December 2014: 3, 2, 1 … HAPPY NEW YEAR! Are you ready for 2015?

New Year’s Day is only days away. It’s time to plan your marketing for the year and make sure you’re increasing your presence in your community. Effective marketing strategies are the key to keeping your agency’s name top of mind and ensuring you’re the agency of choice when it’s time to make a referral.

  • Contact local senior centers, assisted living facilities, church groups, retirement groups and other local groups with a large senior attendance. Work out a schedule for your agency that will allow you to regularly reach out to these groups by hosting a series of community education classes. Find done-for-you classes that don’t require participation by a clinician, complete with handout and promotional materials at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
  • As you craft your marketing plan for the year, use the power of variable data campaigns to get a specific message to a specific audience. Reach seniors, referral sources or potential employees – all by name – with a personal message that is relevant to each. Learn more at http://itargetcampaigns.com/.

January is National Bath Safety Month. Did you know that the bathroom is one of the most common sites of falls among the elderly? It’s also one part of the home where a few modifications can easily prevent a disabling or even life-threatening fall. Spread the word this Bath Safety Month about the importance of fall prevention — in the bathroom, as well as throughout the home.

  • Present a free community education class on fall prevention at your local library. Educate participants about the need to stay safe throughout the home. You can even distribute small items emblazoned with your agency’s name and logo, such as nightlights for the bathroom or non-slip adhesive strips for the bath. Find a ready-made class that a non-clinician can teach at https://www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
  • Show referral sources and patients that not only are you serious about fall prevention, but you have a strong program in place to ensure your clients are safer at home. Patient education guides focusing on fall prevention are a great way to present important information to patients in a concise manner, and they’re also a great way to show physicians you have your act together. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
  • Another way to prove to referral sources that you can back up your fall prevention efforts this month is to present your Home Health Compare scores as they relate to fall prevention. Presenting these in a clear format and showing how they compare to state and national averages is strong and persuasive evidence that your agency is up to the task. Find ready-made fall prevention brochures for physicians and seniors at https://www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php and https://www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.

January naturally has Americans placing a little extra emphasis on living well and healthfully. That may be why National Healthy Weight Week is set to start Jan. 18, and Women’s Healthy WeightDay is Jan. 29. Encourage all those in your service community (and on your staff) to do what they can to live better, more healthful lives. Focus on education as you kick off the year, and show the community your passion for health.

  • Just a few extra pounds can have serious health consequences. Set up a booth at a local mall and distribute information about the importance of exercise in warding off harmful health conditions. Find helpful health care flyers on topics such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and physical therapy athttps://www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

November 2014: Ho! Ho! No! The holidays are here! Are you ready?

If you haven’t started thinking about Christmas and Hanukkah yet, now is the time. Thanksgiving will be here in a blink and you don’t want to get caught unprepared for your business’ holiday needs. So get in a festive mood and make sure you’re ready to not only celebrate, but share the season with your referral sources, health care partners, clients and staff.

  • Holiday Cards are a time-tested way to get into the spirit of the season, capture the attention of your referral sources and health care partners, and send a subtle reminder of the value of home care. Cards are personalized to your agency and are appropriate for all faiths. The newest available line of cards partners with a nonprofit agency that helps developmentally disabled adults learn job skills. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/holiday-cards.php.
  • Stand out from the holiday noise by sending a card that can be used all year long. Holiday calendar cards are personalized to your agency and include a one-page 2015 calendar. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/holiday-calendar-cards.php.
  • Spread holiday cheer with a high-value, low-cost giveaway for clients, referral sources, senior centers, and employees. Personalized CDs with beautiful instrumental versions of many holiday classics will enliven any environment and make sure your agency stays top of mind year after year. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/holiday-cd.php.
  • It’s not too late to order personalized home care calendars and get them in the hands of referral sources, community stakeholders, volunteers and patients. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/homecare-calendars.php.

Keeping patients, prospects, referral sources and community members informed is one of the greatest ways we can further our marketing efforts all year long. One of the best ways to do this is by distributing a monthly agency newsletter. It can be difficult for agencies to find the time or resources to compose strong newsletters month after month, but it doesn’t have to be.

  • Visit https://www.homecarenewsletters.com/ and check out its collection of dozens of ready-made newsletters available for home health, private duty and hospice. These newsletters are written in a friendly format and cover a wide range of topics relevant to physicians, patients and family members. Send them every month (digitally or via traditional mail) and keep your agency top of mind with these topical, informative marketing materials.

This International AIDS Awareness Month, make a commitment to increase community awareness of AIDS and HIV and the ways your agency can help. Be sure to also take part in World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.

  • Provide HIV specialists with agency-personalized pain and symptom logs for them to distribute to their patients (and your prospects). The logs provide an easy way for patients to track their pain and other symptoms and communicate this information to their physician. Find them at https://tagwebstore.com/painsymptomlog.php.
  • Hospice agencies should be sure to leave behind personalized hospice specialty care flyers about HIV for use by physician office personnel. Find them at https://tagwebstore.com/hospice-specialty-care-flyers.php.
  • Call on HIV specialists in your community and discuss the benefits of hospice care for end-stage AIDS patients. Leave behind a personalized Guidelines for Hospice Admission flip chart, a physician tool that describes the common end-stage indicators for common illnesses, including HIV disease. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/flipchart-hospice.php.
  • Call on local clinics specializing in AIDS and HIV. Offer to host a free chronic disease management course that their clients will find helpful. Find the class (which can be taught by a non-clinician) at https://www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.

The amazing work done by volunteers is irreplaceable in our communities, as well as in many of our own agencies. Dec. 5, 2015 is International Volunteer Day. Make an effort to recognize those volunteers who help you do all that you do.

  • Hand out personalized giveaway cards complete with a small treat for your volunteers. Make sure to sign it yourself and have many of your agency’s leaders sign as well. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/giveaway.php.
  • Puzzle books are a fun and easy way to keep your agency’s name at the fingertips of almost anyone. Offer puzzle books to your volunteers. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
  • There are many fun and inexpensive ways you can treat volunteers with something special. Visit http://theadamgrp.espwebsite.com/ to check out tons of options, including personalized lanyards, water bottles, T-shirts, lip balms, and pens.
  • Your volunteers are among the best people to help spread the word about the good work your agency does. Make sure every volunteer has a stash of agency marketing brochures in their car so they can be ready to hand one out anytime someone expresses an interest in home care or hospice. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/marketing-brochures.php.

October 2014: It’s time to get serious about home care

We have big news, blog readers! We want you to be the first to know about the great way we’re making home care marketing easier than ever. All of the printed products in our webstore (www.tagwebstore.com) are 30% OFF through the end of November*. Let’s talk about ways you can use them to boost your referrals, profits and community reputation.

But first, let’s discuss the one giveaway your agency can’t afford to skip this season: personalized hand sanitizer. 

  • Flu season is underway, and everyone has preventing illness on their minds – especially as viruses such as Ebola and enterovirus D-68 continue to make daily headlines. Give peace of mind to patients, prospects, referral sources and staff while also helping reinforce their mental connection with your agency by distributing Mist-a-Germ pocket spray at all your community engagements. Find it at https://www.tagwebstore.com/mistagerm.php. In a promotional offer valid through Oct. 31, Mist-a-Germ is available at a 10% discount with no set-up charges.

If you haven’t ordered personalized home care or hospice calendars yet, it’s time to stop waiting. Agency calendars are a durable, useful tool that your referral sources, prospects and patients will refer to all year long. This is one of the most cost effective and versatile tools you can have in your marketing toolbox – don’t gloss over this once-a-year opportunity to make sure your name, services and logo are font and center with everyone in your service area. It’s something they will WANT to see every day.

When our staff isn’t in the home with a client, someone else usually is. It’s someone who does hour after of work with no expectation of pay or recognition. And it’s someone we are all grateful for: the family caregiver. November is National Family Caregivers Month. It’s a wonderful time to show family caregivers that what they’re doing matters far more than they know.

  • Visit caregiver support groups in your area and supply refreshments for a meeting in November. Ask to address the group and tell them about the benefits of home care, making sure to distribute your agency’s marketing brochures. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/marketing-brochures.php. (Don’t forget, all tri-fold brochures are buy 1 get 1 free through October. Minimum order or 250 per topic required. See all eligible brochures at https://www.tagwebstore.com/brochures.php.)
  • Distribute FAQ brochures to all the libraries and coffee shops in your area. Be sure to leave them at community counters wherever possible. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.
  • Make the lives of your patients and their family caregivers easier by giving them a clear guide that shows them when their symptoms require a call to emergency services, to their home health nurse, or require no action at all. Zone flyers make this simple and are personalized to your agency. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.
  • Set up a booth at community events this month and distribute agency materials, including disease information brochures personalized to your agency. These brochures educate on specific conditions and tell how home health, private duty or hospice care can help. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.

It’s here! National Home Care and Hospice Month is finally here! Well, almost. There are still a few weeks left before the celebrations start, but October is the time to kick your planning into high gear. November’s National Home Care and Hospice Month is a great month to not only celebrate the important work you do, but to draw positive community attention to your agency.

  • Use special National Home Care Month or National Hospice Month greeting cards, magnets and bookmarks to recognize the efforts of your employees, volunteers and referral partners – all the physicians, discharge planners, case managers, social workers and others who play a huge role in making your work possible. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/homecaremonth/index.php.
  • As you educate the community about what home care or hospice care is all about, use informative flip charts to ensure referral sources know when it is appropriate to refer a patient to your services. Guidelines for Home Health Admission for ICD-9 or ICD-10 are personalized to your agency and list the diagnosis codes for more than 200 common conditions. Find them at: https://www.tagwebstore.com/hhflipchart/ and https://www.tagwebstore.com/hhflipchart10/.  Guidelines for Hospice Flip Charts detail the admission guidelines for many common hospice diagnoses. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/flipchart-hospice.php.
  • Demonstrate to referral sources that you are not only qualified, but have a proven record of assisting patients with a variety of conditions. Patient Outcomes Brochures for Physicians outline the services you offer per disease. They also provide real data about your quality outcomes and how they compare to your competitors. Find them at https://tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Find accompanying brochures for patients at https://tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • Distribute FAQ brochures about Home Care, Hospice or Private Duty care at health fairs and community events in November as you educate about your services. Brochures include answers to commonly asked questions about coverage, payment, services, eligibility and more. Find them at https://tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.

September 2014: Get ready for huge referral opportunities in October.

Strokes kill more than 800,000 Americans every year, making this condition the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. A staggering 7 million people over age 20 in this country have had a stroke at some point in their lives. The seriousness of this condition underscores how important it is to get involved in raising awareness about strokes and how to prevent them. A perfect time to do that is Oct. 29, World Stroke Day. You not only may save lives through your outreach efforts, but you’ll be raising awareness of your stroke-specific medical services.

  • Call on clinical referral sources in your community and sell them on your agency’s outcomes when it comes to providing care for stroke patients. Find great Patient Outcomes Brochures for the Physician at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. You can easily show off how you compare to your competitors when it comes to a variety of outcomes measures.
  • The Patient Outcomes Senior Brochures are a natural companion to the physician brochures. They educate about stroke in easy-to-understand language. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • While touting your outcomes to physicians, show them that patient education is a strong component of your home health program. Comprehensive Patient Education Guides for Stroke not only are an eye-catching example of your work, but they help patients get more involved in their own care, which improves outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
  • Distribute personalized stroke care flyers at community health fairs, libraries, senior centers and anywhere that seniors gather. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
  • Stock the offices of referral sources, as well as pharmacies, rehab centers and hospital waiting rooms with rack cards about stroke. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/rack-cards.php.

Take a deep breath and get ready because October is all about lung awareness. Not only is October Healthy Lung Month, but Lung Health Day is Oct. 29 and National Respiratory Care Week Is Oct. 19-25. The number of Americans affected by lung disease is staggering. With about 158,000 deaths every year (more than prostate, pancreas, breast and colon cancer combined), lung cancer is the nation’s deadliest cancer. About 206,000 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. Additionally, about 10 million adults are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, and about 4.7 million others have ever been diagnosed with emphysema – the diseases that make up Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). About 25 million people live with asthma. Take a stand for lung health and encourage your community to spread the word about lung disease.

  • Use your agency’s COPD outcome scores to demonstrate to physicians your success at providing quality outcomes for certain conditions. Outcomes brochures for the physician detail the specific services you offer and display your outcome scores as compared to state or national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Companion brochures for patients are available at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • Hospice agencies can visit with physicians and discharge planners to discuss when referral is appropriate for patients with lung disease/COPD. The hospice specialty care flyer, which includes easy-to-follow end-stage indicators, is a wonderful tool to clearly convey this message. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/hospice-specialty-care-flyers.php.
  • Partner with physicians to improve hospice care for patients with COPD. The COPD hospice disease case study provides a specific patient scenario in which hospice referral would be recommended. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-case-study.php.
  • Empower your COPD patients and improve your positive outcomes by providing them with COPD zone flyers that tell them when their symptoms indicate a call to their home health nurse is needed, and when it’s time to call 911. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php. Reminder stickers and magnets also are available at www.tagwebstore.com/zoneflyer-english-products.php.
  • Show physicians you’re serious about giving patients an active role in managing their condition by using patient education guides, which are packed with guidance, tips, goals and logs. Be sure to take the guides along when you call on physicians to discuss potential referrals and the care you provide. Find guides for asthma and COPD at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

Get your pink ribbons ready because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society estimated that 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer and about 64,640 new cases of non-invasive carcinoma in situ were expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2013. Additionally, about 39,620 women were expected to die from breast cancer that year. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, surpassed only by lung cancer. With nearly 3 million breast cancer survivors in this country alone, it’s a disease that touches nearly everyone in some way. So put on that pink T-shirt and prepare to spread the word about breast cancer awareness, treatment and how home care and hospice can help.

August 2014: Educate and promote healthy aging

Alzheimer’s disease affects the lives of more than 5 million Americans and it is the nation’s fifth leading cause of death among adults age 65 or older. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. Treat these observances as opportunities to educate your community about this disease and how your agency can help.

  • Mental engagement can help keep aging minds sharp and stave off mental decline. Distribute puzzle books personalized with your agency’s name and contact information to visitors of your local senior centers. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
  • Place informative brochures about Alzheimer’s disease and how your agency can help in the waiting rooms of your community’s geriatricians. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.
  • Demonstrate to referral sources that your services include a concrete plan to help their patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Patient education guides not only empower patients and their families to take an active role in the patient’s care, but help improve compliance and outcomes. Get the patient education guide for Alzheimer’s disease at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

National Women’s Health and Fitness Day is right around the corner (always held on the last Wednesday in September), and it’s a great time to highlight women’s health issues while calling attention to your agency’s efforts and services.

  • Volunteer your agency to participate in a community event organized in celebration of the day. Have free blood pressure screenings and a variety of personalized rack cards for visitors to pick up. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/rack-cards.php.
  • Host a ladies’ day at a local senior center or assisted living facility. This can include an event such as a craft project (decorating plain cards with embellishments and stamps is a fun one) and an educational class on an issue such as diet and nutrition or senior exercise. Find ready-made classes at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
  • Partner with your local parks department and host a seniors walk or tai chi orientation class at a local park. Remind attendees about the importance of good hydration and distribute water bottles personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information. Get them at http://theadamgrp.espwebsite.com/.

September is Healthy Aging Month, which presents an incredible opportunity to connect with seniors in your community and promote ways you can help them age more healthfully at home.

  • Host a Healthy Aging Month open house. Have many agency representatives available to speak about the different aspects of home care and describe the services available to your community’s residents. Emphasize the ways your agency promotes independence and healthy aging, and be sure to distribute plenty of FAQ brochures and personalized disease information brochures. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php and www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.
  • Participate in community health fairs this month and have a nurse available to field questions at a special ask-a-nurse table. Have tons of agency collateral available and distribute pocket-sized hand sanitizer spray personalized with your agency’s name and logo. Get it at www.tagwebstore.com/mistagerm.php.
  • One of the most important things an older adult can do to continue living independently is take precautions to prevent falls. Host a free educational class on fall prevention at a local house of worship. Distribute agency brochures at the event and promote your agency’s free fall prevention in-home assessments. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.