Gaining Private Referrals for Home Care – getting online.

Sadly, many domiciliary home care providers do not make it past their first year in business. Many are made dormant by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) because they have no Service Users and then removed from the register as they have never, or cease, to provide the regulated activity they initially registered for: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/registration-notifications/find-out-if-you-need-tell-us-about-dormant-regulated

The reason many domiciliary care providers fail is because they are entering what is a challenging arena where there are many other providers. These other providers are often well established or are part of a national chain or franchise.

The other reason is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to get local authority work initially. In part this is because there are already many established homecare providers and in part because tenders often require that the organisation has a CQC rating of good or above, which is not something new providers have.

One answer to these difficulties is to seek private clients. In this blog we will consider why getting private Service Users is good for homecare providers as well as how a new homecare provider might go about gaining them by establishing an online presence. In the next blog in this series, we will consider other ways in which homecare providers might seek new private clients.

Why Private Service Users are Good for New Homecare Providers

New providers should actively seek private Service Users for many reasons and not just because it is almost impossible to get local authority funded Service Users when you first start trading. Privately funded Service Users are good for new businesses for several reasons, these include:`

• They enable you to build the business.
• They are good for developing a reputation – they can also be a good source of other private clients.
• They tend to pay more than the local authority.
• They tend to pay on time.
• You can offer a more personalised service based on their preferences and not the constraints of the local authority.
• You can trade while awaiting a CQC rating which can be used in local authority tenders.

There is no downside to having private Service Users on your books as long as you work hard to ensure you get good ratings from them on any social media you have or home care directories you sign up to.

Get Online

Having a web presence is not just about having a website, it is about the searchability of the website, its content, look, accessibility and the clarity of the offer you make. By looking at a number of local provider sites, you will get a good idea of what they are saying and how they say it. Look at what is good and emulate it, and what is not so good and avoid doing it.

You do not need to spend a lot of time and money on building the website however you must:

• Ensure the website is optimised for searches in the area you work. This means it is worth spending more money and time on what is called SEO, or search engine optimisation, tools when building the website. These tools help you ensure you are searchable by:
• Phrasing things in the right way.
• Including power and other key words and phrases people use when searching.
• Updating old content.
• Build links to key websites in your area of work such as www.cqc.org.uk.
• Spell check and ensure the webpages read well and do not put people off.
• Focus on the needs of the people visiting the website and what they want to find, rather than using professional jargon and terminology.
• Ensure the website looks nice, so people want to look around it.
• Contains a number of ways people can contact you, such as email, phone and a contact form.
• Post testimonials and positive comments from Service Users, their family and friends and other professionals you work with; these should be posted with permission and anonymised.
• Link the web pages to your social media feeds; more on this below.

It is important when constructing webpages to consider how potential Service Users, their family and other supporters will search for care perhaps once or twice in their lifetimes. So, when considering content and searchability, this needs to be a key consideration; more on this in the next blog.

Go Social

Social media can be contentious but it can also raise local awareness of you and your brand. In the sense used here it is about getting your story out to people in the locality and often for free. That said this is not about opening a social media account and treating it like you might your personal account, after all no-one other than family and friends wants to know about your holiday!

Avoiding contentiousness is about joining the right groups, following the right people and staying neutral or being generally positive. Do not ever make contentious or politically incorrect comments online and if someone you follow does, unfollow them!

As well as contentious, social media can be dangerous if not used correctly and if you do not ensure staff who use or interact with your social media account make unwise choices! Our top tip is to ensure you have a social media policy, such as the one Bettal provide before you start any social media accounts for your business. This is because unlike your website over which you have a lot of control, it is difficult to control how and what people comment on your social media feeds, including staff and former staff.

As with a website, social media requires a strategy which includes:

Choose the right social media platforms:

•  Facebook is the best for local community engagement, testimonials, and event updates.
•  Instagram is perhaps for a younger crowd but can be used to share human stories and behind-the-scenes moments.
•  LinkedIn is for staff recruitment and linking with other businesses and social care professionals.
•  X (formerly twitter) has limited traction
• Be careful who you follow and what groups you join.
• Comment on, don’t just like, other people and businesses posts.
• Considering what you are going to post and how often; this is about having a clear aim for the social media output form your business. The rule is to be consistent and post 3 or 4 times a week.
• Content is platform specific, so professional news and updates on LinkedIn, while human interest is for Facebook and Instagram.

Top tips are to reply to comments and messages quickly; this means out of hours as well, but not perhaps during the night! Use things like polls and questions to attract attention and encourage interaction.

You must measure the value of social media by considering engagement and if any enquiries come from it each month. Look at what is gaining traction for you and on what platforms. Is it educational posts, stories of care or posts about staff members or local or national news or events. Whatever is working, do more of it.

For those new to social media, building the right following can take months, so persevere. Top tip: link to your social media on your webpages and add links to your email signature.

Summary

Social care providers must use as many potential routes of marketing as possible so that people are able to find them when they need care. This requires attention to all aspects of marketing and a time commitment from the manager to their online presence.

In the next blog we will consider other ways homecare providers can make headway in gaining private clients and identify some top tips with respect to how to do this well.

If you have yet to register your domiciliary care agency or you are looking for ongoing support with policies, procedures and a whole lot more, browse our website or get in touch:

Email: info@bettal.co.uk
Telephone: 01697741411

Peter Ellis MA MSc BSc(Hons) RN
Consultant
Bettal Quality Consultancy