Editors note: Here's an article from our archives that we thought was worth another read.
Valentine’s Day can bring marketing and PR victories for health care communicators.
You don’t have to sell candy or flowers to drum up creative ideas to promote your hospital and areas of expertise.
Here are a few easy ways to help your employees and patients fall in love with your brand:
1. Show (your organization) some love.
Not everyone has someone special to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, so be sure to express appreciation to all your employees.
For instance, use your internal communication channels to share a heartfelt email to staffers. It can be a company-wide HTML email spotlighting employees who have gone above and beyond, or a simple electronic message or video from the CEO wishing everyone a great day. The message should be positive and spread the (organizational) love.
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2. Give your social media some TLC.
Valentine's Day can be used to generate engagement on social media. Hosting contests, suggesting healthy gift ideas and launching fun love-rated polls are great ways to interact with your community.
Also, American Heart month is observed in February. Consider sharing valuable heart health content such as tips, statistics and patient success stories.
3. Incorporate Valentine’s Day concepts into other health campaigns.
Health care is all about encouraging people to be responsible for their own well-being. Research finds that self-care can decrease medical costs and increase patient happiness. Are you consistently using creative ways to encourage patients to take control of their own health?
Last year, our agency, Vitamin, created a direct-mail campaign to drive signups for Saint Agnes Hospital's 60 Minute Heart Check during American Heart Month.
The mailer mimicked a traditional Valentine card, but the inside messaging included:
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Hard-hitting heart disease data
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Preventative steps for better heart health
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A call to action to the campaign landing page
Incorporating cards, quotes, holiday prose and other Valentine’s Day concepts is a fun and informative way to reach your community.
The original version of this post was published on the Living Organism blog.