sending out press releases in the hopes of generating

							                                                 m O R E S kI LL S FO R Su CCE SS


Building	a	Positive	Image	from	the	Hidden	Jewels	in	Your	Organization	
            Shelly gordon                    while omitting the negative, public rela-       sending out press releases in the hopes
            Senior Vice President            tions can actually sway editorial cover-        of generating free advertising for new
            G2 Communications Inc.           age and third-party endorsement, which          products and services.




                                                                                                                                                       ✃
                                             carries more weight in the audience’s               For a proactive public relations cam-
              Between exorbitant health-     mind than any marketing brochure.               paign to be successful, the organization
care costs, the growing number of                It is difficult to place a value on rela-   should have a plan with clearly stated
uninsured, the fragile state of Medicare     tionships with the media or to measure          objectives and salient messages that
and the daily variety of other healthcare    media respect and trust. So, companies          communicate its value, benefits, inno-
issues bombarding consumers daily, it is     tend to focus on the level of media             vations, etc., to the various audiences
the rule rather than the exception that      awareness and the direct impact this has        it serves. And the news coming out of
healthcare is an industry fraught with       on buying decisions. Public relations           the organization should hit some of the
negative news.                               programs reach customers and other au-          basic story elements.
   Under the weight of a controversial im-   diences through the media acting as an           x Take an inventory of potential stories
age, healthcare organizations are reacting   intermediary, and generate long-term,               throughout the organization. They
to contentious news stories and carrying     credible relationships. Effective public            might lie in new treatments, new servic-
out their crisis communication plans af-     relations conditions the market and in-             es, physicians, technologies, individual
ter the media has already set the agenda,    fluences the customer’s buying decision.            contributors, fund-raising events, lead-
rather than setting the agenda themselves.       For example, a public relations pro             ership style, company culture…virtu-
   Yet so many healthcare organizations      pitches a story about a patient whose life          ally anywhere across the organization.
do such great work and don’t get the rec-    is saved in the ER when a new digital            x Recruit managers and directors to
ognition and credit they deserve through     radiology system allows the ER doctor to            spot interesting news and human-
the media. Unfortunately, reporters rarely   share X-rays online with a brain surgeon in         interest stories within their own
come calling when the news is good.          another hospital. Instant remote access to          departments, including individual
Even groundbreaking results in medical       the digital X-ray helps the surgeon make            staffers who have newsworthy stories
treatments often are viewed with a skepti-   a quick and precise diagnosis and a treat-          of their own to tell.
cal eye by the press.                        ment recommendation that ultimately              x If your organization is announcing its
   A proactive PR campaign makes it          saves the patient from a severe stroke.             incoming board of directors don’t just
possible to let your target audiences know       The story appears on television sta-            limit the press release to new board
just how well you are doing and build        tions, in local and regional newspapers,            members’ names and affiliations. Say
long-term positive relationships through     and in a top technology trade publication.          good-bye to the outgoing president
the media. But it takes honesty, under-      The media coverage sparks positive feed-            and propose a story to a columnist
standing about what makes a compelling       back from the community and increases               about her accomplishments within
story, and a heavy dose of persistence.      trust in the hospital’s value through its           your organization as well as her contri-
                                             medical staff and new technology. And               butions to the community. Make sure
marketing vs. public Relations               the coverage is captured and posted on              to integrate key messages within the
   Many healthcare providers spend vast      the organization’s Web site for continued           story by coaching the interview subject.
sums of money on advertising, news-          viewing. A successful public relations              There are many “homes” for these
letters, Web sites, and even privately       campaign can dramatically improve an            stories that may be of interest to a news
broadcast television shows to spread the     organization’s image.                           reporter as well as a columnist or feature
word about their values, programs, phy-                                                      writer. Freelance writers, interested in a
sicians, new therapies, treatments, etc.     Formulating the public Relations                story, often will write an article on spec
   Public relations, however, often is       Campaign                                        and sell it to editors who already know
relegated to another marketing tactic           What does it take to conduct an ef-          their good work.
where press releases—which may or may        fective public relations campaign that              Once positive articles begin appear-
not be newsworthy—are mass-targeted          creates positive perception through the         ing in the press, employees will likely
over a newswire, often resulting in lim-     press? First, organizations must realize        be motivated and story ideas are sure to
ited, if any, coverage. The organization     that journalists write stories, not prod-       increase in frequency and quality. m
also may respond to press inquiries for      uct announcements. They are looking
stories already in process.                  for the elements of a story with plot,          Shelly Gordon of G2 Communications Inc., which is
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                                                                                             located in Palo Alto, Calif., has almost two decades of
   But while marketers focus on reach-       character, conflict, action, resolution,        public relations experience, including 10 years as an
ing customers directly and repeatedly        etc. (think English Composition 101).           independent public relations consultant. Ms. Gordon
                                                                                             is a member of the HBA San Francisco Bay Area
with product and service information,           While many organizations are sit-            Chapter. She can be reached at sgordon@g2comm.
benefits, and promotional messages           ting on a goldmine of stories, most are         com or 650.856.1607.

      www.hbanet.org	                                                                                     HBA Bulletin  March/April  007