Helping SHIPs Help Medicare Beneficiaries WELCOME Kristi Remkus, M.P.H. Health Education &...

Helping SHIPs Help Medicare Beneficiaries

WELCOME

Kristi Remkus, M.P.H.Health Education & Information

AssociateHealth Assistance Partnership

Join the HAP Community - www.hapnetwork.org

Making Your Pitch: Communications Planning for Busy

Leaders

2


What We’ll Accomplish• Learn what you and your SHIP colleagues have

tried…

• What you want to say…– Branding– Messaging

• How you want to spread your message…– Creation of a Communications Plan

1. Goal2. Target Audiences3. Key Messages4. Tactics

3


Getting to Know You…

4


Importance of Branding

“Customers must recognize that you stand for something.”

Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks

5


Branding• What is branding?

-- Unique Look and Feel -- Associate your service as a solution to their

needs-- Consistency of materials and messages

• Why is it important? -- Product Recognition among target audience-- Builds Trust-- Creates Cohesion between local SHIP programs

6


Liberty

StrengthFreedom

Immigration

The United States of America

7


Breast Cancer Awareness

Name that Logo…

8


“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” M&Ms

Name that Tagline…

9


What Does this Say to You?

Local Help for People with Medicare

10


What Else Do You Want it To Say?

Free

Counseling

Medicare

Compassionate

In Your Community

Extra Help

Earned

Personalized

Complete

11


Little Tweaks – Big Changes

Helping Medicare beneficiaries access the care they earned.

* Free * Objective * Local * Personalized * Compassionate

12


Sampling of SHIP Brands

Sou

th D

akot

a

13


Creating Key Messages• Decide on tone -- educate, promote, or advocate

• Collect words that resonate with your audience

• Create messages that are:– Concise: avoid jargon and acronyms – Active: make every sentence active – Positive: talk about what one can do, not what you can't – Short: memorable statement that takes 10-15 seconds– Specific: address a particular challenge and audience

Source: Dr. Judith M. Newman, Key Messages

14


Key Message Framework

• Problem

• Impact

• Solution

15


Practice Key Messages: Increasing Awareness of SHIP

Program• Problem

– Medicare is becoming increasingly complex.

• Impact – Beneficiaries must navigate more choices and are often

alone in weighing the potential risks and benefits of an increasing number of coverage options.

• Solution– SHIPs, a network of local programs created by Congress

to assist Medicare beneficiaries, are available to help beneficiaries weigh their Medicare coverage options.

16


Key Messages: Recruiting SHIP Volunteers

• Problem– SHIP, a network of local programs created by Congress to

assist Medicare beneficiaries, rely heavily on volunteers to help beneficiaries weigh their Medicare coverage options.

• Impact – When SHIP volunteers are scarce, SHIPs are not able to

serve and reach out to as many beneficiaries as have need.

• Solution– You can serve your community as a SHIP volunteer. There

are lots of volunteer roles available, call us and we will find one that is right for you.

17


Be Prepared to Be on Message

• What outcome, ideally, do you want from this communication?

• What is the audience’s Call-to-Action?

• What do you want to emphasize? – (Hint: Key Messages)

• What do you not want to say?

Planning is Key!

18


Being on MessageWritten Materials

• Lead with the Hook• Write in an Inverted

Pyramid • Highlight Results• Use Design Features

to Emphasize Key Details

• Make Clear the Call-to-Action

Verbal Presentations

• Prepare an Elevator Speech

• Build on the Talking Points

• Create exercises to Engage and Inspire as you Teach

• Use Stories to Illustrate Complex Ideas

• Use Questions to Bridge

19


Practice Being On Message:Good Rep., Bad Rep.

Talking Points Results Stories Examples Bridging Call-to-Action

Scenario: A local newspaper reporter calls you for background information about a story because she googled “Medicare Advantage” and your SHIP program came up.

20


How do you get them to listen?

• Hook them using this formula created by Bill Stoller:

• Situation, Surprise, Support

• Highlight the 5 Ws– Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

• Tell a Story– Emphasize your key audience your key message– Think about your story visually

21


Communications Planning

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

Warren Buffett, American Businessman and Philanthropist

22


Why Create a Communications Plan?

• To clarify your goals and objectives.

• To elevate promotional activities as a key part of your program’s strategic success.

• To enable creativity and camaraderie among your team.

• To develop a consistent message.

• To identify a variety of communications activities.

• To agree on the activities you will engage in, so you are

not continuously pulled in different directions.

Source: W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Communications Toolkit

23


Components of a Communications Plan

• Create a SMART goal– Specific– Measureable– Attainable– Realistic– Time-bound

• Determine your target audiences• Draft key messages• Establish a defined scope of tactics

24


Sample: Strategic Communications Plan

Communications Goal:

Target Audiences: ***

Key Messages: Problem:Impact:Solution:

Tactics:

25


Practice Creating a PlanCommunications Goal: By May 2009, recruit one volunteer for each of the 4 regions who can act as the volunteer coordinator.

Target Audiences: * Human Services professionals* Retired managers (e.g. auto workers, nurses, corporate, teachers)

Key Messages: Problem: Due to limited funding, SHIPs rely heavily on

volunteers.Impact: When there aren’t enough volunteers, we are limited

in our ability to reach out and serve Medicare beneficiaries. Solution: We need you to volunteer for SHIP.

Tactics: * Ask to give a short presentation at a professional networking event* Ask your board for referrals* Place an ad on craigslist in your community

26


Create a Unique Plan• What SMART goal can you achieve

through communications activities?

• What audiences might you target to reach that goal?

• What tactics could you use to reach those audiences?

27


Thank You!

Please do not hesitate contact me:Kristi at [email protected].

Join the HAP Community - www.hapnetwork.org

28


Sources• Bill Stoller, The Publicity Insider

http://www.publicityinsider.com/

• Business Week, Make Your Brand Pop http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_11/b3924440.htm

• Dr. Judith M. Newman, Key Messages http://www.lupinworks.com/roche/pages/keyMessages.php

• W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Communications Toolkit http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=385&NID=61&LanguageID=0

Helping SHIPs Help Medicare Beneficiaries WELCOME Kristi Remkus, M.P.H. Health Education &...

Documents

Transcript of Helping SHIPs Help Medicare Beneficiaries WELCOME Kristi Remkus, M.P.H. Health Education &...