The solution
When dissecting a years-long partnership, it can be challenging to pinpoint just a few strategies that led to measurable success. That said, a few bubble to the top. Our strategic marketing campaigns over the years have included a variety of tactics, including:
- A website built on HubSpot’s CMS platform
- HubSpot Marketing Hub implementation
- Audience and competitor research
- Optimized video, blog, and pillar page content
- Downloadable, gated offers
- Revamped social media strategy
- Paid media targeting
- Nurturing email workflows
- Brand architecture
- Creative branding campaigns
- Earned Media
A fresh start
This partnership, like many, started with a revamped website. To create a lead-generating machine, we knew that major changes would need to be made to the existing website. We restructured the experience to focus on the user journey, based on audience research we had conducted. Since 2015, the website has evolved to continue tapping into specific user desires. Throughout that time, a huge focus has been on crafting compelling content. Perhaps the most impactful example of this story-telling is the high-impact, editorial series we conducted based on some of their most interesting residents. You can see an example of one of these stories here.
Music & memory
Early in the relationship, our team was tasked with helping the Walker Methodist team launch a brand awareness campaign to raise money for a program called Music & Memory. This 2-month long inbound-based campaign was built to tell the story of how music positively impacts patients with memory loss. It generated $6,546 from 49 funders - all donations went to providing an iPod shuffle, headphones, and music to residents at Walker Methodist who needed it most. But more importantly, it raised awareness among those dealing with memory loss, the senior living industry, and local communities. More on that campaign here.
Brand architecture
Walker Methodist is over 70 years old. As you can imagine, the process of growth, internal and external programs, and many acquisitions over that time period has led to some brand consistency issues and complications. In an effort to negate the lack of awareness stemming from these consistency issues, our team put together a brand architecture strategy.
Brand architecture is the organizational structure of a company’s portfolio of brands, sub-brands, products, and/or services. Done effectively, brand architecture includes an integrated system of names, symbols, colors, and visual vocabulary informed directly by the consumer’s thought process.
Our work with Walker Methodist on their brand architecture is ongoing. Our ultimate goal is to provide clarity around their offerings and how they are understood by consumers. We also aim to influence customer behavior by maximizing the transfer of brand equity between brands and sub-brands.
Crisis mode: Raising critical funds & spirits
The pandemic of 2020 (and beyond) affected every business in one way or another. As you can imagine, Covid-19 was particularly impactful on the senior care industry. Suddenly, there was chaos and the threat of an impending crisis affecting every community, its residents, staff, and families. There were many unknowns as the organization responded to state mandates and preventative measures to keep thousands of people safe. In order to create and launch a plan that would address those key areas, Walker Methodist reached out to Vye to pivot from the existing campaign strategy to develop a new plan stemming from Covid-19 implications.
Together, Vye and Walker Methodist created
Well Wishes for Walker, an outreach program designed to honor essential employees and add levity and gratitude to their lives through messaging and encouragement. In the three months, the campaign received 331 views with 119 submissions for a conversion rate of 35.95%. 42 new contacts were established and $40,000+ was raised for Walker Foundation.