Case Study

Client:

HEARTLAND CANCER FOUNDATION

Project:

MARKETING PARTNERSHIP

Background

The Heartland Cancer Foundation (HCF) believes no cancer patient should fall behind on treatment because they struggle to afford their everyday expenses. Their mission is to provide practical and immediate financial assistance to eligible cancer patients in our community so they can focus on what matters most: healing.

In the summer of 2020, Say Hey There secured our first-ever “virtual” client: the Heartland Cancer Foundation! Having never met in person due to the pandemic, we began a marketing partnership that is still going strong today. HCF needed a marketing team to help create a strategy to promote their programs and fundraisers on an ongoing basis, and that’s our specialty!

Brand Clarity

One of the essential first steps before beginning any branding work is to do a deep-dive into who an organization is by walking through a brand questionnaire. We discuss mission, vision, values, challenges, value proposition, audience, current collateral, voice, standards, and needs. This work sets the foundation for all projects moving forward by providing clarity and helping to narrow down goals.

Once we knew more about what HCF wanted to accomplish, we helped polish its brand messaging and develop brand bites and an elevator speech. In addition, we developed a longterm marketing strategy, set up milestones and important dates in our planning program, and developed an annual budget.

“Our Story” Video

A key piece in rolling out our updated brand messaging was to produce an “About Us” video to highlight the foundation’s mission and bring to light how reducing financial burdens during a patient’s journey brings optimism and hope.

Ultimately, we also wanted the video to serve as an effective tool in brand awareness and fundraising efforts.

Technology Review

As a Google Workspace partner, we were also able to help HCF transition to domain email for professional domain email addresses and start utilizing Google’s collaboration tools, which has helped increase efficiency tremendously.

Social Media / Email Strategy

We helped audit the existing social media platforms, make recommendations, develop an overall content strategy, establish an approvals pipeline, and create on-brand social media templates. Enhancements included ensuring all icons were added to the website, adding updated imagery and descriptions to each platform, uploading new video, strategically pinning important posts, utilizing features (stories, hashtags), strategic follows, and running ads. Since we started helping HCF, its social media audience has grown 41% on Facebook, 39% on X, 119% on Instagram, and to 315 followers on LinkedIn (which was nonexistent before).

We also upgraded the MailChimp account, designed an on-brand email template, and got to work targeting HCF’s audience. 

Each month, we create an editorial calendar promoting HCF’s fundraisers, initiatives, and brand, ensuring we are cross-promoting content between platforms. Additionally, we create special campaigns for events like Give to Lincoln and Giving Tuesday.

 

Event Marketing

A big part of our marketing calendar is promoting HCF’s various events and fundraisers, including the Mardi Gras Gala, Oncology Symposium, Heartland Classic Mixer, Give to Lincoln, and mini-fundraisers like the end-of-year appeal.

Tasks for marketing these fundraisers include:

  • Writing appeals
  • Promoting sponsorships
  • Assisting with event descriptions, graphics, and signage
  • Marketing via diverse channels (a mix of TV, radio, social media, print advertising, email, and more)
  • Scriptwriting

Marketing Packets

When the foundation determined that it needed marketing materials that they could leave behind with potential donors and sponsors, we helped created packets to describe what HCF does and why their work is important to the cancer community.

We wrote the content and helped oversee design, which included information about HCF’s mission, programs, impact, events, and ways to get involved.

Merch & Promotional Items

Finally, we have also helped the foundation create merch and promotional items, including volunteer t-shirts and shopping totes featuring an original “Stronger Together” Nebraska graphic!