Senior Care Expertise

Growth Starts in the Leadership Meeting, Not in the Marketing Plan

Written by Mike Theodore | Apr 4, 2025 12:57:50 AM

You want more census. More inquiries. More staff. More referrals.

So you build a marketing plan — ads, SEO, brochures, social media.

But if your leadership team isn’t aligned on the why, the how, and the what next… that plan won’t stick. And it won’t scale.

Because real growth doesn’t start with campaigns. It starts in the leadership meeting.

The Most Overlooked Driver of Census Growth

Your leadership team sets the tone for every part of your business:

  • How intake handles leads
  • What caregivers say to clients
  • What’s prioritized in recruiting
  • How your brand is perceived in the market

If leadership is misaligned, no amount of tactics will make up for the disconnect.

What Growth-Aligned Leadership Looks Like

✅ Everyone knows the census goal — and how their department contributes
✅ Financial, clinical, and operational leaders are part of marketing conversations
✅ There’s agreement on who the ideal client is
✅ Barriers to growth (like staffing or retention) are acknowledged, not avoided
✅ Time is set aside every month to revisit the growth strategy

What Misalignment Looks Like

❌ Marketing is told to “bring in more clients” without intake support
❌ Sales and care disagree on which services are top priority 
❌ Finance wants to grow private pay — ops is focused on Medicaid 
❌ Leadership only talks about growth when there’s a census dip

This kind of reactive thinking leads to burnout, confusion, and churn.

Start Here: The Leadership Growth Conversation

Here are 5 questions every senior care leadership team should answer together:

  1. What does growth look like for us in the next 90 days?
  2. Who is our ideal client or referral source right now?
  3. What barriers do we need to solve *before* we scale?
  4. How will we know if our growth efforts are working?
  5. What role does each leader play in this?

These conversations may feel uncomfortable — but they create alignment that powers every downstream strategy.

Monthly Leadership Rhythm = Marketing Clarity

The best agencies don’t wait for quarterly retreats. They create a monthly rhythm to:

  • Review census and lead source data
  • Discuss wins and breakdowns
  • Align marketing with operations
  • Adjust focus based on what’s working

This rhythm builds momentum and keeps growth from falling off the to-do list.

RaisedCare’s Take

At RaisedCare, we believe growth isn’t a department. It’s a leadership mindset.

That’s why our strategy process starts with leadership alignment — before we ever open a marketing calendar.

Because your brand is only as strong as the leadership behind it.

Sources
  • Home Care Pulse. “Benchmarking for Growth and Strategy”
  • Studer Group. “Leadership Alignment and Culture”
  • RaisedCare ClarityTrack Leadership Workshop Materials