Written on January 27th, 2010 by tasha
NHPCO Webinar, 3/23/10. http://bit.ly/9DkhEa. With so many choices for online marketing, what is the best way to get started? I’m very flattered that NHPCO contacted me and asked me to lead this professional development session.
This webinar will provide a strategy overview for decision-making concerning:
- search engine optimization
- e-newsletters
- blogging
No programming experience is needed to learn key strategies you can implement to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Internet.
Unsure if you should have an online marketing program? Consider this: Every visitor to a website is a “pre-qualified prospect.” Unlike other media purchases, these folks are viewing your materials because they are interested in the topic. If you had to rent a list of people with this level of interest, you would be paying a lot of money per name.
With my background as a researcher, I’ll be able to give you statistics concerning viewership, as well as tales from the trenches working with hospices around the country.
If you are boggled by all the online marketing options, this webinar is a great way to get a handle on key issues.
Tags: NHPCO, search engine optimization, webinar
Posted in E-newsletters, Hospice Marketing, Internet Marketing
Written on January 25th, 2010 by tasha
The National Alliance for Caregiving, in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and MetLife, just released a 2009 report: Caregiving in the U.S. The report has a special focus on families who care for persons age 50 years or older. This national-level study paints an in-depth picture of family caregivers and their care recipients.
Let’s start with basic demographics and activities. According to the report, the average family caregiver:
- Is a 50-year-old married woman
- Works full time
- Spends 19 hours a week assisting her 77-year-old mother,
- Who lives across town
- And has long-term physical conditions
Needless to say, time is tight for this caregiving gal! Juggling all these activities requires resourcefulness and an eye for efficiencies wherever possible. On average, family caregivers will spend four years in the role. They need help maintaining stamina for the long haul!
Over the four-year trajectory of caregiving (sometimes called the “caregiving career”), the assistance they provide tends to move from lighter duty activities (45% of caregivers) and less time commitment to more intense engagement in terms of both time and level of assistance (32% of caregivers).
Lighter duties include assistance with:
- Transportation (84%)
- Housework (75%)
- Grocery shopping (75%)
- Preparing meals (64%)
- Managing finances (62%)
- Giving medications (42%)
- Coordinating or supervising paid services (37%)
Family caregivers further on the continuum tend to assist with more intimate care:
- Sitting/standing (46%)
- Dressing (34%)
- Getting to the bathroom (28%)
- Bathing (26%)
- Incontinence (20%)
- Feeding (19%)
How can you help these busy families and build name recognition and brand loyalty for your business?
- Create an online directory highlighting local services. These working caregivers cannot do everything. Help them by providing a “Links” page or even an online directory on your website. Look at the list above, then consider including senior transportation resources, senior congregate meal centers, local Meals on Wheels information, bill management services, and so forth. Resources such as these are highly bookmarkable, which greatly increases the likelihood viewers will return to your site again and again. This is also true for your referrers. If you have a robust directory, they will learn to use it regularly. It doesn’t get much easier than “Bookmark this page”!
- Provide practical how-to articles about these topics (e.g., easy-to-eat finger foods for persons with dementia, tips for preventing incontinence accidents). Educational articles allow you to reach family caregivers and distinguish yourselves as the company that understands. You can offer these resources in print, on your website, through newsletters or e-newsletters, or in the form of caregiver brown bags or evening sessions. (P.S. Developing and promoting online educational offerings also gets key family decision makers to come to your website and be exposed to information about your services.)
- Network with your referrers. Especially with online materials, you can have these resources available 24/7 for the professionals who refer to you. Have them bookmark your Web articles or online directory and then print them as on-demand education or referral materials. Your name and logo will appear on every page. Viral marketing at its best!
What are you doing to reach and support family caregivers?
Tags: AARP, classic, National Alliance for Caregiving
Posted in Family Caregivers, GCM Marketing, Home Health Marketing, Hospice Marketing, Internet Marketing, Private Duty Marketing, Research Results
Written on January 22nd, 2010 by tasha
The vision for this blog:
To create a community of harmonious professionals across the care continuum who encourage each other in exploring digital media as a way to support businesses and families dealing with elder care.
Many of you know me as the family caregiver research-scientist who makes websites for Internet marketing. At Elder Pages Online, we love teaching people about the Internet, and so we have created this blog as the next step in that process.
As I present at conferences, I hear all kinds of questions from all kinds of people:
- Hospice marketing professionals looking for ways to get earlier referrals.
- Home health marketing liaisons striving to network with physicians and discharge planners.
- Private duty marketers looking for ways to keep leads engaged.
- Geriatric care managers educating the public about their services.
And everyone wants to know about Internet marketing, e-newsletters, and Web 2.0 (blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc.). This blog seems like a great vehicle to allow us all to communicate across the country (world?) and share our thoughts, discoveries, and even failures. (Sad to say, those are often the MOST instructive!)
So tell us what you would like to know about the Internet and how to use it to greatest effect. We’ll take your suggestions and put them into the mix so we can deliver the information you want most and promote conversations among collaborative, like-minded peers.
We’re looking forward to creating community with you and exploring this new medium together!
Tasha Beauchamp, MSc
Tags: Elder Pages Online
Posted in GCM Marketing, Home Health Marketing, Hospice Marketing, Internet Marketing, Private Duty Marketing
