Are you a care home owner, and you want a summary of all marketing and PR strategies to get your care homes more enquiries?

Do you want to know the pros and cons of each?

And what methods have more impact than others, and why?

Plus, do you want to know how to measure ROI on your marketing and PR strategies?

Well, “care home marketing” is not what most care home owners think it is

“Having a website”, a Facebook page, or listing on carehome.co.uk is not, to my working definition, “marketing”.

Instead, enquiry-generation marketing is when you focus on 5 core strategies to generate enquiries.

These are:

  • Enquiry-generating care home websites
  • Capturing families actively searching online
  • Amplifying “word of mouth”
  • Community advertising
  • Community engagement

And below I break down these 5 core strategies in more detail.

Watch our  “Ultimate (20-Min) guide for care home owners who want to get more enquiries via marketing” video. ⬇️

1) “Word of Mouth” Is Powerful — But Amplify It!

Every care home relies on word of mouth.

But you should “amplify” it through consistent PR.

Local media love positive care home stories.

With the right approach, every single care home can secure positive press coverage every 2–3 months.

In addition, email marketing is a highly underused tool.

By regularly sending uplifting updates to your network — including GPs, solicitors, charities, and families — you stay top of mind with the people most likely to refer you.

The key is email marketing that:

  • Is not sales-driven
  • Is not “marketing-guff”
  • Is about sharing positive, real stories

Over time, this will strengthen your referral network and “word of mouth” reputation

2) Your Care Home Website Should Make Families Feel “Foolish Not to Enquire”

Your website is not just a digital brochure. It should be an enquiry driver.

Private families making care decisions are often committing £50K to £300K+.

That means your website must reflect the emotional and financial weight of that decision.

Plus, to be frank, many families still carry the outdated perception that care homes are places where elderly “go to die.” So, your website must actively challenge this misconception.

Focus on:

  • Positive, bright imagery
  • Real photos of residents, staff, and daily life
  • Activities, food, and environment

And have a variety of call-to-action options for your website.

3) 94% of Families Search Online For Care Homes In Your Catchment Area — Are You Standing Out?

94% of families go online when looking for a care home.  That makes visibility on Google critical.

There are two main ways to capture this:

i) Google Ads (Pay-Per-Click)

Google Ads allow you to appear at the top of search results within days.

This is powerful because you’re targeting families who are actively searching “golden key phrases such as:

  • “care home near me”
  • “care home in ”
  • “home for elderly”

These families are showing “high-intent” in looking for a care home, and the aim of this strategy is to get enquiries that you would otherwise not get.

This video here reveals key insights, such as:

  • How you can launch PPC campaigns within 10 days
  • Every step of a family’s digital journey can be tracked
  • How ad spend per enquiry can range from £170 to £1800.
  • How many care home groups are already using a PPC strategy

Done properly, the return on investment can be significant.

ii) SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

SEO is a longer-term strategy.

It involves creating content (such as blogs) that helps your website rank higher on Google organically.

However:

  • It takes longer time to see results
  • It’s harder to track enquiries directly

A key point is directories such as carehome.co.uk dominate (as you will have probably noticed) search rankings as they’ve invested heavily over time.

4) Community Advertising Works — Track It

Offline and local advertising does play a role.

Examples include:

  • Leaflet drops
  • Facebook ads
  • Ads in GP surgeries
  • Local transport advertising

For example, around 40% of care homes anecdotally reported leaflet drops as cost-effective.

Facebook ads also offer a way to reach families earlier in their care-seeking journey. But you have to do a lot of work to “qualify” Facebook leads.

But one rule prevails – track everything!

Whether it’s QR codes, dedicated phone numbers, vigorous lead data capture or unique landing pages — without tracking, you won’t know for sure what’s working.

5) Community Engagement So Your Care Homes Stand Out

Community engagement is about becoming known and recognised among your local stakeholders.

The goal is to position your care home as the local expert in elderly care.

Examples include:

  • Hosting events
  • Running workshops or webinars
  • Intergenerational activities
  • Partnering with charities, e.g. dementia cafes.

One example is a care home hosting a celebrity event which brought in 45 attendees, generated press coverage, created partnerships, and led to new care enquiries.

The key takeaway is: When people physically enter your care home, perceptions change.

And when no other local provider is doing these kinds of events, you help position your care home as the expert in elderly care in your catchment area.

Want to dive deeper into each strategy?

This video provides additional examples.

It also reveals real-life marketing and PR results from both care home groups and single care homes.

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