How to Conduct a Cost-Effective PR and Marketing Communications Program
An effective PR and marketing communications program does not have to be cost prohibitive. If you employ the right methodologies, your company can conduct an effective marketing program at a very reasonable cost. This white paper outlines a strategy for conducting such a program, including methodologies to be used and sample budget figures.
Careful planning and use of targeted, integrated resources are critical to the implementation of a cost-efficient marketing program. The objectives of this sample campaign are as follows:
- Increase the company’s name exposure in healthcare trade journals; therefore, building the company’s identity in the minds of potential prospects.
- Build identity of the company’s brand names and their products’ capabilities in the minds of prospects.
- Produce sales leads
“Careful planning and use of targeted, integrated resources are critical to the implementation of a cost-efficient marketing program. ”
Marketing Communications Methodologies To Be Used:
- Product Data Sheets and Brochures
- Web Site
- Proactive Media Relations Program
- Client Case Studies
- Industry White Papers
- Industry Articles
- E-mail Blasts
- E-Newsletters
- Webinars
- Speaking Opportunities
The marketing communications activities chosen for this campaign are ones that require only modest expenditures or no expenditures. We will provide a sample budget estimate for each at the conclusion of this white paper.
Product Data Sheets and Brochures:
In today’s “green” environment, printing and storing large amounts of paper literature are not acceptable activities. Very few prospects file or keep your printed marketing communications literature, even if you get it into their hands. You are much better off designing effective data sheets/brochures and providing them to your prospects via pdfs that can be stored electronically and printed individually if the prospect has to have a printed copy. You can also print small amounts in-house for face-to-face sales calls, if desired. In general, your only expense should be for an initial, high-quality design and updates to keep your copy current.
Web Site:
Most companies already have a web site. Prospects, today, want to go to your web site as the first mechanism for checking out your company. Your web site should be attractive and cleanly-designed — not a circus — be easy to navigate, and present the marketing message you want prospects to receive. Many web sites today frustrate users with “too much glitz” and not enough information. You should also have a system in place for tracking and responding to visitors who come to your web site.
Proactive Media Relations Program:
A proactive media relations program simply means being proactive in conducting your media relations. Many companies just wait for something to happen before doing a press release; then, they react to a specific situation. A proactive media relations program aggressively seeks opportunities to communicate with the healthcare media — one to two press releases per month — and manages those opportunities to the best advantage of the company. It’s as simple as that.
There are three keys to conducting a successful proactive media relations program. The first is you must have a dedicated resource that will actively work, on an ongoing basis, to identify and qualify legitimate press release opportunities. This includes monitoring editorial calendars for applicable topics that relate to your company. The second is that you must also have a resource capable of turning the identified opportunities into professionally written press releases that the healthcare media will actually use. The third is that you must have a resource to distribute your press releases and this resource should have a relationship with the healthcare media that offers you the best chance of placement for your press releases.
Client Case Studies:
Most companies that have been in business for any length of time have “client success stories” that can be turned into case studies and placed in various healthcare media outlets; they should also be posted on web sites. Case studies are excellent venues to present specifically what you do and how well you do it.
White Papers:
White papers are case studies without the specifics; they give you an opportunity to tell your prospects how you will improve their operational environment in general or in theoretical terms. They also present your company as an expert in the field you serve.
Industry Articles:
These are articles written to speak to what you do for the healthcare industry. If at all possible, they should be tied to some current trend(s) that are presently in the news — patient safety, pay-for-performance, IT ROI, revenue cycle, etc. A myriad of trends can be harnessed to get your message into a format that healthcare magazine editors will use.
E-mail Blasts, E-Newsletters and Webinars:
“Your web site should be attractive and cleanly-designed, be easy to navigate, and present the marketing message you want prospects to receive. ”
There are numerous ways to reach your prospects, but since the topic of this white paper is cost-effective marketing, we’ll start with the most targeted marketing communications tactic that entails almost no production costs — e-marketing. This plan assumes that a company will see the value in purchasing good electronic address lists for their target audiences. Reputable email list vendors, today, give at least a 90 percent deliverability guarantee on their lists, and they are also verified as opt-in names. You also get the physical address, telephone number and fax number of the email addressee for follow-up. After you purchase your list, you own it and can use it as often as practical.
The next step is to develop your marketing message(s) with the most compelling value proposition statement(s) possible. You must then put these messages into creative email blasts, e-newsletters, invites to webinar programs, and other electronic formats. These marketing messages should be delivered on an ongoing basis, to your target audiences, without burdening them with too many messages. The number and timing of marketing email blasts should be carefully considered.
To verify the efficacy of your e-marketing program and for sales follow-up, your blasting company will provide reports on — who opened your emails and who clicked thru to your web site. You should also monitor your web traffic for spikes after each blast, because some prospects will go directly to your web site, without responding to your email blast.
Speaking Opportunities:
There are multiple opportunities during the year to speak at various venues where your prospects may be in attendance. These venues should be monitored for opportunities that are applicable to your company’s products. Speaking at these events requires that you develop an interesting program that presents your products’ capabilities in the most favorable light without being overly “salesy.” Most good speaking venues will require that you submit your presentation for review. If it is simply a sales presentation, more than likely it will be rejected.
Sample Budget Estimates:
- Product Data Sheets/Brochures – Design for three to four data sheets and a four-page brochure = $2,000 total
- Web Site – Design remodel = $750-$1,500; Complete overhaul = $1,500-$2,500
- Proactive Media Relations Program = $1,500 monthly fee
- Case Studies = (Included in monthly fee)
- Industry White Papers = (Included in monthly fee)
- Industry Articles = (Included in monthly fee)
- E-mail Blasts = (Writing, blasting and reporting included in monthly fee)
Email addresses cost between 65 cents and $1.00 each, depending on the number purchased – one time cost - E-Newsletters = (Writing, blasting and reporting included in monthly fee)
- Webinars = (Invite writing, blasting multiple invites to prospects included in monthly fee)
Company pays for webinar expenses, varies with number of webinars conducted annually, but is affordable - Speaking Opportunities = (Monitoring of opportunities and pitches to obtain speaking engagements included in monthly fee)