Intro | TOC | I | II | III | IV | V

• General Washington Hospital is a community leader committed to providing high quality health care for the people of Carter, Key and Kangley counties.
  
• Highland Valley Medical Center provides superior primary care services in a comfortable, safe environment for people in the Highland Valley region.
  
• Ivy River Hospital, with its friendly, helpful physicians and nurses, is the most dependable health care service provider in the state.

• Increase awareness of the technology and medical advances used at the hospital within Evergreen County over the next six months.
  
• Build the reputation of the hospital in the next three to four years as a cornerstone of the community that provides health care services, jobs and community leadership.
  
• Encourage renewed interest in specialty hospital services such as childbirth classes over the next two years.

• Patients: They purchase health care services and generate revenue for the hospital.
  
• Physicians: They use hospital facilities and generate revenue for the hospital. They control where patients go for care: your hospital or outside of the community.
  
• Media: They write both positive and negative stories about the hospital, its staff and services. They have considerable influence and access to all of the hospital's target audiences.

Other audiences to consider may include employees, board members, community leaders, local government officials, state legislators, vendors and suppliers.

Tactics
It's easy for busy hospital professionals to think about tactics first, but it is critical to have a solid strategy in place. Only pursue the tactics that will help achieve your goals. Even if a tactic is inexpensive, if it doesn't meet your goals, why invest the time and effort? Here are some "best uses" for specific tactics.

• Brochure/Collateral - To inform patients and community members about programs and services provided at the hospital. Promotional use only. May be provided to media for background, but not to be used instead of effective media tools, such as press releases or fact sheets.
  
  
• Direct mail - To help create awareness for programs or services with target audiences. Message is controlled.
  
  Letters - Good for personal or business communication. Adjustable length (1-2 pages).
  
  Postcards - Good for event invitations or welcome cards. Inexpensive postage.
  
  Direct mail packages - Good for inclusion in new neighbor welcome packages or community coupon envelopes. Consider including brochures or inserts. Costs are typically part of an advertising or sponsorship package. Production of materials likely not included.

Specialty mailings - Good for awareness efforts, such as a child safety campaign sponsored by the hospital. Mailing may include a magnet with safety tips and local emergency contact information.

• Newsletter - To regularly update a variety of target audiences about the happenings at the hospital. Good way to establish and maintain community support for the hospital and services.
  
• Public service announcement (PSA) - To create awareness of a problem or issue through radio or television. More competition for PSA placement than in the past. No control over placement or timing.
  
• Press release - To distribute straightforward news to the media. Essential to communication with the media.
  
• Press kit - To provide extensive information about a topic. May precede an event or new program launch.
  
• Press conference - To disseminate time sensitive and critical news to multiple media contacts at once. Should be rarely used.
  
• Special event - To make a personal connection with target audiences in a positive environment. Good way to recognize people for good work or launch new programs or facilities.
  
• Speaking engagement - To reach a target audience, establish the speaker as an expert and build credibility for the speaker and the hospital.
  
• Video - To communicate messages with emotion through visuals. Good for town meetings, new employee education, fundraising projects, special events, etc.
  
• Web site - To provide 24-hour access to information about the hospital. May include health information or links to health information depending on site design. Good for general information about the hospital, its services and staff.

Budgets
Public relations budgets may come to you in a variety of ways. It may be pre-determined and passed down from the overall hospital budget. It may include general guidelines but is open to the tactics decided upon. It may be non-existent, in which case the tactics will need to rely on investments in staff time, instead of materials. All of these factors will determine where budgeting fits into the overall public relations planning. Regardless of where budgeting fits into the plan, consider the following:

• Nothing is free. Whether you're using staff resources or spending money for press release stationery, everything costs money. Consider all of the direct and indirect costs. Even a press release, one of the least expensive tactics, has a price tag: the time spent writing and editing the release, the paper it is printed on and the postage its mailed with at a minimum.
  
  
• Don't underestimate time investments. Every public relations activity has time investments and opportunity costs. And don't just consider the time investments for the PR staff. Administrative oversight and involvement, interview source preparation and even volunteer efforts all play into the opportunity costs of public relations. When planning and prioritizing projects, consider all necessary staff time and what else they would be doing with their time if not promoting the hospital.
  
  
• Shop around. When producing brochures or printed materials, be sure to get more than one estimate. Printing shops with more capacity at certain times may discount their rates.
  
  
• Evaluate options. Another way to save money when producing materials is to consider design options. For example, two-color brochures are far less expensive than their four-color counterparts. Specialty work, such as die-cuts for holding business cards or layered stair-steps for handouts, are nice features, but may carry a hefty price tag. Designers and printers can be allies in determining options. Just be sure to have your budget in mind.
  
  
• Be prepared for the unexpected opportunities. Reserve 10 to 15 percent of the overall public relations budget for unexpected activities. There may be some great opportunities to do events, community outreach activities or other projects that you didn't anticipate.
  
  
• Be mindful of outsourcing. Outsourcing, whether it is design, public relations, event planning, advertising or any number of other things, can have its advantages and disadvantages. Outside organizations are usually experts in their field. You should get quality work, while giving you more time for other projects. However, you'll still need to participate and "agent-sit" to make sure the work is progressing to your satisfaction. Of course, there is always the money aspect, which is sometimes hard to come by in today's hospital budgets. Shop around for quality and costs, get references from previous clients, review work samples and know the costs up front - including hourly rates, mark-up percentages and miscellaneous charges. Set a clear budget and insist on adhering to it.
  
  See the worksheet section for more help with PR Planning.