Building a Care Home Marketing Strategy

Your care home's success begins long before a resident moves in. While excellent care keeps beds filled, smart marketing brings the right residents to your door in the first place.

In this article, we'll cover:

• Foundational elements of a home care agency marketing

• Digital and local marketing tactics that drive leads

• How to tailor marketing to private-pay vs. referral-based clients

What is care home marketing?

Care home marketing focuses on promoting your facility's services to both potential residents' families and healthcare referral sources.

Unlike hospital marketing, which often targets broad patient populations, care home marketing requires speaking to two distinct audiences: concerned family members making emotional decisions and clinical professionals making practical referrals.

The primary goals of care home marketing typically include:

• Building brand awareness in your local community

• Preventing low census through a steady pipeline of new admissions

• Generating qualified leads from both private-pay families and healthcare referral networks

Know your audience: Private-pay vs. referral-based

The success of your care home marketing hinges on one critical factor: understanding who makes placement decisions. Families searching for care and healthcare professionals referring patients have dramatically different priorities, information needs, and decision timelines.

When families search for care homes, emotions drive decisions as much as facts do. Adult children feel responsible for their parents' well-being while balancing guilt, anxiety, and practical concerns.

They'll spend weeks or months researching options, reading reviews, and touring facilities. Their questions often center on quality of life, dignified care, and whether mom or dad will be happy.

Healthcare professionals, however, make referral decisions based on clinical fit, availability, and past experiences with your facility. A discharge planner might need to place a patient within hours and will prioritize facilities that respond quickly and accept complex cases within their specialties.

Building effective personas

To sharpen your assisted living marketing plan, create detailed personas for your key decision-makers.

Adult Children (45-65):

• Primary concerns: Parent's happiness, quality of care, affordability

• Information sources: Google searches, facility reviews, friends' recommendations

• Decision drivers: Facility appearance, staff interactions, proximity to family

• Decision timeline: Often weeks or months of research before committing

Hospital case managers:

• Primary concerns: Quick placement, appropriate clinical match, insurance acceptance

• Information sources: Previous facility relationships, colleague recommendations

• Decision drivers: Facility response time, acceptance rates, readmission statistics

• Decision timeline: Often same-day decisions during discharge planning

Social workers:

• Primary concerns: Patient safety, continuity of care, financial eligibility

• Information sources: Professional networks, facility documentation

• Decision drivers: Specialized care programs, staff-to-resident ratios, facility compliance history

• Decision timeline: Variable, depending on placement urgency

Tailoring messaging to buyer journeys

Different messages resonate at different stages of the decision process.

For families:

• Awareness stage: Educational content about when moving to a care home becomes necessary

• Consideration stage: Facility differentiators, virtual tours, staff credentials

• Decision stage: Financing options, admission processes, testimonials from satisfied families

For healthcare professionals:

• Awareness stage: Clinical specialties, insurance acceptance, bed availability processes

• Consideration stage: Response time guarantees, admissions team contacts, clinical capabilities

• Decision stage: Streamlined referral procedures, direct access to admissions coordinators

By creating content and outreach targeted to each audience at the right time in their journey, you'll connect more effectively with both groups who influence your census.

Must-have foundations of a care home marketing strategy

Before diving into tactics, establish these critical home health marketing foundations to maximize your return on investment.

Professional branding that builds trust

Your visual identity communicates volumes about your care standards. When families see inconsistent logos, outdated websites, or poor-quality photos, they wonder what else you're neglecting.

Strong care home branding includes:

• A professional logo that avoids healthcare clichés while conveying compassion

• A consistent color palette used across all materials (online and offline)

• Professional photography of your actual facility and staff (not stock photos)

• A clear mission statement that differentiates your approach to care

• Consistent messaging about your specializations and care philosophy

The best branding feels both professional and warm –– clinical expertise with a human touch.

A website designed for anxious families

Your website often provides the first impression of your facility. Make yours work harder with these essentials:

• Fast loading speeds (visitors abandon slow sites, especially on mobile)

• Simple navigation with prominent "Contact Us" and "Schedule a Tour" buttons

• Virtual tours showing resident rooms, common areas, and outdoor spaces

• Clear explanations of services, specialties, and levels of care

• Straightforward pricing information (or clear next steps to discuss costs)

Remember that most website visitors are adult children experiencing stress and guilt about the potential placement decision. Make your site informative, reassuring, and easy to navigate.

Local SEO for community visibility

When families search for "care homes near me," will they find you before your competitors? Local search visibility starts with a fully optimized Google Business Profile featuring current facility photos, accurate contact information, regular posts about events or improvements, and prompt responses to all reviews. 

Don't stop there — ensure your facility appears consistently across healthcare-specific directories like Care.com and Caring.com, as well as general business listings such as Yelp and the BBB. Your website should include location-specific content mentioning your city, nearby hospitals you accept referrals from, and community connections.

This local focus pays off. Facilities appearing first in local searches typically receive twice as many inquiries as those on the second page of results.

Proactive reputation management

In senior care, your online reputation can make or break your census. Families read an average of seven reviews before contacting a facility, and 88% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Build a positive reputation by actively soliciting feedback from satisfied families. Remember that better patient engagement leads to better word-of-mouth referrals.  responding professionally to all reviews (both positive and negative), and using criticism as opportunities to demonstrate your commitment to improvement.

Feature positive testimonials prominently in your marketing materials and train all staff on how their daily interactions contribute to your facility's reputation.

Don't wait for a crisis — many care homes ignore their online presence until negative reviews appear. Creating a foundation of positive reviews now provides protection when you need it most.

Referral tracking systems

The most successful care homes know exactly where their residents come from and nurture those referral sources systematically. Implement a basic tracking system to monitor:

• Which hospitals and physicians refer to you most frequently

• Which marketing channels generate the highest-quality leads

• How quickly your team responds to referrals and inquiries

• Your conversion rate from inquiry to tour to admission

• Follow-up activities with key referral sources

This data helps you invest more in what's working and fix breakdowns in your admissions process, maximizing your marketing return on investment and building stronger referral partnerships.

Digital marketing for care homes

A well-rounded digital marketing strategy helps your care home show up at the right time, answer common questions, and build trust with potential families.

Your digital marketing plan should contain some of these steps:

• SEO basics for care home websites: Your website should work as your 24/7 marketing tool. Make sure it’s easy for search engines to understand by using clear keywords like "assisted living near me" or "care homes in [city name]."
  
  Optimize page titles, add meta descriptions, and include your full address to improve local search visibility. Don’t forget mobile optimization — many families search on their phones.
  
  

• Blogging and content marketing: Helpful content builds trust. Consider writing posts that answer common questions ("What’s the difference between assisted living and skilled nursing?"), share virtual tours of your facility, or provide family-friendly guides to choosing the right care. This positions your care home as a helpful, knowledgeable resource.
  
  

• Email marketing campaigns (nurturing leads, tours, seasonal updates): Email is a powerful way to stay connected with families who’ve inquired but aren’t ready to commit. Set up automated campaigns to send updates about upcoming tours, holiday events, or educational resources. It’s a low-cost way to keep your care home top of mind.
  
  

• Reputation management and online reviews: Reviews heavily influence care decisions. Proactively ask satisfied families to leave reviews on Google and senior care directories. Respond to all reviews, positive or negative, to show you value feedback and are engaged with your community.
  
  

• Virtual tours and online scheduling: Make it easy for prospective families to explore your facility from home. Offering virtual tours and online scheduling for consultations or in-person visits helps remove friction from the decision-making process.
  
  

• Website accessibility and user experience improvements: Ensure your website is easy to navigate for all users, including those with visual or mobility impairments. Simple navigation, clear calls to action, and accessible design show that your facility cares about inclusivity.

Local outreach strategies for home-care agency marketing

Building real-world connections complements your digital efforts and reinforces your reputation in the local community. To be sure that your name comes to mind when  families and professionals need to refer care, use these strategies: 

• Partner with hospitals, case managers, and senior centers: Forming strong partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations helps drive direct referrals. Keep them updated on your services, availability, and any specialty programs you offer.
  
  

• Host open houses, webinars, or caregiver workshops: Invite the community in—virtually or in person. Educational events position you as a trusted resource and give families a no-pressure way to learn about your services.
  
  

• Print brochures and flyers for community boards or discharge planners: Physical materials are still effective, especially for hospitals, clinics, and senior centers. Make sure your brochures are up to date, easy to read, and include clear contact information.
  
  

• Participate in local events and health fairs: Have a presence at local senior fairs, community festivals, or health screenings. Personal conversations and face-to-face interactions build trust and name recognition.
  
  

• Build referral networks with complementary service providers: Collaborate with home health agencies, physical therapy practices, or elder law attorneys. Cross-referrals help ensure families get comprehensive support and extend your reach into trusted networks.

How to measure marketing success in the care industry

Marketing in the care industry isn’t just about getting more visibility—it’s about knowing exactly what’s working and where to focus your time and budget. Without clear tracking, you’re guessing. With the right metrics, you can confidently grow admissions and fill your pipeline.

Here’s how to do it in practice:

Key KPIs

Lead volume, tour bookings, cost-per-lead, conversion rate: Track the basics consistently. How many inquiries are you getting each week? How many of those convert into booked tours or consultations? Monitor your cost-per-lead to make sure your spending stays efficient. Then watch your conversion rate (inquiries to move-ins) to spot drop-off points in your process.

Pro tip: Don’t just track total leads. Separate them by source (Google Ads, Facebook, organic search, referral). This shows you where to double down.

CRM and call tracking for attribution

Use a simple customer relationship management (CRM) system to log every inquiry, track follow-ups, and measure outcomes. Pair this with call tracking tools to know exactly which ads, pages, or campaigns are driving inbound calls. You'll stop wondering where your best leads come from.

A/B testing messaging and call-to-action buttons

Small tweaks can have a big impact. Test different phrases on your website (like "Schedule a tour" vs. "Book your visit today") or try different colors for call-to-action buttons. A/B testing shows you, with data, what resonates most with families.

Monitor website engagement

Go beyond traffic numbers. Check how long visitors stay on your site, which pages they click through, and how many complete your inquiry forms. If people leave quickly, it’s a sign that your messaging or layout needs improvement.

Frequently asked questions

How can I attract more private-pay residents?

To attract more private-pay residents, focus on building strong local visibility and personal connections. Keep your website and Google Business Profile up to date, share real photos of your facility, and highlight services that appeal to private-pay families, like premium amenities and specialized care programs.

Should care homes use paid ads like Google or Facebook?

Yes—paid ads can help you reach families actively searching for care options. Target ads by location and keywords, and use retargeting to stay visible to people who’ve already visited your site. Even small budgets can drive valuable inquiries.

Can technology help manage referrals and follow-ups?

Absolutely. Tools like ExaCare centralize referrals, speed up admissions decisions, and help your team respond quickly to hospitals and families. This keeps your process organized, reduces delays, and helps you capture more opportunities.

How ExaCare supports care home marketing growth

While ExaCare isn’t a marketing platform, it plays a critical role in helping care homes grow by improving the operational systems that turn inquiries into admissions. Fast, confident decision-making strengthens hospital relationships, boosts occupancy, and ensures that your marketing efforts lead to real results.

Here’s how ExaCare helps care homes support their growth goals:

AI-powered screening accelerates admissions decisions

Speed is essential in admissions. ExaCare uses AI to process lengthy referral packets in minutes, pulling out critical clinical and financial details like medications, diagnoses, and insurance information. With faster, more informed decisions, your facility can respond quickly to hospital referrals, giving you an edge in competitive markets.

Centralized referral management simplifies workflows

ExaCare integrates with major referral platforms, consolidating all incoming referrals into one easy-to-navigate system. Teams no longer need to toggle between portals, reducing administrative burden and helping your facility act on every opportunity without delay.

Clinical decision support improves patient fit

ExaCare highlights key risks like high-cost medications and potential reimbursement gaps. This ensures your facility accepts patients who align with your care capabilities and financial goals, supporting sustainable census growth.

Streamlined hospital collaboration builds trusted relationships

ExaCare facilitates smoother communication with hospital case managers and discharge planners. Fast, reliable responses make your facility a preferred network partner, strengthening referral relationships over time.

Customizable analytics optimize admissions strategy

ExaCare’s reporting tools give you visibility into response times, referral sources, and denial reasons. These insights help you refine your approach, spot trends, and focus your efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact, making your assisted living marketing and admissions strategy smarter and more effective.

Is your care home ready to manage marketing referrals?

The numbers are clear: Faster admissions and better decision-making reduce readmissions and protect your revenue.

ExaCare transforms your admissions process by using AI to streamline referrals, automate document review, and help you make faster, more informed decisions. Our platform helps you modernize your operations while maintaining the quality of care your facility is known for.

ExaCare’s AI-powered tools give you the insights and speed you need to stay ahead in a competitive market, respond to referrals faster, and strengthen your hospital relationships.

Let’s talk about how ExaCare can support your growth goals.

Schedule a demo.