How Social Proof and Online Reviews Improve Caregiver Recruitment
We all know the drill by now, we need to get those client reviews. Why? Because in the digital world, client reviews and recommendations are the equivalent to "word of mouth" advertising. These reviews let other who are looking for services know whether or not we are a trustworthy or reliable provider and can, in some cases, help close or lose the client for us. We know how important they are in the sales process and, if we are smart, we doggedly chase them to help our business grow.
Ask yourself, if this is such a valuable tool for client acquisition, why do so many agencies ignore it as a tool for caregiver recruitment?
Let's walk through this as a process...
You create an amazing ad and post it on the job boards, Indeed, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Facebook and backlink all of this to your website or hiring portal. You might even invest some money into promoting the ad with a pay per click campaign. Great job, your efforts pay off and you get tons of impressions and a high number of clicks, but you notice there is a very low conversion, and a minimal number of the applicants are bothering to show up to the interview.
Well, if you are a typical home care owner, you will chalk it up to the unreliability of the caregiver and say some version of "It's a numbers game" or that "It's just part of the process". This isn't the right attitude, here is why...
1. The fact is that people are inundated with advertisements, especially since so many businesses pivoted to concentrate more on online activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This saturation has created a great distrust of advertisements.
2. With the continued extensions of the federal PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) programs, caregivers aren't going to give up the extra income for easily or for a company that will not provide longevity or stability.
3. Younger and more tech-savvy caregivers are entering the workforce. Over 90% of people under the age of 35 will make purchasing decisions based on online reviews. This trend has been spilling into the labor force as well.
How do we use this to our advantage?...
Simple...we get proactive. This means you should be making it a point yo ask your caregivers for online reviews. Have them do this on your job board accounts where you post most often, your Facebook business page, LinkedIn and using the review link for your Google My Business page. Send them a link in email communications, be direct and ask them periodically. If you don't ask for good ones, the odds are that the majority of the reviews regarding what it's like working for you out there will those of disgruntled former employees.
Building up good social proof will give you a competitive edge as well as boost your online presence.
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To speak to a Homecare Growth Specialist, visit us at the www.thebrionesgroup.com
