand and respect cultural diversity, including dietary preferences, religious practices, and social values. Embrace diversity and inclusivity as foundational principles guiding your business’ approach to client care and staff training. Recognize the importance of cultural competency in delivering respectful and effective care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those within the LGBTQ+ community.

Provide comprehensive training to your team members, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate cultural differences with sensitivity and understanding. By fostering an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and respected, you can cultivate stronger relationships with both clients and caregivers while making the client feel respected and understood.

Embracing cultural competency not only enhances the quality of care provided but also promotes trust and rapport between caregivers and clients. It ensures that every individual receives care that is tailored to their unique cultural, linguistic, and social needs, fostering a sense of belonging and dignity. By prioritizing diversity and inclusivity, your company can truly make a difference in the lives of those you serve, promoting a more compassionate and equitable care landscape for all.

6. Prioritize Mental Health

For far too long, the mental health of older adults has taken a backseat. We’re now experiencing a positive shift in this mindset to accept the need to care for the mental health of all clients, regardless of their age or background. When providing post-acute care services, it is essential to recognize the prevalence of mental health challenges within the older adult population and commit to addressing them proactively.

One way to accomplish this is by offering specialized training in behavioral health for caregivers, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to provide holistic support to clients facing mental health issues. Consider partnering with a care training provider that offers behavioral health modules, like Activated Insights. By integrating mental health support into your care services, you can promote a more comprehensive and compassionate approach to caregiving that prioritizes both physical and emotional wellness.

7. Overcoming Ageism

Ageism is another stigma that demands our attention. Even in post-acute care, older adults may face discrimination or stereotyping that can negatively impact the quality of care they receive. This bias can manifest in several ways, including underestimating the client’s capabilities, providing a “one-size-fits-all” care plan, or reducing an older adult’s access to certain treatments. It’s crucial to take steps to overcome ageist stereotypes and practices within your company’s culture and marketing communications. Foster a culture of respect and dignity by reframing the narrative around aging and older adults.

Use language and imagery that celebrate the diverse experiences and identities of older individuals, avoiding patronizing or dismissive attitudes. Research shows that age-based descriptions of older individuals carry negative connotations. We all age differently, and it’s important to avoid lumping everyone over age 65 into one group, but instead to be more thoughtful with our descriptions.

By incorporating these strategies into your marketing approach, you can enhance the effectiveness of your post-acute care services and better meet the evolving needs of your clients and caregivers. Partner with a care marketing company with an eye on the future to grow both your reputation and your business.

Enhance Your Quality of Care with Activated Insights

Above all, the quality of care you provide will directly influence your marketing strategy. With holistic care and inclusive practices, you can better promote your company across all marketing channels, expanding your reach and adding new clients.

Activated Insights provides a variety of post-acute care solutions to help you optimize your operations and prepare your care staff for any scenario. With our Experience Management program, you can access detailed metrics and feedback from your caregivers and your clients, ensuring you’re providing the best care and employee experience possible. To help keep your care providers up to date on the latest caregiving practices, you can also utilize our advanced training program, which covers broad and niche topics that strengthen skills and boost confidence.

Not sure what tools you need to enhance your care quality and marketing efforts? Contact Activated Insights today to discuss your needs with an expert.

About Amy Selle

Amy Selle is Vice President of Corecubed, a post-acute care marketing company that uses the best care marketing talent to promote the best care companies. Amy acts as a strategic marketing partner to Corecubed clients, helping them achieve results in an increasingly dynamic marketplace. To help ensure your care company stands out in the crowded care marketplace, contact the care marketing experts at Corecubed.

Phone: 800.370.6580

Email: info@corecubed.com

Visit: www.corecubed.com