Elder_House

Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop low cost marketing options for the client in an effort to raise awareness of the client’s services. Interviews will be developed and conducted with competitors, relating to current marketing plans and growth opportunities; the team will focus on Waveny Care Network in New Canaan and The Jewish Home for the Elderly in Fairfield. In addition, the student team will develop and conduct interviews with ElderHouse staff and clients in order to collect detailed information on the client’s total marketing needs. The team will also study industry trends on this issue to build a solid knowledge base in the subject and to supplement the data obtained from the interviews. All of the information received will then be analyzed and used to determine a marketing message to be used in the development of the team’s final recommendations. The final recommendations will include the low cost options suggested for the client’s use in raising awareness of the organization. Deliverables: ∙ Conduct preliminary research industry trends related to marketing practices. Present the 3 most predominate marketing techniques from research findings. ∙ Provide data collected and conclusions stemming from interviews with competitors regarding their current marketing campaigns. ∙ Provide data collected and conclusions stemming from interviews with ElderHouse staff and clients regarding ideas to improve current marketing plan. ∙ Develop marketing mission based on all data collected. Present to client a minimum of 3 low-cost recommendations to raise awareness. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY As its primary research technique, the student team elected to use a qualitative research approach to collect data concerning free and low cost marketing options for ElderHouse Adult Day Center. This method allowed the team to identify marketing and advertizing strategies employed by ElderHouse’s competitors; it also provided the competitors with the opportunity to explain and expand on their answers, which added to the team’s ultimate results. Initial research was conducted to determine the top competitors for ElderHouse Adult Day Care Center. An interview was conducted with Ms. Cesareo, the executive director from the organization. The team then followed up with an internet-based search using the following key words: adult day care and Connecticut. The results of this search were then narrowed by the team according to areas serviced and services provided. The team was able to identify five (5) competitors based on these criteria. The team utilized internet searches to assemble a list of area senior centers, local radio and television stations, and local print media outlets. In terms of the senior centers, the team searched the town websites for each of the following towns (all within the service area of ElderHouse): Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Westport and Wilton. Contact information for the centers was linked to the respective town sites. For local media contact information, the team conducted internet searches with the following key words: newspaper, radio, television, local, Connecticut. Next, an internet search was conducted to help the student team learn more about the success rates of the potential advertising strategies. The team searched for information based on the following key words: pros, cons, and free advertising. The Ryan-Mantura Library at Sacred Heart University was also used to expand the student team’s knowledge base concerning marketing and advertising strategy. RESEARCH CONDUCTED and RESULTS OBTAINED The student group focused on survey techniques to conduct its primary research. A survey consisting of 10 (ten) questions was distributed five (5) local competitors. In order to provide the client with the most useful information possible, the student group discussed competition with Ms. Cesareo. Ms. Cesareo cited Waveny Care Network, located in New Canaan, CT, as the primary competitor. The student group determined the other competitors based on similarity of facility, services provided, and areas serviced. Based on these criteria, surveys were e-mailed to five (5) adult day care facilities (see Appendix XXX): Greenwich Adult Day Care, Almost Home Adult Day Care, Grasmere by the Sea (The Jewish Home for the Elderly), Waveny Care Network, and Sunset Shores Adult Day Care. Email addresses were acquired from the facilities’ respective websites. In addition, appropriate contact people were determined from the websites as well. Mr. Tarantino, from the student group, sent the following correspondence to each competitor: “Good Morning! I am a member of an MBA Student group at Sacred Heart University. We are currently in the process of completing our final project as MBA Students and the project surrounds not-for-profit organizations and how they are run and organized. Our group’s main focus is on the marketing and advertising for Senior Day-Care Centers and how they are operated. Through our research, we have targeted YOUR organization as one of the organizations our group would like to learn more about. Attached to this e-mail is a survey with ten short questions that will help us to complete our report. We do not have to include your organizations name within the report if you do not wish us to, however any information you provide would be extremely useful to our group.” The student group utilized a questionnaire format for the survey; this allowed responders to determine the amount of information shared with the student team. In addition, the student team focused on possible advertising avenues cited by Ms. Cesareo. These included internet sites like Facebook and Twitter. The following ten (10) questions were included in the survey: 1. What do you believe is your biggest asset as an organization' 2. How did you grow your clientele base and awareness' 3. Did you use any media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, or other internet sites' 4. Where have you found the most success recruiting new clients' 5. What do you believe is your biggest issue' 6. If you could change one thing about your current marketing plan, what would you do differently' 7. What opportunities do you see for yourself in the future' 8. What types of services do you offer' 9. How do you differentiate yourself from others' 10. What advice would you give a smaller organization who is trying to grow to your level' Of the five (5) organizations contacted by the group, three (3) responded: Waveny Care Network, Grasmere by the Sea and Greenwich Adult Day Care. This resulted in a sixty percent (60%) response rate. Two (2) of responses received included additional information that did not relate directly to the survey questions but was used by the student team in the analysis process of the project. However, the competitors who responded expressed their desire to remain anonymous regarding their responses. Though the responders were identified in this section, the student group chose to respect their requests when discussing the specific results of the research in this project. Also included in the research were responses from senior centers located in town serviced by ElderHouse. The student group contacted eight (8) senior centers through email. Email addresses were obtained through town websites. Mr. Tarantino, from the student group, sent the following correspondence to each senior center: “Good Afternoon! I am a MBA Student at Sacred Heart University and I am working on a group project that focuses on the marketing efforts of Adult Day Care Centers. Our group is conducting a lot of research that looks into how these types of centers operate and the ways that they market themselves to seniors. Your Senior Center could be a path taken by many of these seniors as they move towards Senior Day Care and my group and I were wondering if your Center had any pre-existing connections to any Day Care Centers and if you had any printed media from these centers that you handed out at your own facility. If the answer is no…we were also wondering if there were any opportunities for Day Care Centers to have a marketing presence at your facility. Your participation is of course optional, however it would be greatly appreciated as the more research we obtain, the better our project would come out. Thank you for taking the time to read this message!” Of the eight (8) senior centers contacted, three (3) responded. This resulted in a participation rate of thirty-seven and one half percent (37.5%). After consideration by the student team, it was decided that interviews with ElderHouse staff, originally proposed to gain insight into the needs of the organization, were unnecessary. During their initial meeting, Ms. Cesareo provided the student team with information pertaining to the organization’s referral sources from July to December 2009. This information was collected in-house and inputted into a spreadsheet by Ms. Cesareo (see Appendix XXX). The sources were divided into two categories: formal and informal. The formal sources were then further divided as follows: community, social/senior services, medical/health organizations, trusted advisors, business/HR and other/unknown. This information proved to be sufficient for the student team in terms of determining the organization’s current advertising strategy and gauging the success of each method used. Obstacles did present during the course of the student team’s research. For example, data needed to be collected from competitors. However, only a small number of comparable facilities exist; in addition, not all of the organizations contacted chose to respond. This led to a more limited knowledge base from which the student team could draw upon. The student team was also bound by the survey participants’ requests to remain anonymous. Remaining creditable in relaying the data to Ms. Cesareo proved more difficult without the ability to cite specific sources. The student team was also faced with ElderHouse’s very limited budget. Marketing options could only be considered if they required little or no funding. This particular constraint narrowed the scope of the relevant information collected by the student team. The results gathered from the surveys allowed the student group to fulfill the deliverables outlined in the project’s Statement of Work. As stated earlier, the main objective of the project involved developing free or low cost marketing options for the ElderHouse Adult Day Care Center. The surveys distributed to the client’s top five (5) competitors and the responses from the eight (8) senior centers, as well as the information pertaining to ElderHouse’s current referral sources resulted in information the student group used to achieve this objective. The first competitor to respond did so within three (3) hours of Mr. Tarantino’s original contact. This organization requested to remain anonymous but provided answers to all the questions on the survey, as well as additional information in a separate email to the student team. This competitor listed its variety of services as its strongest asset and works with the community in which it is located to raise its awareness. While the competitor does not utilize Facebook or Twitter, it does rely on its website; it also promotes itself on state and local websites. This competitor stated that its best client recruiting resource is referrals through the Connecticut Home Care Program for the Elderly, which is a Medicaid waiver program through the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The competitor also cited word-of-mouth as a very important recruiting tool. The competitor discussed the possibility of print advertising, including local radio and television, in the future but acknowledged budget constraints as a potential obstacle. The second competitor to respond did so within one week of Mr. Tarantino’s original contact. This competitor cited personalization in fundraising and recruiting new clients as its biggest asset, and reported direct mailings and monthly newsletters as techniques used to raise awareness. The competitor also discussed its community programming, which are ongoing and free of cost to the public. This competitor does not utilize Facebook or Twitter in its marketing campaign but does rely on its website for referrals. The competitor named its reputation as its most successful recruiting tool. The third competitor to respond notified the team that it would like to participate in the survey but did not feel comfortable replying through written communication; the marketing director of this competitor informed the team that the answers to the questions may include confidential information and requested a phone conference. Mr. Tarantino spoke extensively with this competitor’s representative. The competitor stated that its target market includes potential clients’ spouses and adult children. The representative revealed that this competitor did not use Facebook as an advertising tool due to the potential for public “bad reviews” and “negative feedback”. The competitor did utilize Twitter but not for marketing purposes, rather for events or fundraising only. The competitor relied on grassroots techniques as a result of its limited marketing budget. The competitor listed its website as its main informational tool and stated that potential clients were directed to the organization’s website, which includes virtual tours of the physical plant. In addition, the representative discussed the importance of reputation and word-of-mouth advertising; managing perception was a priority for the organization. Finally, the competitor cited continued marketing as an important aspect of its strategy. The first senior center to respond was the Norwalk Senior Center. Its representative, Paul Palermo, stated that the center already had a relationship with ElderHouse and recommended the student team contact them directly. The second senior center to respond was the Darien Senior Center. Beth Paris, the coordinator at this center, stated that its current relationships with adult day care centers were informal but she was looking to formalize these connections in the future. Ms. Paris discussed the center’s plans to start a caregiver support group in the coming months. She expressed an interest in providing the group with information on adult day care facilities in the area, either through print media to group participants or by having a representative from an adult day care facility speak to the group. Ms. Paris mentioned ElderHouse and Waveny Care Center specifically. The third senior center to respond was the Easton Senior Center. Valerie Buckley, the director of the Easton Senior Center, stated that the center did have relationships with senior centers in the area, but that they were informal. Ms. Buckley did not provide details regarding which facilities with which the center had relationships. The student team did not follow up because Easton, CT is slightly out of range for ElderHouse. The information prepared in-house by ElderHouse provided data concerning the success of the organization’s current marketing techniques. Thirty-two percent (32%) of referrals were from “informal” sources, including family, newspapers, and the organization’s website. . Sixty-eight percent (68%) were from “formal” sources, including community organizations, social and senior services, medical and healthcare organizations and trusted advisors. Of the total referrals, nineteen percent (19%) were from family, three percent (3%) from newspapers and eleven percent (11%) from the website. Of the total referrals, sixteen percent (16%) were from community organizations, five percent (5%) from social and senior services, thirty percent (30%) from medical and healthcare organizations and eight percent (8%) from trusted advisors. ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH RESULTS In reviewing the data collected from the three (3) competitors, there were a few noteworthy trends. First, the target market was the same for each responder and included potential clients’ spouses and/or adult children. This related directly to the various advertising techniques, as they were targeting younger relatives of potential clients as opposed to the clients themselves. Second, word-of-mouth proved to be the best method for referrals. Many of the competitors relied on the recommendations of current or former clients. Third, informational websites were the next best method for referrals. All of the responders cited their websites as part of their marketing strategy. One competitor discussed its usage of virtual tours as a tool; the tours allowed potential clients a look inside the facility without having to be at the physical location. This competitor utilized webcams, as well. The webcams afforded potential clients an actual glimpse into the facility. Fourth, relationships with medical or other senior service organizations were also cited as major sources of referrals. The student team’s research regarding senior centers revealed that they were interested in connecting with facilities like ElderHouse. Fifth, the results of the research indicated that awareness in the community was achieved through various channels. Print media, like newspapers and magazines, were used to keep the organizations’ names visible to the public. Other sources of media, like television and radio, were used less often. This was due to the cost of such media. Sixth, though utilizing websites was a popular marketing method, other online resources were not used at all. For example, Facebook and Twitter were not employed by any of the responding competitors for various reasons. CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM ANALYSIS As a result of the research and data collected by the student team, conclusions regarding free or low cost advertising options presented themselves. 1. The two most successful forms of free or low cost advertising—word-of-mouth and organizational websites—were already employed by ElderHouse. 2. Traditional media, like newspapers, radio and television, were not the most popular forms of advertizing. 3. Newer forms of media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, were seriously underutilized by all of the competitors. 4. Community outreach strategies were beneficial in raising awareness. 5. WORKS CITED Television Advertising Pros and Cons: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-television-advertising/2592-1.html Radio Advertising Pros and Cons: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-radio-advertising/2591-1.html Print Advertising Pros and Cons: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-print-advertising/2590-1.html APPENDICES