Schaefer Advertising Co.

Strategy

Icon Golf is a premier luxury golf and travel club that offers its members exclusive access to some of the world’s most prestigious courses and destinations. With a focus on camaraderie and unparalleled experiences, Icon Golf provides a white-glove touch that transcends traditional golf memberships. The organization prides itself on creating a community where members can enjoy the finest in golf, travel, and connect with like-minded individuals.

Despite its exceptional offerings, Icon Golf faced challenges in effectively communicating its unique value to potential members. The existing website needed an update that improved UX and better aligned with the luxury aesthetic the brand embodies. Additionally, the absence of a member portal created a segmented experience for both prospective and existing members. Icon Golf partnered with Schaefer to develop a comprehensive digital solution that would enhance membership sales and streamline internal operations.

Icon Golf Interior Pages

Goals

  • Develop a clear positioning strategy 
  • Improve web navigation, responsiveness, and intuitiveness
  • Update the design to align with the luxury and sophistication of the brand
  • Unify the member experience through a member portal 
  • Streamline the conversion funnel by integrating CRM platforms and Hubspot

Approach

Schaefer designed a visually stunning website that instantly connects visitors with the brand’s lifestyle and identity. We began by formulating a clear positioning statement that emphasized Icon Golf’s unique selling proposition, highlighting the camaraderie and exclusive experiences offered. This foundational messaging was crafted to resonate with the target audience and integrated across all communications for a synergistic effect.

Global Travel for Icon Golf

As the primary gateway for potential members, the site was developed with intuitive navigation and responsiveness across all devices, ensuring shorter paths to essential information and a better user experience. The dark color palette and sleek typography elevate the brand’s luxe feel, while high-quality imagery showcases the more intangible benefits of membership, like adventure and connection. Engaging visuals further focus on Icon Golf’s four key offerings, piquing curiosity and encouraging deeper exploration.

To unify the user experience, we equipped the website with a robust member portal platform. This enhancement allows for seamless interaction, improved communication, and personalized content for members.

On the backend, we improved internal operations by integrating the website with Icon Golf’s CRM system, HubSpot. This update streamlined the sales funnel, automated prospecting efforts, and improved internal efficiencies.

Icon Golf Social

Results

The new website’s intuitive design and navigation led to longer visit durations and higher engagement rates, effectively communicating the brand’s value proposition to potential and current members. 

  • 66.9% increase in sessions
  • 68.3% increase in engaged sessions
  • 62.8% increase in new users

By integrating the website with HubSpot and the new member portal, we were able to streamline internal processes and reduce the time and cost spent on manual updates, allowing the Icon Golf team to focus on enhancing member experiences.

Christ Chapel Bible Church (CCBC) is one of Fort Worth’s largest communities, connecting members across four campuses, more than ten ministries, and an extensive list of programming and events throughout the week. Looking to strengthen its relationship with members and new visitors, CCBC wanted to update its website to manage its diverse set of offerings, improve usability and make it easier for everyone to find what they’re looking for and get involved. 

Goals

  • Improve UX to ensure a clear and seamless browsing experience
  • Organize website architecture to be inviting and informative
  • Cultivate a sense of community among visitors and across campuses
  • Simplify content to keep visitors engaged and exploring
  • Streamline backend usability to empower staff to easily add and edit content that updates dynamically throughout the site
Planned Site Architecture

Approach

Schaefer architected a robust website with a strong emphasis on user experience that reflected the CCBC community and served as an open invitation to prospective members across DFW. 

Recognizing that community-driven content is at the center of their ministry, we elevated important information like service times, events and popular weekly content. By simplifying the structure of the site, visitors can more easily navigate to the information they’re seeking in fewer clicks. We also integrated Rock RMS, a CMS system that allows for real-time updates to weekly events that populate in multiple places across the site, which was crucial for keeping the community informed with accurate and reliable information. 

Content Wireframes

Beyond Sunday service, CCBC produces and publishes a library of content that speaks to members in every phase of life. From podcasts and videos to long-form articles, CCBC needed a way to simplify and streamline that process on the backend of the site. For existing content, we built a custom API to transfer approximately 550 videos from the legacy website to the church’s new content library. Equipped with an advanced filtering system, the API was able to organize content by subject during migration and allow visitors to find relevant content more quickly.

A smarter system was developed to auto-update content in multiple areas simultaneously, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all platforms. We also created standardized templates that improved team alignment between content contributors and backend developers to maintain clarity and uniformity across different types of content.

Results

Through strategic improvements to the digital experience, CCBC has enhanced its ability to serve its congregation, ensuring every visitor—whether online or in-person—receives a warm welcome and easy access to the resources and information they’re seeking. 

The new website led to significant improvements in both traffic and user experience, indicating higher community engagement and reach.

  • 23% increase in traffic
  • 95% increase in engagement

The improved backend significantly reduced the time and effort required by CCBC staff to update content, giving staff more time to focus on ministry and less on administrative tasks. The website has also become a definitive ‘source of truth’ for all church-related information, benefiting all campuses and ministries by providing a single, reliable point of reference.

Giving Kyzatrex® renewed energy and vibrance with a new brand campaign.

Kyzatrex Law Mower Hero

Situation

More than 20 million men deal with problems related to hypogonadism, or low testosterone. Many patients and HCPs have preconceived notions about diagnosis and treatment, and tend to focus solely on sexual health benefits. But low testosterone can also contribute to health problems ranging from mild issues such as fatigue, to severe problems including obesity, type 2 diabetes, CVD and mental illness.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is an emerging market that still falls to the bottom of the priority list for many HCPs. Despite its prevalence and chronicity, the diagnosis, administration and management of TRT remains a complex journey that, until Kyzatrex®, only came in painful, inconvenient or messy treatment options. Kyzatrex, however, brought an innovative new approach to the market by providing the option of helping patients address this important metabolic issue with a convenient daily oral dose — a difference that HCPs needed to be aware of.

Kyzatrex Heroes

Goals

  • Create a campaign that “cuts through the clutter” of prescriptive testosterone patches, gels, pills and injections
  • Develop brand messaging that resonates with both consumers and healthcare providers
  • Boost brand awareness rapidly
  • Establish metrics for gauging the success of the campaign

Strategy

Because HCPs and patients alike primarily equate testosterone primarily with sexual health, Kyzatrex needed to change the conversation. Research provided insights and understanding of the target’s mindset that led to a revelation: Kyzatrex delivers the total package — convenience and a therapeutic option for a critical metabolic health issue. More importantly, Kyzatrex helps HCPs and patients make more of their everyday lives and activities.

We tapped into the truth around this once mysterious condition and chose a path that took the emphasis off of sexual health. Instead, we turned the spotlight on how TRT impacts a patient’s everyday tasks. Through our creative approach, we made men heroes of their lives again, elevating the mundane into heroic feats. We engaged HCPs with images as dynamic as movie posters, glorifying the way the daily grind can actually be heroic when their patients feel like themselves again. And, with meaningful clinical data to back it up, we ensured the HCPs would be heroes, too.

Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Making mundane moments memorable. Framing the everyday as heroic. In short: Changing the conversation.

Kyzatrex Brochures

Results

Within a quarter of launching a bold, attention-grabbing campaign that used print, collateral, digital and social channels, the client was able to rapidly grab attention — and secure results. Among them included:

  • Generating a rapid spike in prescriptions
  • Inking a number of high-profile clinical agreements
  • Establishing an important co-marketing relationship with a leading telehealth company

Summary

The more competitive a market or communications space becomes, the more crucial it is to find ways to elevate a brand above the noise and clutter. In this case, a breakthrough shift to a differentiated brand personality embraced bigger, bolder graphics, allowing Kyzatrex to do exactly that. It also effectively engaged patients and HCPs in a highly human-centric way, positioning the client for greater success and to secure a larger share of this growing market.

Kyzatrex ads
April 16, 2024

A Membership to the Arts

Photo by Robert LaPrelle

Schaefer is a proud partner of the Kimbell Art Museum, having supported the museum in individual ticket sales and museum memberships for five years. Throughout our time together, we have led project-based initiatives like premiering the exhibitions to the community through unique, hands-on activations. We also support all digital media strategy and management throughout the year. 

A benefit to a long-term partner includes the compounded learnings that come from each year and every test. As we all know, the digital landscape is ever-evolving, and it is crucial for your campaigns to grow alongside it. 

Photo by Nic Lehoux

What’s Different?

As we closed out 2023, we reflected on what worked and what didn’t. The Kimbell offers museum-goers new exhibitions each year, and while each exhibition differs from one another, the timing stays somewhat regular. This allows us to test media strategies that overlap campaigns, such as brand or membership, with the peak season featuring new exhibitions. In 2023, we tested the use of higher awareness mediums combined with campaign overlap and tactic flighting to compare against 2022’s results.

We found that due to the name recognition of both the Kimbell and the renowned artists featured in the special exhibitions, awareness was less important in our target market. Therefore, we shifted our focus to conversion-based tactics for 2024. However, we also found that having our brand and membership campaigns ‘always on’ allowed for just the right amount of awareness to boost sales year over year. We applied these learnings to our 2024 plan and are eager to track performance as the year progresses.

Photo by Nic Lehoux

What Worked?

Another benefit of a partner like Schaefer is that we are always optimizing mid-campaign. We’re not waiting for end-of-year to review the campaigns, but constantly applying best practices and learnings to our live campaigns. Because of this, we saw significant growth and positive results in 2023: 

  • 180% website revenue growth YoY
  • 247% increase in revenue directly attributed to paid media
  • Over $8:1 annual return on ad spend (ROAS)

*Header photo by Nic Lehoux

Using BigFoot to tease a big reveal. 

Situation 

Within the eyecare industry, the idea of interventional glaucoma treatment has been categorized as an elusive myth for years. ViaLase developed a game-changing system designed to leverage two proven technologies to create a new, non-invasive approach to glaucoma. When this new system is approved by regulatory agencies, the myth will finally become a reality. Therefore, our client needed a campaign that would create attention and support a successful launch of the new concept.

Goals

  • Develop materials needed for a successful brand launch
  • Develop a highly visible campaign that would cut through the clutter of a crowded market 
  • Rapidly generate brand awareness
  • Explain the fundamental technology behind the device
  • Solicit interest and inquiries from qualified leads
  • Provide meaningful measurements of the campaign results

Strategy

Schaefer Advertising responded with a showstopping, attention-grabbing campaign that used teaser imagery of a Sasquatch, or “BigFoot”, creature to convey that the “mythical creature” was finally here – and real. The sheer uniqueness of the concept was a huge and dramatic departure from the cold, clinical ads embraced by other players in the industry. 

Solution

An integrated campaign was launched that included paid search, organic social, email, and digital display on well-known industry publications and websites. Each medium enabled the client to tell its story and document the response rates as viewers clicked through for downloads, demos and landing-page visits. 

Vialase yeti display ads

Results

By leveraging paid search and strategically-chosen publication placements (such as newsletters, e-blasts, ROS banners, and sponsored social posts), the campaign achieved noteworthy results within the first three months of launch.

  • Website tracking identified 98% new site visits, with an impressive 53% engagement rate
  • High clickthrough rates 
  • And, most importantly, awareness started with a bang, with healthy responses from an elite and highly-qualified audience of eyecare and glaucoma specialists
Sessions

15,864

New Users

13,771

Pageviews

17,130

Engagement Rate

53.42%

Vialase yeti print ads

Summary 

The launch campaign accomplished its primary goal of driving brand awareness among surgeons for ViaLase and its innovative design.  And, in addition to gaining insights into paid search performance, the client began to forge strategic partnerships with leading industry publications. The geographic spread and engagement metrics highlight the campaign’s effectiveness in reaching a qualified audience, setting a strong foundation for future marketing efforts.

Overall, the campaign was another example of Schaefer’s ability to combine solid knowledge of healthcare markets and attention-grabbing creativity to tell a cohesive and relevant brand story.

December 13, 2023

The Foundation for Good

The North Texas Community Foundation (NTCF) is a Fort Worth-based philanthropic organization committed to driving meaningful change through charitable investment in North Texas. With a strong reputation, deep community knowledge, and tailored services, NTCF helps high-net-worth individuals structure their philanthropic giving for immediate impact and long-term legacy.

Logotype

Challenge

As a central figure in the community with a wide range of audiences and causes, NTCF needed a way to articulate their offerings to specific audience sets with very different wants while positioning their own brand for growth. In addition, they needed to improve their user experience online to better meet the demands of visitors.

North Texas Community Foundation Website

Tailoring the message

NTCF is beholden to not one but three separate audiences – fundholders who support charitable giving, professional financial advisors whom NTCF partners with to manage donor funds, and nonprofit leaders who leverage grants and gifts to proactively respond to the needs within the community. While the driving purpose and service offering are the same across all partners and clients, it’s crucial to shape messaging around the intended audience. 

Brand Family for North Texas Community Foundation

We started the process by first establishing a brand archetype – NTCF is a Caregiver – and letting that lead to a clear and compelling brand position and purpose. This step helped cement NTCF’s mission to drive meaningful change, unify the internal team and motivate all partners to advance toward a shared future. Next, we tailored key messages to resonate with the distinct needs and priorities of each audience. From cross-functional partners to clients and community stakeholders, brand messaging is tailored to the unique perspectives of each audience. 

Flyer for NTCF

Design with a growth mindset

To further illustrate the Caregiver archetype, we evolved the brand identity to better mirror the trust, support and service NTCF is known to provide. From logo to photographic styling, we created a comprehensive design system that perfectly encapsulates the brand’s dynamic service offering. The vibrant yet strong color palette features navy, periwinkle and complementary shades of yellow, orange and blue to balance optimistic and approachable with the more intuitive and assertive sides of the NTCF brand. In addition, we expanded creative assets to offer more versatility and the ability to grow with the brand. 

NTCF Brochures

Creating a seamless experience

A website acts as a front door to your organization, and NTCF could benefit from a more inviting user experience.  The previous website structure was dense and the navigation was choppy, leading to confusion and cognitive overload for site visitors. On the back end, employees lacked the ability to easily create, modify and publish content. 

NTCF Website

To provide current and potential fundholders with an enhanced experience, we restructured the new site to reduce page count, minimize clicks and better guide visitors to the information they were seeking. We also developed a custom content management platform, empowering the internal team with the tools needed to edit and manage their site without extensive coding knowledge.

NTCF Website Pages

Results

Developing an impactful brand strategy and tailoring every message to suit the intended audience allowed NTCF to better communicate their purpose and address a multifaceted branding challenge from a foundational level. The new brand identity also aligns each audience with the overarching vision of NTCF and positions the brand for success and growth. 

A more intuitive website improved the user journey while empowering the internal team with the ability to easily develop and manage brand materials and content. When compared to the previous year, the new website saw outstanding results:

  • 28% increase in visitors 
  • 7% reduction in bounce rate, illustrating users found the site more relevant
  • 21.7% increase in page views, indicating stronger user engagement post site launch

Data measured from Feb 2021-Aug 2021 and Feb 2022-Aug 2022.

December 13, 2023

A Year of Triumphant Splendor

Direct Mail - Texas Ballet Theater

Setting the Stage for Success

Every year, Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) launches a season filled with a combination of performance styles, from mixed repertoires to storybook ballets to the beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker. And each year, the organization builds revenue goals based on factors such as previous success, attrition, new-to-file trends, name recognition and more. In the last few years, all performing arts organizations have been rebuilding after, for some, more than a year of no programming. It is more critical than ever that these goals be met, which is a challenge we do not take lightly.

Texas Ballet Theater Emails

Benefits of a Integrated Campaign

As TBT’s agency of record for over five years, we have the pleasure of guiding the organization strategically through a merriment of creative and media targeting each year. This level of integration is ideal, as it allows the team to work on one cohesive plan for success and be proactive with optimizations along the way. We cannot overstate the importance of messaging, design and ad placement all aligning to drive success.

With a robust overarching season revenue goal as well as individual performance goals, we knew this year needed to be on point. Pun intended.

Type Treatments - A Year of Splendor Texas Ballet Theater
Texas Ballet Theater Brochure - A Year of Splendor

A New Creative Solution

Each year we establish the creative concept for the season which reflects the individual performances, incorporates artistic direction from TBT and provides a consistent look for the entire season. This season, we created custom typography for each performance title to elevate the distinct nature of each performance and provide an additional asset that incorporated elements from the storyline or theme of each ballet. The titles were paired with a wash of color for each performance, and when viewed together created a vibrant kaleidoscope that reflected the varied nature of the range of performances. The ability to utilize a key color and title treatment to support individual performance campaigns beyond dancer imagery alone gave our team a broader range of assets to leverage across mediums.

Texas Ballet Theater - Alice in Wonderland Social Assets
The Nutcracker Performance for Texas Ballet Theater

What We’ve Learned

A benefit of the tenure of our relationship with TBT is that we are able to learn more and evolve every year. We always tell new clients that they are the experts in their field, and we are here to learn and assist. But as we learn more year over year, we build industry expertise that becomes invaluable.

What we continue to see is that video outperforms static ads, which is no surprise when you are promoting a moving art form. We also know that the more digital assets you have, the more opportunities you have to improve visibility, engagement and the overall effectiveness of each deliverable. Video content can be costly to produce, so we focused on creative solutions that maximized the available resources. By incorporating animation, we were able to support each performance with repeatable textures that expand our campaign assets.

Because of this, we were able to produce more formats and sizes to test against each other by incorporating animations and movement in post production. Additionally, we chose to sunset some static ad units in order to focus on video.

Enhancing Ticket Sales

From a media perspective, we adjusted flighting to focus on awareness tactics early and conversion tactics during peak ticket sales, which is traditionally within the final weeks of the promotion.

We also implemented an institutional campaign throughout the year to boost awareness and increase website sessions unrelated to ticket purchases, which in turn allowed our retargeting pools to grow and improve our ticket sale campaigns.

Texas Ballet Theater Season on the Website

Where We Landed

While we are delighted to see the success of last year come through, it was with intention that our team set out to achieve and surpass these revenue and new ticket buyer goals. The Year of Splendor proved to be successful all season long, seen most notably in The Nutcracker & Alice in Wonderland performances, where goals in both Dallas and Fort Worth were exceeded.

  • Final revenue exceeded annual goals by 24%
  • Final revenue increased from previous year by 25%
  • Opening the season with a new work (which is inherently more challenging to sell due to no name recognition), ROAS was 5:1
  • The Nutcracker in Dallas finished at over 140% to goal
  • The season closed with Alice in Wonderland which had almost 10,000 patrons attend clearing goals by over 30%

Promoting a new season each year has its fair share of challenges, and that’s what keeps us going. We’re proud to be a long-standing partner of Texas Ballet Theater and can’t wait to share in their continued success for years to come.

The Nutcracker Signage and Emails for Texas Ballet Theater
December 4, 2023

In pursuit of excellence

Nestled in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, Colonial Country Club stands as an iconic institution with an unwavering commitment to excellence and timeless traditions. Founded in 1936 by Marvin Leonard, the club offers a distinctive private club experience that fosters a strong sense of community. With a rich history in championship golf and a dedication to creating unforgettable moments, Colonial embodies unparalleled luxury and camaraderie.

Revitalizing tradition for Colonial Country Club

In 2023, the club found itself at a pivotal moment, embracing the desire to redefine excellence and embody a new era without forgetting their historic past. This ambitious journey began with an extraordinary renovation project, breathing new life into the esteemed championship course.

The transformation extended beyond the greens as Colonial invested in an array of exciting amenities, embarking on a revitalization journey to align their brand with the club’s updates. Recognizing this opportunity, Schaefer Advertising partnered with Colonial to refine and update their marketing and messaging, ensuring effective communication with a shared commitment to tradition and innovation.

Colonial Brand Imagery

The path to success is empowerment

Working closely with the internal staff at Colonial, we understood the significance of helping the team to define the authentic voice of the brand and building the necessary tools to support business objectives. Colonial’s strategic marketing initiatives focus on three primary goals:

  1. Increasing awareness and perception among targeted prospective members to generate a consistent waitlist of high-quality prospects,
  2. Enhancing member engagement to foster loyalty and advocacy, and
  3. Boosting club revenue through increased event sales. 

To achieve these objectives, Schaefer developed a comprehensive marketing strategy that presented findings from a digital platform audit and brand messaging exercise, as well as provided platform-specific optimizations, culminating in a holistic digital ecosystem approach for the internal team to utilize as a road map to support and elevate Colonial’s marketing endeavors. 

Uniting past, present, and future

To elevate the essence of Colonial’s brand, we embarked on an extensive brand refresh that began with a meticulous exploration of the club’s unique attributes and a thorough brand landscape assessment. This approach identified key differentiators and core values that set Colonial apart. Establishing the brand archetype and positioning recommendations, Schaefer recognized that Colonial’s messaging should center around the unwavering pursuit of greatness, beautifully capturing the club’s rich history and unyielding commitment to excellence. This masterful process of brand archetyping and positioning culminated in the development of the club’s brand story, a compelling narrative that artfully united the past, present, and future.

Colonial Country Club Messaging

Building upon this solid foundation, we crafted a cohesive visual system that seamlessly unified the brand while accommodating flexibility for its evolving identity. A comprehensive brand style guide was introduced, offering clear guidelines to the team and serving as a valuable tool for external communications, ensuring consistent brand alignment across all touchpoints. To capture the true essence of Colonial, Schaefer directed and produced photography and video shoots featuring real club members, thus curating an authentic content library that would enrich the future website and all brand materials, beautifully reflecting the genuine spirit of the club and its cherished traditions.

Elevating Colonial’s digital presence

Alongside the visual transformation, Schaefer undertook the crucial task of redesigning Colonial’s website to realign with the club’s prestigious history and standing. Our expertise came to the forefront as we crafted a visually stunning and user-friendly design that successfully communicated vital information while elevating the overall user experience. Through a development partnership with MembersFirst, the website became a powerful tool in supporting awareness, engagement, and lead-generation objectives, providing an app and private portal for members. Schaefer’s thoughtful approach, in tandem with Colonial’s rich heritage, gave rise to a website that now stands as a befitting window into the club.

Colonial Website Examples

Outcome

The collaboration between Schaefer and Colonial resulted in a stronger brand presence that honored the club’s legacy as well as their future. The consolidated brand provides a consistent experience for current and potential members, reinforcing Colonial’s position as a pillar in the community. The revitalized brand strategy and web presence articulate the Club’s forward-thinking nature, appealing to both a global audience in search of elite golf experiences and creating a home away from home for local members. By providing the internal team at Colonial with the necessary tools and support, Schaefer empowered them to effectively communicate the brand’s voice and usher in a new era of success.

For a leading third-party manufacturer, rising above the competition began with a new marketing campaign.

The Situation

Argon Medical Devices came to Schaefer with a need to create awareness for its brand and various product lines. Its key objectives included elevating awareness of Argon Custom Product Solutions (CPS), a division that offers private label and third-party manufacturing capabilities to clients.

Goals

  • Increase awareness of the Argon corporate brand and Argon CPS brand
  • Educate and engage a global Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) audience
  • Generate qualified leads at the top of the funnel to handoff to the sales team
  • Build loyalty and differentiation with precise, customer-centric messaging

Strategy

Argon CPS faced two crucial challenges: First, its awareness in this crowded market was low. Second, in a sector that is heavily driven by price, Argon CPS needed to position itself as a premium brand that brought greater value to customers through an unmatched mix of expertise and capabilities.

Solution

Schaefer developed a strategic campaign that differentiated Argon CPS by promoting its superior level of service, quality, and customization. The new tagline “Build It Better” laddered up to and tied-into the existing Argon corporate brand messaging.

Core messages highlighted attributes such as design and testing capabilities, US-based manufacturing facilities, and Argon’s ability to collaborate with client product development teams. Campaign graphics used upscale visual patterns to underscore the client’s endless customization capabilities and showcase specific product categories.

We then deployed a media strategy for email, social media, digital and online industry publications that carefully homed-in on a global audience of manufacturers and decision makers. Careful audience targeting ensured minimal waste — and maximum results.

Results

Our digital and email tactics carefully targeted recipients by geography and title, allowing us to track campaign results with a high degree of accuracy that: 

  • Generated more than 36K website sessions from 31K+ new users
  • Achieved 3.3 million targeted impressions in less than one year
  • Achieved a 6% Paid Search click-through rate, 1.8x the industry benchmark
  • Launched 463K emails, opened by 20% of recipients
  • Tracked clicked-through rates of prime prospects, including Marketplace Optimization (MPO) click-through rates of .86% 
Argon CPS Email

Summary

Differentiation is always important – especially in categories driven by price or viewed as commodities. By elevating Argon CPS above the industry norm, we strengthened its appeal to higher-end device manufacturers who value quality, service and collaboration.

Effective marketing goes beyond promoting products and services. Customers demand connections with brands on a deeper level with customized, tailored messaging that makes them think ‘this brand is for ME’.

In today’s multicultural society, representation in healthcare marketing is critical to establishing meaningful connections and, ultimately, driving tangible business results. The inclusion of diverse communities must extend across platforms for several reasons:

  • Connecting authentically with the target audience: Healthcare marketing should mirror the diversity of the population it serves. Patient and HCP demographics are not monolithic. They come from various ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Tailoring communications to represent these diverse groups ensures that healthcare organizations are reaching their target audiences effectively.
  • Strengthening trust and credibility: Representation helps build trust between healthcare brands and the providers or patients they want to connect with. When individuals see themselves reflected in marketing messages, they feel understood and validated. In turn, that makes these targets more likely to engage because their needs and experiences are acknowledged.
  • Springboarding growth for the common good: By directly addressing appropriate representation, we can allude to or increase awareness of healthcare disparities that may exist in our communities. This simple act of inclusion demonstrates the commitment to eliminating gaps in care and working towards equitable healthcare access and outcomes.

Of course, it’s unrealistic to assume that every brand has the resources to develop hundreds of personalized messages that include everyone in their target audience. At Schaefer, we frequently help clients deploy effective strategies to strike the balance between limited resources and representative communications. Those strategies include:

  • Start with language accessibility: Consider the preferred or native languages of your target audience. Let that guide your message, and even your platform. Move beyond direct translation of materials, and into transcreation, delivering a culturally relevant message that truly speaks your audience’s language.
  • Consider overall patient health literacy: Effective communications always begin with tailoring a message to meet audiences where they are. In the case of health literacy, understand the overall level of patient comprehension and ensure your materials are built appropriately. Break down complex medical procedures or MOAs into simple, digestible components. Use analogies to explain procedures or complex ideas in a clear, relatable way.
  • Harness the power of data: Leverage your existing customer data or turn to partners to help identify audience behaviors and preferences. Leverage the power of marketing automations, chatbots and other data services to create more customization at scale.
  • Leverage visual representation: Imagery will continue to be one of the strongest drivers of emotion and connection. Expand diversity in your imagery beyond just ethnicity to include age, body makeup, ability and more. Explore the flexibility that illustration can provide in delivering representation at scale.
  • Gather insight from your patient/HCP base and community organizations: Actively listen to the patients, HCPs or communities you’re targeting, so that you can better understand their needs, challenges and motivations. Learn what they really want from your brand and apply those learnings to create tailored messages that allow you to build more meaningful relationships.
  • Utilize testimonials and existing customer stories: Let your customers tell their own stories and share their direct experiences with your brand. Their stories are one of the strongest ways to humanize your brand and create relatability with a broader audience.

Representation in healthcare marketing is not just about meeting diversity quotas. It is about recognizing, celebrating and respecting the unique qualities of your diverse target audience, and intentionally deploying a messaging strategy that meets them where they are. By embracing representation and diversifying communications, healthcare brands can establish valuable connections, build trust, and ultimately provide more personalized and inclusive care.

At Schaefer Advertising, we understand the significance of representation in healthcare marketing. Our human-first approach focuses on diversifying communications to connect with your audiences more effectively. Through data-driven insights we can help your brand deploy inclusive strategies that deliver on your organizational goals. Contact us today to learn more about our patient-centered solutions and how we can assist you in creating impactful healthcare marketing campaigns.

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