Hospice marketing involves educating members of the community and care providers about the services offered at a hospice facility. Hospice organizations can take a multi-pronged approach to research their demographics, conduct community outreach, and solicit funding to remain operational. Many facilities operate as nonprofits and are sometimes run outside of the regular medical system. In some cases, the services they provide are free to participants and they rely on donations, grants, and other contributions to fund operations.
As with any form of marketing, research is critical. Hospice marketing can include studies of the target population, such as residents of a region, to find out how much they know about hospice services, whether they are aware of the existence of a hospice organization, and what kinds of concerns they have about end of life care. This can help organizations identify areas where more outreach is needed. For example, immigrant populations might not know that hospice is free of charge, or members of the religious community might be concerned about being able to access officiants while in hospice facilities.
Public outreach hospice marketing can include producing brochures and posters with information about an organization and its services. These can be placed in clinics, hospitals, and other medical environments. They may also be positioned at community gathering places and other locations where people might seek out information. Seminars offered to the public for free can also attract customers by providing general information about end of life care as well as the options available through hospice.
Working with care providers and medical facilities can also be an important marketing tactic. Hospice providers need to make sure that doctors, nurses, and other people in positions to offer referrals are aware of the organization. They can discuss in-home care offered through their organization as well as end of life care offered on hospice wards and in dedicated facilities. Similar outreach to religious officiants can also be helpful, as some people may turn to their officiants for trusted advice when dealing with terminal illness.
Another aspect of hospice marketing can include the solicitation of donations. This makes the community aware of the organization’s existence, which can lead to more clients, and also helps the organization obtain funds to keep operating. Some hospices may partner with community organizations to provide services and access grant monies. These same hospice marketing partnerships can also be used for activities like hosting joint events to raise funds.