Count On Coffey

By Josh Moulton, Project Coordinator

Why two healthcare clients chose to protect print

When budgets tighten, print publications are often among the first marketing investments leadership reviews. For healthcare organizations, that can put magazines and newsletters at risk, especially when they are viewed mainly as production expenses.

But for Southeast Georgia Health System and Watson Clinic, the discussion was about more than the publication itself. It was about whether they could afford to give up a communication channel they fully control.

Gaining control of the narrative

Unlike earned media, a direct mail publication allows an organization to decide what stories to tell, how to tell them and how priorities are presented to the community. That control matters when healthcare organizations are working to build awareness, support service line growth and reinforce their brand in the market.

Coffey helps highlight strategic value

At Southeast Georgia Health System, Jenni Morris and her team pushed to preserve Healthy Partners because of the role it plays in helping the organization control the narrative. Press releases still matter, but once they are distributed, outside media decides what to cover, what to trim and whether to run the story at all.

A publication offers more: a dependable way to communicate directly with households in the market, with full control over the message and story mix. In one recent issue, Southeast Georgia Health System aligned content with organizational priorities by highlighting cardiac care expansion and new nurse navigator roles in cancer care. The magazine also supported content needs across other channels, including the website and social media.

An indispensable asset

At Watson Clinic, Coffey developed options showing what it would look like to reduce page count or frequency for Health Scene. Leadership reviewed the trade-offs and, in the end, chose to maintain the current cadence and page count. The decision was not driven by attachment to print. It was driven by strategy. Health Scene was recognized as both a community education tool and a communication channel the organization fully controls.

Categories: Case study