Advice on building a home-based nursing business

The Nerdy Nurse recently did a story on a nursing career option that you don’t hear about very often–home-based nursing businesses. Knowing the unique challenges of such an endeavor (namely, marketing and promotion), a guest blogger set out to lay down some advice for nurses thinking about getting into home-based nursing and for those who already have.

Read on for tips on how to succeed…

While some businesses can use cold calling, direct mail and other push-based strategies, nursing businesses usually rely on a more sensitive, subtle approach. Instead of generating demand, they mostly rely on capturing demand that already exists. Instead of competing on price or nakedly promoting the benefits of their service, they typically rely on conveying trust, competence, professionalism and a caring nature.

It is for these reasons that nursing businesses need to be creative in the way they market their business, and there is no tool more effective at this than promotional calendars, such as calendars from HALO. Whenever you go around to see a customer or potential customer, start by noting down any relevant dates in the calendar. What date is their next hospital visit? Write that down. When do they next have to take their medicine? Write that down.

By writing down relevant dates into the calendar, you are instantly making it a valuable tool for your customer. The next time they need to check any medical-related dates, they will do so in your calendar. And each time they do, they’ll be reminded of your business and the service that you offer.

It won’t just be your patient who will see the calendar. It will be seen by visiting friends and family members, by other medical professionals, and by anyone who happens to visit the home. This is why is it is critical that you make sure you choose a professional calendar that communicates what you do.

Nursing professionals often wonder about the right type of calendar to use for their business. There are pocket calendars, which are very convenient to carry around and they are sometimes easier and more convenient to write in. On the other hand, they are also harder for other people to see, and they are easier to lose. When your business relies on calendars to market your business, and to manage patients’ health, it’s important that they are never lost.

To read the rest of the story, head on over to The Nerdy Nurse. Then, in the comments below, give us your thoughts on home-based nursing businesses and if this is something you’ve ever considered.