Building Partnerships
Engaging the Business Community, Step 5: Preparing Your Approach

Updated: 6.1.06       Printable version

Once you have identified the companies you want to recruit, you will need to think about the best recruiting approach for each company. This section outlines two main strategies for approaching companies and provides potential outreach activities.

Different Strategies for Business Outreach

There are two types of strategies in which your business partners can partake: external and internal. External outreach is when a company communicates health care coverage information externally to its customers and the community. Internal outreach is when a company communicates health care coverage information internally to its employees. It is important to make a distinction between the two because (1) the audiences are different; (2) many of the outreach activities are different; and (3) the benefits to a company are different. Your recruiting strategy for each company will depend on whether that company is interested in conducting one or both types of outreach. The following highlights key elements and activities for each strategy.

External Outreach

Audience: The audiences for external outreach include a company's customers, its vendors and the community at large.
Activities: The activities for this type of outreach are very public and have the potential to reach a large audience.
Benefits: The benefits of external outreach can include public recognition of the company and the opportunity to reach new customers.

Outreach Ideas:

• Consumer newsletter. A company can place an article about the importance of children's health care coverage and the availability of low-cost and free programs in its consumer newsletter.

• Flier distribution. A company can distribute health care coverage information fliers to customers. This outreach option will be more attractive to a company if it is tied to a specific time period or special promotion. You may want to ask the company to produce the fliers as part of its outreach commitment. A flier template [LINK] is available for companies to customize with their logos.

• Point-of-purchase displays. When promotional materials are displayed at cash registers, pickup windows or checkout counters, consumers are being reached at their "point of purchase." Program signage, tear-off coupons, brochures and fliers in "take one" holders are the most common point-of-purchase materials that companies display.

• On-premise events. On-premise events, also called in-store events, are appealing because they can attract customers to the store and can be used as a backdrop for a media event to raise awareness about children's health care coverage.

• Web site and Internet promotion. Company Web sites often have a special section to highlight the work the company does in the community. You can link your site to a company site or ask the company to run a banner ad or include a health care coverage message in e-mails to its online audience.

• Back-to-School Campaign. The Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign is an excellent opportunity to involve a company in local outreach efforts with the added benefit of being part of a nationwide effort. The back-to-school theme is an easy link for many retailers and family-friendly companies.

• Capitalize on existing corporate activities. Many companies sponsor festivals, sporting events, and activities that benefit children or the places they frequent, such as schools or parks. You may be able to "piggyback" on these events and provide health care coverage information to attendees.

• Product packaging and promotional materials. A company may be willing to add a health care coverage message and your state toll-free hotline number to product packaging (e.g., toothpaste boxes, movie theater or sporting event tickets, tray liners in quick-service restaurants). Keep in mind that companies plan their product lines and production schedules well in advance, so it may take a year or more for this tactic to come to fruition.

• Corporate advertising. Most companies spend money on advertising (e.g., print, radio and TV). A company may be willing to use its advertising dollars to help promote a health care coverage message and your state's program. For example:

• Print. A company that buys regular ad space in your local newspaper may be willing to include a health care coverage message and the hotline number in its advertisement. Or, the company might provide space in its in-store circular for a print PSA.
• Radio. A company may be willing to sponsor a radio message for your state program or provide free (public service) ad time for your organization as part of its regular ad buy.
• TV. A company can ask the TV stations with which it does business to provide airtime for a PSA.
• In-store advertising. Many companies have video monitors and public address systems that can run public service announcements for your state program.

* Note: Public service announcements (print and television) and public service announcement scripts for radio are available through the Covering Kids & Families Communications Team at GMMB. Call (202) 338-7227 or e-mail coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com for more information.

Internal Outreach

Audience: The audience for internal outreach is a company's employees or the members of a chamber of commerce, business association or trade association.
Activities: Internal outreach activities take place within a company and are not visible to the general public (e.g., paycheck inserts or posters in break rooms).
Benefits: The benefits to companies for internal outreach do not usually involve public recognition and often are not tangible (e.g., employees feel more loyalty to a company because the company informed them about available health care coverage for their children).

Outreach Ideas:

• Paycheck inserts. A company can distribute a health care coverage message in employee paychecks. Download a sample of a customized paycheck insert. [LINK]

• Posters and fliers. Posters promoting available low-cost and free health care coverage for children can be displayed in employee break rooms. Companies can also place fliers in break rooms or in employee welcome information packets. Download customized poster and flier samples. [LINK]

• Employee newsletter. A company can include an article on the importance of health care coverage and information about available low-cost and free health care coverage programs for children in its employee newsletter. Download an employee newsletter template. [LINK]

• Employee Health Fair Day. Many companies sponsor employee health fairs. A company may be willing to provide you with booth space at no cost.

Tips:

• Companies are interested in participating in outreach activities that are easy to implement. Companies will factor in the time and resources that will be needed before agreeing to participate. Be sure to stress the availability of templates and materials, especially if they can be customized to include a company's logo.

• Do not immediately offer to provide outreach materials to a company for free. Companies may be willing to pay for the production and distribution of promotional materials. Larger companies often have in-house printing and distribution systems in place. If you provide the template, many companies will handle the production and distribution.

• A good way to present different outreach activities to a company is to provide a menu of options. It is not necessary to include every outreach option. In fact, such a list may be overwhelming for the company.