Proposed Event, Marketing &Communications Plan

Proposed Event, Marketing
&Communications Plan
Abigail Draper - Events
and Marketing Manager

What Is Out There Already
Website- very dark, not very informative about individual homes,
photographs are not interesting-
We are not selling ourselves
Social Media- Company Facebook hasn’t been updated in a year
Search Engines
I performed a Google search on Care Homes in the UK and the following
were the top 8-
Bupa- 279 Care Homes
Select Health Care Group- 20 Care Homes
Anchor/Ideal Care Homes- 16 Care Homes
Sunrise Senior Living- 27 Communities
Barchester Care Homes 200 Care Homes
Sanctuary Care- 67 Care Homes
Four Seasons Health Care- 350 Care Homes
Care UK Care Homes- 112 Care Homes
There are a mixture of large and small homes in this list- we need to be
in this list!
Carehome.co.uk
I then looked at ‘carehome.co.uk’ and looked at their Enhanced Care
Home Providers list and all but one of (Select Health Care Group) the
above are on there. Regal and NJCH are also on the list
I then search ‘carehome.co.uk’ home providers in the Kent area as this is
where there is a highest percentage of homes owned. Two main
things were noted;
NJCH does not have a home in the top 100.
Regal however has 3 Hollies 51 ST , Alpine 59 th and Loose Court 67 th
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

What is needed……..
Individual Homes:
Network Events- See seasonal parties
Newsletter- All homes to have one quarterly and also a main
company newsletter (displayed on website)
Social Media;
Nicholas James to have a Facebook page and Twitter Page
All homes to have a Facebook Page which is up dated on a weekly
basis by the Leisure and Lifestyle Coordinator and or Home Manager
All homes to have a Twitter Account which is linked to the FB so that
it is updated at the same time
All home are to be linked to each other on FB and Twitter.
Website;
Central Page for the company with following pages;
About Us-
Types of Care – Nursing, Dementia, Residential, Day Care
The Team- Kan, Sarah, Antonia etc
Our Homes- Each home has its own page with Its overview, Facilities,
Events, The Team, Gallery/Virtual Tour, Contact Us Also links to their
FB, Twitter and Newsletter
Contact Us
Also have Blog, Links to Social Media, Video Profiles and Newsletters
Corporate Video;
To use at Trade Shows and on website
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

These are some ideas for Community Based Events and Projects
that all homes should be involved in and also advertising-
Promotional
Nicholas James Care Homes Dementia Information Day
A day or afternoon during the year that a home or a network of
local homes hold a information day for the local community,
family and friends where invited speakers give talks of Dementia
and Alzheimers and offer support to those who attend. Previous
speakers at WCC have been the Alzheimers Society, Dementia
Friends Session, Music for Health and also the Home Treatment
Team. The Manager also gives a talk about the home and the
services it offers.
The Homes dementia champion can also hold a Dementia
Friends Session
National Care Homes Open Day- 17 th June 2016
The home advertises locally using print and social media-
Open to the local community to show them around the home,
offer support if needed.
Also open to family/friends of residents in the home so they can
meet with Head Office/ Area Managers possibly?
National Dementia Awareness Week- 18 th – 24 th May
Dementia Action Alliance-
Homes should where available become members of their local
Dementia Action Alliance, it involves advertising your events,
attending meetings and working within your local community.
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

Community Links
PAT Dog- Homes should be registered with
their local coordinator
Volunteer Bureau- Homes should have links
with these to advertise for local volunteers
Schools- Build links with local primary and
Secondary Schools
Champions- Dignity and Dementia
Religion- Local Churches
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

Charity Events
Suggestion;
Every home chooses a local charity or a national
charity chosen by the residents/staff and
fundraise throughout the year culminating in a
party and giving of a chq to said charity which is
covered by the local media and local dignitaries.
Time for Tea- Charity raising funds with a Tea
Party and Cake Sale
Alzheimers Society Memory Walk- Should NJCH
and Regal organise their own walks for
Alzheimers Society?
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

Is Activity Coordinator the right job title? People perceive the word as having to do
something, a task.
It can be seen as not age appropriate- “I’m too old to do any activity”
In my research I noted that a lot of companies are now referring to them as Life
Style Coordinators or Social Events Organiser. These titles suit the vision of the
homes being more of an hotel experience.
Their Role;
It should be event/activity focused.
What about Leisure & Lifestyle Coordinator
?
To implement and ensure a high standard of events/activities, community
involvement within the home, engaging and stimulating environments and
importantly adequate paperwork, then the role of the Coordinator should solely be
that and not taken off to fill other roles/duties within the home on a daily basis.
A well versed coordinator is a great marketing tool for spreading the word about
what great things a home is doing in the community and also for showing
prospectus clients around the home.
They are the person who should able to look at the homes environment and see if it
is engaging and stimulating whilst also being homely.
They should do the ‘Mum’ test on a daily basis
Training
There is very limited training out there for coordinators with the most recognised
being NAPA- is this something we could look in to?
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

Quarterly Parties/Fund Raisers
Easter, Summer (themed?), Halloween & Christmas- For residents, families, friends
and staff- to include Entertainment, Raffles, refreshments. Invited local
dignitaries- piece in local paper.
Calendar Seasonal Events
Burns Night
Chinese New Year
St David’s Day
Valentine’s Day
St Patrick’s Day
St Georges Day
Eurovision
V.E Day
Ladies Day
Harvest Festival
Trafalgar Day
Remembrance Day
Bon Fire Night
Christmas
(also incorporate any person centred activities/events for residents from different
cultures and or background)
Special Events
Such as Royal; Weddings, Jubilees and Babies and Sporting Events; World Cups and
Olympics etc
Hydration and Nutrition Week-
Display information material and themed hydration party
Coffee Mornings;
‘Dunk for Dementia’ a monthly coffee morning for residents, family, friends and
local community to attend- general socialising and offering support to
family/friends
Activity Resources;
There are some great resource books out there for ideas for activities;
particularly is ‘The Activity Year Book: A Week by Week Guide for Use in Elderly
Day and Residential Care’
It gives a years worth of themed suggestions for cognitive and physical activities.
Some Nicholas James Care homes already use the book to schedule there activity
programme.
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager

What Do We Do Well
We need to look at what we are doing well and ensure that the homes are promoting and
advertising within their local communities what they are doing.
What We Need
Marketing Strategy……
Nicholas James Care Homes/ Regal Care Homes need a USP!!!
A Company Tag Line;
‘Striving to Provide Excellence in Person Centred Care’
????
A presence on Social Media
Improve the company profile on Search Engines
A greater presence on Carehome.co.uk-
Do the NJCH/Regal homes know to hand out the forms?
A vibrant website that is interactive and informative.- more details about the individual
homes, new photography, virtual tours and a corporate video
Promotional Material; such a Company Brochure, individual Home Brochure, Corporate
Material for Conferences/Trade Stands and business cards
A standard of Activity/Leisure provision that is the same throughout all of our homes.
Quarterly Newsletters for all homes
NAPA Membership for every home-
National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People. – Some NJCH homes are
already members.
Abigail Draper - Events and Marketing Manager