August 24, 2022
Audio Trends are Pumping Up the Volume
Healthcare brands are getting their brands heard through a shift to audio over music streaming — think Spotify and Pandora —Smart Speakers like Alexa, and an overwhelming preference for audio by consumers.
"When Veeva Crossix released its "2022 Trends in Health Advertising" report in May, it documented a large jump in audio marketing among health brands, including pharma."
Why Audio is so Effective
There are several reasons why audio has grown in popularity. It is, after all, the ultimate personal media, which winds its way through showers, long commutes, and sweating at the gym. Minus the transmitters and a few satellites, the narrator on a podcast or an audio ad is just a couple feet from your ear, so the delivery is one-on-one, like a doctor talking to you about your blood pressure. Though audio is utilized across the healthcare spectrum, the intimacy of the medium is particularly well suited to HCPs, women's health, prevention, and pharma.
Audio Versus Video Podcasts
In the world of podcasting, audio-only formats are the overwhelming choice of consumers. Think about the times when you're free to listen to audio but not watch a screen. And high-quality audio is much less expensive to buy and produce than its video and vlog cousins. The driver behind the popularity of audio is the change in consumer habits during the pandemic when screen fatigue set in due to endless video conferencing and check-ins. And remote workers used audio to combat loneliness and the newfound quiet of their home offices.
“The pandemic changed how people consumed media, and now you're seeing brands meet consumers where they are,” explained Sarah Caldwell, Veeva Crossix Analytics general manager.
Sources: Fierce Pharma, Crossix Analytics
Are you interested in exploring audio trends in 2023? Give us a yell at 513-967-6480.
Write Landing Page Copy that Converts
Persuasive copy is the key to success for high-converting landing pages. Design and imagery are critical, too, but they don't mean much out of context. A recent analysis by Unbounce of 40,000 landing pages showed that copywriting was two times more effective than design, which is good news for copywriters but a bad omen for those who stuff copy in at the last moment to fill out the layout. To ensure your copy stays on point, consider the following tips.
- The headline is crucial on a landing page because 80 percent of visitors won't read the bulk of the copy. The headline should be under 14 words, intriguing, and payoff the email's subject line. For example, if the subject line is "New widget shaves minutes off exam time," the headline might be "Double patient throughput with the Acme Widget." Disconnects between the subject line and headline are among the most common reasons visitors abandon the page.
- Write in features and benefits instead of features alone. For example, "The widget's easy-to-understand control panel increases accuracy and saves time" instead of "the Widget features a newly designed control panel."
- Offer social proof like user testimonials or reviews. These items build trust and credibility. Call out social proof as a large quote or place it adjacent to the copy in a sidebar for greater visibility.
- Can the hype. If your product is the best in the world, explain why it matters and who proclaimed it. Otherwise, you risk losing readers who are skeptical of the bloated copy.
- Write simply and convincingly. Skip the big words and Latin phrases that segments of your audience may not understand, and you risk sounding haughty and unfriendly.
- Use numbers to bolster your case. For example, "Nine out of ten doctors said they realized time savings immediately. And when quoting percentages, always include the percentage of what. For example, "Only 1% of widget users required additional training. Specificity equals credibility.
- Devise a carefully worded call-to-action that explicitly tells readers what to do next, like "purchase the widget online" or "click to find your local widget representative."
- Check for grammar and spelling as if your high-school English were grading your copy.
We hope these guidelines help increase the converting power of your landing pages.
Sources: Instapage, Unbounce, Peakon
Use the 3-Second Rule to Persuade Like a Pro
Whether you’re detailing the benefits of your company’s latest medical device breakthrough to an ophthalmologist or trying to convince your toddler to eat their broccoli, this little technique can come in handy.The Silence That Sells
If you come to a tricky moment in the negotiation or conversation, take a beat and sit quietly for at least 3 seconds (and avoid the urge to fill the silence with babble.) A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that sitting in silence for at least three seconds during a difficult moment in a negotiation, confrontation, or even conversation makes both people more deliberative -- and leads to better outcomes.Be Deliberative and Thoughtful
And while you might think that sitting there in silence might come off as a bit intimidating to the other person, the researchers found that the other person presumes that you're thinking and reflecting. Sometimes if you respond too quickly, you can seem less deliberative and thoughtful. You might even seem entrenched in your position, leaving no room for negotiation, tempting the other person to entrench as well. Taking the occasional pause lets the other person know that you're listening and attempting to understand their point of view, which can lead to more significant value creation.
Squeeze More Juice from Your Virtual Meetings
Zoom Calls, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams…Most of us must fire up the screen, drag a comb through our hair, and put on a shirt for virtual meetings these days. Once a necessity during the pandemic, virtual meetings have now become standard practice, letting many of us work remotely, reduce our carbon footprints, and put commuting time into more productive use, like doing laundry. While working remotely is a boon for most of us, it’s still not the same as meeting in person.
5 tips to ensure you get the most out of your virtual meetings
.- Set and share an agenda. Like in "real-life" meetings, having and sharing a plan ahead of time sets expectations and helps people be prepared. Include items for discussion, responsibilities of attendees, and any relevant handouts.
- Appoint a notetaker. Appoint someone to track the discussion and jot down action items (and who they're assigned to) will help ensure things don't fall through the cracks.
- Encourage interaction. If you’re running the virtual meeting like a lecture, half of your participants will be tuned out and playing Candy Crush after the first five minutes. Keep it lively, elicit responses and ask questions. Meeting with cameras on is an excellent way to keep attention tuned to the screen and not to the cat attempting to knock your coffee cup off the desk. Eye contact, even through your laptop's camera lens, is important, even if most of us are just watching ourselves on the screen and wondering if we've aged better than our high school chums.
- Avoid multitasking. It may be tempting to clean out your inbox or scroll through your LinkedIn feed during the meeting but stay engaged. If you want to get the most out of the meeting, treat it like an in-person meeting (assuming you're not the ne'er-do-well that stares at your phone, deleting emails, and scrolling through social media feeds during meetings.) The chance of missing something essential skyrockets if you let yourself get distracted.
- Establish key takeaways, action items, and follow-up tasks. Make sure you and everyone attending the meeting know what action items and assignments they're responsible for and the deadlines attached. And, don’t forget to add tasks and deadlines to any project management software you use.
Send comments to Ben Singleton
The Recession Will Not Be Announced
.Are you waiting for a politician, economist, or pundit to announce that we're in a recession? Unless you want to become the proverbial frog gradually cooking in hot water, don't. Inflation is up, and GDP has declined for two successive quarters. Consumers are eating chicken instead of beef. And you've probably noticed a change in the buying habits of your customers.
What are we waiting for? The point here is not to whip up panic but to start looking for opportunities while the economy trends down.
Thrive with Less Competition
Think of what your competition is likely to do. They'll eviscerate budgets and lay off employees, and they'll no longer be able to provide the services and products that their current customers have come to expect. Marketing is also on the chopping block. For some reason, it's easy to cut, but that's a big mistake. With your competitors retreating from the market, you'll have the golden opportunity to lead the market in awareness and capture the new business out there. Granted, there is less of it, but somebody will reel in those new customers. It might as well be you.
Send comments to Bill Abramovitz
Gen Z Drives a Stake Into Old Social Media Habits
Is Generation Z driving a wooden stake into the heart of social media? Or will it rise again in other forms?
A few years ago, if your business or brand had a presence on Facebook or Instagram, you could check the box and go about your business. But that was then.
Research from the Pew Research Center shows that Gen Z is turning to traditional social media channels less and less. Except, of course, for TikTok.
Today, Gen Z users choose an assortment of smaller apps, each serving a distinct function. BeReal for spontaneous, non-filtered updates, Twitch for gaming, Snapchat sending messages while making your face look like a cat, Discord for chat groups, etc.
Giant slaying
?The big boys are taking notice. Facebook and Instagram are trying to be more like TikTok and Snapchat by adding the ability to add quick updates that fade away. Some would argue that by doing so, they're only confusing their older users while the younger generation continues to ignore them.
And while social media started as a way to connect friends and acquaintances, the new social media apps are based more on communities and shared interests. Today, most conversations between real-world connections happen through various private messaging apps, while social networking occurs between creators and their communities. Oh, and where once it was "influencer," we are now moving on to "creator" as the term used to describe the social media power broker.
So, what’s the bottom line? Stay nimble and keep your finger on the pulse of what’s current. Your business doesn't have to be on all the social media channels, but you should have a presence where people can get the latest information from your company and get a peek at the people behind the brand.
If you'd like help designing a social media strategy or carrying out day-to-day content creation, drop us a line!