Healthcare by the Numbers: Keys to Successful Data-Driven PR Campaigns
Anyone who keeps tabs on the healthcare industry is constantly bombarded with new stats and research on any number of trends – from electronic medical record effectiveness, to soaring healthcare costs, to the impact of wellness programs and new health plan designs. But, when packaged the right way, data can be one of the most powerful PR assets a company can offer.
If you are in healthcare PR, here is how you can ensure that your treasure trove of data will result in media attention:
- Know what’s “gettable” – Mining for data can be a time-consuming project for internal teams that are focused on customers and leads vs. marketing projects, so be realistic about setting timetables for how long it will take to gather the information.
- Package around a timely angle – Data for data’s sake falls flat if it's unrelated to the hot issues in the market that the media are tracking. Tying the information to an upcoming regulation, industry event or (when possible!) breaking news gives your content timely appeal. And, go directly to the source – ask media contacts for their opinion or ideas on what stats they need for stories or would be interested in uncovering.
- Draw some conclusions – Revealing numbers is interesting, but you should also help the media interpret the “so what?” behind those findings by connecting the dots on the market impact of each report.
- Make it credible and accessible – Clearly summarize and validate your data sources and methodology and illustrate the findings with simple charts, infographics and supporting videos. Sharing via blog posts, Twitter and other social media tools is a must.
- Back it with third-party validation – While not always possible, the icing on the cake is securing an industry analyst, researcher, policy maker, standards body, customer or other thought leader to weigh in and support the findings as critical to the market.
The degree to which you can provide and levereage each of the above items may vary, but they’re all critical to making studies, surveys and data compelling enough for today’s healthcare media.
