Print is not dead!
Brand awareness, vast market reach and creative offline campaigns can catapult hospital goals and online marketing with niche publications, strategic and
marketing strategy. Stellar designs and traditional offline campaigns can drive overwhelming responses, too.
You can reach more of your target audience by continuing to tackle both traditional and online avenues. Here’s how:
Don’t respond right away.
You just received your ad agency’s offline campaign proof. Set it aside and keep reading this.
Use the 5-second test.
Consumers are constantly assaulted with online and offline advertising. See if your campaign can rise above the clutter by showing your creative to a few
non healthcare folks in your target demographic. If they don’t get it then forget it. Make your headline clear and direct. Make your graphics scream your
message.
Win the reader’s heart.
Hook the reader with catchy headlines and intriguing visuals. Once baited, make them really
feel something.
See how it works in context.
Mock up the ad in your target publication; throw that billboard in a simulator and toss that direct mail among your mail. Does it still stand out?
Words sell.
Review your campaign goals. Does every single visual and verbal element drive the reader to that goal? Delete anything extra. Add in anything you missed.
Consider another campaign approach.
There are always a few ways up a mountain. Even if success is at hand, is there an even better way? Keep an open mind and be willing to experiment with
something new.
Be brutally honest.
Nothing is ever perfect. Tweak everything—headline, copy, tone, layout, photos, call to action—as needed. This isn’t about you. It’s about your hospital’s
marketing message. Get it out there.
Seek a peer review.
Turn to a peer whose opinion you trust. Even one small improvement can be the key to success or failure.
Don’t bury your call to action.
Need more office visits? Filled maternity classes? Online community connection? Don’t bury your message at the bottom in nine-point font. People have to
SEE what your hospital has to offer!
Take the message online.
Every offline campaign needs its online counterpart. Even older, less media-savvy audiences appreciate the option to link to directions, class registration
and more information.
Amid the dazzle of ever-expanding online marketing options, don’t ever forget the importance of your offline efforts. Balance is essential to capture
results.
Stacy Carter is the partner and creative director of ABZ Design Group. To read more, click
here.