Poor marketing hampers elderly care housing provision
A lack of basic public relations and marketing skills amongst extra care housing providers is contributing to poor awareness of the sector, a report published this month by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network has concluded.
A wide-ranging study said the sector should be approached as a market with favourable demographics but 'low market penetration'.
Marketing Extra Care Housing (opens new window) found there were special characteristics around the sector - including for example, the importance of building up trust and reassurance with prospective and existing residents, their families and carers.
It said: "The concept, clientele and diversity of providers makes extra care housing an interesting testing ground for the practical application of social, moral and faith principles. This distinguishes it further from the drivers of mainstream housing."
Not-for-profit providers, the study said, found it very effective to use the name of a church or other value driven organisations as 'the brand'. A number of other providers also 'skilfully deployed' branding to raise awareness of housing with care generally but with a keen business eye to promote the lifestyle choices provided.
The report found that marketing extra care housing often involved a multiplicity of audiences apart from prospective tenants or owners, ranging from local authorities to banks and local commissioners.
It also found that when marketing to prospective tenants or owners, providers were ready to deploy care staff - in one case, a registered nurse heads the marketing team with a professional marketer while in another care staff take the lead in visiting potential customers at home, seeing it as a good way to build trust.
Despite the gaps in marketing and public relations, most private and not-for-profit providers do have a written marketing strategy and most of the former have a dedicated marketing team - increasingly drawn from people with a proven sales background.
Most emphasised the value of extra care housing as an alternative to nursing or residential care.
One company had 'invested heavily' in creating awareness of its brand and felt this was a hugely successful marketing tool - but only if all staff portrayed the brand's values.
Amongst the most effective forms of marketing identified by providers and commissioners were:
- on-site sales functions
- advertising in the local free newspaper
- posters and leaflets in GP surgeries
- publication of an in-house magazine
- cause-related marketing and a local presence at charity shops (for charities)
- resident endorsement
- computer-generated images of the development
- use of care staff in talking to prospective residents
- specific briefings for referral and assessment teams and
- on-site photo opportunities for local media.
Jeremy Porteus, National Programme Lead for DH Care Networks, said: "The extra care housing market is continuing to grow but, unsurprisingly given it is still a relatively new market, providers and commissioners need to develop their capacity and capability. This includes developing and deploying a range of marketing skills in response to the social care needs and lifestyle aspirations of an ageing society."
The study found little awareness and use by providers of the Elderly Accommodation Counsel's Quality of Information Mark.
It also cautioned that current marketing of extra care housing is aimed almost exclusively at older people with care needs rather than other vulnerable adults such as people with learning disabilities. There is also little marketing of provision aimed at people from ethnic minorities.
Editor's Note:
1) For further information (media only) please call Chris Mahony on 0207 972 4382.
2) The report was written for the Housing LIN by Michael McCarthy.
3) The Housing LIN brings together those working in local authorities, the NHS, registered social landlords, the private sector and others interested in addressing the housing with support needs of older people and other vulnerable adults. It is funded by the Department of Health and is part of DH Care Networks.