Employing a dedicated marketing person
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Author(s)
Val Mills and Sam Hickton
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| Presenter(s) |
Val Mills Smoking Cessation Lead, Bucks Smokefree Support Service, Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust, Aylesbury |
Sam Hickton Marketing Lead, Bucks Smokefree Support Service, Aylesbury |
Abstract Bucks has a low smoking prevalence and was struggling to recruit the numbers of smokers to its service to achieve its targets.
We found the stop smoking advisers while being excellent advocates of behaviour change were often reluctant to sell themselves and market the service. We also had experience of having outside marketing agencies (Face to Face) that generated a lot of very poor referrals, which took time and effort to sift out the disinterested and find the motivated quitters, which was about 20% of referrals.
A radical solution had to be found and the decision was made to directly employ a street marketing lead to drive up the number of referrals to the service. Having the marketing expertise as a permanent member of the team made the difference. Our visibility within Bucks increased, our marketing campaigns are more effective and more importantly our referrals are quality and Sam our marketing lead is able to make appointments at the fist contact for those smokers who want an appointment. We use North51 QuitManager which enables us to do this. As a member of the team Sam understands the service and gives smokers excellent advice about support and clinic availability.
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Presenter biography Val Mills MSc PH worked in smoking cessation since 2000. Has a background in counselling and is now smoking cessation lead for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. She has also gained qualifications from the RSPH in delivering Health Improvement and Behaviour Change Training.
Sam HIckton is a member of the Chartered Institute of marketing and has training from Pricewaterhouse cooper in Marketing and Events and Sales and Marketing. Her role within the Smokefree support Service is specifically to organise and deliver streetmarketing and publicity campaigns for the service.
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Source of funding: Within the allocation for smokerfree support service.
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Declaration of interest: None
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