EXTENDED-CARE MARKETING EDITION
From what we can tell, many extended-care organizations don’t blog or, if they have a “news” or “events” page, they aren’t developing that to include the elements of a blog.
This is a missed opportunity. Why? At its very basic function, a blog is an essential foundation to build loyalty with your audience and distinguish yourself from your competitors. Blogging can also be a platform from which to launch effective e-marketing.
Let’s play the scenario out. You decide to build a blog that targets the families of your residents. This is a highly motivated reader with a consequential interest in your organization. She is not just dropping by for an appointment and then moving on. She is, in fact, intent on feeling connected to her mother who is, let’s say, in your extended-care facility for rehabilitation after a broken leg from a fall. The grown daughter feels engaged with your facility through your blog and enjoys the frequent entries that speak directly to her concerns. She is likely to spread the word to others in the community about what fine care Mom received and how she, the daughter, felt welcomed and engaged.
Mom is discharged, but the daughter continues to follow the blog, because you are continuing to provide her with relevant content on the care of older adults with entries on say, how to take the car keys away from an increasingly forgetful father. Eventually Dad needs long-term care for his progressive dementia. You know where this daughter will turn because she now enjoys a relationship with your facility that endured beyond her mother’s stay. In a year or two, the daughter herself needs a short-term rehab stay after a joint replacement. Guess who comes first to mind?
Starting a blog is not technically difficult, but it does take thought and commitment. We’ll walk you through the first 3 critical steps here, here and here.
> If you need help building a blog, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
> Coming soon: Ways you can “bump up” the effectiveness of your blog: writing and design tips, how to use photos and infographics, as well as setting yourself up for an e-marketing campaign.
Whether you are creating a newsletter, brochure or blog entry, no one likes to read too many pages of just text. But images cost money, lots of money if you hire a professional photographer or turn to expensive stockhouses. We’ve got some tips to help you unearth interesting images for a lot less (and sometimes for free!):
• Check your archives, both digital and hard copy. Often in the bottom drawer of the file cabinet in the office’s back room, you can find site shots when the ribbon was cut on a new wing or nice head shots when staff was newly hired.
• If you aren’t in these departments, ask Public Relations or Marketing or Community Relations if they have photos that pertain to your subject matter.
• Ask the department itself that you’re highlighting if they have photos on hand. For instance, we find that the Therapeutic Recreation department of many long-term skilled nursing facilities have tons of images from all their fun happenings. Maybe not all are perfect shots or at the highest resolution (and, while you’re at it, you can show them how to set their camera to the highest resolution), but a collage of many of these smaller ones can capture something authentic and wonderful for the right project.
• Does your story involve equipment of some kind? Manufacturers are always happy to share professional, quality digital images of their wares for your use. Just call up their Public Relations or Marketing department.
• Think all stockhouses are expensive? Think again! Here are some of my favorites that are more reasonably priced ones or even FREE: Pixabay is a repository for public domain pictures. It’s a FREE source for royalty-free stock photos and copyright-free vector graphics. You can use any Pixabay image without attribution in digital and printed form, even for commercial applications. I have also found great images for as low as $5-$10 at Shutterstock and Canstockphoto.
• Gooogle the type of images you’re seeking. If you find an image you like, contact the source to see if you can use their image free of charge if you credit the source.
• If you are going to purchase from a stockhouse, stick with royalty-free images that once purchased can be used again and again without incurring additional fees.
• Absolutely want a photographer? Consider asking a nearby university or art school’s photography department for recommendations of talented student photographers who may be happy to work for reduced fees if they can get a photo credit.
> If you need design consultation of any kind, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
IMC, an IT consulting firm whose client base includes many nonprofits, had a website with a muddled message and limited functionality. Lazzaro Designs collaborated with a third-party tech expert to completely redesign the website, sharpening the firm’s message, updating the site’s visual impact, enhancing the viewing experience by improving its responsiveness, reorganizing the site’s architecture, and advising on an ongoing blog from which to launch e-marketing blasts. It’s live now–take a peek!
> If you need help building or refreshing your website, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
If your organization produces a regular newsletter or publication, we have one golden rule for you: Get it out and get it out on time!
It’s tempting to hold the publication up for the latest development—a photo of an important hire or finally being able to announce a new service. But don’t do it or, at least, do it with great caution and not often. The printed version of The New York Times does not try to compete with CNN. The most important thing about the Times is that it arrives on your doorstep or digitally on its website every single morning. If you want breaking news, you turn on your computer or TV. If you want regular, insightful, DEPENDABLE news, you turn to the Times or your newspaper of choice.
TIP: You should be using your website’s blog or news page, intranet, LinkedIn page and newsfeed, Twitter feed, and Facebook page to keep your internal and external audiences up to date on breaking information or quickly changing events. But, your regularly scheduled print or online publication should present the bigger picture with engaging copy, lively graphics and photos in a reliable way. And that means coming out on time as promised.
> If you need help getting your projects out the door, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
