When teaching a college marketing class, I always make sure to cover the traditional 4 Ps of marketing--Product, Price, Place, and Promotion--that are deemed as the necessary ingredients for successful marketing. However, I wondered if those are really the right "P mix" to follow in our world of senior care marketing in order to keep the lead pool full. Read on to learn about the real marketing Ps... the 5 Ps for inbound marketing!
The Five Ps of Inbound Marketing:
- People - At the heart of senior care services are people; people who make decisions about your service, people who influence others to use your service, and those who deliver your service. Effectively connecting with your target audience through successful marketing strategies means understanding each of your viewers, what their needs and wants are, and how to properly communicate these necessities in a compelling message through the various stages of the sales funnel.
- Positioning - Competition for your service is fierce, and your potential customers are constantly being bombarded with marketing messages every day. It's important that you understand what your competitive advantage is and identify the best marketing strategies to help you stand out in the crowd. Nearly everyone says they give great care...you have to move beyond being "vanilla." Set yourself apart from your competition. Be clear about why your service meets the "pain" your customer is experiencing. Remember, people don’t typically wake up and say, "Oh, I need nursing home care today," or "I think I'll move to independent living." Something triggered the need to explore senior care services. Make sure your message meets that need.
- Personal Credibility - In many instances, people select a senior care service because either someone they know or someone online influenced their decision –usually due to a favorable comment. The first impression experience they have with a sales rep, admission coordinated, etc. can also have a high impact on the end-decision. Establishing credibility through personal contact or genuine positive referrals is imperative. In addition, two of the most under-utilized forms of marketing to establish credibility are giving talks, such as educational presentations, and providing content online (such as through a blog on your web site). Credibility means building trust, which in turn means demonstrating you are an expert in understanding seniors, their needs and the services that can meet their needs.
- Pull not Push - Old school marketing mantra was about pushing your message out to everyone through your marketing efforts,such as newspaper, radio advertising or unsolicited mail. Now customers have the ability to "tune us out and turn us off." Therefore, we need to stop talking about "us" and instead start listening and pulling people to us. Pull marketing is like being a magnet –people are pulled to you because you know how to connect with potential leads and gently build a relationship with them. You provide a reason for the lead to want to connect with you because you give them something that will help them ease their "pain," and you demonstrate that you are the best fit for their needs. Offering helpful resources on your website is an excellent avenue to do this.
- Persistence - There is no such thing as a "quick fix" when it comes to reaching your census or occupancy goals. Marketing today is about learning the best strategies through trial and error, and then building upon the successes. It's also about being proactive and flexible and creating a sustainable plan rather than reacting to the mood-of-the-day census. Persistence about following a marketing strategy; about continual follow up with leads and about integrating traditional and online marketing strategies are key building blocks for any marketing plan today.
Do you find one or more of the 5 “Ps” hard to follow? Which ones are they and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
