With 60% of the sales decision now done before a buyer ever contacts a vendor, increasing consumer blindness to ads, and longer decision cycles in senior care, “content marketing” should be a key element in your senior care marketing toolkit.

“You’ve got prospects who know very little about your services, it’s typically a long and emotional decision, and there are lots of different parties involved,” said a Caring sales expert. “You can bug people over and over with phone calls, or you can offer them information that really helps them get through the decision — and of course, presents what your senior care services have to offer in the best possible light.”

Content marketing doesn’t have to be hard and expensive.

Content Made Simple

Add a blog to your website (and update it regularly), ask your clients and residents to post online reviews, and send informative emails regularly to your lead bank – and you’re doing some content marketing!

Yet, as a marketing partner to the senior care industry, we at Caring.com know that many senior living communities, home care agencies, and senior care service providers struggle with regularly generating great content that successfully builds customer relationships. They don’t have the time or resources to continually generate fresh, engaging articles or blog posts, and sometimes don’t even know where to begin or how to measure their efforts.

We can help.

In February 2016, as part of a content marketing webcast, we launched the “Content Made Simple” program to help senior care companies better reach and engage Baby Boomers and older adults cost-effectively through interesting, helpful, and timely content. The program has a range of services:

• CONTENT SPARKS: We shared three (3) new thematic ideas monthly for a year that local senior care providers’ can turn into blog posts, website articles, and e-newsletter blurbs. The monthly content sparks are posted on this blog, and include a brief overview on the theme, as well as tips and resources to support production of the related content.

• SOCIAL MARKETING & SEARCH TIPS: It’s not enough to create great content. Your content also needs be found, read, and shared widely to be effective in building customer relationships. Our Digital Marketing Academy and Content Made Simple programming regularly include tips to help you optimize your content for search engines and increase social reach.

• MEASUREMENT GUIDANCE: After you’ve written excellent content, and optimized it for search and social, you need to track its impact. Our Content Made Simple programming includes the best tactics for measuring content-sourced outcomes, including expert insights and case studies. For instance, in April 2016, we’ll covered best practices for email nurture campaigns, including how to measure their effectiveness.

The Content Made Simple program also includes the following additional services for our referral partners (directory advertising clients) only:

• “EXPERT ROLODEX” OPPORTUNITIES — We’re regularly contacted by journalists seeking interviews with senior care experts, and our writers also need to speak with experts for stories we’re publishing on a range of senior living and senior care topics. Caring.com clients can submit their employees and experts for consideration when these content source opportunities arise. Learn more about Caring’s Expert Rolodex now.

• CARING.COM ARTICLE REPRINTS — See an article on our site that is just perfect for your blog, website, or e-newsletter? Caring.com Clients can work with our Editorial staff to make that same article available on your site, with proper attributions and usage permissions to ensure the collaboration is optimized for search and honors our copyrights.