There are many ways to fill your sales funnel, and a successful marketing strategy uses multiple methods. The best methods send warm leads (people actively looking for your services) directly to you. What if those leads also came with an endorsement? A reason to trust your agency before even speaking to your sales team?
This is where referral marketing comes in.
What is Referral Marketing?
Referral marketing promotes your home care agency through word-of-mouth from trusted sources in your community.
Referral marketing is effective because the recommendation comes from a trusted source, such as a hospital discharge nurse, an assisted living facility, doctor’s offices, Medicaid programs, insurance providers, social services, the local VA hospital, or faith leaders.
Endorsements matter. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers globally trust recommendations from people they know more than any other type of advertising.
Referrals often come at critical decision-making points. For example, a family working with post-operative discharge to find home care for a recovering family member, or a family physician offering solutions for aging in place after a critical diagnosis.
Why Referral Marketing is Valuable for Your Home Care Strategy
There are several reasons to add referral marketing to your strategy:
-Attract Warm Leads: Bring in leads already looking for home care services.
-Build Reputation: Enhance your reputation as a trusted care provider.
-Establish Confidence Early: Build trust with new leads before first contact.
-Passive Lead Generation: A less active way to add new leads to your funnel.
-Cost-Efficient: An economical method of attracting new leads.
Types of Home Care Referral Sources
There are two types of referral sources: personal and professional.
-Personal Referrals: These come from your existing clients and caregivers.
-Professional Referrals: These come from outside your organization. Both types are valuable and can be encouraged and incentivized.
Professional referrals allow you to reach a broader community, ensuring clients receive recommendations when they need your services. Building relationships with professional referrers requires effort and investment, but the benefits can be significant.
Best Referral Sources for Home Care Agencies
-Trusted Relationships: Utilize your existing connections. For example, a staff member involved in a non-profit can approach their leadership, or you might have a good relationship with a senior healthcare clinic.
-Consider Volume: Focus on sources that can provide many referrals. Direct your resources there.
-Mutual Benefit: Offer to reciprocate endorsements. For example, you might recommend a local senior activity center or memory care clinic to your clients. These contacts are more likely to refer clients to you if they expect referrals in return.
Setting Up a Home Care Referral Marketing Program
You likely have a network of potential referrers; you just need to encourage them to send you leads.
-Get Involved in the Community: Engage with the senior care and healthcare community.
-Provide Collateral: Give referrers physical and digital materials to share. This helps them speak confidently about your business and standard of care. Include contact information and a contact person.
-Stay in Touch: Maintain regular, personal contact with your referrers. Get to know them personally and professionally.
-Follow Up Quickly: Respond to leads promptly to increase your chances of closing the sale and protecting the referrer’s reputation.
-Offer to Reciprocate: Ask how you can help your referrers in return.
-Treat Them as Experts: Seek their advice on what their clients need and worry about, and how you can be a better service provider.
-Track Referrals: Use your CRM to track referrals and identify the most lucrative sources. Thank your referrers later.
-Express Gratitude: Show appreciation to those who send you referrals with a simple card or email.
Attracting Home Care Referrals and Fill Your Sales Funnel
Home Care Marketing Pros know how to keep a sales funnel full and fresh. CareFunnels can help you attract and manage client referrals, track your sales progress, and close more sales. Ready to get started? Book a demo.
