Healthcare content3 min read Harness the power of national (and international) health observances for your local healthcare marketing

As a healthcare marketer, you can harness the power of national (and international) health observances to tell your community about your staff and service lines while helping to boost messages around issues like cancer and heart disease.

It’s a chance to share the limelight with respected organizations like the American Heart Association and American Lung Association. That’s good for your brand too.

6 awesome marketing ideas you can start working on now

To take advantage of this opportunity, look for ways to blend the national and the regional into a perfect package that makes your organization shine. Here are six great ideas you could put to use in the coming months, even if you can’t hold an in-person event just yet.

1. April: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month. Feature one of your gastroenterologists on your blog discussing common signs of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and treatments, with a CTA (call to action) for readers to call their healthcare providers if anything sounds familiar.
2. May: Stroke Awareness Month. Interview a patient who recovered fully thanks to the fast action of your stroke center team. And spread the word about stroke risk factors (which your providers can help people manage) and warning signs and symptoms.
3. June: Men’s Health Month. Pitch a story to a local TV station about the fact that guys are more likely to put off doctor visits, which can result in poorer health. They could interview one of your primary care providers encouraging guys in your community to schedule a wellness visit. This would be a good month to encourage your staff to wear blue in recognition of men’s health. You might even work with a local store that is popular with men to offer 10% off coupons for their products to any person coming in to your facility wearing blue.
4. July: UV Safety Month. People have rediscovered the great outdoors during the pandemic. Encourage them to protect their skin and eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. Interview one of your dermatologists, and create a skin cancer Q&A with a CTA to make an appointment at your hospital to evaluate any suspicious skin spots.
5. Aug. 1: World Lung Cancer Day. Share local breast cancer statistics (your area American Lung Association chapter may be able to help with this) on your website and print publication, and highlight the lung cancer screenings you offer.
6. Sept. 15: National School Backpack Awareness Day. Invite your local media to interview one of your occupational therapists about the dangers of overloaded backpacks. This is an opportunity to spread the word about all the great OT services you offer, as well as to remind parents about the importance of back-to-school checkups.

More marketing opportunities coming soon

These are just a few of the many upcoming events. You could also start planning for National Cholesterol Education Month in September (time for a cholesterol check?), Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October (screening saves lives), COPD Awareness Month in November and National Influenza Vaccination Week (Dec. 5 through 11).

And looking ahead to 2022, don’t forget Cervical Health Awareness Month (January), followed by American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day (February), and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (March).

Let us make your job easier!

Many of the examples we've given involve creating custom content. (That's what makes local promotions really shine.) We have a team of writers and editors available to interview your experts and patients and help you create content just like this.

We also have interactive infographics, assessments, quizzes and videos that we could localize to feature one of your service lines in association with a national health observance. For example, during Cervical Health Awareness Month (January), we could amend our Pap test video with a CTA that includes your women's health services number. Contact us and let's brainstorm some ideas!