Care Home Marketing in 2021

Mar92021

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What Will Care Home Marketing Look Like In 2021?

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As we reach the solemn one-year anniversary of the UK going into its first lockdown and we begin the roadmap to exiting our latest (and hopefully final) lockdown, I’ve been thinking about where care home marketing stands in 2021.

I have had the privilege of working with the care home sector for a number of years now and I have been able to see the ins and outs of how the marketing and sales process really works across a few different organisations, large and small.

Arguably, 2021 is going to be one of the biggest years for marketing in care. I see a great wave of change in priorities and processes and for the first time in a while, a big shift in perception of care. Where there once was a push for footfall of visitors through the doors of homes, we now see a push for digital representations of homes; where there was once a steady ebb and flow of residents in and out of care, we are now experiencing a need for post-crisis recuperation; and the trust we once built with the public, has now been somewhat broken by the media and that too needs rebuilding.

Fundamentally, making the right choice of home can significantly improve the quality of a person’s life. This point was true yesterday, today, and will continue to be true tomorrow.

Despite waves of change and times of crisis, one thing is certain: people need care.

Occupancy Rates

So occupancy is down pretty dramatically – interestingly, the rates are very similar to the 9.9% we have seen the UK economy drop. Looking over the Knight Frank Care Homes Trading Performance Review for 2020, we can see an industry-wide fall of 8.5% in occupancy rates. This has been very much reflected in conversations I’ve been having with many different salespeople, owners, care-specific marketing agencies, and care home marketers across the sector.

I often hear ‘10%’ when discussing the drop in occupancy rates from 2020, so to keep things simple I am going to follow the lead of others, and assume a 10% drop in occupancy as the basis for the rest of this article.

I am writing this in March 2021, shortly after the government’s announcement of a ‘roadmap out of lockdown’. Once lockdown is over, I believe that the care sector will experience a big surge of people wanting to move into care homes. This means that, in my opinion, the first 5% of this 10% drop will recover quickly with little to no real push from marketing teams.

However, I think the next 5% will be more challenging…

Five Focuses to Recovering The Next 5%

If your digital marketing isn't top-tier, you are already miles behind

Care home groups have remained at the back of the pack in the move to digital, mainly owing to many members of their target audiences favouring physical marketing materials. This is a sector where leafleting, newspaper advertising, branded products, and postal campaigns still make up a large proportion of attention from marketeers.

However, in 2021, I see the pace picking up in the sector’s movement to digital. The pandemic has resulted in a swift uptick in all things digital. This is the coming of the ‘zoom generation’ and inevitably the older generation has had to follow suit online in order to keep contact with their families and friends.

This has been the big push to normalise the internet for those who may have had a self-proclaimed ‘tech-aversity’, and with that, marketeers across the care sector now have the opportunity to get their content in front of many more prospective residents. I have no doubt that in 2021, websites will be navigated more easily, digital contact forms will be more easily understood, and marketing videos will be much better received. Watch this space.

Understand what makes your home unique. 'Nice' and 'homely' is no longer good enough...

Unfortunately, with a sector-wide decrease in numbers comes a sector-wide increase in competition. In 2021, more than ever, care home marketing teams will need to run campaigns with a real push on brand awareness. When on the surface, prospective families are posed with the question of how on earth to choose a care home in 2021, behind the scenes care groups will be grappling for the chance to be on their top 5 list.

I’m sure it goes without saying that content, content, content, is on the forefront of my mind. In 2021, care homes can’t just be ‘nice’ or ‘local’ or ‘full of all the comforts of home’, they need to be different, unique, and to really express their individual personalities.

I really do believe that every care home has its own distinct personality. Whether it’s the onsite pub that brings Friday night social groups to the home, or the number of residents who love to sing up and down the corridor every day, it is the responsibility of marketers in the care sector to match up perfect residents with perfect homes based on their unique qualities.

To care home marketeers far and wide, in 2021, it is time to make your home’s personality the forefront of its brand.

Maximise your position on social media and play the algorithm by remembering to change frames & aspect ratios

On average, more than 1.3 million new users joined social media every day during 2020.

– Hootsuite

Using our own data alone, as a care home video production company, we have seen an uptick in clients prioritising social media videos in the past year. We’ve been involved recently in creating videos for Tiktok, video banners for multiple platforms, and more than ever we are being asked to experiment with different frame sizes and aspect ratios to suit all sorts of screens and devices.

I think predominantly 2020 was the year for marketeers to seize the attention of those working from home, who might have been spending a little more time on their phones than usual. Now, 2021 is the year where marketeers in all sectors will be making the most of all socials. It is predicted that alongside the increase in new users signing up to popular social sites in 2020, users will likely spend an total of 3.7 trillion hours on social media in 2021. *credit That’s a lot of eyes to get your content in front of.

Get on top of Google My Business

Local, local, local.

Your new residents will very rarely come from extremely far away. 9 times out of 10 you are working with a son or daughter who is looking for a home for mum or dad that’s closeby for easy visits.

On top of your usual marketing in local newspapers, leaflets, radio, and Facebook groups, make sure that your Google My Business page is ahead of your competition. That means it’s up to date with your address and phone number, full of recent pictures and reviews, and you’ve got a few FAQs on there.

Build back confidence post-pandemic

I believe it is the responsibility of care homes and care home groups across the country to help each other to build back the public’s perception of care homes in 2021.

2020 was a really difficult year for care homes and the media really did tarnish the sector with some awful stories. It was sad to bear witness to this when we could see the hard work and passion that our clients and friends were putting into their work.

So, in 2021, it’s time for marketers to use their campaigns to show how safe care homes are. There is so much positivity all over your homes. With vaccines, cases decreasing, visiting rooms, dedication from staff and families, and the overall unity of care communities across the nation, there are so many good stories to share!

The Cherry On Top

A lot of my time is spent thinking about how video fits into the process for people. When a care home or care group comes to Five on a Bike looking for video, it can be quite a daunting task for them. Especially if it is their first time integrating video into their marketing. I take this responsibility very seriously and I truly think that video is the very best tool to convey honest and detailed messaging, but that is only after the rest of your marketing is dealt with first.

Look at video as the cherry on the cake. If the cake doesn’t taste good, then it doesn’t matter how many cherries you put on top of it, they won’t fix it entirely. Video amplifies what is already performing well in marketing. Good social media becomes great social media when video comes into play. Good brand awareness is amplified by video, reaching further corners and capturing more attention.

The most important point I have to make here is that there is no point in having amazing video if the rest isn’t ready. But in 2021, I do think that video will be the biggest player in the marketing competition between care home groups.

Let's Walk Out Of 2021 Stronger

Marketing in the care sector is more important than ever. Collectively, this is our moment to work together to help the post-pandemic recovery and to be loud about how wonderful care homes are. Individually, this is your moment to stand out from the crowd. Be inventive with your ideas and move with the change, not against it. With honest branding, greater digital presence, a dedication to building confidence, and some serious targets, care home marketers can come back from this crazy year bigger, better, and stronger.

Book a chat with me