Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

How To Market Areas Of Difficulty?

Posted by Anonymous on 5/19/2011 at 2:15 PM ET 250 Points
I market for a LTC facility. I have researched my competition and there are 21 LTC within this city. We take mainly psychiatric, HIV, and stroke patients. There are strict policies regarding marketing in this town. We are unable to market to social workers in the hospitals. In some of the facilities we are unable to bring any materials or any "goodies". When I do get to talk to some of the agencies I get the response " I don't have time or I already know about your agency". What suggestions does anyone have??? How do I market to an area that isn't really marketable?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 5/19/2011 at 3:46 PM Accepted
    LTC = Long Term Care?

    Who are the decision makers? What are the most important criteria for selecting an LTC facility? What makes your facility any different from, or better than, the 20 others? WHY should someone in the target audience (i.e., decision makers) choose you? What unique and important benefit do you offer?
  • Posted by michael on 5/19/2011 at 7:58 PM Accepted
    Take a look at where your patients are coming from. Take a tip from the Rx companies and do your marketing to the patient directly.


    Michael
  • Posted by Sally on 5/19/2011 at 9:04 PM Accepted
    Or, in following Michael, look to the family unit as your target market. Are your clients older(parents) or younger(children, siblings)?
    Another thought - trade associations, caregiver support groups, continuing education opportunities. churches..be an attendee, sponsor a session, network in a non-sales environment..let them get to know you and then the organization.

    I have found that hospital social service depts or other institutional referring possibilities, tend not to refer. Makes one wonder how they can support the family.

    Are you associated with any EAP corporate programs?

    Just some thoughts.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 5/19/2011 at 10:39 PM Accepted
    You are getting a stall-- not a real objection. Of course they are going to say what they are saying-- it gets you off the phone and sends you packing. You need to know what to say.

    DO they know about your facility? Bet not. Sometimes you have to push and build your relationships one by one.

    Forget the goodies-- goodies for the sake of goodies will not help you.

    Who releases the patients from the hospitals! Who refers them to a second facility? Most of us will be making a long term care decision. Get to them. If you go packing every time someone throws you a stall you won't go far in building those relationships.

    Get the emails or faxes and send daily updates about available beds (if they change that often). In working with similar clients-- a big pain is people are referred to places without beds.

    Talk to private docs in geriatrics. THey are also helping families make these decisions. Go to senior centers. Create a non-commerical talk on insurance issues (for example) and get out and do some public speaking.

    With us baby boomers of age you are in a prime time posiition. Go for it.

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