Deciding what to focus health communications on can be challenging. How do you come up with the right mix of topics that will appeal to your wellness program audience — a group that likely includes people of all ages from varied backgrounds with diverse health and wellness interests and issues?
Don’t panic. The process may not be as overwhelming as you may initially think. Before you sit down and put pen to paper (or more accurately fingers to a keyboard), stop to think about the various seasons, which can provide an approach that gives you tons of timely topics.
There are two types of seasons to consider:
#1. Seasons of the year – winter, spring, summer, and fall. As the time of year changes, so do health and wellness interests. In the winter, you might want to talk about how to prevent colds and flu, indoor activities, etc. When spring rolls around, you can shift the focus to heading outdoors and seasonal allergies. Summer is a great time to promote fresh produce. Fall might include topics such as hikes and how to use all those readily available apples.
#2. Seasons of life – young and old, fit and unfit, married and unmarried, new parents, dependent kids, empty nesters, etc. You might include content about both starting a walking routine and training for a marathon. You can provide relationship tips for those going on their first date and those celebrating their Golden Anniversary. You could talk about teaching young kids financial smarts through the use of allowances while also touching on how to pay for college.
Once you begin to think seasonally, the possibilities become endless and the timing of what to cover when becomes obvious.
To learn more about how to organize content, as well as how to develop effective wellness communications in general, download a copy of our FREE ebook, “The Five Step Wellness and Benefits Communication System: A Proven, Practical Way to Deliver Your Messages with Breakthrough Power.” You’ll find a wealth of tips you can put to use right away to improve your communications.
