Best places to advertise?

[RATTER15]

Im looking for ideas for places to advertise a new venture, still in its infancy?

I will be offering a whole range of care facilities for the elderly and disabled.

The services will probably include the following.

Cooking and cleaning
a minding service including overnight stays if required
the full range of personal care including bathing, putting to bed and getting up again.
Escort for day trips (Possibly)
the whole range of DIY services

I dont really want to use yellow pages, I will look at a cheap or free website, suggestion for a free website would be welcomed.
also looking at the best places to leave/put up flyers, I will also produce a small brochure which could also be distributed.

[AB Editor]

Here?

[AB Editor]

Oh, I see you said "cheap or free".

We're neither of those.

Can you explain the business a bit more? Are you a qualified carer? Is it just you? If not how big is you team?

[flump1]

Hi Ratter, what a lovely range of services you will be offering, I wish you all the best with your venture. It might help to advertise in communal areas , community halls , libraries, churches, and other places where people can gather, maybe some smaller cafe 's.

[AB Editor]

Also, make sure you advertise to "friends" of the intended end user. Not the end users, no one wants to admit they need help.

[China Doll]

Do you have a lot of friends on facebook? Maybe you could design a poster or something and have people add it to their status's or on their wall? That might be a start?

[Davethedog]

If you advertise you want to get to your target audience, which I take it, is the elderly and infirm.

You can use the net, but I think that advertising on the net is a bit like the emperors new clothes. Who Looks you just go to content.

You could set up your own site and make sure it carries all the key words. Organisations with their own magazines/ websites such as Saga etc where you know your targets a looking.

Neither I am sorry to say, are cheap or free.

[ummmm]

Good idea China. Or make a new account for your services and then we can all like it for you :-)

[DTCwordfan]

(i) local Alzheimers societies
(ii) Dont know if the community health fol sponsor this - A Mr Ziyer is the head of the Cornish NHS Aged Persons Mental Health Unit in Pydar St, Truro - may be worth contacting them. They also run community groups for stretching the mind and sharing knowledge
(iii) Internet site.

I am compiling a diary re my mother as to a possible book on general advice and the humour in Dementia, what there is but one needs some to remain sane.

[RATTER15]

Ed, Primarily it will be just myself but I have a wealth of qualified carers and people I can call on for additional help.

I am qualified in many aspects of care work and completed courses in First Aid, medicating, dementia, palliative and end of live care and many others So yes I am very well qualified.

[RATTER15]

Some great ideas there, Facebook is good idea and free :-)

Like I say: this is still at its research stage but I think it could work but I may need to pull myself in all directions.

[DTCwordfan]

Internet may have more value than Dave suggests as I would surmise (no proof but the experience of caring myself) that it is the next generation who would be looking on-line for support.

I would also be looking up various private companies/carers in other places. I am just looking at Tunbridge Wells as there is a Co there who places Ozzies, NZers etc with training but not nurses, on a two week basis into private homes.....a mate of mine used this to keep his old man in his home and they were very happy. In looking for them, I have found one site, the Bespoke Co (a mother and daughter).

Next thing is would you be interested in covering Woolacoombe. My bro-inlaw's 95 year old mother is over there and lives at home - she is pretty doolallie.... Before we use a dummy e-mail as to possible contact, lets see if you would be interested, though he and my sis are out of the country for the moment - for another month.

[DTCwordfan]

http://www.homecare.c...itary/Tunbridge-Wells

[AB Editor]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

Create a Facebook page for your business here.

After 20 "likes" you can change the URL to a branded one.

[craft1948]

Do you have a local monthly magazine like we have in York?

http://www.yourlocalweblink.co.uk/

[RATTER15]

DT, I would be interested in covering the Woolacoombe area, but the services would a little more limited because of the distance involved, I obviously wouldn't want to travel that far a field just for an hours work but a few hours minding or an overnight stay would be no problem.

[sherrardk]

Do you have local newsletters - we have one delivered every month and it costs about £50 to advertise in it each year. How about putting cards in all the local post offices? My husband has a website with someone (think it is office or something) - it was free for the first two years and is still really cheap now. Took him a while to set it up but if you saw it you would think it was done by a 'proper' firm. You could also try iVillage.

[sandyRoe]

Have you considered Gumtree or Vivastreet? Both have free 'small ads'.

[naomi24]

Contact the local offices of all the charities who would find those services useful to offer. Age UK springs to mind. (I speak from experience).

[4getmenot]

I work for a dom care place. I would suggest advertising doctors and in a local paper. Obviosuly working in the care sector previously you know all the places you need to register to if you have more than 3 service users.