Around here, we get really, really excited about fresh ideas and new products. While you focus on the crucial work of recruiting, marketing, collecting, processing and distributing blood, we are relentlessly brainstorming ways to help you meet your goals.
So, we wanted to take a minute to chat about a couple of campaigns that have proven very successful to increase frequency for several blood centers.
Have you ever collected anything? There is a reason that retail stores and other companies have collectible items in a series…because people feel compelled to come back or do whatever is required to have the whole set or win the prize at the end. From Beanie Babies and baseball cards to Pokémon, the next big thing is just around the corner. Get ahead of the Black Friday ads by making the next big thing saving lives!
Donors tend to gravitate towards campaigns that tie into current events, and we love this very current project: The Platelet Olympics.
This center set a specific timeframe for the promotion (that just happens to be in the summer when collections can be a struggle) and asked their platelet donors to set a goal of 6 donations in that time period. They used very cost-effective car cling stickers for the bronze, silver, and gold awards combined with various gift cards depending on whether the donor achieved 4, 5 or 6 donations in the promotion time period. This is already boosting collections for the summer as this center encourages donors to Go for the Gold!
Chances are you are already thinking about the next tough collection period right this very second. It is no secret that holidays and summer can be a challenge. We worked with another center to focus a series of incentives from Memorial Day to Labor Day and they had a banner year. The incentives, including a shirt, beach towel and a folding chair, were promoted as Limited Edition (who doesn’t want the limited edition, right?) in the Donor-rita-Ville tropical themed campaign. At the end, the donors who responded were entered to win a cruise. This project increased overall donations, as frequency rates skyrocketed by more than 20% over the previous summer!
When it comes to the holiday season, you can pull back in the donors who responded to a summer campaign like these above with a final piece or you can run a new stand-alone promotion that continues to build their loyalty. We know that each center or region is different in their specific needs, goals, resources and donor base so, we can adapt to fit very targeted campaigns.
These are just a sampling of the buildable projects we have developed with blood centers – let us know how we can help construct your next goal-busting plan. It is part of our passion to make your life and work easier so you can concentrate on the big picture!
