As media use evolves, the options for home-based care marketing are increasing. Providers of home care and home health must consider the benefits and risks of platforms, including TikTok, television and print ads, before investing dollars that may be increasingly more stressful to spend as margins become slimmer.

Home-based care companies must also consider substantial changes in audiences and consumer preferences, according to marketing executives in the industry.

“We’re looking for transformative growth,” Teresa Celmer, chief marketing officer at BrightStar Care, said on a recent Home Health Care webinar. “The transformative growth we’re seeking will require us to continue to do some of the things we’re doing today, and take on new and bold and different channels, audiences and content in order to attract the right people.”

Chicago-based BrightStar provides home care, senior living and supplemental staffing. Peak Rock Capital acquired BrightStar in March.

BrightStar focuses its marketing efforts on a trio of audiences, Celmer said. This includes consumers seeking home care for a loved one and BrightStar’s B2B targets, which include local senior nursing facilities or national accounts like workers’ compensation. The third, which is “how BrightStar makes it all happen,” is its caregivers.

Companies that primarily offer home health will have different aims. Dallas-based AccentCare’s marketing strategy primarily involves a mix of earned, owned and paid marketing, with a focus on referrals, according to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Heather Wilson. Marketing efforts aimed at recruiting talent are often through paid advertising, Wilson said, to amplify AccentCare’s name as a trusted employer.

AccentCare has recently launched a “massive refresh” of its marketing look and feel to build home health referral relationships, Wilson said. The company has overhauled its website and brochures to equip its sales teams with the right marketing collateral, she said. Her marketing team is moving to digital tools, including QR codes and other marketing tools that people can pull up on a phone or tablet.

Along with having the right tools, a strong reputation and brand trust are critical for driving referrals in an industry where there is a push for transparency and proof, according to Wilson.

“For us, everything comes down to storytelling, whether it’s on social or through paid things we’re doing,” Wilson said. “

The channels marketers are choosing

The home-based care industry is rapidly moving away from print — if it hasn’t already.

Companies have to be everywhere their audiences are consuming, according to Celmer, so BrightStar is in constant “pilot mode,” testing new tactics at the regional level before determining whether the strategy is worth deploying at a national level.

Over a third of BrightStar’s budget goes to video marketing, including television, cable and YouTube. Another third is devoted to “all things digital,” which Celmer said was a significant part of the company’s growth. The final third of the company’s budget goes to technology, including HubSpot, public relations and content creation.

“Digital is again our best friend, but at the same time, it’s very challenging and always changing,” Celmer said. “Google seems to change the rules every couple of algorithms, right? But the idea is, how do we stay on top of it? It’s by giving us a little bit of grace and going, ‘We’re going to test it, we’re going to track it, we’re going to use the data and continue to make better decisions with the information we have.”’

For AccentCare, it’s rare that clients choose to partner with the company solely based on advertising. Instead, the company’s on-the-ground sales teams work to create a hyper-local feeling.

“I’m sure we’re not the only company dealing with this, but at the end of the day, I don’t think patients care that we’re a giant company,” Wilson said, adding that in in many of its markets, AccentCare is trying to project being more of a “small town, one-ranch” operation.

AccentCare’s marketing budget is “digital first,” including online ads and emails, Wilson said, although the company invests a small portion in print materials, such as brochures.

Digital and social media marketing have expanded AccentCare’s ability to educate both consumers and referral partners, Wilson said. Dispelling myths and clearing up confusion around hospice and palliative care is a central pillar of the company’s marketing strategy — particularly as misconceptions remain widespread, especially among consumers.

The “beauty” of digital marketing, according to Wilson, is the ability to receive instant feedback on the performance of a campaign.

“We’re a very data-driven company, probably like most people in healthcare,” Wilson said. “I can show my leadership team within minutes how something performed.”

Changing trends

While strategically choosing which channels to invest in is crucial, home-based care companies must also stay abreast of shifting demographic trends to determine which channels to expand into and which marketing strategies to employ.

“What I’ve seen most recently is how the audiences are getting a little bit younger,” Celmer said. “Typically, we start [advertising to audiences] around 40, [but] it’s actually dropping a few years younger. It could be a function of people who are having children later, and their parents, though, are of a certain age.”

To address a younger population, BrightStar tests and pilots marketing on different channels. Some BrightStar franchisees have begun marketing on TikTok, but the corporate brand may not yet be ready to join that specific platform.

“The conversation that comes up quite a bit and on my teams again and again, ‘Are we ready for TikTok?”’ Celmer said. “As marketers, as we know, it’s a big commitment to be in that space. You don’t just, all of a sudden, show up every once in a while.”

Wilson has also noticed that demographics are shifting younger, but AccentCare has also opted against joining TikTok, a platform Wilson said may be more trendy than substantive.

In addition to skewing younger, home-based care consumers also expect higher levels of personalization than ever before, Wilson said.

“Consumers are so used to getting exactly what they want, they can live in their own ecosphere,” Wilson said. “How do we get involved in that ecosphere and show up there? Making sure that we are relevant. Maybe TikTok is not the right place, but where are the places where it will feel personalized, and we’re showing up where the end consumer is, but in a way that is authentic for us as a brand.”

An example of an authentic message, Wilson said, is the sharing of employee and patient testimonials through online videos.

An almost-ubiquitous marketing trend, according to Wilson, is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Marketers must use generative AI responsibly, Wilson said, but AI content optimization can help marketing teams improve creativity and innovation.

“I don’t even know if it’s a trend anymore, it’s just kind of how we live,” she said.

With rapid changes in consumer behavior and care delivery, embracing innovation such as AI, is becoming increasingly essential for staying ahead in home-based care.

“This is really about life cycle marketing,” Celmer said. “That means being uncomfortable by doing it for a while before you really get comfortable. So, challenging the status quo.”