13 Nov How We Utilize The Concept of Storytelling To Create Great Content [INFOGRAPHIC Inside]

You’ve heard it at every social media and public relations conference. You see it in communications publications. It’s arguably the biggest catchphrase of 2014…

Content marketing is all about storytelling.

We couldn’t agree more. However…

Communications has always been about storytelling, but today, we have the option to share our “story” on more communications channels than ever. What’s being left out is that brand-centric “storytelling” needs to be relatable, and truthful. A brand’s story must also provide value to the reader and the brand by calling people to take a specific action. If the story is new, with a unique takeaway, that’s even better. Storytelling is a tricky thing.

Recently we worked with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation to spread the word about their new public education campaign, Align My Refills. Medication non-adherence causes 125,000 deaths in the United States annually, and patients largely blame lack of refill planning for missed doses. Align My Refills was developed to help patients and caregivers maintain their medication regimen with patient resources and the aid of their local pharmacist. We called people to take action by visiting the website and using the store locater map to find the program locally.

Tell the right story to the right audience

It was important to reach caregivers, and people on multiple medications with information about this campaign. This group of people, specifically, was more likely to visit the pharmacy multiple times per month, or forget to refill medication. Align My Refills makes life easier for caregivers and patients. We focused on the value of the program, and provided tools patients and caregivers could use.

Tell the story at the right time

We aligned the announcement of the program with American Pharmacists Month in October. This was a perfect time to gain the attention of pharmacists, who could share the information with patients and other stakeholders to increase reach of the message. It also provided a key moment in time for the media to cover the story.

Tell the story in the right way

This campaign could help a wide variety of people who communicate and gather news in different ways from print media to social networks. We worked with traditional media (print, radio, broadcast) and bloggers to get the word out to consumers including patients and caregivers. We utilized email to directly reach pharmacists and health professionals with information about the campaign. Finally, we created an infographic and a video to create content that target audiences would want to share online.

The results

To date, Align My Refills has been covered by more than 319 publications, and has been seen by nearly 80 million people. The story provides tangible takeaways for consumers that make their lives a little easier. That’s what Communications For Better Living® is all about.

Do you need help telling your brand’s story? Contact BRG Communications today.