Healthcare for your brand on a budget
When funds are scarce and investments are heavily scrutinized, you owe it to your shareholders to assess your brand’s state of wellness. Here’s why. –iMediaConnection.com
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What are the key elements to successfully integrate a public relations strategy into an advertising campaign?
As with all strong campaigns, plan early and bring your PR team (internal or external) to the table as stakeholders – not as task managers. Don’t forget to be:
- Inclusive–share responsibilities and credit in campaign successes; and
- Appreciative–thank them for their dedication, talent and involvement in the campaign.
As you include your PR colleagues in your major marketing and advertising initiatives, you will have a greater chance of being included in planning PR campaigns – thus extending the reach of campaigns and publicity. It’s not easy, but this collaboration is a worthwhile investment.
The following PR elements work well with an integrated advertising campaign:
- Editorial opportunities: Work with PR to mine for editorial story angles that can be pitched to local media. Keep promotion to an absolute minimum. Embed underlying campaign messaging and do not overtly mention the campaign.
- Advertorials: If you are unable to hook unpaid media, consider an advertorial option in targeted publications. Again, keep promotion to a minimum.
- Patient stories: Relevant patient stories that subtly support the core of your campaign and have a simple CTA/URL at the end of the article work well without “selling.”
- Contests or prizes: Make it fun. Consider a giveaway associated with your new campaign.
- Angle: Have an angle for your PR elements. PR for your campaign should be a “cousin” element, not a twin to your campaign information.
- Events: Don’t forget to plug into existing service line, health fair or sponsorship events.
- Use your tag or memorable campaign image: For a limited time, use your campaign tag line or strong visual reference in existing press releases as well as inbound or outbound calls.
- Social media support: Ask for PR help with social media channels. Again, stay away from overt campaign references but entice social “listeners” by tying in to contests or events.
- Internal communications: Ask PR to help with a time-limited footer for internal communications, email and messaging on your intranet.
- Reinforce your message: Work with PR to come up with creative messaging on supplemental elements – nurse buttons, shirts, etc.
- Internal publications: Don’t forget to schedule editorial coverage within your hospital or health care system’s publications
Integration is the key. Stay connected and share information freely with your PR team. Together you can make a tremendously positive impact on campaign success.
– Elizabeth L. Scott
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Is mobile media on your radar? If not, we should talk. The big wave is coming soon. Raven New Media and Marketing can help.
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Which elements should you include in a new integrated campaign?
Determining the appropriate elements of an integrated campaign can be a challenge. Often health care marketers are expected to:
1. Use all of the media outlets available (effective or not);
2. Scramble to secure the media buys or placements (outside of existing contracted media); and
3. Replicate the campaign’s general information and visual style quite literally taken from the core advertising message (whether it is appropriate for the media or not).
This execution style can result in wasted money and time; not to mention untrackable results. The campaign launches with great internal fanfare and fizzles out quietly without mention or reporting of ROI.
Marketers can make the most from an integrated campaign launch, by building a customized media matrix that can be used by your extended team (marketing, communications, PR, web and social media teams, etc) during your planning stage. Your matrix can become a reusable and evergreen
tool for your team. It gives you a quick glance of criteria that help to determine what will best serve your objectives given time, resources, upkeep, objectives, audience match, etc. I have created one for health care new media selections, but this can, and should, be extended to placement on web sites and traditional tools.
Tips:
1. Select only the media options you and your team can support. New media will require constant ‘care and feeding.’
2. Spend 2/3 of your time planning and 1/3 executing any integrated campaign. This includes media matrices.
3. Track all elements of an integrated campaign (traditional and new media)
– Elizabeth L. Scott
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