If you have been carefully following our road map to success through the 10 Steps for Effective Hospice Marketing™, you know that our trip is almost complete. We combine Step 9 – Evaluate with Step 10 – Repeat to end the Transcendent year. It might be helpful for you to go back to read the first step – Research (click the link on the left) to refresh your memory because we will be talking about repeating the initial research and evaluating a marketing campaign 12-18 months after inception.

The process of creating a sustainable brand takes time and is measured in years, not months. Analyzing yearly results is an important tactic in reaching goals and in determining budget priorities. In order to make positive changes or show incremental progress toward the typical three-year goals, we recommend regular evaluation through research. Step 9 – Evaluate is best done by repeating the research which was used to establish your goals. MORE >>

Once the research is conducted, it's time for the final step, Step 10 – Repeat. The latest research results will provide the fuel to go through the 10 Step process again. Each annual marketing plan will benefit by working through the steps again to check thinking and consider changes. So you will research, analyze, strategize, prioritize, verbalize, personalize, distribute and internalize before it's time to evaluate and repeat again. MORE >>

This graph represents the impact of communications over a three-year period. By tracking answers to the same question, a hospice can see the change and evaluate messaging. This graph shows that people in the community who would contact hospice directly if they had a terminally ill family member grew from 11% the first year to 28% in the third year. This change was also reflected in fewer people mentioning "doctor" and those who didn't know who to contact.

If a family member was terminally ill, who or what organizations would you get advice from?

As this is our final edition for 2009, we wish you the blessings of the season.

During the coming Christmas season,
May you be blessed with the spirit of the season, which is peace,
The gladness of the season, which is hope,
And the heart of the season, which is love.
	– Author unknown

From all of us at Transcend Hospice Marketing, thank you for blessing us with your commitment to hospice through offering peace, hope and love in all you do.