How Outsourcing Digital Marketing Saves Time for Care Home Managers

Outline

1. The Time Burden of Digital Marketing for Care Home Managers
2. Marketing Tasks That Consume a Care Manager’s Day
3. How Outsourcing Creates Immediate Time Savings
4. Real-World Time Comparisons: In-House vs. Agency
5. Redirecting Time to Core Care Operations
6. The Hidden Time Costs of DIY Marketing
7. Choosing the Right Agency to Maximize Time Savings
8. Future-Proofing: How Outsourcing Saves Time Long-Term

The Time Burden of Digital Marketing for Care Home Managers

Running a care home is already a 24/7 job. Most managers I’ve worked with tell me they barely have time to eat lunch, let alone manage a Facebook page or write blog posts. The problem isn’t just finding time – it’s the mental load of switching between caring for vulnerable residents and trying to be a marketing expert.

The truth is, digital marketing isn’t just posting a few pictures. It involves social media management, content creation, SEO, email campaigns, reputation management, and staying up-to-date with platform changes.

Each of these tasks requires different skills and constant attention.

For care home managers, this creates an impossible situation:

• Ignore marketing and watch occupancy rates drop
• Do marketing poorly and damage your reputation
• Try to do everything and burn out completely

When you’re responsible for the wellbeing of vulnerable people, marketing shouldn’t be the thing keeping you awake at night.

That’s why outsourcing to experts has become such a lifeline for busy care managers.

“Before outsourcing, our management team spent about 22 hours per week on marketing-related tasks. After outsourcing, that dropped to just 2 hours – mainly just approving content and providing information about upcoming events. That’s 20 hours every week we got back to focus on our core responsibility, CARE.”

Marketing Tasks That Consume a Care Manager’s Day

Let’s break down exactly where your time disappears when trying to handle marketing in-house. These tasks might seem quick individually, but they add up to a massive time sink:

Social Media Management (7+ hours weekly)

• Creating and scheduling posts across social media platforms
• Responding to comments and messages
• Monitoring reviews and handling complaints
• Staying updated on algorithm changes

Content Creation (10+ hours monthly)

• Writing blog posts about relevant care topics
• Taking and editing photos of activities
• Creating videos of testimonials or facility tours
• Designing graphics for events and announcements

Email Marketing (5+ hours monthly)

• Building and maintaining contact lists
• Creating newsletters for families and stakeholders
• Designing email campaigns for prospective residents
• Tracking open rates and engagement

Website Management (4+ hours monthly)

• Updating content and photos
• Ensuring mobile responsiveness
• Monitoring analytics and user behavior
• Fixing technical issues and broken links

One care home manager I worked with tracked her time and found she was spending nearly 25 hours per month on marketing tasks – that’s more than half a work week! And the worst part? She wasn’t even sure if what she was doing was effective.

How Outsourcing Creates Immediate Time Savings

When you hand over your digital marketing to specialists, the time savings start immediately.

Here’s what happens:

• First, you get back all those hours previously spent on learning marketing skills and how to drive consistent marketing that gets results.
• Second, no more late nights watching YouTube tutorials on “how to increase Facebook reach” or “best practices for email subject lines.” As a good digital marketing agency we already know this stuff.
• Third, tasks that might take you hours can take professionals minutes. What might be a 3-hour project for you (like creating a monthly content calendar) might take an experienced marketer 30 minutes because they’ve done it hundreds of times.
• Fouth, creating announcement posters, care home documentation, videos, brochures, adding seo blogs, newsletters, press releases, web site updates can take an age if you are not digitally aware and able to allocate time to these projects.

“The day we outsourced our social media was the day I got my evenings back,” says Sara, a care home manager in Warwickshire. “I literally gained 10 hours a week – time I now spend with residents or training, or imagine this, with my own family!”

Here’s a breakdown of typical time savings:

The best part? This time saving happens without sacrificing quality – in fact, the quality usually improves dramatically.

Real-World Time Comparisons: In-House vs. Agency

Let’s look at some real examples of how outsourcing specific tasks compares to doing them in-house:

Social Media Posts

• In-house time: 30-45 minutes per post (planning, writing, finding/creating images, scheduling)
• Agency time: 0 minutes of your time (agency handles everything)
• Result: Save 3-5 hours weekly for a basic posting schedule

Monthly Newsletter

• In-house time: 4-6 hours (writing content, designing layout, managing subscriber list, testing, sending)
• Agency time: 30 minutes of your time (spent providing basic updates, approving draftcopies)
• Result: Save 3.5-5.5 hours monthly

Website Updates

• In-house time: 2-3 hours (writing content, blogs, formatting, uploading images, testing)
• Agency time: 15 minutes of your time (spent approving changes)
• Result: Save 1.75-2.75 hours per update

Crisis Management

• In-house time: Unpredictable, often 5+ hours dealing with negative reviews or PR issues
• Agency time: 30 minutes discussing strategy with agency
• Result: Save 4.5+ hours per incident plus reduced stress

“Before outsourcing, our management team spent about 22 hours per week on marketing-related tasks. After outsourcing, that dropped to just 2 hours – mainly just approving content and providing information about upcoming events. That’s 20 hours every week we got back to focus on care.”

Redirecting Time to Core Care Operations

The real magic happens when you look at what care home managers do with all that reclaimed time. This isn’t just about saving time – it’s about where that time goes instead.

In a survey of care home managers who outsourced their marketing, here’s how they reported using their newly-found time:

• 69% spent more time directly engaging with residents
• 44% focused on staff training and professional development
• Improving staff skills, onboarding, and morale.
• 39% enhanced communication with families
• Providing updates, reassurance, and building trust with loved ones.

• 31% improved care planning and documentation
• Ensuring compliance, accuracy, and better care outcomes.
• 25% reduced their own working hours, improving work-life balance

The Hidden Time Costs of DIY Marketing

When calculating time savings, many managers only think about the direct time spent on marketing tasks. But there are hidden time costs that often go unnoticed:

• Learning Curve Time

Marketing platforms and best practices change constantly. The time spent learning new features, algorithms, and techniques is substantial and ongoing. An agency stays updated as part of their job.

• Mistake Recovery Time

When marketing goes wrong (and it will), fixing mistakes can be incredibly time-consuming. Whether it’s a compliance issue, a technical problem, or a poorly-received campaign, cleanup takes time.

• Tool Management Time

Marketing requires numerous tools and subscriptions – social media schedulers, email platforms, design software, analytics tools. Managing these accounts, payments, and learning how to use them all takes significant time.

• Coordination Time

In-house marketing often means coordinating between multiple staff members who each handle different aspects. This coordination itself becomes a time-consuming task.

• Mental Switching Cost

Perhaps the most overlooked time cost is the mental energy required to switch between care management and marketing tasks. This context switching reduces efficiency in both areas.

By outsourcing to a specialized care home marketing agency, you eliminate these hidden time costs completely.

Choosing the Right Agency to Maximize Time Savings

Not all marketing agencies will save you the same amount of time. To maximize your time savings, look for these specific qualities:

Care Sector Experience

Agencies that understand care homes won’t need extensive explanations about compliance, resident privacy, or sector-specific challenges. This dramatically reduces your input time.

Comprehensive Service Offering

Choose an agency that can handle all aspects of your digital marketing under one roof. Managing multiple specialized vendors creates coordination work that eats into your time savings.

Clear Communication Processes

Look for agencies with streamlined approval processes and communication channels. The less back-and-forth required, the more time you save.

Proactive Approach

The best agencies don’t just execute tasks – they proactively suggest strategies and improvements. This reduces the time you spend thinking about marketing direction.

Reporting Efficiency

Detailed but digestible reporting saves you from spending hours trying to understand marketing performance. Look for agencies that provide clear, actionable insights without requiring extensive analysis on your part.

One care home manager advises: “Ask potential agencies how much time they’ll need from you each month. The best ones have this figured out and can tell you exactly what to expect.”

Future-Proofing: How Outsourcing Saves Time Long-Term

The time savings from outsourcing don’t just happen immediately – they compound over time. Here’s why outsourcing is a long-term time investment:

• Avoiding Technology Learning Curves

Digital marketing tools and platforms evolve rapidly. TikTok, AI content tools, and new advertising options emerge constantly. Agencies absorb this learning curve so you don’t have to.

• Scaling Without Time Penalty

As your care home grows, your marketing needs increase. With outsourcing, scaling up marketing doesn’t mean scaling up your time commitment proportionally.

• Preventing Costly Mistakes

Marketing mistakes can create massive time drains. Compliance issues, reputation problems, or ineffective campaigns can take weeks to fix. Professional management prevents these time-consuming scenarios.

• Reminders and Proactive Production of Materials

Agencies also take care of reminding clients about important dates, activities, and events, ensuring everything is ready on time. In many cases, they can anticipate requirements and produce items like event day posters for approval, allowing for smooth, stress-free management.

• Continuity Through Staff Changes

When marketing depends on in-house staff, knowledge and momentum are lost during turnover. Agencies provide continuity that prevents the time-consuming process of retraining and rebuilding.

• Adapting to Algorithm Changes

When social platforms change their algorithms (which happens constantly), agencies adapt quickly. DIY marketers often spend weeks figuring out why their reach suddenly dropped and how to fix it.

Outsourcing digital marketing across multiple care homes can result in significant time savings. In some cases, it can free up around 1,200 hours of management time per year across five locations. That’s roughly the equivalent of having a part-time staff member at each site – all while delivering more consistent and effective marketing results.

One care home group calculated that outsourcing their digital marketing saved them approximately 1,200 hours of management time annually across their five homes. That’s equivalent to hiring an additional part-time staff member at each location – all while getting better marketing results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time does the average care home manager spend on marketing tasks?

Most care home managers report spending 15-25 hours per month on marketing activities when handling them in-house. This includes social media, content creation, email marketing, and website updates.

Will I still need to be involved if I outsource my marketing?

Yes, but minimally. You’ll typically need to provide some input on campaigns, approve content, and share information about events or news. Most managers spend 1-2 hours per month on this after outsourcing.

How quickly will I see time savings after outsourcing?

Time savings begin immediately. Most care home managers report noticeable time recovery within the first week, with full benefits realized within the first month as processes become established.

Is outsourcing more expensive than doing marketing in-house?

When you factor in the value of your time, outsourcing is typically more cost-effective. Consider that 20 hours of a manager’s time per month is worth significantly more than most agency retainers.

What if I still want to be involved in some aspects of marketing?

Good agencies will create flexible arrangements where you can remain involved in the aspects you enjoy while delegating the rest.  For example, you take photos of events but let the agency handle manipulating images and videos for posting and engagement.

How do I measure if the time savings are worth the investment?

Track your time spent on marketing before and after outsourcing. Also measure marketing results (inquiries, occupancy rates, etc.) to see if professional management improves outcomes. The combination of time saved and improved results determines the true ROI.

Can outsourcing help with compliance and regulatory concerns?

Absolutely. Specialized care home marketing agencies understand sector-specific regulations like GDPR, CQC requirements, and resident privacy concerns. This eliminates the time you’d spend researching and implementing these requirements yourself.