The care home sector has never been more competitive. Families are better informed, expectations are higher, and the journey to choosing the right care home often starts well before someone picks up the phone or walks through your front door.

So how do you make sure they find – and trust – your home over another? That’s where care home marketing comes in.

Let’s be clear, this isn’t about glossy sales tactics or gimmicks; care home marketing is about telling your story honestly, building trust with your audience, and making it easy for families to choose you with confidence.

Whether you’re running an independent home or managing a group of services, a marketing strategy isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a business-essential. Here’s why it matters, and what it should include.

What is care home marketing?

In a nutshell, care home marketing is the way your home presents itself to the outside world.

It’s the sum of everything that shapes how people perceive you. This can be from your website, social media, brochures, signage, online reviews, community engagement and even word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s the content you create, the tone you strike and the story you tell. In most cases, it’s often your first opportunity to show a family who you are and why they should choose you.

In a sector built on personal trust and emotional decision-making, marketing is less about persuasion and more about reassurance.

Done well, it helps you:

• Increase enquiries and fill beds more consistently
• Build and protect your reputation
• Raise your profile in the local community
• Engage staff, residents and families
• Position your home as a trusted, credible provider

Why care home marketing matters?

When a family starts looking for care, they’re doing so at a vulnerable point in their lives. They’re looking for safety, warmth, dignity and support and they’re often under pressure to make a decision quickly.

Marketing gives you a chance to answer their questions before they’re even asked. A well-structured website, for example, can explain your services clearly, highlight your values, showcase your facilities and introduce the team behind the care.

It can offer families reassurance before they’ve even stepped through your door.

First impressions happen online

In the past, your reputation might have been spread by word of mouth or referrals. That still matters, but today, the first place most people go is Google.

A strong online presence ensures that when someone searches for care in your area, they find you easily and that what they see builds trust rather than raising concerns. That includes:

• A website that’s informative, accessible, mobile-friendly and easy to navigate
• An up-to-date Google Business profile
• Consistent listings on care home directories 
• Well-managed reviews across platforms like carehome.co.uk or Facebook

This digital first impression is often where the decision is made – or lost.

Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets

Reputation isn’t something you can control entirely – but you can influence it through how you communicate.

Sharing stories about life inside your home, celebrating your team, responding to feedback and showing transparency in the face of challenges all contribute to a stronger, more credible public image.

And reputation doesn’t just affect occupancy, it also influences your ability to recruit, partner locally, and be seen as a key part of your community.

Marketing supports long-term sustainability

A full home means a stable business, but marketing doesn’t stop once you hit 100% occupancy.

It also supports:

• Future planning (launching new services, targeting private-pay audiences, opening new homes)
• Recruitment and retention (by positioning you as an employer of choice)
• Resilience (especially during times of negative press or CQC inspection outcomes)
• Community engagement and local partnerships

In short, it’s not just about the next enquiry, it’s about the next phase of your growth.

What should a care home marketing strategy include?

Every home is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. But strong strategies tend to include a few consistent building blocks. These can include:

1.A clear, up-to-date website

Your website is often the first place families land. It should reflect the atmosphere of your home, clearly outline your services and values, and be easy to navigate on both mobile and desktop.

High-quality photos and video content can make a powerful impression – especially when they show real people and real moments, not stock imagery. Video, in particular, is one of the most effective ways to build trust quickly. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of video marketing, don’t forget to check out our blog on the benefits of video marketing for care homes, that explores how the right footage can help families connect emotionally with your home before they even visit. 

Remember, your website is the window into life in your home. Introduce your team. Share your stories. And, let people picture themselves or their loved ones living there. 

2. Search engine optimisation (SEO)

You don’t need to be an SEO expert but getting the basics right can make a big difference. That includes optimising your website for your location, using the kinds of search terms families are likely to type into Google, and keeping your online listings up to date.

Think about what someone might search for during those first few steps of their care search For example, it’s likely to be something like “care homes in [location]” or “dementia care near Worcester.” Being visible in search results can be the difference between a full inbox of enquiries – or being overlooked completely.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out this blog by James, our Digital Marketing Executive and SEO wizard, on how to build an effective SEO content strategy. In the blog, James breaks down the key principles and shows how care homes can start improving visibility with simple, consistent steps.

3. Social media

For care homes, social media is one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools you have to build trust, communicate your culture, and bring the day-to-day warmth of your home to life.

At its best, social media is more than just a marketing channel, it’s one of your greatest assets for visibility and connection. Use it to: 

• Celebrate residents and staff
• Share updates on daily life inside the home and connections to the local community
• Highlight activities, milestones and seasonal/community events 
• Answer FAQs
• Strengthen your local presence and build community advocacy 

For more on how to make the most out of your content, read our blog here on how social media can boost care home marketing efforts. 

4. Content and storytelling

When families search for care, they’re not just looking for services,  they’re looking for a sense of life, trust and connection. That’s where storytelling comes in.

It’s not just part of care home marketing – it’s the foundation. From resident stories and staff spotlights to blogs, videos and newsletters, strong and compelling content shows who you are, not just what you do.

It builds emotional connection, supports your SEO, and reinforces your values across every channel. In a sector built on relationships, stories are what people remember – and what help them choose.

Still struggling with planning content? Don’t forget to check out our 2025 Health & Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar, a useful content planning tool, built with care sector teams in mind. 

5. PR and community engagement

Reputation is everything in the health and social care sector, and PR plays an important role in building and protecting it.

Media coverage, local partnerships with schools, GP surgeries or charities, and a strong community presence help position your home as a trusted organisation and raise awareness of your reputation at a local and regional level.

When done well, PR helps to reinforce your values, supports your occupancy, and makes sure the good work happening inside your home is seen and recognised outside it.

For a deeper look at how this works in practice, explore our blog on how to bring your care home to life with local PR. 

6. Advertising and campaign activity

There are times when organic marketing alone isn’t enough — when you need to fill vacancies quickly, promote a new service, or reach more self-funding families in a specific area. That’s where paid advertising comes in.

Targeted campaigns allow you to speak directly to the people who matter, using platforms like:

• Google Ads, to appear when families search for care in your area
• Facebook and Instagram, to raise awareness and drive enquiries through targeted content
• Sky AdSmart, to deliver TV ads to specific postcodes or household profiles

It works best when it complements your wider marketing, driving traffic to a website that’s ready to convert and reinforcing the messages already seen in your PR or social channels.

It’s also measurable. With the right setup, you can track leads, understand ROI, and adapt quickly. Whether it’s a short-term occupancy push or part of a long-term brand strategy, paid campaigns give you the control and flexibility to respond to changing needs, fast.

A final thought

You don’t have to do everything at once. But doing nothing is no longer an option.

Care home marketing isn’t about selling. It’s about showing up – consistently, honestly, and in a way that reflects the care you deliver every day.

If your home is already doing great things, marketing helps people see it. And if you’re working hard to improve, it helps them trust in the direction you’re going.

At Conteur, we work with care providers across the UK to help them build visibility, protect their reputations, and communicate their values clearly – through PR, digital, content, video and creative storytelling. 

If you’d like support with your care home marketing, get in touch with our friendly team today!