National health observances: Why you should make lesser-known observances part of your healthcare marketing plan
It comes around every March—National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. As a healthcare marketer, it’s time to remind your community that colorectal cancer screenings save lives—and that screening is a service you provide.
But this blog post isn’t about colorectal cancer awareness. Or, for that matter, American Heart Month in February or National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Those are all crucially important and worthwhile health observances to note and promote. But why stop there? You might want to consider using some of the many lesser-known health observances to showcase your services and providers too.
Why? Doing so will help you stand out from your competitors.
3 examples of observances worth promoting
How do you learn about less-famous health observances?
You could check out the National Library of Medicine and this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health observances page, for starters.
- National Nutrition Month (March). Team up with your organization’s dietitians and nutritionists to mark National Nutrition Month. Make your community aware of your nutrition counseling services. They may not realize that your experts can help them manage a chronic disease like diabetes or celiac disease, as well as meet other nutrition goals.
- Occupational Therapy Month (April). How many people know what an occupational therapist (OT) does? Call your local newspaper or TV station and offer an interview with your OT. He or she could talk about how to make a home fall-safe for an older adult.
- National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15—begins Mother’s Day each year). Remind women in your community to continue getting well-woman visits and screenings—even during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, yes, that absolutely includes colorectal cancer screenings.
Look ahead
Some health observances could have a connection to services you promote in your direct-mail content. Maybe that’s an article about your lactation consultants during National Breastfeeding Month in August or a profile of one of your geriatricians during Healthy Aging Month in September.
Since a year can go by quickly, it’s best to start your planning early. Make a year-long promotional plan for your digital and direct-mail publication content and your community events that will tie-in to specific observances. That way you won’t be caught without an idea when the month/week/day arrives.
Ask the experts for guidance
Coffey is experienced at creating articles, infographics and other healthcare content specific to national health observances.
To get more ideas about connecting your healthcare services to a specific health observance, schedule a meeting with one of our business development consultants.