Introducing clinical technology to consumers

The Physician-Tech Confluence
We are fortunate to be living during a time when medical innovations save more lives than any other time in history.  Clinical technologies have changed medicine in such a way that the practice of healing has been transformed from a human-to-human touch to a human-to-EMR-to-clinical technology-to-human procedure.

With this evolution of medicine comes a change in message – physicians heal in confluence with clinical technology. So how should marketers talk to prospective consumers about complex new procedures and technologies that can influence treatment decisions?  

Through the Voice of Patients
Consumers do not need to know the details or the mechanics of a procedure.  Health care consumers respond to the voice of patients who have been through a procedure or treatment successfully.  Marketers, please avoid the temptation to mention high-dollar investments in technology.  Let patients talk about their experiences in their own words. A sincere, short and occasionally emotional, synopsis is powerful. Any traditional advertising message longer than 20 seconds is too long. Consider promoting technology with technology. The following are three options to explore:

Video: Telling the Story
Video stories and testimonials featuring patients are powerful.  They can be used on your web sites, DVDs, and YouTube® as valuable patient education tools. Encourage patients (post procedure) to discuss their initial concerns, the process, reliefs and outcomes.  Technological benefits are revealed in their stories – shorter recovery time, non-invasive options, tighter surgical borders, etc. Videos should be short. With the exception of a video of the procedure itself, video stories should not exceed 5 minutes. Use interactive graphics to illustrate when needed.

Blogs and Microblogs: Having the Conversation
Allow patients to blog about their experiences while under the care of new technologies. They can tweet about their daily experiences, create a diary that consumers follow and encourage comments on postings. While it is difficult to rally ‘fan’ or ‘like’ support on Facebook for a clinical technology, there is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to condition-oriented communities and invite consumers to learn more about medical technologies.

FAQs: Answering the Questions
Finally, let’s not forget the power of the FAQs.  Evergreen and ever-growing, these venues allow questions to be answered publicly and accurately by medical professionals. They work well as anchors of information when using blogs and videos to draw attention to clinical technologies.

Social media war rooms (and why you need one) – iMediaConnection.com

How do you keep a million posts and retweets from doing irreparable damage to your brand? Follow these five steps to stay ahead of the bad news. Learn more.

Communicating via new media to students

“Blanket Email Syndrome” : The numb communicational state that students develop after receiving a series of mass emails, in which, the majority of the content is irrelevant…

Read more about “blanket email syndrome” and relevant communication techniques for any organization interested in reaching Gen Y and Z.

via http://blog.orgsync.com/2009/college-student-communication/

The new marketing hybrid

Integrating Traditional Skills with New Media Savvy

As hospital marketing departments address evolving new media channels, new skill sets are needed to supplement traditional marketing expertise.  This may mean reconfiguring the responsibilities and job description of an existing staff member, or if the budget allows, hiring a new staff person solely dedicated to new media.  Elizabeth Scott, President and Principal Strategist, Raven New Media and Marketing, Louisville, KY, shares the following insights for developing and deploying this new “hybrid marketer.”

1. Define the role:  This person will be responsible for implementing and monitoring the organization’s new media strategy.  That includes creating and managing web-based content in new media formats, in accordance with usability principles for content and navigation, site standards, and posting policies.
2. Identify the required skills:  Skills are specific and dynamic, and include expertise in creative writing; online project management; e-business; search engine optimization; CRM; microsite development; and web monitoring, metrics, and analysis.  When work includes social media, expert-level experience with blogs, communities, wikis, RSS, mobile media platforms, multimedia online film and audio management, and other social media tools as they emerge is also required.
3. Create an appropriate job title:  Consider web-themed titles such as “Interactive” or “Online” Marketing Manager; those focused on media types such as “Multimedia” or “New Media” Manager; or those targeted at social media such as “Social Media” or “Community” Specialist.  Avoid using the term “manager” for social media titles since, by definition, social media or communities are not managed internally by the organization.
4. Recruit candidates from non-traditional sources:  Experts in this field are “wired” so look for them on web job boards, social media user groups, and networking sites like LinkedIn.  They are attracted to creativity, fun, and a gaming mentality, so consider posting a recruitment video on YouTube.  And don’t assume that anyone with a MySpace page is fluent in new media—work with an expert to develop a skill test for this role.
5. Invest in ongoing training and education:  “Groom and grow” your expert by engaging a consultant with new media expertise or a seasoned expert from another health system as a coach or mentor.  Have your staff person attend conferences or complete online courses.  Sites such as eMarketer.com are also helpful.
6. Integrate the new role into the department:  Make it clear that this is a collaborative role that feeds and supports other marketing team members.  Create “share” sessions with colleagues on a regularly-scheduled basis and don’t allow silos of information.  Insist that the new role demonstrate value to the system quickly and regularly in order to maintain and grow the program.

Source: Elizabeth Scott can be reached at escott@ravennewmedia.com