SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CARE HOMES

Social media is a must for businesses and care homes are no different. The main challenges for owners or marketing managers is to not only find the right platforms to use but also provide relevant and value added content to post. The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all and will depend on a number of different factors. Ownacarehome marketing and PR partner, Sharp Minds Communications,  helps by providing practical advice for social media in the care home sector.

To begin with we’ll look at how and why care homes should use social media and the channels you could use to maximise your online presence.

Social media channels for care homes

In 2022 there are more social media channels than ever to choose from. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter are all great options for care homes.

If you are new to using social media or aren’t fully established, it isn’t a problem to post the same across multiple channels. Indeed, using multiple channels with consistent and aligned messaging can really boost your profile and what you stand for.

From our experience, Facebook generates a lot of engagement for care homes particularly from friends and family of carers and residents. Twitter is a great place for shorter updates and creating conversations. LinkedIn has a more corporate feel (although that has softened in recent times) so will lend itself towards recruitment and thought leader content. Instagram and YouTube are image and video-first platforms that will perform well with authentic shots of your care home, the team and residents. 

Care home brand awareness

The major benefit of using social media is that it raises the profile of the excellent work your care home is doing day-to-day. You can demonstrate this by sharing everything from a spotlight on your staff’s successes and milestones, activities for your residents, any partnerships or schemes you are involved in and expert pieces on care topics.

A larger online presence supports a care home by:

• Increasing your care home’s standing within the community as well as the care industry in general
• Engaging with people that are relevant to your business- whether that is a potential care worker or someone looking to find a home for a parent.
• Sharing success from your team, making them feel valued and supported.
• Helping to tell your story, your values, mission and goals

Recruiting new talent for your care home

Social media has become the go-to for job seekers with 79% using social media at some point to find their new role. This goes up to 86% when you only look at Generation Z ( ages 18-24). With the use of hashtags like #socialcarejobs and with shares from accounts with large followings, you can reach a large number of potential candidates. LinkedIn is one of the better places to post your vacancy as you can view a candidate’s experience and qualifications quickly on their profile.

Being active on social media can provide potential applicants with an insight into working life at your care home and why it could be a great fit for them.

A quick start guide to social media for care homes

If you’re new to care home social media or need a checklist to work from, here is a good place to start.

• Make life easier with a management tool- Software such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social allow you to schedule posts in advance across multiple channels. Of course, you’ll always have ad-hoc posts that can be uploaded straight away but this allows you to be organised, consistent and saves a lot of time.
• Care awareness days- The first port of call to schedule in are posts around awareness days. Share if you have a specific event to support it or are just posting to boost the awareness.
• Hashtags are important- Use hashtags in all your posts to help those interested in the topic find it. General hashtags such as #carehome or #homecare should feature in all your posts.
• Tag relevant people and locations- Whenever you mention people or companies in your posts always tag them to allow them and their networks to see it. The same applies for locations, especially if it is a well-known place.
• Images and video- High quality and engaging media stick out on social media, grabbing the attention of the user. On every post you should at least include an authentic (not a dull stock) image to increase its visibility.
• Authenticity is king- As mentioned with images and video, authentic content sticks out like a sore thumb- in a good way. A brand’s ‘real’ content builds genuine relationships with its users.
• Track results and performance- Social channels allow you to track various metrics to determine the performance of individual posts and to compare against other channels. Use these results to inform future strategy.

If you would like more help with your care home social media strategy, contact us on communications@sharpminds.agency or give us a call on 01892 570863.

You can find more of our #SharpTips marketing insights on the Sharp Minds website.