Use Social Media to Promote Your Care Business
Its
2012 and believe it or not, some still refuse to make use of social media to
advance their business causes. While some of this hesitation is normal – as
technology is never embraced the same by all – one has to wonder if even a
small business can survive nowadays without it.
Sure
the neighborhood restaurant that caters to a younger crowd finds success with
social media postings of menu specials or the likelihood that certain famous
people may stop by. However, care businesses can benefit as well. Here are a
few points to consider and make use of as you put social media to use.
As you embrace Facebook and other media its
OK to reach out to those who are local. Let’s face it; some guy in Sydney,
Australia is likely not going to try and place his mom in your small assisted
living home or steer someone from his church who may be able to use your
services if you are located in Canton, Michigan or St. Louis, Missouri.
So
as you reach out to others to build a group of friends, focus on the
baby-boomers or at least stay in relevant territory (ages 35-75) since people
in their early 20′s and teenagers are less focused on long-term care and would
not be the ideal bunch to expect a referral from. They may also be less
socially engaged (outside of their peer groups) in church, etc. and not be
aware of who may have a need for what you provide.
Post
Meaningful Items
Nothing
sells better than testimonials or at least positive experiences. So post
newsletters or photos with comments from people you have served and use these
items to educate others about what you do in home care or in assisted living.
Of course you do not want to use someone’s comments or photos without their
permission so perhaps you can build into your assisted living agreements
permission to use the images of residents or clients for marketing purposes.
Tell
Your Story Without Appearing Boastful
Writing,
as is the case with most communication styles is an art. It is important to
tell others about how you are affecting lives without sounding like you just
changed the world. Boastful people turn the rest of us off and their words can
leave a bad taste in a reader’s minds.
We
agree that spending an inordinate amount of time on the internet for anything
can create an imbalance in anyone’s thinking and can be a contributor to social
isolation. So we are not encouraging excesses.
Our
message is one that advices you to at least embrace – to the extent you can –
the usage of a tool that is an integral part of modern small business. Perhaps you
can set aside 2 to 6 hours per week for you to engage in networking on
LinkedIn, posting on Facebook and tweeting memorable business items.
In
the course of an entire year this could add up to more than 300 hours of high
quality marketing and networking. What business would not benefit from that?
Of
course you have to be careful not to allow yourself to be pulled into the more
mundane aspects of social networking such as meaningless interaction with
strangers for hours at a time. As long as that trap is avoided all should be
well and your care business will benefit.
Thanks
for allowing me to share.
Our
message is one that advices you to at least embrace – to the extent you can –
the usage of a tool that is an integral part of modern small business. Perhaps
you can set aside 2 to 6 hours per week for you to engage in networking on
LinkedIn, posting on Facebook and tweeting memorable business items.
In
the course of an entire year this could add up to more than 300 hours of high
quality marketing and networking. What business would not benefit from that?
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