Does your care group want to ensure that target audiences, particularly prospective families and commissioners, are aware of your care home’s quality of care?
Do you want to achieve this by having guaranteed regular positive regional media exposure for your home?
Well, you’ll secure spectacular results when focusing on the ‘human interest stories’ in your home or specialist service, even when you may not have hard-hitting ‘news’ as such.
I know if I stepped into your home today I’d find at least two stories that would guarantee having journalists writing positive stories about your home – and 9 times out of 10 it would involve a strong ‘human interest’ angle.
This might be significant birthdays (e.g. 100th), couples’ anniversaries, residents with jaw-dropping life stories, staff achievements, funky fitness classes, ‘date nights’ or pet therapy classes.
For example, a special lunch for a husband and wife at one home we worked with was – on the face of it – a run-of-the-mill event.
But after speaking to the care home manager we discovered the amazing ‘back story’ about the couple – including the length of their relationship, their connections to the local community and their separation because of the husband’s failing health.
Moreover, this heart-warming ‘story’ was also fabulous for the home as it showcased the personalised nature of its care, and the understanding its staff had on what was important to residents and the tailor-made events they created for them.
Here’s an example of media exposure that this story secured:
One care home provider, C & C, wanted us to raise the profile of their eight homes in and around London and, in particular, to showcase their unique personal care plans which provides its residents the opportunity to be a ‘resident of the day’.
With a number of homes in the same geographical area, we helped C &C plan ‘stories’ in rotation to avoid approaching the same journalists on media too often.
The positive ‘stories’ we helped source and create over a six-month period were almost all focused on ‘human interest’.
Moreover, we used our wonderful network of editorial photographers to help bring the stories to life and exemplify the therapeutic relationships residents had with staff.
“Human interest” RESULT HIGHLIGHTS OVER SIX-MONTHS
* 10 pieces of coverage in key local media. Target readership approximately = 202,000
Potential online audience = 1.2m unique users
* 100% success rate for sector media coverage
* Range of ongoing marketing and PR collateral, including photographs and positive news for the care providers’ newsletters, website, Facebook pages, and carehome.co.uk listings