Planning Before You Communicate A Strategic Communications Approach

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What is Strategic Communications? Reaching the target audience In the right place At the right time With the right message

How to Think Strategically Know Your Objectives Define Your Target Audiences Brainstorm Rules for Brainstorming No idea is a bad idea Use “and…” not “but…” No idea is a bad idea Contributing Teams All levels All roles Insiders and outsiders

What Do You See?

What’s the Difference?

Exercise: Think About Health How many of the people you serve (your target audience) spend more than half of their time thinking about health?

Not Thinking About Health? Name something that you spend more than 10% of your time thinking about

Communications Tactics What communications tactics (networks, platforms, mechanisms) do you have access to currently, to reach your community?

Your Health Fair: Strategies How would you reach your target audiences to attend next year’s health fair?

Measurement How will we know if these strategies are successful? What will we measure?

Improvement What will we do/measure at the health fair to improve it for 2016?

Tools You Can Use Planning Before You Communicate Tool Gantt Chart Surveys Evaluations Contesting Team Member Selection Tool Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Affinity Diagram Strategic Communications Workshop and More Improvement Resources/Tools phf.org/PlanBeforeYouCommunicate

Communications Considerations Website Newsletters, Listservs, Targeted Subscriber Groups Blogs Social Media, Using Photos/Images/Graphics In-Person Conferences/Meetings “Traditional” Mass Media Signage (Community, Transit/Transportation, Retail) Partner Organizations, “Nontraditional” Partners Health Systems (Healthcare, Fitness, Nutrition) Corporations Tracking and Measurement – Analyze and Improve

Other Tips and Tricks Maintain Your Credibility: Claim Your Organization’s Name Social media Website domain names Easy to Remember Calls-to-Action Date, Time, Location Website Address (URL), Phone Number, Address Feature on your printed materials Redirects – Ask your website administrator What Will “Googlers” Find? Enhance your organization’s “search engine optimization” PDF files = Not website content

Questions? Russell Rubin Director, Strategic Communications Public Health Foundation