marketing - Senior Home Care Franchise

Senior Care Franchisees — What’s Your Social Media Plan?

Like most people in business, you are probably aware of the marketing potential of social media. Social media is a powerful and essential plank in your promotional platform, so you can’t afford to ignore it, particularly in the senior care industry, where it’s crucial for you to be able to sell your services and get people to take notice. Unfortunately, mounting a successful social media campaign takes time and energy that you might not have while trying to operate a successful business at the same time.

Thankfully, there are ways for you to fit social-medial management into your busy schedule in a way that’s effective in terms of reaching your marketing goals. But you have to have a plan!

Your Senior Care Social Media Plan

What does your social media presence look like now? Are you posting updates only when you remember to do so? What kind of value are you offering to your followers with your tweets and status updates? Are you actively searching for more followers?

If the previous paragraph overwhelmed you and made you feel like you’re not doing it quite right, that’s okay. Creating a social-media plan for your franchise will streamline the process and make it easy for you to maintain a strong presence on the most popular platforms.

Basically, what you need to do is decide how frequently you want to post updates, and what sort of content those updates will consist of. Remember: if you’re going to be effective, it’s important to stick to the 80/20 rule, which says that 80% of your updates or posts should provide value, with only 20% devoted to promotion.

Then, you need to determine which platforms you’re going to use. If you don’t have a lot of time, it might be smart for you to simply focus on Facebook for now. If you feel like you can afford to be more flexible, you can add Twitter and other platforms like Google + or even LinkedIn.

Take Advantage of Scheduling Apps

The next step is to create a schedule. One of the cool things about social media is that you can schedule your posts in advance, which can be a game-changing time saver. Using apps like Buffer, HootSuite or TweetDeck allows you to schedule all of your posts in advance, and many of these apps give you the ability to post across multiple platforms simultaneously.

You should also create time in your schedule to devote to social media specifically. Otherwise, the work may never get done. If you can afford to do so, it may be a good idea to hire an assistant (virtual or otherwise) who can handle your social media responsibilities. If you know where to look, this can be more affordable than you think.

Get Help from Your Franchisor!

One of the great advantages of franchising is always being able to consult the expertise of your franchisor. Utilize everything that’s made available to you, and be sure to follow recommended best practices. This can ease your work load considerably!

If you’re looking for additional information on using social media to promote an in home senior care franchise, we can help! Download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook today to learn more.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Three Rules for Social Media Franchise Marketing

One of the biggest advantages of franchising is the ability to use a proven system as a means of finding success. Owners of startups and other types of businesses are required to do it all by themselves in most cases, and that can be stressful. Franchisees are expected to do some work on their own, though, and those who put in the proper effort are usually rewarded with greater successes than their competitors and peers. One of the major ways in which senior care franchisees can give themselves a boost is by using social media intelligently and effectively, but there are some rules to follow.

Are you wondering how you can maximize your social media efforts and help your in home elder care franchise become more successful? Read on for five essential rules!

#1 — Provide Quality Content

We’ve addressed this one before, but it can’t be overstated — your social media content should consist of 80% value and 20% promotion. People aren’t going to follow you because you fill your feed with boasts about how great your business is. They follow and support your business because you provide them with valuable, unique insights. Take some time to craft high-quality content that contains value, and you’ll see your social media presence grow considerably.

#2 — Have Some Patience

Growing your presence on social media takes time, especially when you’re just beginning. Seeing your follower count hold steady can be frustrating, and you might feel like acting rashly to get the meter to move. The best advice is to be patient and let the process work. Trust that by providing great content you will grow your follower base. Remember: slow and steady wins the race!

#3 — Be a Good Listener

As a provider of in home senior care, you expect your caregivers to be excellent listeners. You need to operate in the same way on social media if you want to gain traction. Pay attention to what your target audience is talking about and join the conversation with valuable insights. Try to locate their pain points, then show how you can relieve them. Keep your ear to the ground, and you’ll see your social-media status grow.

The Final Word

As you can see, marketing on social media is fundamentally similar to marketing through other media. Be mindful of the content you’re providing, be patient and remember to pay attention to what’s going on — these are pieces of advice that may seem obvious, but they’re all too easy to forget when working with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and others. It’s an ongoing process, but it’s one that will pay dividends as long as you follow the rules!

Learn More!

Are you interested in learning more about what it takes to operate a successful non medical senior care franchise? Download our FREE senior care franchising ebook today! It’s packed with valuable information you won’t find anywhere else!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Franchise Marketing and the 80/20 Rule

Modern marketing is a constant process that involves using a number of technological tools. In this process, it’s easy to get caught up in all of the amazing ways you can promote your business and attempt to entice people to become customers or clients. But it’s crucial to remember that too much promotion is one of the surest ways to alienate your audience, drive customers away and prevent potential new clients from seeing what you’re all about. If you’re a senior care franchisee, you simply cannot afford to let business slip away, which is why you have to ensure that you’re using the vast array of marketing tools you have at your disposal properly. One of the best — and easiest — ways to make sure you’re connecting with your audience the right way is to follow the 80/20 rule. Doing this makes it possible for you to keep the proper balance at all times as you promote your business and engage with your audience.

What Is the 80/20 Rule?

If you’ve been in business for a while, it’s likely that you’ve already heard of the 80/20 rule. It’s also known as the “Pareto Principle,” having been named after the 19th-century Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto noticed that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the people. Over time, economists and others have noticed that the rule applies to business in many ways, including:

– 80 percent of a business’s profits come from 20 percent of its customers
– 80 percent of a company’s sales come from 20 percent of its products
– 80 percent of a company’s sales come from 20 percent of its sales personnel
– 80 percent of a business’s complaints come from 20 percent of its customers

The list actually goes on and on, making the 80/20 rule a vital rule of thumb across numerous aspects of business.

When it comes to promoting your in home senior care business using modern marketing techniques, the Pareto Principle should apply like this:

80 percent of your time should be spent engaging with your audience; 20 percent of your time should be spent promoting your business.

How Does it Work?

It might be difficult to get used to, but when you’re spending time sending emails, engaging on social media platforms like Facebook or writing your blog, you need to make sure that only 20 percent of your content is directly about your brand. The other 80 percent needs to be valuable, sharable content that your audience finds useful.

When you strike the right balance, you retain existing members of your audience while enticing new individuals to join the fold. You also set yourself up as an authority in your field, which is critical in terms of building trust. The proper balance also gives your promotional posts much more weight.

Remember — since you’re only spending 20% of your time on promotion through social marketing, you need to make sure that it counts. Place clear calls to action in your posts and updates. Offer discounts, specials and other compelling offers. Persuade people with statistics, facts and figures that make your in home care franchise look amazing.

Learn More

Are you ready to learn more about how marketing a successful senior care franchise? Download our FREE franchising ebook and find out how you can succeed when you Franchise With Always Best Care!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

3 Franchise Marketing Challenges (And How to Overcome Them)

Modern marketing isn’t always easy. The old ways of advertising a brand and building its profile have been replaced with new, technology-driven methods that take advantage of consumers’ more active role. In years past, senior care franchises and other businesses would advertise to consumers using traditional media such as radio or newspapers. Today, businesses need to take advantage of the techniques inherent in what’s known as “inbound marketing.” Basically, it’s all about creating a path that makes it easy for clients to find you, and it’s necessary to become somewhat web savvy to make it work.

The landscape is always changing, too, making it especially difficult for new business owners and franchisees to keep up. Thankfully, modern marketing isn’t as difficult as it can seem. Franchisees come to their businesses with experience and intelligence, and the learning curve associated with modern marketing isn’t so steep that franchisees who are willing to put in some effort can’t overcome it.

3 Challenges that Franchisees Face

If you’re a franchisee who is not quite an expert at inbound marketing, you will probably be faced with some tough challenges. Have no fear! The following three challenges can be overcome.

#1 – Standing Out on Social Media

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are essential for business success in 2016. But by now, everyone has gotten the memo about the importance of a strong social presence. So how do you stand out in a crowded field?

The key is engagement. You don’t have to spend all of your time on social media, but the time you do spend online should be focused and productive. Think of the so-called 80/20 rule: approximately 80% of your social-media activity should come from interacting and engaging with people, while only 20% should be devoted to promotion of your brand. If you can provide value regularly and show that you relate to your audience, you’ll make a huge impact.

#2 – Search Engine Algorithms Keep Changing

Yes, Google more or less rules the Internet, and decoding its algorithm is often seen as the holy grail of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and online marketing. But if you spend too much time fretting about what Google is up to, you can lose sight of what you actually need to do to grow your business.

Google will continually tweak its algorithm, and you may need to adjust your strategies over time. However, as long as you engage with your audience and provide high-quality content in your blogs and on your website, you’ll be able to keep your head well above water.

#3 – Measuring ROI

Measuring the return on an online marketing investment is not always easy, but it’s absolutely necessary. Thankfully, as a franchisee, you will have access to tools and technologies that your franchisor makes available. Your success is crucial to the success of the entire brand, so it’s critical that you learn about all of the marketing tools that are made available to you. Doing this makes it possible for you to measure the true power of your online marketing efforts.

Learn More

Are you wondering how you can get up to speed on modern marketing to become an effective franchisee? Download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook today! It’s loaded with great information about what it’s like to operate a franchise in today’s exciting business climate.
Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Looking Ahead – Four Tips for Franchise Success in 2016

Whether you’re an existing senior care franchise owner, or you are interested in starting your own in home care business in 2016, taking a look at some of the fundamentals of franchising is a wonderful idea. With that in mind, we’ve come up with four tips that will get you ready to take on all of the challenges that the new year has in store.

Set SMART Goals

Setting goals is crucial to your success, but it’s important to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) goals so you can make the biggest, most positive impact.

Here’s an example: Increasing your revenue by 20% in the period between January 1st and July 1st is a realistic SMART goal for your business because it identifies specific, measurable numbers within a specific timeframe; plus, it’s relevant to your business and it’s likely achievable.

An example of a non SMART goal would be something like, “I want to make more money.” While this is not the worst goal, it’s far from specific, and it offers nothing to focus on.

When evaluating your goals for 2016, be sure to analyze them using the SMART framework, and you’ll be much more likely to achieve the results you want!

Renew Your Commitment to Modern Marketing

Our industry is growing constantly, and 2016 promises to be a fantastic year. However, with this growth comes greater competition. You need to take advantage of every competitive edge you can find, and there’s no better way to set yourself apart than to become a master of marketing.

Obviously, your franchisor will supply you with excellent tools and techniques for marketing, but your success will largely depend upon how well you take the initiative to market your business locally. These days, business owners who take a proactive approach to modern marketing (blogging regularly, using social media wisely, building and maintaining email lists, practicing proper local SEO, etc.) are the ones who succeed.

Review the Tools and Technologies Available from Your Franchisor

One of the huge advantages you get to experience as a franchisee is access to your franchisor’s toolbox. You get to use tools and technologies that other business owners can only dream about, so it’s critical that you take advantage of them! As a franchisee with Always Best Care, you can access valuable marketing strategies, as well as professional consumer education materials.

Make it a point to take advantage of all the help you have available from your franchisor, and 2016 will be a very productive year for your business!

Review Your Individual Skillset

Franchising is all about following a proven system for success, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your own personal attributes and business skills on the back burner. In fact, it’s your unique abilities and talents that make you such a valuable part of your franchisor’s team. The most successful franchisees know that following the system is crucial, but they also understand that a little creativity within the system – and especially within their local markets – is the secret sauce that sets them apart from the competition.

What are your specific skills and attributes as a businessperson? How do they match with your franchise’s system? If you can match your skills to your business effectively, you’re going to experience a healthy 2016!

Want to learn more about franchising in the senior care industry? download our FREE franchising ebook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

The Keys to Content Marketing for Your Senior Care Franchise

The in home senior care industry is becoming increasingly competitive, which is why modern marketing is so important. Of course, you will be provided with the latest marketing tools and techniques by your franchisor, but to ensure success, you need to do some work on your own to develop a winning strategy. Getting out into the community is crucial, but online content marketing is just as critical to your ability to stay ahead of the competition.

Content Marketing – What Is It?

Modern marketing has been transformed by the Internet. People these days are hungry for content and information, and today’s consumers pride themselves on being well informed. Given that fact, you can create an advantage for your business by giving your ideal clients exactly the content they’ve been searching for.

Some examples of marketable online content include:

Blog Posts
Podcasts
eBooks
Press Releases
Video Clips
Whitepapers
Infographics

How to Create Content to Market Your Franchise

The first step is to identify your target market. As a senior-care franchisee, you’ll be focused on people living in your local area who have family members that are transitioning out of full independence due to advancing age. These people are already searching for solutions online – it’s your job to create and distribute content that lets them know that your business is the preferred provider of those solutions!

Once you’ve identified your target market, you can begin to brainstorm a series of topics that will resonate with them.

Remember: your primary job is to provide value and solutions immediately within the content in order to establish yourself as an authority. In other words, don’t just write blog posts or film videos with the purpose of describing the benefits of your business; instead, provide actual solutions, tips and wisdom that the audience can use right away.

It’s a good idea to remember the so-called 80/20 rule: approximately 80% of your content should be providing direct value or encouraging engagement, while about 20% should be about direct promotions of your business. This ratio is flexible, of course, but keep in mind that too much promotion is a sure way to erode the trust you’re building with your target market.

Create a Content Calendar

To keep things organized, it’s a good idea to organize your topics into a calendar that shows when certain blog posts will be published or when you plan to record videos, podcasts, etc. This will make your life much easier, but it has the added benefit of allowing you to nudge your future clients closer and closer to you with content that continuously solves their problems.

Analyze, Adjust and Convert

You’ve created content and you’re sticking to a regular, consistent schedule of publishing it. The next step is analyzing how the content has been working.

You can use simple tools to measure the popularity of your content and determine which topics resonate most with your audience. Over time, you’ll be able to adjust and focus your content so that it entices people to get into contact with you and eventually become clients.

It’s an ongoing, ever-shifting process, but keeping up with it is one of the best things you can do for the success of your senior-care franchise!

Learn More!

Would you like to learn more about how you can take advantage of modern marketing to build a successful business and make a difference? Download our FREE franchising ebook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

5 Tips to Improve Your Social-Media Marketing Power

Marketing your senior care business requires you to act on a number of different fronts. Thankfully, as a franchisee, you have a wealth of knowledge, information and assistance available to you when it comes to spreading the word about your in home care business. But when it comes to social media, too many franchisees leave untapped potential on the table.

Are you looking for a new edge over your competitors in the region?
Do you need a strategy that adds power to your overall marketing campaign?
Is keeping up with the demands of social media simply too intimidating?

Well, you’re in luck! Here are five tips that can help you boost the power of your social-media efforts:

#1 – Schedule Your Posts

These days, automated services such as Buffer and HootSuite make it easy for you to schedule targeted social media posts on all of the major platforms quickly and easily. By using one of these apps or services, you free yourself from the constant demands of social-media posting.

#2 – Schedule Your Posts Strategically!

When you schedule your social-media updates, it’s easy to slot them into times that look good on the calendar, but might not make sense in reality. Instead of posting an update right at 1:00 pm, for example, schedule it for a few minutes later or earlier. Why? Doing this catches people when they’re most likely to be checking their phones or tablets for updates between meetings and appointments. Also, pay attention to the times you post and the engagement you see. By doing this type of analysis, you can further improve your social-media targeting.

#3 – Engage More!

Engaging on social media is perhaps even more important than promoting your business. Unfortunately, taking time to engage can seem daunting. Fortunately, it’s not that hard if you follow this simple strategy: simply follow and/or “favorite” every account that reshares or interacts with your posts. Simple, easy and essential, this practice is how the economy of social media works. Jump in and use it to your advantage!

#4 – Complete Your Profiles

Social media users are savvy people, and when they see that a business doesn’t have a fully filled out profile, they ignore it. Before you share your next post, make sure that all of your profiles contain complete – and consistent – information about your business. This means that all logos, slogans, contact information, etc. should match across all platforms.

#5 – Use Hashtags, but Use Them Wisely

According to research, tweets that contain hashtags receive twice the engagement of tweets that have no hashtags. However, tweets that contain more than two hashtags receive a 17% drop in engagement. If you can find one popular hashtag that fits appropriately, use it! If you have three awesome hashtags, you’re going to have to sacrifice at least one of them (or use it in a different update altogether) if you want to make an impact.

Learn More!

If you’re interested in learning more about the tips and advice we have to offer our Always Best Care franchisees, we invite you to download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook! We are always here to answer your questions about franchising success in the senior care industry, so contact us today.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Training and Support for Senior-Care Franchise Success

Franchising is so attractive because it allows entrepreneurs and business-minded folks like you the chance to succeed using proven systems and techniques. When you combine the power of your own experience and expertise with the resources that are available from a high-quality franchise operation, finding success is simple as long as you’re willing to work hard and stick with the system. This is especially true in the senior-care industry. In home care is one of the fastest-growing franchise sectors, and the market is becoming more and more competitive by the day.

If you’re looking for an edge as you select the right senior care franchise for you and your family, make sure you spend time investigating the training and support resources that are offered. It could mean the difference between success and failure for your business!

Here are some tips:

Look for Training and Support Before You Open

You want to feel confident and ready to provide an amazing service on Day One of your business’s existence. That’s why it’s important to invest in a franchise that offers extensive training prior to your opening day. At Always Best Care, for example, we provide new franchisees with a comprehensive, twelve-week training program, which covers essential topics like initial setup, management, marketing and more!

Mentors and Teachers

Although it’s possible to find mentors and teachers on your own, your best bet is to select a franchise that provides mentorship as a built-in part of its system. Always Best Care’s Area Representatives, for instance, provide ongoing local support for franchisees at every stage of business, and they’re available to answer all of your questions and address your concerns as they come up.

Marketing Support

These days, business success is more dependent upon marketing savvy than ever before. That’s why it’s so critical for prospective franchisees to make sure they franchise with businesses that offer ongoing marketing and advertising support. Always Best Care is a leader in the industry because we provide cutting-edge marketing tools and techniques in addition to our amazing national advertising campaigns. This gives our franchisees a huge advantage in their local markets.

Licensing Help

If you’re going to succeed in senior care, obtaining your license is a necessary step. That’s why you want to partner with a company that will provide guidance for every aspect of the licensing process. Otherwise, you may run into costly delays and snags that keep you from starting on the right foot. Always Best Care understands the importance of proper licensing, which is why we provide experts at every level to help you!

Consider Franchising with Always Best Care

Are you interested in learning more about the amazing training and support we offer to our franchisees? Are you curious about the tools and techniques we have to offer? Learn more about our business and the opportunities we have available by downloading your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Blogging Your Business — Five Tips for Success

Succeeding at business in today’s world requires a certain amount of Internet marketing expertise. This means using social media, setting up a website, growing an email database and practicing proper SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques so that you can be found on the web. One aspect that business owners tend to neglect, though, is blogging.

So, what are the benefits of business blogging?

More Traffic
Every time you update your blog, you create yet another chance to be found by new users.
Fuel for Social Media
When you post a new article on your blog, you have one more piece of content that you can share on social media. More importantly, you give your fans and followers something new to share!
You Are an Authority
When you write consistently about the topics your business focuses on, you establish yourself as an expert in your field, growing your credibility.
Traffic Converted Into Leads
When you add a call to action to your blog post, it encourages readers to travel through your business’s marketing funnel, allowing you to capture the best possible leads.

Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Blog

Now that we know the big benefits of blogging, we can get into some advice to help you maximize your blog’s impact.

#1 – Keep it Consistent

Your blog isn’t going to generate much traffic or make much of an impact if you don’t update it regularly. Try for at least one new post per week.

#2 – Find Unique Angles

Many of the topics you want to cover have been addressed time and again online. As you generate ideas, try to find topics that haven’t been covered, or locate subjects on which you can write from a new angle.

#3 – Easy on the Eyes

Reading online isn’t always the most pleasant experience. Reward your readers by ensuring your blog is full of great images, headlines, lists and space.

#4 – Know Your Keywords

If you want the right people to find your blog, you need to attract them by using the most relevant keywords. Just a little bit of research into this area can give you a huge edge.

#5 – Your Voice; Your Point of View

Attracting readers to your blog is one thing; getting them to come back again and again is a whole other challenge. That’s why it’s so important to establish a unique voice and point of view, letting readers know that they can only find content as fresh, informative and useful as yours on your blog!

Blogging Help and More with Always Best Care

Are you interested in growing a business, but you need some help when it comes to setting up an excellent marketing campaign that includes consistent blogging? When you franchise with Always Best Care, you get access to the industry’s top marketing tools and strategies, and you always have help when it comes to attracting traffic to your site and your business. If you’d like to learn more, download our FREE franchising ebook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Local Marketing for Franchise Success

Marketing your senior care franchise successfully requires you to make sure your business gets exposure on multiple fronts. TV advertising, billboards and – especially – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are all important tools to use as you spread the word about your franchise. However, if you’re not focused on your local market, you may not experience the full potential of your efforts.

If you’re a franchisee and you’re looking for an edge in your marketing efforts, there is actually a lot you can do to spread the word about your business. Obviously, any marketing strategies that you intend to implement will need to be approved by your franchise. But by taking the initiative with some proven methods of marketing, you can separate yourself from the local competition and establish your business as a leader.

Following are a few local marketing initiatives that you can combine with your in home care franchise marketing plan for great success:

#1 – Local Business Listings

From the consumer’s side of the equation, this seems like common sense – when you search for a local business online, you expect to find information on its location, business hours, telephone number and social media presence. Unfortunately, too many local businesses fail to establish themselves in local listings.

If you aren’t showing up in search results, then it’s time to build profiles and add information to sites like Google Plus, Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook. Be sure to consult with your area representative or corporate office so that you adhere to your company’s guidelines. Your support team may even have tools, images, templates and strategy guides to help you!

#2 – Social Media

Almost every business uses social media, but some businesses use it much more effectively than others. For franchises, it’s critical to use social media outlets to locate and market to a local audience. Using social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook allows you to plug your business directly into the community by promoting news, events and other pertinent information in your feeds.

Once you’ve established yourself as a local business worth following on social media, you will build amazing loyalty among your followers and fans. Of course, you should always check with your corporate office to ensure that the strategies you employ adhere to franchise guidelines.

#3 – Email Marketing

If you’re like most people, you probably get emails every day from local business promoting their services and wares. Maybe you delete most of these, but it’s likely that you’ve also learned about promotions and deals that made you a more loyal customer thanks to email communications that have provided real value.

An email marketing campaign can be difficult to establish, but your efforts will be worth it in the long run as you build a list of interested, local consumers who have voiced real interest in your business. Be sure to inform every customer (and potential customer) about the benefits of signing up for your list (discounts, coupons, free consultations, etc.). After a while, you’ll notice that your email list contains names of your most loyal and passionate fans. Just make sure that you work with your area rep or corporate office so you know the guidelines that must be followed to ensure franchise success through email!

If you’re interested in learning more about franchise marketing in one of the fastest-growing sectors, contact Franchise With Always Best Care today! Also, be sure to download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook for more great information on how you can succeed as a franchisee!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.