Find out the best social channels for home care marketing.
Social media is a powerful marketing tool. Whether you’re recruiting caregivers or attracting new customers, there are multiple social media platforms that can help you reach the right audiences. The ways that companies market on social media vary depending on the audiences they’re trying to reach. Many mainstream brands have such a wide audience that the marketing possibilities are endless no matter which social channel they choose. For niche industries, like home care, it’s crucial to choose the social channels that best serve your specific marketing and recruitment needs. The question is, what are the best social channels for home care marketing?
Facebook Is Still the Star
In particular, Facebook has reigned as the gold standard for social media marketing for years. In 2022, it was still the largest social media platform, with more than 2.93 billion active users. 70% of American adults use Facebook, and it is the preferred social platform of the 35-44 year old demographic. Of Facebook’s users, 43% are female and 57% are male.
Since social media advertising emerged, Facebook has been the cornerstone among platforms given its large audience and reach. Today, it is still considered the top spot for reaching home care clients and potential caregivers alike. But that’s not to say that nothing has changed.
In fact, if there’s one sure thing about social media, it’s that it is always changing. While Facebook has long been the go-to platform for marketing, it has become a pay-to-play arena. This means that only those who dedicate some of their advertising budget to boosting posts and creating ads will see significant results.
Additionally, Facebook recently phased out their job listing feature. As of February 2023, the “Jobs” feature is no longer available on the Facebook app, Facebook mobile website, or the Facebook desktop site for employers and seekers. That means that businesses can no longer post free job listings or collect applications through Facebook.
However, you can still advertise open positions on Facebook. Things will just work a little differently. Via your Facebook business page, you can still create a post that advertises your open job and link it to the careers page of your website or wherever prospective employees can go to apply to your agency. You can then create an ad in order to promote this open position and give it a targeted reach.
Instagram is owned by Facebook, making it extremely simple to share your posts across both channels. However, one thing to keep in mind is that Instagram users do not want to see constant self-promotion. It’s important to use the 80-20 rule when posting to Instagram. That means making sure that 80 percent of your posts provide something of value to your followers. This could be health tips, photos or videos about safe lifting and transferring techniques, or photos of your company engaging in the community, like at a local Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The other 20 percent of your posts should focus on marketing to potential clients and followers.
LinkedIn is a robust recruitment tool, but it’s also a great place for agencies to connect with referral partners. Boasting 424 million active users and more than 58 million companies, the platform offers a unique experience for B2B interactions. LinkedIn lists itself as the top-rated social network for lead generation, making it a great source for B2B marketers looking to find targeted and motivated audiences for their outreach efforts.
We recommend posting your agency’s blogs and videos, and sharing any information potential referrals find interesting. LinkedIn also allows you to see where people work so that you can follow potential referral sources, comment positively about their posts, and share some of the referral partners’ posts with your audience.
YouTube
YouTube is a popular social media platform. But something many people don’t realize is that it is the most popular search engine behind Google, making it a powerful tool for marketing and SEO. Creating videos for this platform can not only help establish your agency as an expert in your field, but these videos can also be shared across the other social media platforms we’ve mentioned above, used as part of your email signature, and placed on your website for maximum impact and reach.
It may feel overwhelming to start creating videos, but you don’t need a professional studio and lighting set-up to get started. In fact, just sitting down in a well-lit space for an interview is a simple way to create valuable content. Use YouTube to create videos about a wide variety of topics like interviews with caregivers, sharing health tips, or demonstrations on using home care-related equipment like Hoyer lifts. As with other platforms, make sure you are creating content that is valuable and helpful to your audience.
What Kinds of Posts Get Attention?
When it comes to reaching users on these various social platforms, it’s not really a one-size-fits-all situation. Different kinds of posts will get more reach and receive more engagement on each platform, so it is important to tailor your posts for each.
Facebook: As a platform, Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes content that promotes meaningful interactions and conversations. In terms of what can spark those kinds of conversations, posts that have great visuals are key. Posts with captivating images and videos get more engagement, and videos themselves are more likely to be shared. Additionally, keeping posts short is important for engagement as well.
Instagram: Eye-catching images and videos are the best types of posts for Instagram. Showcase your caregivers, clients (with permission), community events, infographics, etc.
LinkedIn: For LinkedIn, long-form content, like blog posts, tends to get the most engagement, but, as always, the preview text needs to be snappy. People on LinkedIn also respond to businesses sharing third-party content, so find ways to share information from other organizations, like the Alzheimer’s Association. Video also does well on LinkedIn, so agencies could consider interviewing staff members or sharing a video from a team event. Unlike some other social platforms, plain text also does quite well on LinkedIn, and many users share tips or educate about a certain topic.
YouTube: Videos that provide value to your audience are key on YouTube. Share important information about your agency, health tips, interviews with your staff, demonstration videos, etc.
Putting It All Together
The wide world of social media can feel intimidating. Creating a social media plan and keeping up with posting and advertising is a lot for small agencies to handle on their own. If you’d like to learn how the home care marketing experts at corecubed can help you find the best social media platforms for your agency, create a plan that gets engagement, and manage posts and analytics, contact us online or give us a call today at 1.844.corecubed.