One in five of your patients gets the flu every year.
They know when flu season happens, and yet they keep getting the flu year after year. Why?
Many patients tend to react rather than get proactive when it comes to the flu.
They don’t act until they feel flu-like symptoms, even though your pharmacy offers them everything they need to prevent it.
Help your patients proactively fight the flu by making it top-of-mind.
When you promote flu prevention, you do more than keep your patients healthy. You make your pharmacy a place patients trust, both with their health and with their pocketbooks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created a resource center entirely dedicated assisting health organizations in promoting flu prevention.
Check out these 25 free resources to encourage your patients to fight the flu this year.
1. Flyers
Use flyers to promote flu prevention to patients who come into your pharmacy.
The CDC even offers flyers tailored to specific groups including:
- American Indian and Alaska natives
- Businesses and employers
- Family and children
- General population
- High-risk conditions
- Older adults
- Pregnant women
- Schools and child care
- Spanish language
2. Fact sheets
Fact sheets inform your patients of the risks during flu season. Hand them out to patients at the checkout or place them in bags with their prescriptions.
3. Spanish language print materials
If you have Spanish-speaking patients, the CDC can help you communicate with them.
Encourage those patients to prevent the flu by using promotional materials in the language they understand best.
4. Widgets
Widgets are interactive web tools you can use to share messages about seasonal influenza.
Place any of CDC’s flu widgets on your website to help patients learn more about flu.
5. Buttons and badges
Buttons and badges are graphics or images you can place on your website to link patients to information and resources.
Add one that fits best with your website and that will appeal to your patients.
6. RSS feed
A Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed is a live feed you can add to your internet browser that keeps you up-to-date on flu news from the CDC. Add the RSS feed to update your patients with the latest news.
7. Infographics
Infographics communicate important information in easy-to-consume tidbits alongside compelling graphics.
Reach more patients with one of these effective promotional materials. You can share infographics on social media or print them and stuff them in prescription bags.
8. Animated images
The CDC designed multiple flu-related images to spice up your flu prevention promotions.
Display the animated images on your website and on your social media pages.
9. Virus images
For your science-minded patients, the CDC created detailed virus images to show how the flu virus works in our bodies.
10. Flu season toolkit
The flu season digital media toolkit provides everything your pharmacy needs to run a flu prevention campaign.
The flu season digital media toolkit includes:
- Activity ideas
- Digital event ideas
- Print-ready materials
- Sample newsletter content
- Sample social media content
- Social media images
- Website resources
11. Content syndication
Content syndication allows you to add content from the CDC website directly to your website.
Integrate CDC content with your content to keep visitors on your website and up-to-date about the flu.
12. Microsites
A microsite is a dynamic collection of resources that can you can syndicate onto your website.
The CDC maintains the microsites so it will automatically update based on your target audience, ensuring your patients get the news they need.
13. Videos
The CDC created a variety of flu-related videos, including an informational video on flu prevention strategies and a motion comic book that encourages patients to protect themselves against the flu.
Embed the videos on your website or email patients the link to the videos.
14. Podcasts
Podcasts are a convenient way for patients to stay informed because they can listen to them anywhere.
In the CDC podcasts, a doctor discusses the importance of getting an annual flu vaccine and people tell personal stories about their experiences with the flu.
Share the podcasts on your pharmacy’s social media pages.
15. Public service announcements
The CDC’s 15 to 60-second public service announcements explain the importance of flu prevention.
Share the video announcements with your patients on your website or on your social media pages.
16. Sample newsletter blurbs
The CDC makes newsletter writing easy.
Copy and paste the sample newsletter blurbs or use them as a starting point to spread the word about flu prevention in your pharmacy’s print or digital newsletter.
17. Sample social media content
Patients spend hours every day on social media.
Easily promote flu prevention to them with pre-written flu prevention messages you can share on your pharmacy’s social media pages.
18. Posters
The CDC offers three animated #fighttheflu posters free to download and print.
Hang the posters at the front of your pharmacy and at the prescription counter to promote flu prevention.
19. Educational material for children
Children need flu prevention as much as adults.
Use educational material tailored to children and their parents, like an activity book and cartoon posters. You could include these materials in your pharmacy’s waiting area.
20. Social media images
Add some visuals to your pharmacy’s social media messages.
Download images to share on social media and include a brief message about the benefits of flu prevention.
21. Fight flu Facebook frame
Facebook isn’t only for socializing.
It’s a great forum to engage and inform patients.
Add a “Fight Flu” frame to your pharmacy’s profile picture to demonstrate your flu-fighting support to patients.
22. Key messages
Not sure what message to use to when discussing flu prevention with patients?
Use any of the CDC’s key informational messages created to help people understand the most important facts on flu prevention.
23. National Influenza Vaccination Week opportunities
National Influenza Vaccination Week is a national observance highlighting the importance of continuing influenza vaccination after the holiday season and beyond.
The CDC promotes several events during the week that offer your pharmacy new opportunities to help get your message out about flu prevention.
24. Success stories
Nothing resonates with people like a good story.
Share the success stories submitted by real people to the CDC to encourage your patients to get the flu shot.
25. Order free copies
Don’t want to print the resources from the CDC yourself?
The CDC offers select posters and flu shot reminder pads in English and Spanish free for order.
Use these 25 free resources to promote flu prevention in your independent community pharmacy.
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