Messaging
Through the Holidays
By Brenda Beukelman, MBA
Mailboxes are bulging with greeting cards and mail order catalogues, air waves consumed by retail ads, and our waist lines are reflecting the number of parties we have attended. How do you effectively get your organization’s message through all of this? Should you simply throw in the towel and join the revelry, resuming normal messaging in January? Or should you keep your message machine cranking through the clutter? Let’s take a look at what can work during this wonderful, hectic time of year.
Can Anyone Out There Hear Me?
The clutter and volume of advertising is at an all time high during the holidays. If you’re not selling electronics or toys (since you’re reading this, it’s safe to presume you’re not), then pass on purchasing traditional media during the holidays. Rates are sky high and inventory is usually down. Your ability to negotiate a preferred placement is pretty limited. The typical sized marketing budget of any healthcare organization isn’t an equal match for this market.
Wise men talk
because
they have something to say;
fools, because they have
to say something.
Plato
Send This, Not That.
There are, however, a few messages you should work to get out to your marketplace. Send messages regarding your benefit and commitment to the community, building goodwill and leaving a favorable impression. Utilize your online, community channels and relationships for these messages. Think about writing a letter to your community via a letter to the editor of community papers and trade publications.
The end of the year can also be a busy time for philanthropy. Development teams are most likely connecting with donors who may make an end of the year contribution. Marketing support of the fundraising efforts requires targeted messages and personalized tools to this important audience. A strong partnership between marketing and development can be very effective in increasing the number and size of donations to the organization. Rejuvenate During the Holidays? You Must Be Joking.
This is not the time of year to work harder, but rather smarter. While you may not be placing ads or actively running a campaign, this doesn’t mean hibernate and wait until the New Year’s confetti is swept. Use this time to refocus, retool, and rev up your marketing plans, in anticipation for the next quarter or year. It’s a good time to reevaluate target audiences, messages, and tactics. Take inventory of printed materials and other tools that may need replenishing before the New Year. Review ROI results and communicate to key stakeholders.
This is also a good time to solidify working relationships with physicians and leadership. Reconnect with any that you haven’t had the chance to work with recently, but may be the following year. Offer an olive branch to those for whom things may not be all roses, taking advantage of the holiday spirit. Mended relationships can do wonders for return on investment – both financially and personally.
Messaging and marketing during the holidays isn’t business as usual. Competing for media space and the attention of your audience is especially hard during this time of year. However, the holidays do offer us a change of pace. I encourage you to take the one not typically associated with the holidays; one that is reflective, relationship driven, and strategic. Happy Holidays.
