Advertising Request Form Guide
Introduction "The tools and collateral you have at your disposable are phenomenal and different than that of anyone else in the industry. Take advantage of your edge in the business." Stephen Tweed, CSP 2011 Home Care Assistance Convention Keynote Speaker Recognized expert, author and strategist in home care At Home Care Assistance, we are committed to long-term brand development. Our goal is for Home Care Assistance to become synonymous with home care across all of our markets. We plan to achieve this through a combination of local and regional marketing and branding efforts across multiple channels: public relations, consumer advertising, social media, partnerships, community marketing and brand building, and targeted relationship marketing. Our Marketing and Public Relations Manual, Field Marketing Guide and 52-Week Marketing Plan on the Franchise Owners section of the Intranet contain detailed information about each marketing channel and should both be used as supplements to this guide. Consumer advertising includes online advertising (Google AdWords, search engine optimization [SEO], boosted/promoted posts on Facebook, etc.) and print and broadcast media (TV/radio). The goals of consumer advertising are to increase brand awareness in both your target audience and the broader community, and generate prospective clients (leads). Traditional advertising outlets (newspapers, magazines, direct mail, directories, display) are essential for long-term brand awareness. One of the major benefits of being a Home Care Assistance franchisee is that our Corporate Marketing Team is constantly piloting and A/B testing new ad concepts, assessing their effectiveness and then sharing the top-performing artwork with the network; all of these ads are housed on the Marketing Showcase. All of these marketing materials can be customized for your location at no extra cost to you using our Advertising Request Form. This guide will help you understand how to use the online advertising request form effectively.
Accessing the Advertising Request Form The online request form will be used for customization of traditional consumer advertising print, online and TV ads, and direct mailers. You can access the form by going to the Marketing Showcase on the Intranet and clicking View under the Ad Request Form section. A new window will open with the online form.
Completing the Advertising Request Form Contact Name and Email Address The email address and name provided will serve as the main point of contact for all communication related to the request. This must be a Home Care Assistance employee not the contact at the publication/printing company. Dimensions For print, we recommend purchasing ¼ - ½ page ads when possible; there is a clear correlation between larger ads and response rate. Dimensions should be written as width x height in either inches (for print media) or pixels (for online media). You must provide exact dimensions (e.g., 4.125 x 8.425 not ¼-page, postcard-size) for the ad or marketing piece you are customizing. The printing company or publication you are working with will provide this information to you. If the artwork needs to have bleed, you can note that in the Dimensions box.
Resolution In general, print publications ask for high resolution files and online publications ask for low resolution files but sometimes they will specify a particular resolution (e.g., 70 DPI). Please include that information when applicable so we can make sure the quality is as expected. Desired File Format Typically, print files are saved in PDF format and online ads are saved as JPGs, but some publications will want print ads in JPG format.
Black and White, Color or Spot Color Color ads typically generate more leads than black and white ads so we recommend color whenever possible (unless the publication is printed in black and white or spot color [e.g., black and red]). Template File Name Our Corporate Marketing Team works hard to identify and design effective marketing materials for the network; examples of ads and direct mail pieces using the messaging we have found to generate the most leads to date are available on the Marketing Showcase under Print Advertisements, TV Spots, Online Banner Ads and Direct Mail Pieces. It is important that you copy the file name EXACTLY as it appears on the Marketing Showcase (e.g., Centennial 4x5 ad_recipe_pina_ Colada_V2.pdf) so that our graphic designer can easily access the template.
Choosing a Template You can search for keywords by pressing CTRL and F, and then typing a word or phrase in the box that appears in the upper right-hand corner. All instances of that word or phrase will be highlighted in yellow/orange. This will make selecting an appropriate ad easier; for example, if you are running an ad in Jewish Light Magazine, you will want to use a template that includes information on our Kosher Care program. To find an ad with this verbiage quickly, type CTRL and F and then type Kosher Care in the box. That specific keyword will then be highlighted in orange/yellow like you see below: Consider target audience. In most cases, messaging will be targeted at the adult child, usually the daughter (or son), between the ages of 45 and 64 with an annual household income of $100,000+. Keywords to search for that are associated with this demographic: parent, parents, elderly loved one, loved one, living legend, mom, dad Example ads below:
If you are advertising in a publication that is distributed at a senior center or other type of senior community choosing an ad that resonates with older adults would be most effective. The best ads to use for this type of publication are the ones with the following headline Our Life. Our Memories. Our Home. Keywords to search for that are associated with this demographic: our life, our home Example ad below: If you are advertising in a booklet that gets distributed to discharge planners, social workers, physicians, etc., an ad that highlights our Hospital to Home Care program and CTM would be ideal. Keywords: transition home, hospital to home, H2H, post-hospitalization, CTM Example ads below:
You may also choose a template based on one of our other differentiators. Relevant keywords: BCM, CTM, Kosher Care, etc. Other keywords: grand opening, holiday Consider your dimensions/timing. Ideally the dimensions of the template you choose will be close in size to the new ad you create so that the text doesn t get cramped or the font doesn t have to be decreased in size (we recommend a minimum font size of 11 pt). However, you do have the option to remove components of the ad (e.g. you could remove a book offer) which will allow you to select a bigger ad template to fit smaller dimensions. Similarly, if you need an ad that will be displayed on a TV/media screen, consider the size of the monitor and the amount of time the ad will run when selecting a template. For example, an ad displayed on a screen for ten seconds would be very simple with a prominent call to action versus an ad displayed for 30-45 seconds where the viewer has more time to read the message/verbiage. Changes/Customizations You will want to change the artwork in print publications about every four runs on average to ensure our messages are resonating with a variety of audiences. For example, if you are advertising in the local newspaper you may first use one of our ads targeted at the adult children (e.g., Breaking Point ad) and then after four runs change to one of our ads targeted at seniors themselves (e.g., Our Life, Our Memories, Our Home ad). Please be as detailed as possible in the Changes/Customizations box. For example, if you want to change text content, clearly state what needs to be adjusted (e.g., Change the second bullet about CTM to Home Care Assistance is the only senior care company with an online Home Care Assistance University or Add the Chocolate Bark Recipe ). For the most part we suggest you don t adjust content much as all ads on the Marketing Showcase have been proven effective and proofed for spelling/grammar. Separate all changes as bulleted or numbered points.
The graphic designer will copy any text changes you note exactly as you type them so it is important that you carefully review your work for grammatical and spelling errors before submitting a request. Keep in mind that we are only allowing 2 rounds of revisions to improve efficiency. Be sure to read through the ad descriptions to the right of the file names as they can contain important information about changes that need to be made based on state regulations and office procedures. Similarly, you will want to look at the content on direct mailers/ads you select to see where local changes need to be made (e.g., Palo Alto s premier home care provider). Examples of changes you can make: Change an image. If you want to change an image, provide the watermarked number and the name of the Marketing shoot (2014 Photo Shoot or Marketing Images) on the Marketing Image Library (choice under the Marketing Showcase on the Intranet). What you would type: Change the image to image 84 from 2014 Photo Shoot Use a campaign-specific logo. For example, if you are designing an ad focused on our Alzheimer s/dementia expertise you may want to change our traditional logo to our Alzheimer s Awareness-specific logo. We have logos tailored to HCAU, Alzheimer s awareness, the holidays, Breast Cancer Awareness and Heart Month on the Logos tab of the Intranet (choice under the Marketing Image Library). If you want to change or add a logo, specify the campaign holiday, Alzheimer s, Heart Month, etc. What you would type: Change the logo to our Alzheimer s-specific logo Add a badge or bubble. Using a badge or bubble is an effective way to highlight a call to action or include key messaging that may not necessarily require an entire bullet point (example: no contracts, hourly and live-in care options). Examples of text to include: Call Today!; The Leading Provider of 24/7 Live-In Care; Get the Best in Care!; Live-in and hourly care available! What you would type: Add a badge/bubble with Call Today! Add a book offer. We ve found that one of the most effective call to action strategies (inciting people to call) is to offer a complimentary copy of one of our books with the scheduling of an assessment. You can tailor the book to match messaging (e.g., offer The Brain Boost on an ad that includes information on CTM, offer From Hospital to Home Care on an ad focused on posthospitalization care). What you would type: Add image of Happy to 102 cover and Receive a FREE copy of our book Happy to 102 when you schedule a complimentary assessment! Customize with local Care Manager. Consider customizing an ad with your local Client Care Manager s headshot and a brief bio. We have found this personalization to resonate well with our target demographics and generate an increased number of leads. What you would type: Add Meet Jane. Jane Doe is the Client Care Manager for Home Care Assistance of the World. She has been working with older adults for more than 20 years and is an
expert on managing care within the home. ; Change Call today to schedule your FREE assessment! to Call Jane to schedule your FREE assessment today! Include info on an event like a Grand Opening. We do have ads focused solely on Grand Openings but another effective strategy is to use one of our classic ads and add a box with info on the event. What you would type: Add a box with the following text - Drop in between 2 PM and 4 PM on August 11th for our Grand Opening Event. Meet local owners and caregivers, enjoy complimentary refreshments and door prizes, and learn more about how Home Care Assistance can help you live a healthier, more independent life at home. Add address. If you have space and would like to include your address please type it EXACTLY as you want it to appear, including periods, commas and localized landmarks (e.g., Next to Starbucks!). What you would type: Add address: 14777 Los Gatos Blvd., Suite 104 Los Gatos, CA 95032 Next to Starbucks! Office Phone Number This is the phone number that will be included on the ad/mailer. If you have more than one phone number (multiple territories, partnering with another organization), separate them using a semi-colon. Website URL This is the URL that will be included on the ad/mailer. If you have more than one website (multiple territories, partnering with another organization) separate them using a semi-colon. Upload Supplemental Files This is the section where you can upload a headshot of yourself/the Client Care Manager, your storefront (for Grand Opening-focused ads or direct mailers), Best of Home Care or BBB logos (only when applicable to your office), logos of a partner organization, etc. These images need to be hi-res (logos found online in places like Google Images are typically lo-res, so you will want to contact the organization directly and ask for a hi-res version for the best printing quality). Deadline Providing an accurate deadline (e.g., 12/11/2014 at 12 PM PST) will ensure our graphic designer prioritizes projects adequately as she will be handling requests for our 100+ offices. Please allow at least 4-5 business days for turnaround. Click Submit Ad Request to complete the form. Two of Home Care Assistance s core values are to promote creativity and encourage innovation. That said, our Corporate Marketing Team is always open to new ideas from the network on ad concepts. If you have a
concept you would like to test in your market contact Kathryn and Alyssa with details to work together to create the new marketing piece.