The $4-a-week Newsroom and
Other MacGyver Tips
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
Ragan Corporate Communicators
Conference
May 8, 2009

About Lee Aase
• B.S. Political Science
• 14 years in politics and government at
local, state, national levels
• Mayo Clinic since April 2000
• Media relations consultant
• Manager since 2004
• Media Relations/Research Comm
• Syndication and Social Media
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Mayo Clinic’s Origin
http://tinyurl.com/32xbjx

Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
2006 Study
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100
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Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications
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Develop a MacGyver Mindset
(or think like Dr. Henry Plummer)
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/tradition-
heritage/dr-henry-plummer.html
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First Foray in New Media
• Existing Medical Edge radio mp3s
• Launched Sept. ‘05; Downloads up
8,217 percent Oct. vs. Aug.

Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts
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Total Cost for Mayo Clinic
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
$0.00
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Step 3: podcasts.mayoclinic.org
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newsblog.mayoclinic.org
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sharing.mayoclinic.org
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Total Yearly Cost for Three
Customized Blogs
$165.00
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Key Tool: Flip Video Camera
• Affordable for all campuses (and you)
• Recording interviews (with tripod)
improves existing processes
• Authenticity without writer’s cramp
• Provides potential blog resources
• Audio of full interview
• Video excerpts
• Limited group of video editors to
ease adoption, ensure quality
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Cost for a Standard Definition Flip
Video Camera
$150.00
HD available for an additional $80
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Old-Style Online Newsroom vs.
MacGyver Online Newsroom
• Web 1.0 Online Newsroom
• Typcially purchased from a Vendor
• Costly - up to $10,000 + monthly
• Password-Protected Access
• MacGyver Online Newsroom
• DIY
• $45/year or $0.12/day
• Open to customers/patients/links
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Two Case Studies of Mainstream
Media Facilitated by Social Media
• Wall Street Journal Health Blog
• Pitched via Facebook
• Previewed on News Blog
• Embedded from YouTube
• CBS Radio Network
• Flip audio downloaded from news
blog made national network air
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Don’t (just) pitch the media.
Be the media.
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Twitter Case Study: Contributing
to Virality
• Alerted to interesting video of 90 y.o.
couple playing piano in Gonda atrium
• Embedded in Sharing Mayo Clinic,
posted to Facebook, Tweeted on 4/7/09
• Video had been seen 1,005 times in six
preceding months since upload
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The next day...
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Six days later...
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April 22
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May 1
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Sunday, May 3
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May 4
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Cinco de Mayo
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May 6
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Yesterday
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Lessons
• You can’t manufacture virality, but
you can prepare for, contribute to it
• Developing infrastructure gives you
a platform for launch
• Mainstream media coverage will
make this even bigger
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For Continuing Education ...
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Contacting Me
• Google Lee Aase or SMUG U to find
SMUG
• Twitter @LeeAase or @mayoclinic
• Friend me on Facebook
• aase.lee@mayo.edu
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