Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

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MedTouch Summer Webinar Series: Free Healthcare Webinars

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009


Travel budget cut?  No problem.  We’re bringing you a summer full of the best educational content available.  The best part?  It’s all free.  Think of it as a staycation for your mind.

#1: Turn Traffic Into Appointments
Why Search Matters

With 80% of the American population performing healthcare research online, web marketing has gone mainstream. Search engines offer an unprecedented opportunity to reach people looking for services your healthcare organizations provides. By analyzing and increasing your search traffic, you can improve your organization’s profile online while driving transactions. This forty-five minute webinar is perfect for anyone struggle to keep up with their changes in search traffic and results.

Register: Wed, Jul 8 2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST
Register: Thurs, Jul 9 Noon EST | 11am CST | 10am MST | 9am PST

#2: Best Practices in Social Media
A Research Update
As of June, 250 hospitals in the US are using social media.  But to what purpose?  And how are they measuring results?  This presentation – based on careful research rather than opinion – will highlight the best tool for healthcare organizations to generate traffic, what media children’s hospitals can exploit better than anyone else, and why crisis communications is a 24×7 job in a completely new way.   You’ll also learn why senior leaders demand ROI for these projects, how to provide it to them before asking for funding, and how this will dramatically change your staffing needs.

Register: Tue, Jul 14 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
Register: Weds, Jul 15 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST

#3: The Good, the Bad, the Very Ugly
An Introduction to the Specific Challenges of Healthcare Website Design
Designing and reorganizing a website for a healthcare organization involves overcoming specific brand, organizational, and technical requirements. In this insightful webinar lead by our own Interactive Developer, you will come to appreciate the three essential principles of good web design, understand how to work within and around organizational barriers, and deliver a successful, attractive, and useful project.

Register: Tue, Jul 21 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
Register: Weds, Jul 22 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
#4: The Future is Closer than You Think
Why Your Organization Needs a Strategic Plan for Your Website and What You Can Do About It

Most healthcare organizations have five year strategic marketing plans, but few have comprehensive, goal-oriented, multi-year plans for the web. Despite the rapidly changing technology, it is to possible to have a true Internet strategy and develop a road map that delivers measurable value to your organization. Come hear about how several MedTouch clients have used this process to unearth opportunities and deliver highly visible results to the organization.

Register: Tue, Jul 28 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
Register: Weds, Jul 29 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST

#5: How to Run a Successful Bid Process
The Art and Science of Writing Excellent Web RFPs

If you’re going to issue an RFP in the next few months, you need to attend this webinar. In just forty-five minutes you’ll learn the six mistakes nearly every RFP writer makes and how to avoid them. More than that, we’ll share with you how to finesse the best RFP possible out of your organization, how to run the process with minimal time and maximum result, and why you should or shouldn’t hire an outside consultant to manage the process.

Register: Tue, Aug 4 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
Register: Weds, Aug 5 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST

#6: One, Large Television
Why Web Videos Matter More than Ever

The web is a screen-based medium, not a word-based medium. With the advent of broadband Internet access, the way people access information has fundamentally changed. YouTube is the second most popular search engine, eclipsing Yahoo in recent months for Internet searches. For hospitals in particular, online videos provide a mechanism for reaching and engaging their communities in novel ways. This webinar will outline why videos matter more than ever, illustrate best practices in healthcare, and propose four concrete steps you can take to take your Internet presence to the next level.

Register: Tue, Aug 11 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST
Register: Weds, Aug 12 3pm EST | 2pm CST | 1pm MST | Noon PST

Posted in Marketing, MedTouch, RFP, social media, webinars | No Comments »

Speaking at AMA Houston Tomorrow: Direct Marketing to Physicians

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Our own Matthew Dillingham will be speaking at the AMA Houston event tomorrow, “Direct Marketing to Physicians.”

Here’s more about the event.  You can still sign-up at the door!

How do you break through the 200 marketing messages physicians receive each day?

At our June Healthcare SIG meeting, a panel of four experts will discuss the challenge of getting your message to physicians. They’ll describe the use of on-line and in-person tools and techniques to reach physicians. Hear directly from a pharmaceutical representative about how best to capture the interest and attention of busy physicians. Learn tips and techniques to help you develop more effective direct-to-physician programs.

Program Format
Each expert will provide a 15-minute presentation that is followed by a panel discussion with audience participation in the form of questions and answers. The discussion will be moderated by Vickie Alleman, a former healthcare marketer and author, with more than 20 years experience in marketing to physicians.

Attendees Will Learn:

  • What’s new in on-line marketing to physicians
  • How to utilize social media and mobile technology for business communication
  • How to get to the decision maker; meeting with physicians and clinical staff
  • The use of old fashioned grass roots marketing efforts

Panel
Mathew Dillingham – MedTouch
VP, Client Services and Strategies

Alicia Garza – Pharma Representative and Trainer

Anna Dragsbaek – Houston Area Immunization Partnership, Executive Director

Julie Chance – Strategies by Design
Healthcare Relationship Building Coach

Posted in Marketing, MedTouch, physicians, speaking | 2 Comments »

The True Cost of Friendship? 1/10th of a Hamburger. Burger King gets jettisoned from Facebook.

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Frequent guests know of my love for all things Facebook and winsome burger commercials, but I never thought the two would meet so well.

The NY Times reports today about the lose a friend, gain a whopper campaign:

While many trivial actions do prompt Facebook to post an alert to all your friends… striking someone off your list simply is not one of them.

It is this policy that Burger King ran afoul of this month with its “Whopper Sacrifice” campaign, which offered a free hamburger to anyone who severed the sacred bonds with 10 of the friends they had accumulated on Facebook. Facebook suspended the program because Burger King was sending notifications to the castoffs letting them know they’d been dropped for a sandwich (or, more accurately, a tenth of a sandwich).

The campaign, which boasted of ending 234,000 friendships, is history now — Burger King chose to end it rather than tweak it to fit Facebook’s policy…

The ad, which proclaims a Whopper is stronger than friendship, is the first I’ve seen involving the de-leveraging of social networks.

I had thought, back in the day, Facebook did alert one to the changes in tides of friendships so I understand the nature of the policy: one’s social network should only grow.  But it does underscore how loose those bounds are: by Burger King’s math, every facebook friend is worth about $.25

Posted in Facebook, Marketing, social media | No Comments »

The Impact on the Global Financial Crisis, Part II

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008


MedTouch Webinar: The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Healthcare, Part II from MedTouch on Vimeo.

The news about the financial sector meltdown is everywhere, but how will it impact healthcare?

In this second part of a special webinar, Paul Griffiths, the CEO of MedTouch, will walk through how the sub-prime crisis led into Wall St. failures, which has spilled over into the bond market, threatening usual routes of funding for healthcare, muncipalities, and non-profits.

We’ll review what hard decisions providers will have to make over the coming year, and talk through some possible short and long term results from the financial bailout.

The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Healthcare

What you’ll learn:

* Why the financial crisis started
* Why the crisis will make it harder for hospitals to stay in the black
* Which healthcare providers should do today

Posted in Marketing, global financial crisis, healthcare, healthcare spending, hospital PR, hospital growth, hospital quality | No Comments »

Unapologetically Genius Marketing Internship Description

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

As mentioned yesterday, we’re losing our two beloved Interns.   If you know of anyone in the Boston or Houston area who would like to intern with us, have them send a quick resume with contact information to jobs[at]medtouch.com

Company Profile

Since 2004, MedTouch has been delivering cutting-edge online marketing programs, web sites, and integrated technology solutions and shamelessly promoting its clients’ successes.  Those clients include very large to very small hospitals in 20 states throughout the United States.  They engage us because we’re honest, smart, hard-working, and fun!  If you’re interested in online marketing, social network marketing, or healthcare, then come talk to us.

Unapologetically Genius Marketing Internship Description

Our next successful intern will be a preternaturally gifted marketing and communications genius.

Ok, still reading?

Now, we’ll ask you to bring your genius and come and learn about how healthcare in this country works and apply that genius to an industry whose economics are confusing, odd, and overly cumbersome – even to people working in that industry.

You’ll need to be self-motivated and jump right in.   You’ll work on marketing for our company, perform research, and work on projects for our clients.   During your time, we’ll give you tremendous leeway to develop your own “final” project.  For one intern, it was creating assessment tool to segment potential clients; for another, it was a YouTube video done with cut and paste drawings explaining why hospitals websites are so ugly.

We’ll give you the barest introduction and then throw you right in.  We’ll treat you like a team member and demand the best from you the way we demand the best from all of us.  Then we’ll kick your butt at Guitar Hero at one of our parties.

To apply, send a brief cover letter explaining why you’re a genius and a bio or resume to jobs[at]medtouch.com. We’ll invite a few geniuses in for interviews in early September.

Posted in Marketing, MedTouch | 2 Comments »

Updating Your Hospital Brand from the 1970’s?

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

About 50% of the time we get asked to do a project for a new client, they are doing so in response to updating their brand. Research has shown — to no one’s surprise — that the tri-colored yellow, pink, and blue marks do not signify academic excellence. Or there’s been an adjustment to the moniker, usually to broaden the scope of the hospital and allow it to brand other, non-critical care facilities.

Here in Boston, Tufts New England Medical Center is aggressively advertising itself as… wait for it… Tufts Medical Center. Not much of a change, but Tufts and New England Medical Center joined forces back in 1968, back before you could love a national coffee store chain. So, they’ve taken on a good deal of expense and put out new, innovative ads merely to remove the words New England. Might they have higher, more national aspirations?

The funny thing about brands is that what one defined you can now entrap you. And keeping your brand up-to-date, but not losing its fundamental value is tricky.

See the hubbub about revitalizing the Strawberry Shortcake brand – you know, the scented 1980’s kiddie doll? — and see how seriously they take “de-fruiting” the image.

How fruity-licious is your hospital brand?

I’ll take comments nominating the most 70’s stylish hospital brands below.

Posted in Hospital brand, Marketing, unusual signs | No Comments »

Starbucks introduces… coffee.

Saturday, April 12th, 2008

Some of you might know my obsession with Starbucks — not the coffee as much as the corporate juggernaut that is the Starbucks Coffee Company.  What other corporate do you know that has a half dozen books written on its history, management style, stock price, lore and so on?   To wit: it is the only retail store known that can open two stores across the street from each other and improve sales at both locations.  Fascinating.

The big news out of Seattle this week: the new Starbucks roast.  I admit it, I walked a few blocks to try it today and you know what?  I liked it.

But the very exciting thing to me is watching a brand re-invent itself overnight.  Since Howard Schultz took over again as CEO, he’s ousted the foul-smelling breakfast “sandwiches” and refocused the company on providing a mellower Pike Place Roast as well as specialty cups at premium prices.

Which just shows you how good marketing works: when all else fails, go back to your core.

So what’s your core?  Can your organization even articulate it?  Could you reintroduce yourself to the world?

Posted in Marketing, Starbucks | No Comments »

Really, who’s on Facebook? New Research on the aging up of our favorite social site.

Monday, March 24th, 2008

I’m convinced that all media will soon be social — that is, nearly all content we consume will be recommended to us rather than programmed at us. Stay tuned for more on that.

But I was fascinated by Facebook’s new ad system and the data I was able to find. For example, you can now target ads based on gender, location, and employment info — pretty slick for an online yearbook site.

Here’s some data I collected first hand about the demographics of who is on FB:

50 years +: 478,640
40-49 : 613,600
30-39 : 1,979,320
23-29 : 6,594,820
18-22 : 11,062,560
under 18 : 4,129,040

For those playing at home, that’s 24 million people total, with 87.5% under 30 but less than half “college-aged” — the population the site was due to serve.

Project the data 4-5 years from now, and you’ll have a population more like 50 million, with a larger chunk of 20/30’s graduates:

50 years +: 1,092,240
40-49 : 1,979,320
30-39 : 6,594,820
23-29 : 11,062,560
18-22 : 22,125,120
under 18 : 8,258,080

Estimates (obviously) 

But that’s assuming they do no aggressive advertising amongst AARP members.
So while I’m sure the general ads for skateboards, Mountain Dew, and Noxema will continue, my guess is each population will soon be getting their own targeted ads. And this is the genius of social network: the growth rate is exponential, but predictable. In 10 years, who knows — 100million? 200million?

NBC would kill for that kind of market share.

Posted in Facebook, Marketing, social media | No Comments »

Live from Orlando: HIMSS 2008!

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

I’ll begin by stating that while tradeshows may be necessary, they’re not at the top of my list of things to do with my time.  Nonetheless, since it’s snowing at our Boston office and my next trip to our Houston location is a few weeks away, I am grateful for the sunshine.

What I am surprised by is A) that the show has grown so (relatively speaking) lavish — see GE’s small city for more on that and B) the marketing, despite the truly exceptional tradeshow booths, is downright corny.

Ok Paul, you might be saying.  Isn’t that true of all tradeshows?

Fair enough, but it’s weird to see the trappings of a consumer-focused show about IT.  Where else do you see puns made about EMRs?  It’s more glitz, same fundamental problems of communication.  I’m in the industry and I couldn’t dechiper what half of the vendors did without reading some literature.  It’s like a teen movie where the geek is remade in the image of the cool jock, but he still keeps his slide rule in his locker.  (Snort, snort.)

To wit, I’ll post a few photos of what I thought were the funniest booths, but let me sign off with a description of the one which I vote as most bizarre.

What you see when you approach the booth is a series of stuffed animals in cages.  The tag line is about user “adoption” and the dogs need a home.  Get it?  A pun on the word adoption.

The thing is… the booth looked like a puppy mill at the mall.  And since the puppies were stuffed, they appeared dead.

A friendly reminder that nothing kills faster than a marketing message that doesn’t live up to the promise.

Posted in HIMSS, Marketing, healthcare, unusual signs | 1 Comment »

Winter Healthcare Webinar Series: All Free, All Winter Long

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

A quick plug for our upcoming educational series. Winter is a good time for us to hone down our talks — I give about half a dozen a year — so if you’re interested and can’t wait until the summer, sign up now.

THE 5 MISTAKES YOU’RE TEMPTED TO MAKE IN 2008 (And How to Avoid Them)

Healthcare – one of the most well-funded industries in the world – still maintains websites cobbled together last decade. Why is it so hard to generate a site that looks different, fresh, or interesting? How do the best ideas get killed in committees before they see the light of day? And why do hospitals not want to discover the value of their web channel? We’ll give you the top five mistakes healthcare organizations make with their website and what you can do – this year – to fight back. If you’ve ever wondered why your website isn’t… well… better, this webinar is for you.
Register For Wednesday, January 16th
Register For Thursday, January 17th
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

THE WEB AS A VISUAL MEDIUM: Content is Dead, Long Live Content!
Sure, your website is no longer the electronic version of your newsletter. But what does it mean to generate content for the web these days? Since sites are now a bundle of text, audio, video, images, meta-tags, orbiting content, and micro-sites – how can you understand how to cost-effectively and consistently develop content for this channel? In this webinar, we’ll explain how cable modems, cheap software, and YouTube are changing the language of the Internet and how healthcare will keep up… or miss out.

Register For Wednesday, January 30th
Register For Thursday, January 31st
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

PICK A VENDOR YOU’LL LOVE: The Art and Science of a Good RFP
Register For Wednesday, February 13th
Register For Thursday, February 14th
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Register For Wednesday, February 27th
Register ForThursday, February 28th
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

IMPRESS YOUR BOSS WITHOUT GETTING FIRED: Expectation Setting and Reporting Results to a C-level

Register For Wednesday, March 12th
Register For Thursday, March 13th
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

I HAVE A WEBSITE, SO WHAT? Take Your Strategy to the Next Level
Register For Wednesday, March 26th
Register For Thursday, March 27th
2pm EST | 1pm CST | Noon MST | 11am PST

Posted in Marketing, healthcare, speaking, webinars | No Comments »

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