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SNEAK
PEEK
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VOLUME
8 NOVEMBER
2009
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Were
you ever the first one among friends or neighbors to get a
popular item like a Nintendo Wii, Nike Air shoes or even a
Cabbage Patch doll? If so, you can probably recall the happy
feeling you had at being the first on your block to have one.
You couldn't wait to show the special item to others. That
same feeling can be duplicated when you remember that your
board members, volunteers and staff want to be "in the
know." They are committed to your hospice and its mission
and each one represents a special sphere of influence in the
community.
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FIVE
GREAT IDEAS
FOR INTERNAL
COMMUNICATIONS
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So
think about having a special event or premiere to show them
your campaign and share information which will help them be
positive advocates of your hospice communications. It will
make them feel special and they can discuss the campaign knowledgeably
with their family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. What
a terrific, inexpensive way to maximize your marketing investment.
The integration of internal and external messages is absolutely
necessary to build your brand successfully.
PROVEN
STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT
1.
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Get
team input. Physicians, nurses, aides, social workers,
chaplains, bereavement counselors and others with direct
family contact are important. They can be your best source
for getting testimonials to use in your communication
plans. Consider a short form which they could fill out
to describe the nature of their interactions with family
members and the "story" they may have to tell
about their hospice experience. |
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Take
time to connect with board members. Put a date on
your calendar each month to call up a board member or
two just to chat about what they are hearing about your
hospice in the community. They can be your eyes and ears
and offer a valuable perspective. |
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3.
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Create
a suggestion box for volunteers. Your volunteers work
at all hours and different days so it's sometimes difficult
to communicate effectively with them. Create a way for
them to offer input or suggestions either in person or
via e-mail. Often they see procedures at hospices which
could be improved or they hear a complaint in the community
but don't know who to tell. |
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Use
anniversaries to celebrate and reinforce mission values.
A few years ago, we were involved in creating themes and
materials for an internal communications project for a
hospice celebrating 25 years. The hospice understood that
the anniversary was a great time to reinforce the mission,
values and vision of the organization. Utilizing milestones
to communicate to internal audiences is an opportunity
that should not be ignored. |
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Reinforce
brand identity in conjunction with your marketing campaign.
One of our clients, Guardian Angel Hospice in Kokomo,
Indiana, created a very clever way to communicate values
and vision to staff. Utilizing the popular TV show theme,
Extreme Makeover, they hired a Ty Pennington look-alike,
created a large bus cutout and engaged staff in "moving
that bus" to reveal five tented stations where staff
enjoyed reviewing important elements of their "re-branding"
campaign. Utilizing the purple color of their logo, Guardian
Angel had purple hard hats and t-shirts with their positioning
theme. The fun, learning event which was teased via Facebook
posts is a great example of internal communications done
right. |
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