April 17th, 2024
Do you actively make your residents and their families aware that their recommendations to others are important to you?
Whether through in-person encounters with your staff or by direct outreach through email, direct mail, social media, and even text messaging, it's okay to ask for referrals when the occasion permits.
If you haven’t directly communicated your referral program in recent memory, why not do it now to satisfy an occupancy requirement or to meet a staffing need?
In Part 3 of this 4 part series, we’ll explore when, how, and through which channels to make your residents and their families aware of your referral program consistently.
As usual, we’ll end with the Bigger Picture for proper execution through the lens of our own product experience delivering direct communication through multiple channels.
Through Which Channels
Direct communication can come in many forms these days, right? The most direct form is still “in-person,” which, of course, can now be conducted “remotely”
to some extent. Staff members will often have direct encounters with residents and their families. See our last series part, “Role of Print & Display,” for
quick and easy ways that staff can put your Refer-a-Friend program in front of the brand ambassador to act on later, when positive feedback is verbalized to
them. For communication that is not immediately in-person, you can rely on outbound channels like email, letters, postcards, and even SMS-Text.
Key Recommendations:
- In-Person: It’s important that staff members understand the importance of following positive comments by residents and families with action. Direct encounters like these offer a great opportunity to remind the resident or family member of your Refer-a-Friend program and how to act on it.
- Email: This is a cheap and effective way to get your message out when the time is right. Since email is direct to a specific individual, it can allow you to gauge the individual’s willingness to refer you to others when acted upon.
- Direct Mail: You can create specific direct mail messages that make families and guardians aware of your Refer-a-Friend program. Consider that any correspondence in print, regardless of its purpose, can have a simple QR code included for your Refer-a-Friend program. The message itself doesn’t have to be exclusively about gaining referrals.
- SMS Text: This should be limited. Carriers have strict rules for appropriate use of SMS. It can be used for occasional check-ins, and lends itself better to the more subtle, “how are we doing,” feedback request.
- Social Media: This is not directed at any one individual, although it can be to an extent. It is direct to your “audience.” It can absolutely be used to promote your Refer-a-Friend program and take brand ambassadors to a landing page that facilitates it.
Takeaway:
Any or all of these channels can be effective at getting referrals - or at a minimum, gaining crucial feedback that you need for improvements. Most of these direct communication channels can allow you track responsiveness at the individual level when supported by technology.
When to Ask
If you’ve not asked at all or if it's been a long time, then there is no better time than right now. You don’t have to wait any longer
(a) to know how your residents and their families feel about you and their experience with your community, and (b) to gain direct, warm
referrals from those who obviously like you. Otherwise, there are key times to ask for referrals through some form of direct communication
with residents or family members. Again, depending on how advanced the level-of-care is, direct communication may only be with family members and guardians.
Key Recommendations:
- After Move-In: This is a crucial time. If the move-in process is smooth and the resident and their family are satisfied, it's an excellent time to ask for referrals. A follow-up a few weeks after settling in can be a good moment to check in on their satisfaction and gently introduce the idea of referring others who might benefit from the services.
- Anniversary of Residency: Celebrating a year or another milestone since a resident moved in can be a nostalgic and happy time, making it ideal for asking for referrals. It’s a way of acknowledging the duration of their stay and the experiences shared.
- Completion of Major Improvements or Renovations: If your community has undergone significant upgrades or improvements, it's a great time to invite residents and their families to see the changes and suggest they might want to share this improved experience with others.
- Seasonal Check-Ins: Seasonal changes or the beginning of a new year can be a reflective time for residents and their families. This can be a strategic time to check in on their satisfaction and ask for referrals.
- After Positive Events: Any event or activity that leads to a particularly positive experience for residents and their families is a good opportunity to seek referrals. This could be after special events like holiday parties, family days, or other community gatherings that leave a positive impression. We’ll explore this more in the next part of our series: “Role of Ongoing Engagement.”
- Following Positive Feedback: If a resident or family member has just provided positive feedback, either through a survey or directly to staff, it's an opportune moment to thank them and ask if they know anyone else who might be interested in joining the community.
- During Resident and Family Meetings: Regularly scheduled meetings or conferences that involve residents and their families are excellent opportunities to discuss the community's strengths and how referrals help sustain and grow the community’s supportive environment.
Takeaway:
Any of the above encounters and triggers can offer an excellent opportunity to promote your Refer-a-Friend program to potential brand ambassadors.
How to Ask
There are at least two key ways to ask for referrals. We’ve hit on these earlier in the series as well. There is a “hard” ask, and then there is a “soft” ask.
Depending on the timing and circumstances, one may be more appropriate than the other. The “hard” ask is more direct. It immediately conveys your interest in
gaining their recommendation and direct referrals. The direct approach should just as quickly convey what’s in it for them if they do, and how to follow-through.
In other words, a direct approach puts your referral program front-and-center. The “soft” ask is more subtle. It is veiled as a “tell us how we’re doing”
call to action. In the “soft” ask, you are asking for feedback and based upon that feedback, you will be making a decision on whether to ask for the referral
or perhaps to note a concern for resolution. If we list again the best times to ask for referrals, we can perhaps map them to a more appropriate method of asking.
Key Recommendations:
- After Move-In → Soft Ask
- Anniversary of Residency → Soft Ask
- Completion of Major Improvements or Renovations → Hard Ask
- Seasonal Check-Ins → Soft Ask
- After Positive Events → Hard Ask
- Following Positive Feedback → Hard Ask
- During Resident and Family Meetings → Hard Ask
Takeaway:
Which method to use might best be determined by how recently you’ve had a direct encounter with the potential brand ambassador. This is not a hard-and-fast rule. You can decide and craft your message as you see fit.
The Bigger Picture
Direct communication at the right times will increase your referral program’s visibility, but to understand its effectiveness, you’ll need technology. Each channel can be tracked from beginning to end if you’re intentional, particularly for email and direct mail.
Additional Considerations:
- Email: Most list email providers offer some kind of tracking of delivery, opens, and clicks. However, the privacy landscape has evolved greatly. You should educate yourself and set expectations accordingly.
- Direct Mail: Scan lines and QR codes have made tracking the delivery and effectiveness of direct mail to individuals possible, much like an email. As privacy concerns have made email tracking more challenging, direct mail has regained some popularity.
Final Takeaway:
LeadTrust offers two ways that you can get started with direct communications that promote your program and gain referrals from brand ambassadors: (1) On-Demand: If you’ve not asked at all or if it's been a long time, we can work with you to develop an immediate campaign via email or postcard. (2) Subscription: We offer all of the direct channels described in one, easy-to-use, and fully integrated solution. You can get started with the On-Demand model and move to a Subscription if you like. Every On-Demand campaign we do includes 6-months of our Lite subscription for monitoring results.
In Part 4, we’ll examine the role of ongoing engagement and the kind of direct communication that cultivates a desire to promote you as a brand ambassador in the first place - well-ahead of asking for their recommendations to others..