Why Healthcare Marketing Must Go Social

Why healthcare marketing MUST GO SOCIAL

PHOTO: FLICKR @JOE NANGLE

ERIC WEAVER Brand Dialogue

Tribal DDB!

#hcsig#hcsig

Today: social marketing & healthcare1. 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 questionsIs 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 industry150 years of refinementTell, tell, TELL! In as many places and as often as possible.Entire industries built around channel toolsBuzzword bingoJob security = efficacy at:

StorytellingIntrusion/interruptionRetention 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: customershave changed.

Attention-deficitFragmented by niche interestsFeeling time-starved

Girl Scouts merit badgeCell phone in the john

Distrustful of advertisingSpoiled by customization and media options

“Snack-media” consumers

They are empowered!SEARCH lets consumers find people, products, information and media of interest & relevanceEXPRESSION through blogs, podcasts, opinion sites, online communitiesSHARING 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.

MARKETERS

MEDIA

EMPLOYEES

CUSTOMERS

BLOGGERS

TRADE ORGS

ANALYSTS

INVESTORS

GOVERNMENT

Change #3: the new

cacophony.

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

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

Peer recommendation isn’t just influential. Trust and distrust are widely shared.

And trust drives preference.

91% of the informed public chooses to buy from companies they trust.

77%refuses to buy from companies they distrust.*

*SOURCE: 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer

The bottom line:Trust drives transactions.

FLICKR @POWERBOOKTRANCE

IT’S ABOUT PROSPECTS TRUSTING

YOU.

Growing your revenue isn’t about

how clever, elegant, or loud you are.

It’s not about the tools, differences in

generations, nor Ashton or Oprah.

And it’s not about the changes in how you

promote your offering.

FLICKR @POWERBOOKTRANCE

YOU NEED A TRUST

STRATEGY.

So you don’t need an advertising

strategy.

You don’t need a social media

strategy.

And you certainly don’t need a

“Twitter strategy.”

Part II:Strategies & Tactics

Strategies to build and spread trustHow 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 CAPITALDEMONSTRATE 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 applicationsBLOGGING

Industry-related “found items”Design trends and insightsCEO media/investor relations

MICROBLOGGING (Twitter) Timely insightsBlog awarenessEvent awarenessCommunity-building

VIDEO (one-off or vidcasts)How-to’sPersonality piecesCompany storytellingHumor

WIDGETSContent distribution/sharing

AUDIO (podcasts)StorytellingThought leadershipTestimonialsSensory branding

WIKISEvent planningProduct developmentShared learningsDistributed work-in-progress

SOCIAL & TOPICAL NETWORKSBrand awarenessCommunity/CSR discussionCommunity buildingFeedback/testing/trials

DOT‐COM SITEDOT‐COM SITE

Integrated Traditional/Social Marketing Mix

AMAZONAMAZONS T O R Y T E L L I N G

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

SEO RECIPES

COMPANY BLOG (IP)

BRANDED SITE

EXTERNAL MKTG‐MANAGED PRESENCE

EXTERNAL THIRD‐PARTY SITE

TRADITIONAL MEDIA/PR

HELPFUL RESOURCES

COMMENTS

RETAILRETAIL

ONLINE SAMPLING

TOPICAL COMMUNITIES: IP, HELPFUL TIPS

TOPICAL COMMUNITIES: IP, HELPFUL TIPS

PRINTPRINT

OUTDOOROUTDOOR

PRODUCT LAUNCH MICROSITE

PRODUCT LAUNCH MICROSITE

ONLINEONLINE

EVENTSEVENTS

E‐COMMERCE PARTNERE‐COMMERCE PARTNER

EXTERNAL BLOGS: IP, HELPFUL TIPSEXTERNAL BLOGS: IP, HELPFUL TIPS

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: STORYTELLING, IP

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: STORYTELLING, IP

PRPR

SAMPLING PGMSSAMPLING PGMS

Additional tools and tacticsBlogger engagement

Can build awareness, strengthen credibility

Must be done carefully

Conversation monitoringProvides 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, orleave it alone.

Negative PostingIs 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 monitoringLion’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 newsConsumer-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 questionsWhat 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

PAGE 36

P&G: BeingGirlcommunity – problem vs. product approach generates 4x sales increase over ads

PAGE 37

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

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.

PAGE 39

Mayo podcasts: 1-3 minute videos, audio podcasts

PAGE 40

Mayo Clinic “Wordle”: visual look at areas of interest

WORDLE.NET

Cleveland Clinic Facebook Fan Page: tips for a healthy life

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

PAGE 43

Great to see local firms using social media!

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

Trained in formalitiesDon’t offend anyoneBe the most acceptable to the largest number of peoplePrivacy highly valuedInterested in tech functionality but often overwhelmed by speed of changeDon’t do well with chaos

Gen X/MillenialsFormalities ignoredMore interested in finding those with like minds than worrying about turning off othersLess privacy means more ability to be foundDigital natives – tech is ubiquitous and easyHave grown up with “random” behavior

Part 3: ROI

ROI for social media still a challengeEasy 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 metricsNumber 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 toMeasure 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 withpraise; 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 wellunderstood but don’t run every post through the Legal Department. The posts will carry an overly cautious tone that will invite suspicion.

Creating internal alignmentArm 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 withWhat 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 channelsLives 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: TRUSTRethink your entire marketing approach from a prospective of trust and with a wider lensBuild trust by being found, providing value, demonstrating knowledge and trustworthinessUse social marketing to leverage the existing trust already established between peers, rather than trying to buy new trust

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branddialogue.com

edelman.com/trust