Marketing Your Hospice Agency: What Works and What’s a Waste

Hospice care is one of the most meaningful services in healthcare—yet many agencies struggle with growth and visibility. Unlike other industries, hospice marketing requires a delicate balance of compassion, compliance, and strategy. Families must trust that your agency can deliver quality end-of-life care, while referral sources need confidence in your professionalism and reliability.

But here’s the challenge: not every marketing effort pays off. In fact, some common strategies drain time and money without producing real results. So how do you separate what works from what’s a waste? Let’s break it down.

What Works in Hospice Marketing

1. Building Physician Relationships

Referrals from physicians, nurse practitioners, and specialists remain the strongest driver of hospice census growth. Consistent, respectful communication—like timely updates on patient status and educational materials about hospice eligibility—builds trust.

Why it works: Physicians want to ensure their patients are in capable hands. When you make their job easier by providing quick responses and clinical excellence, referrals follow.

2. Community Outreach and Education

Hospice remains widely misunderstood. Hosting workshops, grief support groups, or informational sessions at community centers, churches, or senior facilities positions your agency as a trusted resource.

Why it works: Families are more likely to call your hospice when they already associate your name with helpful education and compassionate guidance.

3. Digital Presence That Builds Trust

A professional website, active social media, and positive online reviews are essential. Families often turn to Google before making care decisions. Ensuring your online presence reflects compassion, professionalism, and clarity makes you more approachable.

Why it works: A modern digital presence increases visibility and reassures families that your agency is legitimate and caring.

4. Referral Source Engagement Beyond Physicians

Don’t overlook discharge planners, social workers, and case managers. Providing them with easy-to-read eligibility guides, quick referral forms, and education about hospice benefits ensures they see your agency as a reliable partner.

Why it works: These professionals are often the first to recognize when a patient may qualify for hospice and can influence the decision-making process.

5. Word-of-Mouth and Family Testimonials

Few things are as powerful as a family sharing how your hospice helped them during one of life’s hardest moments. Collecting written testimonials or short videos—with permission—can be used in brochures, websites, and presentations.

Why it works: Families trust other families. Testimonials put a face and story behind your services.

What’s a Waste in Hospice Marketing

1. Generic Advertising

Billboards, radio ads, or generic magazine spreads often don’t reach the families who need hospice services at the moment they need them. These campaigns can be expensive and provide little measurable return.

2. Overly Sales-Driven Messaging

Hospice care is about compassion, not sales. Pushy language, aggressive phone calls, or gimmicky promotions can damage your reputation with both families and referral sources.

3. One-Time Outreach Efforts

Hosting one event or sending one flyer rarely builds lasting visibility. Marketing requires consistency. Sporadic efforts often fail to create meaningful connections.

4. Investing Heavily in the Wrong Digital Tools

It’s tempting to purchase expensive marketing software or paid ad campaigns without a clear plan. Without proper targeting, many of these efforts reach the wrong audience.

5. Ignoring Staff as Ambassadors

Your nurses, social workers, and aides are some of the best representatives of your hospice. Failing to empower them with talking points or training on how to represent the agency means you’re missing out on authentic, word-of-mouth marketing.

The Bottom Line: Strategy Over Scattershot Efforts

Effective hospice marketing isn’t about spending the most money—it’s about focusing on strategies that build trust, foster relationships, and educate the community. Physicians, families, and community partners need to see your hospice as a reliable, compassionate provider.

Invest where it counts: education, relationships, and consistent visibility. Avoid scattershot advertising or one-off efforts that look busy but yield little return.

Partnering for Success

At SummitRidge Consulting, we help hospice agencies identify the strategies that truly work and avoid wasting time and money on ineffective efforts. From building referral pipelines to enhancing community presence, our consulting expertise ensures your agency grows with compliance, compassion, and sustainability.

If you’re ready to strengthen your hospice marketing strategy, contact SummitRidge today for guidance tailored to your agency’s needs.