Social media is one of the most impactful home healthcare marketing strategies today.

Feels like we live in a society dominated by social media sometimes, doesn’t it? I mean, can you even remember a time when “like” was just something Valley Girls said, or when “tweet” was just a noise a bird makes? Today, if you’re not on social media, you’re not a part of the global conversation, and you may also be missing out on a large chunk of commerce as well.

Social sales, while still not the dominant source of revenue for most businesses, are growing at a rapid rate. According to a new report from BI Intelligence, the top 500 retailers earned $2.69 billion from social shopping in 2013, an increase of more than 60% since 2012.

You might be thinking, “That’s great for retailers, but how do these numbers relate to the aging care industry?” and that’s a good question. We still encounter many clients who don’t understand the impact of social media on their businesses, who feel that they just don’t have time to keep up with Facebook, or who just don’t want to invest in social media right now. We find this quite surprising given the meteoric rise, and apparent staying power of social media and social marketing.

The same survey from BI Intelligence noted that 71% of adult Internet users in the US are on Facebook. Interestingly, when someone shares an e-commerce post on Facebook, that share translates to an average $3.58 in revenue from sales, according to AddShoppers.

Think about those numbers for a moment. 71% of adult Internet users means that a majority of your potential client base, namely adult children of aging parents, are on Facebook. Is your business? You may not be selling a tangible product via social media, but the impact of social networking reaches far beyond direct sales.

A report published by the Altarum Institute in 2012 said that, “The advent of social and digital media has tremendous potential to improve care for aging populations and patients with advanced illness. These tools offer a range of possibilities to facilitate effective information sharing and collaboration between and across all stakeholders involved in the care process.”

Whether or not you see engaging with your client base as an option for your business, being part of the social conversation is just a part of marketing in today’s world, no matter what industry you are in. Social media is where people spend their time and it is another avenue through which businesses can reach their clients, engage with them, and establish their brand with a wider audience, making it arguably one of the most important home healthcare marketing strategies today.

Still think you don’t have time to market on social media? We can help. The social media and aging care marketing experts at corecubed can help establish your brand on social media and help you engage with clients across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and more. We can also establish a blog to help you generate content that gets noticed. Contact us to get started today.