Email Takes Off as Trust in Social Media Wanes

Recently, Elon Musk proclaimed that “Facebook is lame and you should delete it.” But consumers had already received the message. An Edelman Trust Barometer study showed that 40 percent of respondents had deleted at least one social channel in 2017. And from the CMO’s perspective, Facebook ad costs skyrocketed 90 percent.

 

What is a healthcare marketer to do? In a word, diversify. That’s why we recommend email marketing in the mix for medical devices and hospital brands. It’s hyper-targeted, more trusted, less expensive to scale, and you control the content and context, not Russian hackers.

Email is cooler than you think, and it’s chock full of the latest technology. Email marketing with AI onboard. Machine learning fed by results from your email campaigns boosts conversion rates and makes micro-segmentation affordable for a smaller marketing team.

Smart spam filters will help clean-up the email’s image. Around 45 percent of all emails are SPAM. But… email providers, like Google, are tasking AI to identify and remove SPAM. So, just in case you’re not using email best practices, it’s time to up your game.

Personalizing content to maintain engagement. Consumers, patients, and doctors have been trained to expect a highly relevant email, so it might be time to rethink your list segmentation or tap AI from an email provider.

Do you have questions about improving your email results? Call Susan Abramovitz. Or learn more about our email marketing services here.

Get a Case of the Leap Year Feel-Goods

Thanks to the vagaries of the Gregorian Calendar, we’re about to be gifted with a whole extra day… A bonus 24 hours that comes around every four years to hustle, squander or daydream away however we see fit.

Why not spend February 29 putting a little good back into the Universe? Gather a group and put in some work at your favorite non-profit. Collect needed items and deliver them to your local homeless shelter. Or do some grocery shopping for a charitable food pantry.

Studies have shown that when we give back, the physical and psychological benefits can counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. Volunteering has shown to combat depression, increase self-confidence, and give one a happier outlook on life. It’s even been shown to lower blood pressure.

Happy Leap Year!

Corporate Social Responsibility Scores Touchdowns

If you had any doubts about the full-on embrace brands are giving to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, this year’s Super Bowl will have put those doubts to rest.

P&G, Michelob, Verizon and a host of others attempted to punch us right in the feels with ads highlighting narratives that appeal to our more virtuous sensibilities. Surveys show that consumers expect brands to be more than just purveyors of face creams and cell phones but are also expected to engage in the social good. And lots of brands used the pricey Super Bowl platform to put those good intentions on display.

Local hospital and medical device brands can put the same principles to work on a local and national scale.

Here are three tips for brands looking to implement CSR programs.

Stay On-Brand. Does the charitable outreach make sense with your product? For example, organizations like Doctors Without Borders are a perfect match for a manufacturer of portable medical devices.

It’s About the Impact. It’s not enough to donate money, goods, or equipment. We want to know the impact it’s making in the communities served. And show it, don’t just say it.

Be Authentic. Harping on authenticity is starting to sound stale, but that doesn’t make it any less important. With CSR, lip service doesn’t cut it, you have to be fully engaged.

If you need help developing a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, drop us a line.

Learn more about CSR for medical marketing here.

How to Ace your first TV appearance

It’s difficult to overstate the value of an appearance on tv news, local or national; or as a panelist on a talk program. It’s an opportunity to burnish your brand by confidently conveying your message and expertise. And the time to think about it is now, not one hour before a producer invites you to appear. Here are a few tips.

1. Leave the gobbledygook in the green room. Speak in terms of benefits the layperson viewer can understand. Sometimes this is difficult for scientists and doctors, uh, and even marketing people.
2. Plan your talking points. You will have some advance warning of an appearance even if it’s just a few minutes. Jot down the two or three points you want to communicate. Practice.
3. Your “hit” might just be a few seconds. You’ll understand that from the pace of the show. Don’t ramble. Layout your talking point(s) and zip it.
4. Avoid the hot mic. Assume that the second you walk into the studio that everything is on the record, so make sure everything you say is G-rated and for public consumption.
5. Be gracious to the interviewer and other guests. Remember, you represent the brand and the way you treat people reflects the way you treat customers.
6. After the interview, your main goal should be getting invited back. Thank the host and producer, and make sure they understand that you’re available day and night.

Need coaching for an upcoming interview? Drop us a line (day or night!)

 

How healthcare consumers view your search results

Understanding how consumers use search engines can be critical to getting clicks and also molding brand perceptions. It’s easy to geek out on SEO, but a new study from BrandVerity of 1,000 web users looks at search from the consumer’s perspective.

One finding is that only 37 percent of consumers understand how relevance and ad spend affect rankings. Another 51 percent will click on the first result whether it's a paid ad or an organic search result.

Plus, at least 25 percent of users often or always feel misled by a search result. Don’t be that person, because the visitor will take out that mismatch between the search description and your website on your brand, which has abused the users' trust.

Takeaways

1. Be number 1. Choose keyword phrases that you can own in search. Either abandon highly competitive searches or be prepared to invest in content and SEO.
2. Search results can be a consumer's first impression of a brand. Don’t blow it by trying to game Google with inaccurate descriptions of your page.
3. All this reinforces the importance of ranking first on brand name searches, the ones with the highest buying intent.

 

Sun Tzu Strategy: Attack Weakness

 

The overarching philosophy of the Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu (545 to 470 BCE) was to avoid war and the resulting loss of life and treasure. His book, “The Art of War” is a treatise on winning conflicts in numerous situations by, in many cases, fronting such an overwhelming force that the enemy (competition) retreats. To us, it’s a go-to marketing handbook.

Take the example of facing off against a much larger competitor. We can all relate to that, right? Sun Tzu’s advice? Focus on the smallest niche where the competitor is weak, and you are strong. For example, your hospital faces competition from a dozen larger hospitals. You might be small, but your hospital has more private rooms. See the strategy? You’re the hospital that respects patient privacy, and you are now in a position to take share from all the hospitals. "Thanks, Sun Tzu."