Marketing 101: Raising Stroke Awareness © 2011 National Stroke Association

Why Raise Awareness? Stroke is under-recognized and not well-understood among general public Stroke is fifth leading cause of death May is National Stroke Awareness Month Awareness is important year-round Can be done cost effectively © 2011 National Stroke Association

Why Don’t People Know More? Not enough public awareness campaigns Don’t recognize symptoms Think one voice won’t make an impact Assume stroke only happens to older people © 2011 National Stroke Association

National Stroke Awareness Month May is an opportunity to educate your employees, friends, family, and community about stroke In honor of this special time, we provide free tools to raise public awareness Anything helps: the more people we reach, the better © 2011 National Stroke Association

“I’d Love to, But I Don’t Have Time” Raising awareness can be manageable No boundaries “ s to events” – anything helps Participate as an individual, hospital, organization, or business We design awareness tools to make it easy Social media makes awareness easy and fun © 2011 National Stroke Association

Social Media Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media spaces = viral awareness Join our Facebook and Twitter pages to repost or retweet Create a set of posts ahead of time and post throughout May or the year Encourage others to repost or retweet Watch the dialogue unravel © 2011 National Stroke Association

Get Inspired What can I do to raise stroke awareness during May or another time of the year? How can I hold an awareness fundraiser? What can I do in my workplace? What can I do in my community? What can I do for my hospital’s stroke team? What can I do to educate my fellow rehabilitation colleagues? What can I do for my stroke support group? © 2011 National Stroke Association

Get Started: Communications 101 Messages: Determine what you want to communicate about stroke (warning signs, advocacy opportunities) Audience: Decide who you want to tell (family, colleagues, a community, or church) Delivery: Based on what, who, and your personal/financial commitment, determine the ideal delivery model to raise awareness (5k, silent auction, personal webpage) Don’t forget your story—it’s powerful! Next, Identify: What resources do I need? Who can help? Timing? © 2011 National Stroke Association

Messaging Tips: Calls to Action (CTA) Something to talk about: so many choices We recommend: - Personal story: tell others about why you are a stroke champion - Identify audience CTAs or takeaways (memorize FAST and tell others about it; commit to better risk factor management) - Interweave stroke facts to support CTAs © 2011 National Stroke Association

Resources Community education PPT tips and samples Sample press release Image files Support group discussion guide Envelope and bag stuffer Sample flyer PSAs © 2011 National Stroke Association

Ideas! © 2011 National Stroke Association

Individual Ideas Send Tell you stroke story – online Tell your stroke story – in person Media Blog Tweet Post on Facebook © 2011 National Stroke Association

Group Ideas Schedule a stroke champion lunch n’ learn Organize a risk factor screening Speak at church, community center, or school Video contest Wallpaper the community education campaign © 2011 National Stroke Association

More Group Ideas Post on group blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages Envelope and bag stuffers Media Host a fundraising event Tell individual or group stroke story online © 2011 National Stroke Association

Promote Yourself! © 2011 National Stroke Association

Promotion Tips: Brochures Get Microsoft brochure templates at The most important items to include in any brochure are: Basic event information A catchy design Date, time, location, Web site A call to action: what should people do to participate and why? Any fee information Contact information for organizer or organization Other important information people should know to participate Recognize any sponsors in your printed materials when possible. © 2011 National Stroke Association

Press Releases A press release is a notification of important information surrounding your event that should be distributed to local media. It should include the same vital information as you would include in a brochure or flyer, but media especially enjoy the personal story behind an event. Make sure to include any personal stories that media can highlight in articles or TV news stories. Additionally, it is important to identify at least one spokesperson who is an event organizer. This person should be quoted in the press release and be available for follow-up media appearances or interviews after the press release is issued. How do I issue a press release? If you are only issuing to local media, take time to research reporters from local newspapers and TV stations. Often, many Web sites for newspapers or TV stations have easy ways to directly a press release to specific reporters. When do I issue a press release? Send the release four to six weeks prior to the event and again two weeks before as a reminder. Follow up with a phone call. How can I identify who will be a spokesperson? The best spokespeople are often the people who are most knowledgeable about the event. This person might be an event organizer or someone else involved with the event, such as an honoree who is comfortable talking to press. Visit to find a press release template. © 2011 National Stroke Association