Conducting a regular evaluation of your communications efforts is as important to the health of your department as a colonoscopy is for your 58-year-old mother. Sure it’s uncomfortable, annoying to schedule, and involves various degrees of undress, but it can help you uncover—and heal—serious issues before they become incurable.
A communications audit is very much like a medical check-up. It is a thorough and systematic examination of your hospital’s ability to effectively communicate with its important internal and external stakeholders. It provides a snapshot of where your hospital is in terms of its communications performance.
A communications audit provides a clear understanding of what is working well, what is not and what might work better if adjustments are made.An audit seeks to answer these questions:What are our current goals and objectives for communication?Is what we are doing meeting those goals?
In today’s healthcare—and marketing—environment, we don’t have the time or the resources to be wrong. We can’t fly down the Interstate without a GPS to guide our way. We will end up taking too many side streets and winding paths, and either it will takes us too long to reach our destination or—worse—we never get there.
You should conduct a communications audit about once every three years. Or before you embark on a major communications efforts. When you’re getting ready to fight a battle—like a CON or a merger/acquisition. Or when you have a change in leadership—at either the PR/communications level or in the C-suite.
Decide which areas you want to study. Is this the time for a full audit or your entire marketing, PR and communications program? Do you want to focus on one area, such as earned media or website? Do you want to look specifically at internal communications? Or do you want to look at a specific service line?Also, determine who within your department is going to “own” the process. One person needs to be point.
Decide what research methods you’re going to deploy. One-on-one interviews? Focus group? Online or telephone surveys? Media analysis?
Gather and review key business documents and all of your marketing and PR materials. Strategic/business planBudgetHospital financialsMarketing plansSurveysNewslettersAdvertisingOther collateralEarned mediaPress releasesWebsitesSignageGraphic standards
Who are our key audiences?Are we reaching them?What are our key messages?Are our messages consistent? Are our messages clear?Do they differentiate us from the competition?Do they ring true?What media coverage did we receive? What media opportunities did we miss?Did we successfully tell our story?What communications have been most effective?What would make our communications more effective?Do our communications support the overall strategic plan for our hospital? Do they follow our brand promise?Most important…did they cause people to act?
Our experience tells us that you have to “get the talk right” inside your organization first. It’s important to ask our employees what they think about our communication efforts.Talk to:Administration, Line staffVolunteersPhysiciansAsk them:What do you think about the communications during the past year?What was effective?What wasn’t?What could be improved?Do you feel like you know what’s going on?How do you like to get your information?A revealing exercise is to ask them what their elevator speech is about the hospital. It will make you cry, but do it anyway. (You might try this with your own team first. You might be shocked.)
What does the community know and perceive about your organization?This can be achieved by doing a formal perception survey, conducting formal focus groups or by informally interviewing community members.If you don’t have the budget for a formal survey, talk to:Physician spousesCommunity leadersSchool teachersElected officialsPastors
Analyze your communications from your customer’s point of view.You already survey your patients. Can you add a question or two about communications?Pass out a card at registration over a two or three week period asking them to participate in a survey-monkey survey.
You are likely to hear things you don’t want to hear. You can’t get defensive.Either leave your ego at the door or hire a third party consultant.Look at your communications with a fresh eye. (Story of selling your home.)
Analyze your audit results and identify areas for improvement.Are you doing the right things?Are you using the right tools?Is your department set up to deliver the goods?Are the right people in place?
Use your research to create a plan for your department and for your hospital.The old SWOT analysis still applies.It is better to do five things really well than do 20 things so-so.
