Multi-Channel Digital Communication Plan
Multi-channel digital engagement plan content:
Vision:
The multi-channel digital communication strategy supports the CCG’s exisiting
communication and engagement strategy which sets out how as an organisation we
communicate and engage with our staff, the public and key stakeholders to build trust and
confidence in the NHS. Additionally this strategy will develop an integrated approach to
juggling diverse content using a variety of channels to broadcast a consistent message.
Communication underpins everything we do and should be intrinsic to the organisation.
Aim: Get to know your audience
Why it is important:
One of the most important aspects of strong communications is getting to know your
audience. Adopting the multi-channel media strategy approach will increase awareness of
AVCCG matters; drive wider and deeper engagement; and educate and inform the
population of Aylesbury Vale in commissioning matters.
By knowing who your audience is will help to gain an understanding what it is they want and
how to give it to them. It is also important to consider business goals and marketing
objectives.
This will ensure:

Raising brand awareness – ensuring that the right message reaches the right person
in the right way

Effective communication to engage, inform and involve on a number of levels,
including building social audience to meet strategic objectives

Strategic research and correct analysis can make it easier to understand who you are
working with, informing everything from language used in copywriting and social
media updates to influence tone and design and have maximum impact
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How to get to know your audience:
One approach to developing a better picture of who your customers are involves creating
‘population avatars’. Simply stated, a population avatar is an embodiment of your typical
population segment. It’s an approach that can help you capture everything you need to know
about a prospect or, such as:




Basic demographic information, like age, gender, income, marital status, geography,
and more
More complex demographic factors that might impact how they relate to the health
service such as their living situation or what type of career they work in, what sort of
services they use etc
The underlying health matter/problem that they’re trying to solve, in relation to the
CCG’s services
Recognise existing community social media connections and other digital platforms
where they spend time and use to specifically target communications
Background:
The old trick of throwing a chunk of marketing budget behind one crowd pleasing channel is
unlikely to work magic in today's multi-channel era. A mixed bag of channels is now required
to elicit interest from busy people in a variety of situations, whether online or off.
Key:
Consistency of messaging across all channels used

We should no longer distinguish between online and offline, but rather look at the
role each channel should play. It is about selecting the right mix of channels for the
campaign and then developing the right creative execution of the idea for the
channels we are using.

By understanding the audience before embarking on a multichannel campaign will
mean learning about what platforms they are using and how they prefer to interact
with the NHS locally. "Avoid using a platform for the sake of it.”

Every channel will have pros and cons. TV and print ads are cash intensive and
require monitoring, while owned and earned media, such as websites and social
media, are time-intensive and require subject matter experts.

Paid media such as print and television ads, outdoor, banners and paid search are
responsible for pulling traffic to this destination. The role of earned media such as
social media and events is to create engagement with this destination. This
engagement is usually through multiple and returning conversations.
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
A clear framework should set up a roadmap for how each channel can guide the
public to the local NHS brand (AVCCG). The NHS has 95% brand recognition and this
should be leveraged at every opportunity. Clearly established roles for each channel
and an understanding of how they interact, based on knowledge of patient and
public journeys, means you can maximise results.

It is a case of selecting the best channels for the job, and recognising their individual
strengths and weaknesses. We might use TV as a means of building quick awareness
of the overall message at scale: for example: GP screens, and allow digital display to
create a deeper connection, where the specific message can be explored in more
depth.

Print will attract attention, while interactive and digital elements can bring that
message to life using video and audio.

The emergence of digital media has changed the rules of the game from awareness
creation to engagement. Raising awareness is no longer sufficient in an age where
consumers expect to be engaged by brands they invest in. In a health context, this
means patients and the public engaging actively and frequently with local NHS
issues. Traditional methods of drip feeding brand messages via picture advertising
and print no longer capture the imagination of the public as they become ever more
digitally savvy.

Communication channels such as digital communities have emerged as important
forums in a multi-channel strategy. Communities not only increase the ability to
influence the public and patient opinion, but also to understand their needs.

For owned media including websites, we would need to evaluate metrics that
measure retention, for example web traffic and time spent on a webpage. Earned
media such as digital channels and events require metrics that measure engagement
such as shares, followers, conversations entered into, re-tweets and comments.

It is essential to understand the roles that different channels contribute to the
overall goal(s) of the campaign.
Risks and opportunities
Tailor content to each channel. Don't expect the same strategy for a campaign to work
across both print and mobile platforms. Each approach needs to be customised to a specific
medium. All too often an organisation expects the same approach to work across both
traditional and digital mediums, but this is simply not the case.
It is very easy to get lost in the specific needs of the individual channels and to forget how
they all need to work together. When print and digital are integrated, the messaging must
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remain consistent. If the message delivered by a print campaign is different to the digital
campaign it will cause confusion.
The bottom line is that implementing multi-channel strategies like conversational marketing
is challenging but not impossible. But the alternative is to watch your traditional siloed
campaigns deliver ever-decreasing results.
What does great content look like?
When we start to think of great content, it might contain something or all of the following
traits, it:
• Tells the local NHS story to a specific and targeted audience – informs and involves
• Resonates with the specific community or audience – they instantly “feel” what it is
getting at
• Engages with a social audience, journalists and bloggers – shared widely thereby
increasing reach of message
• Builds the CCG’s reputation and online authority – be seen as the leader in the field and
the “go to” authority
• Has a specific tone suitable for that target audience – will be different for different
audiences but overall, establishes a “voice” which can be relied upon
These can quite clearly tie in with your strategic objectives, it still allows you to be as
creative as you need to be with your content, but you’re linking it back to the operational
plan and performance measures, which drives all your messaging. The goal should be to
create the best piece of content on a given subject and to promote it to a targeted and
relevant audience.
How can this relate to Aylesbury Vale Clinical Commissioning Group?

Will adding any new digital communication channels fundamentally improve the
communication and engagement with the user base?
Generate patient engagement momentum and build a significant user base within the
existing digital channels to increase communication and engagement instantly.
By integrating digital communication channels into business as usual within the CCG will
develop a core service to build a significant user base. Once this is established we will
continually be increasing the familiarity of the users with our services, and the intensity with
which they are used.

Develop existing audience information: You may already have a wide variety of
information available on your audiences. By gathering as much information as there is
on hand will give you valuable starting point, and also help you identify knowledge
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gaps and lines for further inquiry. This should include a stakeholder mapping task to
establish understanding of key influential groups within the community.

Extended research: Observation and data gathering is an important step to fleshing
out some of the less tangible details of how our audience structures conversations,
discusses their most pressing issues, and the language and vocabulary that resonates.
It is also important to consider who key stakeholders interact with. Are there
influential bloggers, existing digital media platforms that can be used or should be
monitored?

Conversations with the public: If you have a question that is critical and you can’t find
the answer, ask. Patient and public interviews, focus groups, surveys, and informal one
to one chats can yield critical insights that let you solve a key problem or have a major
breakthrough in terms of how to serve your audience. As well as face-to-face, this can
also be done through digital communication channels such as Talking Health.

Crowdsourcing: Tapping into ‘crowds’ of people using the internet and online tools to
get work done, obtain input and stimulate action. Explicit crowdsourcing is when users
can evaluate particular items like books or webpages or share by posting products or
items. Implicit crowdsourcing is standalone and piggyback. Standalone allows people
to solve problems as a side effect of the task they are actually doing, whereas
piggyback takes users’ information from a third-party website to gather information.
Talking Health would be crucial to delivering a robust crowdsourcing channel.
Actions:
In order to successfully meet the priorities for the CCG, it is important to:

Utilise the existing digital communication channels to tailor communication and
engagement with our communities, both internally to the CCG and externally

Utilise a variety of existing communication channels, including community
forums and the media online to disseminate messages

Identify a tone to be used when communicating with specific audienecs

Trial technology to provide ‘virtual engagement’ via online discussions for local
communities, whether geographically or demographically.

Work with partners to utilise our expertise to direct members or the public to
the most appropriate digital communication channels available to them

Equip and educate CCG staff in the use of tools and techniques to provide
positive and effective digital communication

Maximise benefits from any communication by using material for multiple
communication channels
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Tactics:
Internal digital communication:
Action
Tactics
Increase use of AVCCG Promote the site to members and
members’ site
partners
Owner
Timeframe
CCG
Use AVCCG bulletin more effectively
to direct staff and members to the
CT/CG
site
Create great, engaging content to
“pull” members to the site as a “go
to” place for information and
involvement.
AVCCG Bulletin –
increase the number
of readers
Change the format of the bulletin
CG
and relaunch to staff and members.
Have content suitable for several
series of bulletins cleared at any one
time.
LP/CG
Produce regular summary
(containing hyperlinks) from senior
management to direct
staff/members to extranet
Train and support CCG Produce social media policy
staff in use of social
media
Carry out social media training
CSU/CG
CG
Develop Social Media campaign
objectives and metrics
External digital communication:
Action
Tactics
Increase social media Know your audience –
connections
crowdsourcing
Owner
CT/CG
Timeframe
Promote existing social media
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platforms to key stakeholders and
within community
Locality
managers/CG
Identify existing key online
communities within CCG area
CT
Press release to promote use of
social media and develop
media/social media relationship
Utilise existing social
media platforms
Regularly publish information
through online platforms like
Facebook/Twitter to promote work
of CCG
CG/CCG
Scope through ‘crowdsourcing’
existing online forums and
communities and target messages
to these
CG/CCG
CG/CCG
Encourage public involvement
through tone and type of message
‘Tweet’ throughout significant
meetings including Governing Body
meetings and AGM to broaden
target audience
Use social media to host public
engagement events and forums
through online discussions and
‘tweetathons’
CG/CCG
CG
YouTube to be used to add interest
to Facebook/Twitter, eg filming
meetings or updates from senior
management
Launch new
Pinterest channel
Promote new Pinterest channel to
all stakeholders including press and
public
CG
Create ‘boards’ for AVCCG and ‘pin’
information
CG
Establish a presence on Slideshare
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as a place to share and promote
AVCCG presentations
AVCCG website
Ensure the AVCCG website is up-todate and an informative resource
for the public
CCG
Essential documents to be made
available to the public by being
published on the website
CCG
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