Why Healthcare Marketing Must Go Social

Why healthcare marketing MUST GO SOCIAL ERIC WEAVER Brand Dialogue Tribal DDB! #hcsig PHOTO: FLICKR @JOE NANGLE

Today: social marketing & healthcare 1. Why social marketing? 2. Strategies and tactics 3. Is there an ROI for social marketing? 4. Q&A How many of you are on Twitter? Facebook? If you’re one of those types…our hashtag is #hcsig

Chances are…

Frequently-asked questions Is this a fad? Do social marketing efforts actually work? The conversation seems so shallow, so meaningless. I’ve got a brand to build and numbers to hit: whose got time to tend to all these social media efforts? Let’s take a step back and look at the business of promoting one’s brand.

This practice of Marketing A trillion-dollar industry 150 years of refinement Tell, tell, TELL! In as many places and as often as possible. Entire industries built around channel tools Buzzword bingo Job security = efficacy at: Storytelling Intrusion/interruption Retention via repetition

ADVERTISER VS. CONSUMER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heSudg‐tfIk

ESCAPE: Consumers flocked to social networks to find like minds & shared interests—not products or pitches.

“Oooh, yummeh!!”

Whither the outbound voice? US Ad Spend Plunges 14.2%; Only Online Posts Growth SOURCE: TNS Media Intelligence

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Four major cultural changes are killing monologue and spurring dialogue.

Change #1: trust has been shattered.

Change #2: customers have changed. Attention-deficit Fragmented by niche interests Feeling time-starved Girl Scouts merit badge Cell phone in the john Distrustful of advertising Spoiled by customization and media options “Snack-media” consumers

They are empowered! SEARCH lets consumers find people, products, information and media of interest & relevance EXPRESSION through blogs, podcasts, opinion sites, online communities SHARING items of value or interest – globally Items they love…. and hate WHICH MEANS: To get what they want, consumers generally don’t need marketing, advertising or PR.

BLOGGERS CUSTOMERS TRADE ORGS Change #3: EMPLOYEES the new INVESTORS cacophony. MEDIA ANALYSTS MARKETERS GOVERNMENT

Change #4: people now turn to peers. In chaos, people look to peers for recommendations. They do this when: Risk is higher More choices to review and filter They have less time to research

PEERS are the most credible people providing company/product info 47% believe what “a person like me” says about an organization How many think advertisers and marketers are credible? 13% SOURCE: 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer

Peer recommendation isn’t just influential. Trust and distrust are widely shared. 56% of those aged 35-64 and 63% aged 25-34 were “likely to share their opinions and experiences about companies they trust or distrust on the web.”* *SOURCE: 2008 Edelman Trust Barometer

And trust drives preference. 91% of the informed public chooses to buy from companies they trust. 77% The bottom line: refuses to buy from companies they distrust.* Trust drives transactions. *SOURCE: 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer

Growing your revenue isn’t about how clever, elegant, or loud you are. IT’S ABOUT It’s not about the tools, differences in PROSPECTS generations, nor Ashton or Oprah. TRUSTING And it’s not about the YOU. changes in how you promote your offering. FLICKR @POWERBOOKTRANCE

So you don’t need an advertising strategy. You don’t need a YOU NEED social media A TRUST strategy. STRATEGY. And you certainly don’t need a “Twitter strategy.” FLICKR @POWERBOOKTRANCE

Part II: Strategies & Tactics

Strategies to build and spread trust How do I minimize trust killers? BE FOUND OR REFERRED, rather than interrupting one’s search. DEMONSTRATE VALUE, don’t just talk about it. How do I build trust with prospective customers? DEMONSTRATE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DEMONSTRATE A VISION for this profession or this market. SHOW THAT OTHERS TOOK A CHANCE and benefitted. SHOW THAT YOU’RE TRUSTWORTHY, ethical, easy to deal with. How do you empower others to spread their trust in your offering? GIVE CUSTOMERS A VOICE. AMPLIFY THEIR TESTIMONIALS. MAKE SHARING YOUR VALUE EFFORTLESS.

THOUGHT-STARTERS Social marketing applications BLOGGING AUDIO (podcasts) Industry-related “found items” Storytelling Design trends and insights Thought leadership CEO media/investor relations Testimonials MICROBLOGGING (Twitter) Sensory branding Timely insights Blog awareness WIKIS Event awareness Event planning Community-building Product development VIDEO (one-off or vidcasts) Shared learnings How-to’s Distributed work-in-progress Personality pieces SOCIAL & TOPICAL NETWORKS Company storytelling Brand awareness Humor WIDGETS Community/CSR discussion Content distribution/sharing Community building Feedback/testing/trials

BRANDED SITE EXTERNAL MKTG‐MANAGED PRESENCE EXTERNAL THIRD‐PARTY SITE Integrated Traditional/Social Marketing Mix TRADITIONAL MEDIA/PR TOPICAL COMMUNITIES: IP, HELPFUL TIPS PRODUCT LAUNCH MICROSITE AMAZON S T O R Y T E L L I N G HELPFUL RESOURCES RECIPES SEO EVENTS DOT‐COM SITE COMMENTS COMPANY BLOG (IP) ONLINE SAMPLING FACEBOOK FAN E‐COMMERCE PARTNER PAGE ONLINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL: STORYTELLING, IP PRINT EXTERNAL BLOGS: IP, HELPFUL TIPS OUTDOOR PR SAMPLING PGMS RETAIL RETAIL

Additional tools and tactics Blogger engagement Can build awareness, strengthen credibility Must be done carefully Conversation monitoring Provides insights into consumer desires, behavior to better drive business goals Social-media-powered events “Tweetups”

Blogger Engagement “Guardrails” Positive Posting Decide if you want to agree with the poster, compliment them, or leave it alone. Negative Posting Is the site dedicated to bashing? Is the post a rant, rage, joke or satirical? Are there errors? Decide if you want to send a polite correction on that board. Is this posting because of a negative customer experience? Decide if you want to try to fix their experience.

Blogger Engagement “Guardrails” No Matter What Let others know you’re with your company. If you quote facts, include links, imagery, or references. Take the time to create a strong, positive response. Don’t rush. Use a tone that reflects highly on the organization. Spell- and grammar-check! Decide if this is a strong influencer or not, and dedicate your time accordingly.

Conversation monitoring Lion’s share can be automated Blogpulse.com, Google Blog Search, Technorati Efforts can be coordinated/reported by interns Specialized tools can report on sentiment, motivation and topic trending Radian6, Sentimine, MotiveQuest Challenge/high cost is due to human sorting (spam vs. ham)

Where’s the healthcare industry compared to others? Consumer-generated health content is among the most trusted , yet many providers can’t talk products outside regulatory approval Regulation makes consumer-generated content risky, requires more review Lagging behind CPG, auto Far ahead of banking/financial services

The good news Consumer-generated content and connection in the health arena is centered around FEAR, LOVE and HOPE: the largest drivers of meaningful, emotive connection. Procter & Gamble discovered this in their early social efforts, when it became clear the conversation was centered around issues, not products.

MAKING THE MOVE TO SOCIAL MARKETING More questions What if my brand is being trashed in the blogosphere? Set guidelines before getting into the water React with honesty, transparency, advocacy What if I don’t get any traffic? Consider the content you are posting as well as venues Is it interesting? Is it easily referred to others? Is it an example of consumer advocacy? What if the boss is demanding eyeballs and orders? Help them use new channels to truly understand customer desires and tweak the offerings… not to merely validate some existing strategy

How others are using social marketing

P&G: BeingGirl community – problem vs. product approach generates 4x sales increase over ads PAGE 36

J&J YouTube Channel: averaging 7,000 views/mo PAGE 37

Mayo Clinic Facebook Fan Page: marcom and testimonials MAYO CLINIC’S TOP SOURCE FOR PREFERENCE- INFLUENCING INFO: WORD OF MOUTH (84%) – ADVERTISING (27%) MAYO TOP-OF-MIND PREFERENCE AMONG US CONSUMERS IS NEARLY 4X NEXT COMPETITOR.

Mayo podcasts: 1-3 minute videos, audio podcasts PAGE 39

Mayo Clinic “Wordle”: visual look at areas of interest WORDLE.NET PAGE 40

Cleveland Clinic Facebook Fan Page: tips for a healthy life

What not to do: create a product ghost town to promote your local business

Great to see local firms using social media! PAGE 43

MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT The changing landscape requires a change in how you present yourself. It’s not “a fad” It’s newfound power and choice for everyone. It’s not “shallow, fake connections” It’s a shift in how you connect with prospective customers who are time- and attention-starved. It’s not “one more thing to do” It’s a shift in how and where you dedicate your time and energy in promoting your business.

Consider your lens. Boomers/Tweeners Gen X/Millenials Trained in formalities Formalities ignored Don’t offend anyone More interested in Be the most acceptable to finding those with like the largest number of minds than worrying people about turning off others Privacy highly valued Less privacy means more ability to be found Interested in tech Digital natives – tech is functionality but often ubiquitous and easy overwhelmed by speed of change Have grown up with Don’t do well with chaos “random” behavior

Part 3: ROI

ROI for social media still a challenge Easy to measure on-site activity But no way to measure user path to destination sites Incentive on Twitter is reposted on Facebook, seen by a friend, and then blogged. RSS feed is aggregated, then seen by a handraiser. Which presence generated the lead?

Some typical metrics Number of video views or podcast downloads Blog postings, comments, shares and ratings Corporate priority areas discussed in online conversations and conversation frequency Key message coverage, when appropriate, Including comparison to competitive messages, opposing views

Marketers can use tools to Measure perceptual changes (can be subtle) Measure one of coverage/overall favorability Analyze audiences: who’s engaging? Which topics are being discussed? Determine behavioral trends to help influence planning and benchmarking

Final thoughts

When in the online social space… MONITOR THE DIALOGUE. Listen daily. React quickly to curtail doubt. COMMIT TO YOUR CONTENT. Once you begin blogging/podcasting, commit to providing regular, timely and valuable updates. Do not let your content become stale. MAINTAIN PROPER EDITORIAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. The content is an expression of your firm. Ensure that content is well- written and properly edited, and that the site will maintain acceptable uptime. PROMOTE OPEN, HONEST DIALOGUE. Straight talk is important. Text can often be misunderstood. Be consistently plain and truthful.

When in the online social space… ACCEPT THE GOOD WITH THE BAD. Some comments will be gushing with praise; others will feel like a punch to the gut. DON’T BE TIMID. When encountering a detractor, do not back down. Silence is often perceived as a sign of guilt. SET UP GUARDRAILS. Set and stick to brand boundaries – rules of engagement in open conversation NO NEED FOR CONSTANT ANSWERS. If talk is within the boundaries, leave it alone! This isn’t about control as much as it is confidence. MINIMIZE LEGAL INTERVENTION. Make sure legal guidelines are well understood but don’t run every post through the Legal Department. The posts will carry an overly cautious tone that will invite suspicion.

Creating internal alignment Arm management with knowledge of trends, case studies Show examples of low $ investment, high buzz/WOM value Make sure you have brand and message benchmarks to start with What are you coming to the party with? Market needs something to react to Present a strategy to engage customer base without pandering to them No Twitter for Twitter’s sake

With social marketing, everyone wins Marketers can more fully engage markets, have customers become advocates, show innovation, forward thinking, extend brand without increasing marketing spend Content appears in more channels Lives on your sites, on enthusiasts’ sites, on cell phones, PSPs Inexpensive market test compared to traditional marketing efforts Co-created brands can have additional “enthusiast inertia”

The takeaway: TRUST Rethink your entire marketing approach from a prospective of trust and with a wider lens Build trust by being found, providing value, demonstrating knowledge and trustworthiness Use social marketing to leverage the existing trust already established between peers, rather than trying to buy new trust

THANK YOU. slideshare.net/weave twitter.com/weave branddialogue.com edelman.com/trust

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Why Healthcare Marketing Must Go Social

by Eric Weaver on Jun 24, 2009

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Why Healthcare Marketing Must Go Social — Presentation Transcript