Deraita 1 Louie Deraita

MSCM 347: Principals of Public Relations Final Project 11 Dec 2013

Final Project Campaign Plan: Hearing Health Care, Inc.

Situation Analysis: Mission: The client I chose for my campaign plan is Hearing Health Care, Inc. (HHC). This business practice is owned and staffed by a sole proprietor. HHC aims to improve the lives of those with hearing losses through education and proper use of hearing devices by the sales of hearing aids (Hearing Health Care, Inc). Hearing Health Care, Inc. has been locally owned and operated since 1983 with two offices, one located in Brookings, Or. and the other in Crescent City, Ca., approximately 30 miles in distance. The main location for primary sales is the Brookings office, which is open four days a week while the Crescent City office is only staffed one day a week. The services this business offers include no charge comprehensive hearing aid evaluations, digital/programmable hearing aids including Bluetooth technology, hearing aid repairs and batteries, loaner hearing aids during repairs and custom ear plugs. It also offers a two year warranty/two year loss and damage policy, lifetime no charge in-office maintenance, and lifetime no charge programming. Hearing Health Care Inc. focuses on the follow up services and

Deraita 2

education that is provided after hearing aid fittings to insure long term success. These services are crucial to those wearing hearing aids because proper education and knowledge of the devices enhance customer success and overall satisfaction over the products lifetime. External Environment: There are three factors affecting this client. The first is economic and pertains to a new oncoming health care system, Obama Care. Hearing aids are currently not covered by many insurance companies; like Medicare for example. When Obama Care goes into effect, hearing aids may be covered by more insurance companies, and they will be dictating what hearing aid providers will be reimbursed. Some major insurance companies like Blue Cross, Blue Shield (BX-BS) currently cover up to 80% of usual customary reasonable charges (UCRC). The average cost of hearing aids range from $2,500 up to $10,000 depending on the type and features (Deraita, Pam). When Obama Care goes into effect, providers like Hearing Health Care, Inc. will no longer be able to set their own prices, Obama Care and other insurance companies will set price level. This directly affects how much time and care a provider can give a patient. This plan cannot address this specific threat to the business, but the educational value of the HHC services will be crucial for keeping patients interested in purchasing hearing aids after this healthcare plan goes into effect. The second factor affecting this business is technology. Technology in the hearing aid industry has not advanced as rapidly as other electronics. Although hearing aids cannot return ones hearing back to normal, they can greatly enhance and improve speech understanding. A

Deraita 3

computer chip is built into hearing aids which help process sound in different channels/frequencies to improve speech clarity and understanding. Twenty years ago, hearing aids simply amplified sounds equally by using an analog circuit. Now, these sounds are amplified digitally in different areas of ones specific hearing loss. This computer chip has not advanced or improved as rapidly as other technologies due to supply and demand. This factor cannot be addressed with this plan, but still remains a relevant external factor. The third factor affecting Hearing Health Care, Inc. is the surrounding community. Although HHC has offices in both Oregon and California, most sales are generated from the Oregon office. Most patients in California travel a half hour over the border to purchase hearing aids tax free in the Brookings office. A significant amount of the Brookings community is retired and low-income. The population is approximately 6,000 people, limiting the number of possible clientele. This plan is intended to educate and target those in the community who do not understand the value of the services and why hearing aid prices are set at what they are. It will deter those in the community from buying hearing aids without services provided, either from third party sources or on the internet. Business Analysis: Hearing Health Care, Inc.s competition is a corporate owned franchise business, Pacific Coast Hearing Center. Pacific Coast Hearing Center is owned by All American Hearing, a franchise business based in Minnesota. Because of the size of this large corporation, they can afford frequent, large, and costly advertisements in the local paper, on the radio, and through

Deraita 4

promotional mail. Pacific Coast Hearing Center has a licensed audiologist on staff and brings in hearing aid sales closers every month. These advantages of a larger franchise provide threats to a smaller business such as HHC. Unlike Pacific Coast Hearing Center, HHC is a locally owned and operated business. This is an advantage in a small community like Brookings because the community favors the support of local businesses. Although HHC does not have an audiologist on staff, the sole proprietor is a licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser, which tests individuals hearing for the purpose of selling hearing aids. The owner of HHC is committed to not only testing for hearing loss, but providing professional services and education after a hearing fitting. The value of these services is important for the success and satisfaction of the patient. The owner of HHC is an active member of the community and serves as a board member on the Brookings Chamber of Commerce. She attends executive meetings and forums, and is also involved in other non-profit organizations located in Brookings. In addition, she supports her community with sponsorships and donations to local causes. Because the owner is actively involved in the community in which she does business, this involvement and local support can be implemented into a public relations plan. Being an active member of the community helps communicate to ones publics about their business and the services offered. Target Audience: The target audience for this business is anyone with a hearing loss who is 18 years or older. Because the owner is not an audiologist, she cannot fit hearing aids on children less than

Deraita 5

18 years of age. This audience includes adults of all age ranges, not just the elderly. It is a common misconception that only the elderly populations are in need of hearing aids. The National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) studies show 18% of American adults ages 45 to 64 have reported having a hearing loss (NIDCD). Another study by the Ear Foundation showed people between the ages of 45 and 59 have a significant amount of hearing loss due to loud noises in the work place, concerts, and military involvement (The Ear Foundation). The amount of adults diagnosed with hearing losses climb each year and the current generation will see the effects of this in the near future. Because of the statistics for these age groups, this audience continues to grow each year and hearing loss is a health concern that is being diagnosed more in younger adults. Opinion leaders for this audience include family members or caretakers of those who have a hearing loss. These family members and caretakers are often the ones who persuade a potential patient to get their hearing evaluated and encourage the purchase of hearing aids and devices. These family members are the ones who will be seeking information via the internet and media sources for the information they need for their loved one with a hearing loss. This secondary audience will be targeted in the plan, but the patients with a hearing loss will initially be the ones choosing to purchase the hearing aids. The Plan Goal: The overall goal for Hearing Health Care, Inc. is to stabilize clientele numbers by selling ten hearing aids each month over a span of one year. One of the problems of this business is the

Deraita 6

lack of stability in sales in the past years. HHC has not had a consistent number of hearing aid sales in the past years, and each month these sales fluctuate dramatically (Deraita, Pam). If this business were to level out and stabilize sales for each month of the year, this plan could continue to be implemented annually. Objective 1: The first objective in this plan is to educate 60% of adults in the community about the complexity and value of support services after the purchase of hearing aids. In doing this, the adults and family members of those who live with someone who has a hearing loss can learn why the services after a fitting are so important. It is crucial for the patient to have the knowledge of how to properly use their hearing aids and/or technology for their own personal success and for the betterment of their hearing. Not only are these services important to the patient, but also to who the patient lives with, i.e. spouse, family, caretaker, etc. If these people are also educated, they can assist in the success of a patients hearing. I am basing my plan on the Diffusion theory. This theory includes five stages that pertain to my plan. The five stages are awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption. My first objective targets the first two: awareness and interest, and the remaining steps are based upon the success of these. The last three steps, evaluation, trial, and adoption, will be targeted under the second objective. By using the strategies chosen to educate and inform the public and community, awareness and interest for the client and products and services it provides will be created. The diffusion theory looks at how people accept and process information that is

Deraita 7

presented to individuals in order to help them make important decisions. The important decision to be made in this plan is the purchase and adoption of hearing aids and services. Strategy 1: The first strategy is to use HHC owners Chamber of Commerce membership in order to educate opinion leaders in the community and create awareness and interest. By utilizing the businesses chamber membership, HHC can communicate effectively with opinion leaders in the community. These opinion leaders are other local business owners in the Brookings area. Being a member of the chamber allows businesses advertising and enhancement opportunities. The more a business has exposure in the community, the more the word is spread about the products and services it offers the public. Tactic 1: The first tactic is to create an open house event to communicate with business leaders and the public. This will be an opportunity to educate, make connections with possible referral sources, and attract people to the physical location of the business. The event will be no longer than an hour and take place in the evening when other business owners are off work. An open house will bring a sense of awareness and interest in HHC, which are the first two steps in the diffusion theory. Tactic 2: By inviting other chamber members and distributing informational brochures and referral cards, this creates an opportunity for the business to educate on the products and importance of the services offered by HHC. The reward for referral cards will be as follows: if you refer three people to HHC and they visit the business, you will receive a $20 gift card. A short slideshow

Deraita 8

and presentation by the owner will then be given, along with educational information on the products and services HHC offers distributed to those who attend. Strategy 2: The second strategy is to use mass media in order to educate the community. The Curry Coastal Pilot is the only local newspaper in Brookings and about 70% of the population currently subscribes to it. The local newspaper and chamber newsletter are great opportunities to get the name of a business out to the public for little to no cost. The demographic of these people who subscribe to the paper are adults, which are the target audience. Using mass media to educate the community will create an awareness and interest in HHC. Tactic 1: The first tactic is to receive a write up in the monthly Brookings chamber newsletter about HHC. This would be at no extra cost, and would fall under the membership dues for HHC. The chamber newsletter comes out every month and is distributed to all chamber members. It provides information on the chambers directors, economics of the community, and current events. A presence in this newsletter will increase awareness of the HHC to other business owners. Tactic 2: The second tactic is to write an opinion editorial for the local newspaper. An opinion section in the newspaper will allow the professional owner of the business to educate readers about hearing loss and hearing aids. Because HHC is a small business, it has a very limited budget for public relations. Writing an editorial in the opinion section eliminates advertising costs for HHC. Planning ways of advertising or education to be distributed to the public at little

Deraita 9

to no cost is beneficial for a small business. The op-ed will create an educational awareness of the services that this business provides from the owner herself. Strategy 3: The third strategy for this objective is to use public speaking opportunities in order to educate and communicate to local organizations in the Brookings community. In doing this, the owner can target adults in organizations in the community which she is not already involved in. This is an opportunity to spread the word and awareness of not only HHC, but the importance of the services offered. It is also another way for a business owner to create a personal presence in the community. Tactic 1: The first tactic for this strategy is to call local organizations and schedule dates to meet. The organizations that would be called are Rotary Club, Soroptimist Club, Elks Club, Red Hat Society, Emblem Club, Shrine Club, and Veterans in Brookings. Having personal knowledge of the demographics in Brookings, most of the members of these organizations are in their late 40s to early 90s. This is a perfect age range for the target audience for this plan. Even if the members of the club are not interested in the information provided, they could still become possible referral sources for HHC. Tactic 2: The second tactic for this plan is to prepare a presentation and speech materials for the owner of HHC. Having a simple, informative and short slideshow is the best way to keep the attention of the members of the club and to interest them in the subject of the presentation. In addition to the slideshow, a carefully prepared speech is a tool for communication and a way for

Deraita 10

the professional of the business to reach out to members of the community. Referral cards will also be distributed to the members of this organization as well as a blurb about HHCs no charge hearing aid evaluations and consultations. Objective 2: The second objective for this plan it to generate five new patients on average per month through referral sources. Current patients or family members of those patients are the main sources of referrals for HHC. Satisfied patients who purchase hearing aids and services refer at least one person to HHC each month (Deraita, Pam). With this plan, HHC will increase the one person referred per month to five people. Referrals and word of mouth are key for a positive business outlook in a small community. Strategy 1: The first strategy under this objective is to use the internet in order to reach more referral sources and target potential patients to evaluate products and services offered by HHC. Because the age range of families of those with hearing losses are in a more technological generation, the internet serves as a tool to reach more referral sources compared to just word of mouth. The internet is a vast tool that opens many doors of communication for a large audience and can be utilized in many different ways. It provides potential patients and referral sources a way to evaluate the information that is given and will push them to the next step in the diffusion theory, which is trial. Tactic 1: The first tactic under this strategy is to create a social media presence. This is something that HHC is greatly lacking in. HHC currently only has a website that is rarely updated and too

Deraita 11

expensive for a small business owner to pay and maintain on a monthly basis. The use of an updated website through a different provider enables information to be updated regularly at a low cost for those who search the internet for hearing services in Brookings. In addition to updating the website, social media links would be added to connect to others on the web and spread information to sites such as Facebook, which will be created in the next tactic. Tactic 2: Another tactic under creating a social media presence for HHC would be to create a Facebook page for the business. A Facebook page is an easy, free way to promote a business and create friends who can share or like the information and posts which would be updated on a weekly basis. After creating a friend base (or base of those who like the business) of other business leaders and members in the community, posts from HHC could create awareness in the Facebook community. A Facebook page is also easy to create, navigate, and post information on. Each week something new will be posted or promoted by HHC. These posts could include statistics on hearing loss, research done in the field of audiology, announcements of news, information about referral cards, or questions intended to engage followers. It provides an excellent and free advertisement tool for any business that also aids in further evaluation for potential patients or those who are looking to help someone with a hearing loss. Tactic 3: The third tactic is to keep proactive on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media website for professionals. It is important to create a broad network of professionals and to connect with

Deraita 12

colleagues. With LinkedIn, one can learn about other businesses and companies to discover new opportunities and knowledge. With this site, a business like HHC can share information such as memberships or affiliations they have and even presentations for others to view. This constant activity on LinkedIn will help target referral sources and other important business leaders in and outside of the Brookings area. Strategy 2: The next strategy for this objective is to persuade potential patients to go through with the trial and adoption process of buying hearing aids. Trial and adoption are the last steps in the diffusion theory, and they ensure that the first three steps of awareness, interest, and evaluation were successful. There is only so much one can do to create awareness and interest before a potential patient actually takes the steps to evaluate the education provided and adopt the product. Tactic 1: The first tactic for this strategy is to use the newly created Facebook page to implement elements a business blog would have. Those who have liked, shared, commented, or are a current patient of HHC can write testimonials on the page. Often after a hearing aid evaluation, potential patients have a hard time deciding whether to try and/or adopt hearing aids. There are two reasons for this; one is the cost, and the other is the self-realization that a patient actually needs hearing aids. Current patients who agree to write a testimonial on either of these reasons will help persuade the potential patients who are almost to the adoption step. The Facebook page

Deraita 13

also creates a place for people to ask questions about the business through comments or personal messages. Tactic 2: The last tactic for this strategy is to promote no charge hearing aid evaluations and consultations through mass media. Customers are always looking for opportunities to gather information at no cost. The opportunity in which a no charge hearing aid evaluation creates is a chance for potential patients to not only find out their test results, but also gather professional information on what level of technology in a hearing aid would best suit their personal needs. This also allows the opportunity for more potential patients to come in the door. Advertising no charge hearing aid evaluations at the open house, organizational speeches, in the chamber newsletter, local paper, website, and Facebook page will help persuade patients to try, and then adopt the use of hearing aids. Evaluation: I will evaluate the effectiveness of this plan by recording the success of each of the tactics. To do this, I will use the monitoring method of evaluation and also measure audience awareness and education. For the tactics involving education under the fist objective, I will document how many people attended the open house and also use a survey to measure how much of the information provided was understood and learned. This survey will also be used after the presentation and speech that is given at different organizations in the community. It will be noted if the presentations at these organizations actually happened, and at which organizations. To measure the effectiveness of mass media, I will note if the editorial was published in the paper, and research how many adults in the community actually received and read the paper.

Deraita 14

The second part of the plan which involves generating new patients through referrals will be measured by the success of the new media implemented. I will look at how the Facebook page created awareness by how many people shared, liked, or commented on each post. I will document how many people wrote testimonials on the page and also how many people visited the page, what time, and the feedback provided for those who have shared HHCs posts or information. The more HHC was talked about, the more effective the new media was. I can look at audience response in what attitudes and behaviors were changed after this information was put out. I will also gather information on how many people chose to go through with the trial and adoption steps in the diffusion theory. If the media was successful, the number of new patients from referrals will have increased from one person to five per month. Finally, to see if my overall goal of the plan was met, I will record the number of new hearing aids each month to measure if the clientele numbers have been stabilized over the span of one year.

Deraita 15

Sources

Deraita, Pam. Personal Interview. 25 Nov 2013.

Hearing Health Care, Inc.. Audiology Design, n.d. Web. 30 Nov 2013. <http://www.hearinghealthcareinc.net/>.

The Ear Foundation: Hearing and Communicating in a technological Era. Presence Multimedia. Web. 30 Nov 2013. <http://www.earfoundation.org.uk/research>.

The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. NIDCD Intranet , 08 May 2013. Web. 30 Nov 2013. <http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/Pages/Default.asp&xgt>.