Six FREE Ideas From
"Easy And Inexpensive Ideas For Increasing Census"

These census building strategies will be valuable to long-term care marketing professionals because they can boost census.  Please keep in mind that your marketing situation may require a tactic not seen here. I’m not a fan of cookie cutter marketing strategies.   Rather, I hope you learn the most from the marketing philosophies behind the ideas.  If you’re able to blend my marketing infrastructures with your own genius ideas, you’ll be a marketing super star.  Before you adopt an idea from this tutorial, make sure it fits with your market, organization, and customers.  Seek legal and other appropriate counsel too. If you like what you see here you can order the complete tutorial of ideas.


Idea #1
Build Partnerships with Trust

How it works

Increase your inquiry referrals through mutually beneficial partnerships.  The concept is simple and often FREE.  I help you, and you help me.  Trust is required to form strong partnerships.  I believe the quickest and most powerful way to build trusting relationships is to always do what you say you are going to do. Be the first one to offer assistance with your partner’s problems, and enhance their opportunities. Ask them to help you with your needs too. Both parties need to win in the partnership process.   

Why pursue this idea

The more referral partnerships you have, the easier your admissions function will be, and the more successful too.  You need to form trusting partnerships with your customers, staff, referral sources, investors, supporters, vendors, and your community to succeed in business. 

Let’s look at the potential in partnering with your customers.  A typical person shopping for long-term care services has no idea who’s who in long-term care.  When they need long-term care services they usually ask their friends what they know or suggest.  A referral from a friend to your facility will often out perform all other marketing actions.  A strong personal referral network from your present customers and their loved ones alone could keep your census full.  

Action steps

  1. Identify what partnerships would benefit your organization.

  2. Learn all you can about the potential partner organization.

  3. Get to know them personally.  Spend time with them.  Listen to them.  Treat them with respect.  Be kind to them, e.g., send them helpful information that would be of value to them. 

  4. Build trust with them by doing what you say you are going to do.  It starts with the small promises.  For example, if you arrange to give a tour at 2:00, keep your word and be on time.  If you say you’ll fax them an interesting news article that they may find helpful – keep your word and do it right away.   If the activities in your facility are sparse, don’t imply that you’re a hopping, hive of activity and nonstop fun when selling your services.   Don’t talk your activities down, but don’t mislead your customers.  If you don’t keep your word on the little things they won’t trust you with the big things.  

  5. After you've established a comfort level, ask them what their problems, frustrations, hurdles, fears, and goals are.  They will likely not tell you about this until they know and trust you.

  6. Be creative, and think of ways you can help them with their situation.

  7. Propose ideas on how you can help each other and get an agreement in writing.

  8. Pursue the partnership plan.

  9. Review your partnership agreement regularly and make changes as needed.
 
Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Financial investment: Extreme = Over $10,000, Significant = $3,001 to $7,000, Average = $501 to $3,000, Moderate = under $500

Time investment: Extreme = 24 to 40 hours per week, Significant = 9 to 23 hours per week, Average = 3 to 8 hours per week, and Moderate =  2 or less hours per week.

Outcome potential:  Extreme = Extreme = influencing 70% or more of all admissions, Significant = influencing 30% to 69% of all admissions, Average = influencing 5% to 29% of all admissions, Moderate = influencing up to 4% of all admissions.

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary. 

How to measure effectiveness

A business relationship needs to be mutually beneficial.  Identify what your desired outcomes are in each partnership and share them with the other party.  If one of the parties is not getting what they want, the relationship may need some work, or it may be best to part company.


Resources for the needed skills

Building and maintaining partnerships is a skill that involves listening, compassion, creativity, negotiations, helpfulness, communication, and the discipline to do what you say you will do.  For more information on trust and relationship building read “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Principle Centered Leadership” by Steven Covey. 


Idea #2
Make the first move
 

How it works

Most long-term care centers wait for customers to make the first move.  They wait for the inquiry phone call.  I suggest that you take an active role, rather than a passive role. 

Be the first one to reach out to your prospective customers and offer valuable assistance or information.   Invite them to take a step toward what you’re selling in exchange for the assistance or information you offer them.  Many of your prospective long-term care customers are apprehensive and uninformed about long-term care terminology, services, prices, and what to expect.   For example, you can simplify the process and help them with long-term care shopping information and advice.   You might promote a free guide on how to select a nursing home.  Or, information on payment options for long-term care, and so on.

For example, consider how you found this information tutorial and how it works.  You were led to this web site with a promise of FREE information that will be of value to you.  I’m beginning our relationship by giving you something helpful for FREE!  I’m letting you test-drive the information with no obligation.  I’m doing something for you, and in exchange, if you find this information valuable, you’ll help me by purchasing more tutorials and books.  I simply offered you something of value and asked you to take a small step toward helping me. 

Likewise, don’t sit back waiting for the hospital to call with referrals.  You need to make the first move and build mutually beneficial relationships with hospital discharge planners.   Making the “Hi, how are you” visits, filling the hospital’s candy dish, and occasionally asking, “do you have any patients for me today?” won’t give your facility the edge needed for capturing a dominant market share.  Take the initiative to partner with the hospitals and all other potential referral sources.

Action steps

  1. Identify your customer’s needs

  2. Outline all of the steps needed to generate a new resident and identify how you can walk the customer through the process, or simplify the process for them.

  3. Create a free or inexpensive product or service to help them with their needs. (CD, audio tape, seminars, web site, brochure, video tape, and special help telephone hotline – operated by volunteers)

  4. Make sure your organization’s name is prominently displayed on everything you distribute and offer.

  5. Promote or distribute the product or service (Press releases, internet search engines & web site, churches, distribution through related vendors, clubs & associations.)

  6. Lead the prospective customers to the next step, e.g., a follow-up call inviting them to visit your facility.

  7. Visit with referral sources to propose partnering (See idea #1).   Identify their challenges in the meeting.  Arrange another meeting to make a partnership proposal.
 

Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary greatly. 

Production can be as simple as in-house photocopies (about 20 cents each), to a nicely designed and printed brochure (about $3,500 for 1,000 copies) , to an elaborate video tape production. (About $12,000 for a 5 minute master tape and $3 per tape)   You could charge a small fee for the product or service to cover your expenses, but you’d loose some prospective contacts.

After you’ve created the helpful program for your customers, try to find a way to run the program without consuming your time.  For example, find distribution sources that don’t consume your time.  Get assistance from your organization’s receptionist, or recruit volunteers to run the program for you. 

How to measure effectiveness

I suggest that you survey each inquiry.  Ask them how they were led to you, and how they got your phone number.  List all of the sources your prospective customer could have heard about your organization.  Have them check all of the sources they saw or heard about your organization.  Record the results in a database.  If you are not seeing results from your efforts after three months or so of operation, cut the program and try another marketing idea.

Resources for the needed skills

For more information on building relationships by helping others first read, “Permission Marketing" Click here for more information.

Idea #3
Justify your marketing resources

How it works

You can greatly simplify your admissions work if you have a marketing budget for promotion.  You need to constantly justify your job and your budget’s existence to get and keep funds for marketing.  I suggest that you create a report on each marketing project that shows your investment and the results.  For example, know how many inquiries each project or ad campaign generated and how many admissions you received from the inquiries.  Ask each person that inquiries, “How did you hear about us? Where did you get our telephone number? And, did you see us in….(name all of the places they could have seen or heard of you from your marketing efforts).  Put the questions right on the information gathering form that the sales person completes on each inquiry.  Then record the results in a database.  Go one step further, create a project results report on each project for the leadership team. Take your resident’s average length of stay time multiplied by the fees your new resident’s pay.  This information can show your feasible return on investment.  

I suggest that you make a presentation to your whole leadership team as soon as you complete a marketing campaign.   Consider this example…  You stand before the leadership team in the Monday morning meeting and say, “Here are copies of the three ads we ran in the local news paper last month and here's our plan for this marketing campaign.  Our investment was $7,500 dollars for all of the ads and four seminars.”  Everyone in the room gasps for air and thinks you’ve wasted scarce company money.  Then you say, “As a result, we received seven inquiries and two new residents.   We surveyed all of our inquiries and found that each inquiry came to us from the ads we ran in the newspaper and the seminars.  When we look at our average length of stay and the average revenue earned from each resident, we can expect to earn $100,000 from the two new residents.  Therefore, for every dollar we invested into this advertising campaign we will receive approximately $1,333.33 in revenue.”    They clap and cheer and you blush and grin.  Spell it all out for your team.  They need to see how much money you generate with your marketing activities.

The key is not only maintaining an adequate marketing budget, but also using it effectively.  I believe it is always better to err on the side of having too much invested in marketing, rather than not enough.  Unfortunately, most long-term care organizations don’t share a marketing perspective.   You, the marketing representative, need to show your whole leadership team how the marketing investment is not a vague, insignificant expense but a tool needed to create measurable revenue. 


Why peruse this idea

To quickly increase profits, most long-term care organizations will cut the marketing budget.   The marketing budget is usually undervalued, misunderstood, and one of the first to be cut.  Cutting the marketing budget to save money is usually a huge mistake.  A better strategy would be to find the optimal marketing budget size and sales staff size.   You’ll know when you’ve reached the optimal budget size when you consistently produce the results you want, and when budget cuts are made your results drop proportionately. 

If you have not proven your effectiveness with your marketing resources they will eventually be undervalued, misunderstood, and cut.  And it’s much easier to communicate with the majority of your prospective customers when you have money.  Look at it this way.  A referral network will likely spread your message one person at a time.  An ad can deliver your message to thousands of prospective customers at once.   Communicating with many customers quickly is very valuable in marketing.  In other words, if you don’t take steps to get and retain your marketing budget, you’ll likely lose it, then attracting customers will be much more difficult.

In addition to justifying your job and marketing expenditures, justifying your marketing resources will give you a record of what works and what doesn’t work.   Knowing which marketing actions work and which don’t work can save your organization time, money, prevent repeating costly mistakes, and make you more effective.  


Action steps

  1. Create an inquiry information gathering form.  On the form include a survey for the person inquiring.  Some of the questions will help identify where the customer hear about your organization.  The questions may include, How did they get your telephone number?  List all of the places they could have heard about your organization on the survey and have them identify all of the sources that they heard about your organization.  Track every inquirer and record which ones result in an admission.

  2. Create a database to record the results of the inquirers survey and admissions.

  3. After each marketing related project evaluate the inquiry and admission database to determine how effective your project was. 

  4. Determine the average length of stay of your residents, multiplied by the fee rate each of your new admission from your project will pay.  The number you get is your estimated gross income.  Then subtract from that number your marketing expense for the project.  What remains is your estimated return on marketing investment.  Avg. length of stay ( X) Rates of each new resident (=) Estimated Gross Income Estimated Gross Income (–) Marketing expense (=) Estimated return on marketing investment.

  5. Write a report to your leadership staff that briefly overviews your marketing project, and demonstrates your effectiveness by showing your estimated return on marketing investment in a ratio.  (E.g. For every dollar we invested in this campaign we will receive approximately $1,333.)

  6. Use your database report to identify the effectiveness of your marketing projects.  Stop doing the ineffective projects and focus you efforts on the projects proven effective.

  7. If more marketing resources are needed, make proposals for increasing your marketing budget using the ROI reports.

  8. After your census remain full for three months or longer, experiment with reducing marketing expenses.  Restore the budget if the census drops until you find the optimal marketing budget size. Keep in mind the optimal budget size will likely change over time.
 

Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary greatly. 

This task will require a lot of time.   If you have a clerical support team they may be able to record the inquirers survey results into the database.   You’ll need to take the time to write the reports.  Keep them short and create a report template to save some time. 

How to measure effectiveness

You’ll know your return on marketing investment reports are working because your marketing budget will not be reduced and increased as needed. 




Idea #4
Don't Sell Rooms - Sell Life Enrichment.

How it works

Stress what the outcomes of your services will mean for the prospective customer when you’re selling your services.  Better yet, sell them the great feelings they’ll have when you help their loved one.  Sell the outcomes and the feeling, not the rooms, call bells, whirlpool tubs, or therapy equipment.  Your customers are most likely looking to buy peace of mind.  Most believe in the possibility that one-day their loved one will be strong enough to live independently again, or they hope their final days will be comfortable and fulfilling.  Which would you rather buy – rooms and equipment, or an impressive team of people devoted to helping your loved one get the most out of their life? 

For example, when you’re giving a tour, and you come to the activities room, don’t say, here’s the activities room.  Remember, they’re not buying the rooms.  Rather, you could say, “your mother will have daily opportunities to visit with people her own age and they can engage in activities of interest to them.  Most adult children of residents are surprised to hear their Mom laugh with friends again.  The Activities Staff are pros at helping residents interact.  You’ll have peace of mind knowing that there are other people nearby for your Mom to socialize with, and plenty of things for her to do.”
                       

Why peruse this idea

Admissions work will be easier if you increase the percentage of admissions from inquiries.  The higher your closing percentage, the fewer inquiries you’ll need to generate, and the less work you’ll have to obtain a high census. 
             

Action steps

  1. Make a list of each service and amenity that your organization provides its customers.

  2. For each service and amenity write what it means for your residents and their families.  Next, write down what favorable feelings the service / amenity might generate for the customers.   Share the list with each department and have them add to the list.

  3. Memorize the list.  Really, I’m serious, memorize it.

  4. Use the list every time you sell your services.
 

Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary greatly. 

How to measure effectiveness

Record your percentage of tours from inquiries, and admissions from tours.   If your percent of admissions from tours (sales effectiveness) increases or maintains high levels, you’re selling well.

Resources for the needed skills

learn more about selling Long-term care services read, "Easy Ideas on How to Improve Sales & the Payer Mix" 

 

 

Idea #5
Become Known For One Thing.

How It Works

When you hear the names of these products or organizations what one word comes to mind; Heinz Ketchup, Rolex watches, Starbucks, Energizer, and the Mayo Clinic.  Did you notice that each of these companies has top-of-mind awareness recall?  For example, if I asked you, “name the first ketchup that comes to mind?” what would you say?  Most would say Heinz.  What comes to mind first when you think a prestigious watch Company, a premium coffee shop, batteries, or an innovative clinic?  Each of these products or organizations has created their business around one concept. 

I suggest that your organization creates a unique specialty that will be of value to your customers, and be hard for your competitors to copy.  After you’ve identified what one thing your facility will be known for, then you need to build it internally and be committed to the specialty for the long run.   You would never hear the Rolex Watch Company say;  “this year we’re the inexpensive, watch for everyone”.  That would destroy their specialty image.

When your facility is actually different than all of your competitors, when your niche is a real value to your customers, and when it’s truly unique, then you can tell the world your story.  This is where a media budget comes in handy.  You can talk to the vast majority of your target market in just a few days if you have money allocated for advertising.  If you don’t, it will take longer to make your prospective customers aware of your distinctiveness, but you can do it.  

Why peruse this idea

Businesses with specialties are typically more effective and profitable.   I suggest developing and promoting a specialty to help make your admissions work easier.  Specializing works.  Being known for one thing is a powerful marketing concept because it’s easier for prospective customers to associate your business with just one thing.  Most businesses try to be too many things to too many different people.  Standing out amongst your competitors as a specialist will win sales and market share.  It’s crucial that your facility’s uniqueness is of value to the majority of your customers. 

Action steps

  1. Brainstorm potential specialty ideas.

  2. Select a specialty idea that is:
    a.       Unique
    b.      Valuable to your customers
    c.       Difficult to copy

  3. Encourage each department to incorporate the specialty in their department.

  4. Encourage each employee to incorporate the specialty into his or her specific job.

  5. Build the specialty internally.

  6. After the specialty is running internally, promote your specialty.
 

Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary greatly. This idea is very time consuming, but, well worth every minute.


How to measure effectiveness

Survey your residents, their loved ones, and prospective customers.  Ask them, what one thing would you say (say the name of your facility) represents or specializes in?  Note how many people are aware of your specialty.    


Resources for the needed skills

To learn more about developing a unique niche for your organization read "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind"


Idea #6
Create a home support network


How It Works

This idea involves building a free information network that connects older adult caregivers with helpful community services, businesses, and products.  It could consist of product and services directories, ideas for safety, support groups, information brochures, and more.  The information, products and services offer safety and convenience to older adults and their caregivers.  Make sure you spell out all of the services that your facility offers too.  Now, when the older adult does need long-term care facility services, and many of them eventually will, they will think of you, and your helpful facility first.   After all, you’re the care experts, the ones that helped them live at home more safely.  They likely trust you now.  They believe that you’re truly interested in helping them with their needs. 

Next, distribute the list of available information everywhere: senior centers, large employers, human resources departments, clinics, and grocery stores.   Run an ad in the newspaper telling people about the Safe-at-Home services.  Tell them to simply call your facility and you’ll send them a copy of the directory or information, sheets/brochures.  Give them a smorgasbord of information that helps older adults live at home safely, and offers peace of mind for their adult children.  Hold seminars on how to make older adult homes safer.  Hold seminars on health care options in the home and so on.  Put on a different seminar each month. 

Why Pursue this idea

Creating a home support network provides your organization with an opportunity to befriend your potential customers before they need your services.  It gives you the opportunity to position your organization as ‘helpful experts’.   In short, the idea would likely build your inquiries and census.

Action steps

  1. Create a network list of businesses, services, and products that help older adults.  Put them into categories like, food, maintenance, activities, safety, medical attention, transportation, companionship, and so on.

  2. Contact each business owner to see if they would be willing to have their business listed in this directory for free.  If yes, ask if they would also be willing to distribute copies of the booklet in their business.

  3. Design the home support network book and have it printed.  Make sure it’s clear in all materials that your organization started and sponsors the program, and that your name is prominently displayed throughout the materials.

  4. Create a web site around the home support network book.

  5. Create seminars around the topics in the home support network book. 

  6. Promote the home support network through local employers.  Perhaps you could offer seminars for their employees on popular topics during the lunch hour in one of their meeting rooms.

  7. Create and run a public relations campaign around the home support network program.

  8. Create and run an advertising campaign on the home support network.  Perhaps the businesses listed in the network booklet would be willing to support the ad campaign.  There may be grant money available for promotion as well. 
 

Financial
Investment

Time Investment

Outcome Potential
Variable      

Extreme

      

Significant

      

Average

      

Moderate

      

None

      

Outcome potential, financial and time Investments are estimates, and may vary greatly. 

This idea can be somewhat of an investment.  If you need to you can keep your costs down by printing the booklet on a copy machine, seek donations and grants for the program, offer press releases for communication, and use networking for awareness of the program.  This idea is time consuming.  It may be a great program for a volunteer committee.
 

How to measure effectiveness

Ask every person that inquires where he or she got your telephone number?  And did they see your name associated with the home security network program?   Your research results will tell you if the program is beneficial.

Resources for the needed skills

I suggest partnering on this project.  Find partners that have skills sets that you’re lacking. Lean more about partnering in the "Easy And Inexpensive Ideas For Increasing Census" tutorial. Click here to order "Easy & Inexpensive Ideas For Increasing Census Revenue".

If you have found this information to be helpful you’ll really value the next 23 ideas.  What follows are ideas on how to create effective public relations that gets your organization in the media often.  A web site idea that brings prospective customers to your web site and to your facility.   The remaining tutorial includes many ideas on how to get more referrals from your present customers, and many practical inquiry-generating activities that you can begin today.   Just one idea alone could substantially increase your census and revenue.  To order the next 29 ideas on inexpensive ways to increase your inquiries, click here...

 

 

 

 

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