May 25, 2022
Did a Savage Copy Deadline Blow Up Your Happy Hour Again?
Don't let content deadlines interfere with your life – dance recitals, soccer games, and, of course, Happy Hours.
Stop staring at the wall trying to summon the words, or stress-eating peanut M&Ms? Let our Biotica writers do it for you. They all have at least more than a decade's worth of experience writing for healthcare clients, and medical devices and equipment.
Delegate the wordsmithing
.Our experienced medical writing team will find the right words for anything medical, like last-minute press releases, brochures, ads, white papers, blog posts, SEO copy, newsletter stories, video scripts, and the occasional "Dear John" letter.
Use your in-house talent or external firm for design, and we'll wrangle the words.
Buy the copy, not the whole agency
.When you tap Biotica for writing you'll find it notable for what you get – expert medical copy at fair prices – and the joys of not ponying up for health insurance, 401Ks, onboarding time, gnarly employee vacations, personal days, and yes, and a little whining.
Learn more
Call Susan Abramovitz at 513-967-6480 to learn about our content services and pricing or visit our contact page to request a quote We'll get you back to Happy Hour, carefree weekends, and the beverage of your choice ASAP.
Have a wonderful writing-free weekend.
Write a Social Media Policy for Your Workplace
Over 4.6 billion (with a "B"!) people use social media, most of them daily and many while during work hours. That means it's essential to have a social media policy in place to inform employees what is expected of them when it comes to social media and the workplace. Especially when navigating a heavily regulated environment like healthcare. HIPAA, anyone?
Your social media policy is an official company document that provides guidelines for your organization's social media use. It covers your brand's official channels, in addition to how employees use social media.
Some Considerations When Developing Your Social Media Policy:
- Can employees use personal social accounts on office computers?
- Confidentiality regarding your organization's internal information.
- Protecting patient/customer information, including photos.
- Comply with federal and state regulations as they apply to your industry.
- Comply with copyright law on social media, for example, the use of copyrighted images.
- Potential consequences for breaking the rules.
- Rules are great, but you must enforce them for them to work. And they should be applied equally from the CEO to the new intern.
- Whether it's okay to mention the company in profile bios and what disclaimers are required.
- Who should employees talk to if they want to escalate a concern?
- The requirement to identify themselves as employees when discussing the company or competitors.
- Restrictions or disclaimers required for testimonials or marketing claims.
- Where your policy will live, for example, in the employee handbook.
- How often the policy will be updated. Today's TikTok is tomorrow's Myspace. It's a rapidly changing environment.
- Have a plan of action in place if a public relations crisis threatens to erupt on social media.
With so many potential pitfalls, social media can seem a little intimidating. But don't be afraid to encourage your employees to share positive information about your company or practice. Social media can be one of the best marketing tools you can implement!
If you need help crafting a social media policy for either your company or practice's official social media channels or guidelines for your employees, drop us a line, we'd be happy to assist!
Content Ideas for Medical Device Blogs and E-newsletters
The purpose of a blog or email is to maintain brand awareness and regular contact with your warm audience (the people who have already had some contact with your company). So, be nice and don't bludgeon them with intense sales copy that will cause them to hit unsubscribe. That begs the question, what will you write about? The answer depends on whether your e-newsletter is self-contained, features teasers to more in-depth blog posts, or both. We have a few ideas based on more than a decade of planning, writing, and producing copy for e-newsletters and blogs!
Lead with the news. Like the mantra of local T.V. news, "if it burns or crashes," it leads. Write about your lineup of speakers for the next conference, new products launches and features, or the scut on just hired customer-facing employees. If the topic is time sensitive, it belongs in your news roundup.
Behind the scenes. Think of your readers as members of a club which receives special information. Cover the advantages of your product through the eyes of the scientists and researchers who invented them. What inspired them, and what was the challenging problem they solved. Use analogies and trivia that make sleepy facts come to life, like how many miles of upholstery does your factory use per year? Or five fun facts about nanobots.
Profiles. People buy from people. So profile people in your company. What motivates them? Why do they work with you? Why do they love their job? And make sure you pepper your copy with tidbits that humanize your subject and company, like "Amanda is a triathlete, owns five cats, and volunteers at the local food pantry.
Consider employees who usually don't take center stage, like interns, the people who build your medical devices, or the quirky hobby of a KOL. For example, one of our favorite features for a technology company was a monthly wine column written by a KOL. These bite-size stories bring your brand alive and make it memorable.
News from the Internet. Let the Internet deliver a load of content, too. Use your favorite feed reader or Google Alerts to scan for information about that pertains to might your audience. For example, new rules about Medicare, the end of the year tax credit, or cutting-edge research (monitor press releases from top institutions).
Marketing Tips. Doctors are businesspeople, too, and they're always interested in ways to improve their bottom line, whether it's through their website, social media, or patient recall programs. Help them with marketing, especially since you could write these in your sleep!
Products. It's tempting to feature all products in every issue. But a good rule of thumb is to concentrate on products 75 percent of the time and leave the rest for other company-related news. Focus on educating your prospects: how-to articles, tips on using your product, and in-depth details of features you may not address in other marketing. Give readers an inside track on how you manufacture your medical device or equipment. We wrote a story for a piece of diagnostic equipment that focused on one part of the device that contained 500 hand-assembled pieces. These memorable tidbits invite a deeper understanding of your product's superiority.
Healthcare Observances are perfect tie-ins when they relate to your products. For example, a story about National Glaucoma Day could highlight your device's use in the treatment or diagnosis of the disease. Find a list of national healthcare observances here. https://health.gov/news/category/national-health-observances
Frequently Asked Questions. Address FAQs in a story format that expands on the nuts-and-bolts answers on your website. Again, this shows you're listening to your customers and prospects. However, you choose to organize the content of your e-newsletter or blog, remember to empathize, humanize, and provide information of value.
Calls to Action (CTAs). Don't miss the opportunity to ask readers to pursue the next step in their buying journey, for example, call for a demo, visit a landing page, or request more information. Be gentle and avoid heavy-handed CTAs and sales copy in general.
Send comments to Ben Singleton
Refresh Your Brain, Ward Off Cognitive Decline
It happens to the best of us, from astronauts to acrobats and, yes, even us healthcare marketers. The synapses just aren't firing as quickly as they used to, and we find ourselves looking all over the place for our reading specs perched on top of our heads.
Over time, there is a build-up of toxins in the brain that correlate to aging and cognitive decline. And some factors can accelerate the process, like stress, lack of sleep, and the habitual gin and tonic. Guilty, your honor.
So, is cognitive decline inevitable? Perhaps. But there are strategies we can use to stave off the march of time and its effects on our brain.
Here are a few:
Do something new. Neuroplasticity, the function that allows our brains to develop, has three mechanisms: synaptic connection, myelination, and neurogenesis. The key to resilient aging is improving neurogenesis--the birth of new neurons. Neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that lays down memories and occurs when we experience new things. The more novel activities you incorporate into your life, the more you encourage neurogenesis. And that’s a good thing for your old noggin. Try learning a new language, picking up a musical instrument, or finding a new hobby.
Get off the couch. Daily aerobic exercise, like a brisk walk, can spark neurogenesis. Shoot for at least 30 minutes for maximum benefit.
Watch your calorie intake. Excessive calories take their toll on both our bodies and our minds. Eat leafy greens, berries, and fish, which have positive effects on the brain. And take it easy on the refined sugar; it's not good for your gray matter.
Get some sleep. Sleep helps promote the brain’s neural “cleaning” system, which flushes out the build-up of age-related toxins in the brain. We all know that when we're sleep-deprived, our brains don't feel like they're firing on all cylinders.
Hang out with friends. Being socially active boosts positive chemicals in our brain and keeps it “tuned up.”
Is Sharing Articles on LinkedIn Hurting Your Reach?
Some recent research conducted by the social media gurus at Hootsuite suggests that it's a possibility. But why?
Social media practitioners have long suspected that sharing an article on LinkedIn may result in fewer eyeballs seeing it, speculating that an algorithm pushes it down on the hot topic list. “Why would they want people clicking away from their platform?” was the conventional wisdom. To combat that potential problem, many started putting the link to the article in the comments. We're sure you've all seen the LinkedIn post that states: "Link in comments."
But LinkedIn says they updated their algorithm, so it doesn't punish article shares.
Back to the Hootsuite experiment. They found that posts without links got 6x more reach than posts with links. While linkless posts had fewer shares on average, they received almost 4x more reactions and 18x more comments than the average post with a link.
The secret? The Hootsuite folks think it's in the quality of the engagement. Engagement is a significant factor in the number of feeds where your post appears. The more engagement, the more feeds (and consequently, the more potential engagement.) It's like a self-licking lollipop.
Bottom line? Make your posts engaging and on-brand, and they should perform well whether there’s a link included or not.
Read the details of the experiment here. And if you need help developing content for your LinkedIn
and other social media feeds, give us a shout!
Send comments to Ben Singleton
It's Time to Leverage a Made In America Strategy
Maybe your medical device is Made in America, but you shy away from blatant flag-waving. We understand, but what if the made in America status could tip the scales in your favor in a sale?
According to a study by Reshoring Institute, nearly 70% of B2B buyers and consumer respondents indicated that they prefer American-made labeled products. All things being equal, 83% said they would pay up to 20% more for domestic products. "The strong preference for American-made products has trended upwards over several years," said P.R. Newswire. That's a significant edge, especially with a tough economy looming.
Executing a Made in America Strategy
MIA isn't a replacement for your current branding or USPs, but it can be a powerful adjunct. A subtle approach would be to add the phrase Made in America to your current marketing tucked away as a tertiary element underneath your logo. Don't forget to label ads, web banners, packaging, and collateral materials.
The whole hog approach is to develop a campaign that stresses Made in America. We designed print and digital ads for one client and a mini site that encouraged visitors to explore the quality of materials used in production. Did it work? Yes, it enabled our client to maintain and gain share through a recession.
Before grabbing the red, white, and blue, think about how your current brand fits with the MIA claim. If, for example, your marketing features your European design team, a factory in Shang Hai, or images of Switzerland's Matterhorn, you may want to reconsider.
Why Buy American
Consumers are motivated to buy American because of the perceived quality of USA-made products. Over 46% of respondents in the Reshoring study believe that products manufactured in America are of better quality than those manufactured in other countries. In addition, says a 2013 "Consumer Reports" study, U.S. consumers are also concerned that products built abroad may have used child labor or don't adequately pay their workers.
Dotting the I's and Crossing the T's
The FTC says a Made in America if it's all or virtually all manufactured in the USA. Therefore, before diving into your MIA campaign, you'll want to consult the FTC's made in America rule and your product's compliance with U.S. origin claims.
Customers and prospects alike will take pride in your Made in America label, and it burnishes your brand and provides another important reason to prefer your product.
Need help with an MIA strategy or campaign call Susan Abramovitz, director of planning, at 513-976-6480.
Send comments to Bill Abramovitz