Due to social distancing measures and heightened COVID-19 protocols, it has been increasingly difficult for home health and hospice agencies to promote their services in recent years. However, now that the industry and the world are regaining their footing and establishing a new normal, agencies continue to implement measures spurred by the pandemic and prove beneficial even after the crisis. We’ll go through some of these strategies you might want to explore for your agency to keep a steady stream of patient referrals.
- Social media
All businesses are now utilizing or establishing a social media presence. Your agency will be more visible to a bigger audience using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. However, make sure that your target clients frequently visit the platform you’re using, and you’re posting content they find useful and interesting. Regularly publish and respond to comments and questions from your followers or visitors. Avoid limiting your scope to text-based advertisements; images and videos are more effective in catching and engaging the market. Join online networks or groups and actively participate in discussions while introducing or sharing what your agency does.
- Events
Organizing and participating in business events is another approach to meeting people with whom to connect. Previously, you could only invite local professionals and potential clients to your events; now, you can offer webinars and online conferences on relevant industry issues and invite individuals from all over the country. Similarly, you can join virtual sessions held by home health and hospice leaders to make contacts from the convenience of your home. However, if the event’s objective is to be educational or instructional, you must openly advertise it. During the event, you are advised not to distribute marketing materials. Set up a marketing appointment with potential clients instead, or leave your business cards so they may choose whether or not to contact you.
- Customer Testimonials
When you wanted to learn more about a product or service a decade ago, you asked your family and friends for their feedback. People nowadays use the internet to look for testimonies or reviews because it is so convenient. You can invite your clients to publish positive reviews on your social media platforms or write online testimonials on your website. However, video testimonials or reviews are the most successful because your viewers can hear directly from your clients. It is important; however, these endorsements or testimonials are written or taken while your clients are enrolled in the plan you are promoting. Additionally, they should specifically mention the product and your agency. If the advertisement is paid for, it should be stated clearly, and any claims made in the content should be adequately supported.
In implementing these strategies, you must follow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines, especially if you provide Medicare Advantage or Part D plans. You may face intermediate sanctions and penalties if you do not comply. It is essential to stay current and updated with the latest MCMG because CMS makes revisions every year.
Just like customer testimonials, we recognize the value of word-of-mouth advertising. As a result, we encourage our current partners to share and promote DSL’s software solutions to their peers so we may help more home health and hospice providers provide better care. The referring agency can receive $1,000 for sharing and spreading the news about DSL’s products if they complete the five simple steps in the referral procedure. See the terms and conditions of the campaign here for more information, and schedule a demo with us to see how else we can help you.
