Stakeholder Engagement | creativeworld

Happy 75th birthday to the NHS!

Jen Taylor — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:19:04 +0000

I’ve been there since day 2… 53 years ago and even now spend time relying on them to keep me healthy. There arenmany organisations or people you trust 100% but the NHS is one you can fully rely on. That’s why it’s so important.

I’ve also been involved in partnering clients in the NHS for 25 years. From the early days of “we must have an annual report “, through to the introduction of social marketing campaigns, self care awareness and right up to now where we are trying to support and educate citizens and health care professionals as to how we can improve outcomes, support people to live longer, improve the health and well-being of everyone, not just citizens, but the staff working in the NHS who need to be on top of their game every day.

The changes are dramatic sometimes , I’ve seen it all. The shift from community health trusts to PCTs to CCGs to ICBs ( think I’ve even missed a few along the way!)

But the focus on population health has never been clearer, with more evidence from data, evidence from stakeholder engagement and public insights – we are able to amplify the right educational messages into the right places, but we still lack the tools, resources and workforce to do this and sometimes a lack of sustainability-the not knowing what’s around the corner.

The need to improve people’s quality of lives and their mental health is at an all time high (it would seem through the evidence and investments into mental health) and this has changed the way we all approach our everyday lives. Not a day goes past without me asking “How are you keeping?” And If someone asks me – I tell them how I’m feeling – and yes I’ve had a rough and uncertain few months with my health, but I’m a positive thinker and trust the NHS to support me to have a good quality of life…

So in 25 years I thought I’d share some insights into the amazing programmes of work and where we (clients/partners/providers/creative thinkers) have made a difference and I still get a buzz from the audience insights we receive and applying them to a project and seeing the impact and results it brings – but sometimes these successes are short term as they lack further funding or resources… which is a shame as every programme of work needs – a goal, commitment, people, funding, community involvement, partnerships, resources, educational support , time and communications through every touching point ..

Together we can all do our bit…

So here’s some of my favourite projects from 25 years …

Primary care Trust newsletters …. The amazing Katie Lockley would produce a monthly newsletter that would be shared across all stakeholders and healthcare locations – where better to read the latest updates and how you can look after your health whilst waiting to see a GP or in a healthcare setting. Katie produced this every month for the local PCT. Amazing!

Creation of an NHS dental finder for a number of regions, simple process, search for a NHS dentist in your preferred location , the search would find availability, location , contact details etc. simple really but effective – the opportunity to develop this was there, however changes happen and sadly it was never recommissioned .. it may well be available now across ICB land somewhere, surely there’s a need for this if there isn’t one, especially for new parents looking to get their baby or infant starting their lifetime journey with a dentist.

International recruitment for one of our local Trusts, recruiting consultants across Europe, Asia – not forgetting the display system being quarantined in India, luckily we had a back up plan.

But the essential recruitment needs for each organisation is there for us all to see and is paramount to improving services, some are battling for the same people – it’s a challenge for all providers to recruit, retain and re-energise the workforce. Recently we delivered a digital comms campaign to support care homes to recruit new staff , focusing on the benefits and real life experiences of those working in the sector – this was delivered in partnership with the Lancashire and south Cumbria health and care partnership, in which our remit was to involve care home providers to assist with the whole campaign process, insight , interviews, stories and sharing of the campaign.

NHS Talking Therapies Recruitment Campaign.

Our work with maternity services has seen is work in partnership with the amazing team at All4maternity to educate international recruits whilst in their own settings.

Once again, Happy 75th Birthday to the NHS and a big thank you for everything you have done – it also co-incides nicely with my birthday! Cakes all around – as long as they are Gluten Free!

The Importance of Stakeholder Engagement in Healthcare Marketing

Jen Taylor — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 11:19:51 +0000

Effective healthcare marketing requires a deep understanding of the needs, preferences, and behaviours of your target audience. However, in the complex world of healthcare, the target audience can include a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, policymakers, and advocacy groups. Each of these stakeholders has a unique perspective, and their insights are crucial to developing a campaign that resonates with the intended audience.

Stakeholder engagement also helps to build trust and credibility. By involving stakeholders in the campaign development process, you demonstrate a commitment to transparency, collaboration, and shared decision-making. This can help to build buy-in and support for the campaign and increase the likelihood of success.

Tips for Effective Stakeholder Engagement in Healthcare Marketing:

Identify Your Stakeholders: The first step in effective stakeholder engagement is to identify who your stakeholders are. This can include patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, payers, policymakers, advocacy groups, and others. Consider what each stakeholder group brings to the table and how they can contribute to the campaign.
Develop a Communication Plan: Once you have identified your stakeholders, you need to develop a plan for communicating with them. This can include regular meetings, email updates, newsletters, and other forms of communication. Be sure to tailor your communication to the needs and preferences of each stakeholder group.
Listen to Feedback: One of the most important aspects of stakeholder engagement is listening to feedback. This means actively soliciting input from stakeholders and incorporating their feedback into the campaign development process. This can help to ensure that the campaign is aligned with the needs and priorities of the intended audience.
Build Relationships: Effective stakeholder engagement requires building strong relationships with each stakeholder group. This means investing time and effort in getting to know each group, understanding their needs and priorities, and building trust and credibility over time.
Monitor and Evaluate: Finally, it’s important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your stakeholder engagement efforts. This can include tracking engagement metrics, sharing feedback, and assessing the impact of the campaign on your target audience. Use this feedback to continually improve your stakeholder engagement strategy and refine your marketing campaigns over time.

Stakeholder engagement is a critical component of effective healthcare marketing. By involving all relevant stakeholders in the campaign development process, you can ensure that your campaigns are impactful, aligned with the needs and priorities of your target audience, and build trust and credibility over time.

Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB’s Primary Care ‘Right Person, Right Care’ Campaign is an example of stakeholder engagement in healthcare marketing. Recognising the importance of collaboration, together we actively engaged healthcare providers, patients, and policymakers to gain insights into the challenges and opportunities in Primary Care.

Are looking to understand your audience, progress your healthcare marketing campaigns, or even increase engagement? If so, get in touch 01282 858200 or info@creativeworld.co.uk

Back to School: Content Marketing 2022/2023

Jen Taylor — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 11:16:54 +0000

Back To School Content Marketing 2022 2023

Back to school! The summer holidays are officially over and it’s time to think about marketing for the academic school year ahead. So, one of the first considerations when approaching your marketing strategy should be getting your content calendar together. In this blog we’ve put together a few tips for getting started with your marketing calendar.

Audience:

The most crucial element of your marketing strategy is ultimately who you are aiming your content at. It’s worth sitting down and really considering what your audience is invested in learning and most importantly why they would want to engage with your school. A great way to do this is to develop several ‘personas’ which will help you identify the kind of content you should be sharing.

A persona is a portrait of your ideal audience that connects with them as real people with real interests and real daily pressures.

When creating your personas consider the demographics, behaviours, motivations and their goals. The more detailed these are, the better understanding you will get about your audience so you can tailor content towards them. Learn more about your audience by investing time to uncover what you may not know about them; this can include 1:1 interviews, social listening, online surveys and open conversations which will really help you to understand your audience’s environment and the best method of communicating with them.

Key events and dates:

There will be countless opportunities to create content and produce marketing collateral around key events and dates which occur throughout the year. However, with your personas in shape, this will help add more detail. When mapping out key events and dates in your 2022/2023 content calendar, don’t just stop at your school dates, consider other popular hashtag holidays or events that your audience may engage with. For example, #thankateacherday, #randomactsofkindnessday. There are loads of online tools which can help you highlight key dates across the year.

Story framework

With your audience in shape and key dates mapped out, you’re ready to set the framework out to tell your school’s story over the next year. This framework will give direction to all your content and ultimately tell the story that your school wants to tell. It will echo your schools’ values which are unique to your school and set you apart from the competition.

Need some more advice on your school’s marketing for the year ahead? Get in touch with our Education experts.

How Schools Are Embracing Stakeholder Engagement

Jen Taylor — Mon, 17 May 2021 13:18:57 +0000

One of, if not THE, most important parts of marketing is getting to know your audience.

This means knowing the parents, the students and the teachers and what your school represents. So when it comes to your marketing campaigns, it’s vital that you get to know your audience beforehand. Otherwise, how do you know that your message is going to reach the right people? And more importantly, how do you know that it’s going to resonate?

Understanding the bigger picture

Recently we partnered with an Education Trust to execute a full rebrand. The goal was to reposition the organisation’s strategy to maintain their reputation in the sector. Initially, we were approached to provide Digital Marketing, SEO and Social Media support, but when we analysed their current situation, we realised that what they needed went much deeper.

What does your audience think?

In order to understand the Trust’s audience better, we needed to do what some Schools, Trust’s and Academies don’t consider. We engaged with the people who matter to them; staff, parents, students, alumni and decision makers. Our process included creating dedicated focus groups, one to ones, written feedback and participation for all stakeholder groups within each of the Schools.

We looked to ensure each session was held in a comfortable environment and each person was offered time to air their views and opinions in a constructive way. The feedback was then presented to the Board of Trustees with a detailed report, highlighting several outcomes from the research. With the results in mind, we created a marketing and communications strategy in which we created a new, clear brand for the Trust. Many participants felt this was a positive start to the progression of the Education Trust to reinforce their market position.

The Outcome

As part of the research recommendations, the Trust has identified four key values that enable the Schools to thrive in their sector. These will be developed into key messages to outline the benefits of selecting their Schools as a place to learn. Furthermore, the board of Trustees have acted on the feedback and the new marketing collateral (including signage, prospectus design, website development and digital marketing) which was used in the recent school intake.

Are looking to understand your audience, progress your School’s marketing plans, or even increase engagement? If so, we would be happy to discuss and help assess your needs. Get in touch on 01282 858200 or education@creativeworld.co.uk