by Matt Schlossberg | Nov 8, 2017 | Blog
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories you tell.”
Seth Godin
Roaming the Exhibit Hall at HIMSS17 last year, I found a truly unique healthcare solution. It solves seemingly intractable problems with uncommon grace and simplicity. It’s intuitive, innovative and disruptive. I predict that it will ascend the rarefied summit of “Revolutionizing How Healthcare Happens.”
What was this paradigm-shifting solution and what was the visionary company behind it?
All of them. All 1,323 exhibitors at the conference.
OK, maybe a few expressed a bit more modesty. But with varying degrees of word choice and hyperbolic intensity, most used this highly subjective template to describe their solutions. Their baby is the most beautiful in the world just accept it.
But words that once felt so tantalizing and full of possibility have become eye-glazing clichs. Worse, they are beginning to subsume good storytelling, like a lush and varied landscape overrun by kudzu.
We’re being “disruptive’ over here!
We live in an age of multi-media communication. We can slice-and-dice any demographic, curate content a million different ways, and measure it all more precisely than ever before. But somewhere along the way, many of us have forgotten how to tell a story and tell it well.
Healthcare is full of terrific and, yes, innovative solutions. However, the signal you believe you are projecting into the marketplace with slick marketing and flashy buzzwords is just another forgettable layer of noise. Old-fashioned storytelling, on the other hand, is a method that more readily sticks in the minds of editors and customers.
Lions and Gazelles
The journalism profession is shrinking and de-centralizing. The newspapers and magazines that aren’t shuttering are dramatically reducing staff and tightening the purse strings. Healthcare journalism is no exception.
Here’s an example. The HIMSS Annual Conference is the largest health IT tradeshow in North America. For many healthcare professionals, this show sets the agenda for the rest of the year. In 2015, 126 editors registered for the Conference one for every 10 exhibitors.
In 2017, only 76 editors registered one for every 17 exhibitors. And a number of those “editors” were actually in sales, seeking ad and sponsorship dollars. Plus, these editors aren’t just roaming the Exhibit Hall. They’re also interviewing keynote speakers, attending education sessions, hosting their own meetings and trying to jam it all into four days.
Think of it this way: Your healthcare company is one of 1,300 lions chasing at best 60 gazelles. A lot of you are going to go hungry.
“But our platform is scalable across the enterprise”
This is not to say that your solution is not revolutionary. It’s probably great! Terrific but guess what? Everyone else is saying the exact same thing about their solutions. Trust me, as a former healthcare reporter and editor, buzzwords were pure white noise. If you want to bag earned media in a shrinking media landscape, you need to up your game. You need to tell me a story.
Ideas Over Solutions
It would be easy enough to blast out yet another listicle of stuff you need to tell a good story. Here are 344 million of them via Google.
I would rather tell you how much I hated science as a kid.
A teacher in a too-short clip-on tie would blandly recite an endless list of equations, scientific jargon and theories until the bell rang for recess. I was temporarily free from the deadly boring grasp of arcane measurements cooked up by a bunch of Europeans who have been dead for 500 years.
None of what I was taught was wrong. It just didn’t mean anything to me.
Around that time, PBS aired Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. It was written and narrated by Carl Sagan, the famous science popularizer.
Sagan discussed all the same equations and theories and dead scientists as my teacher did. Some of it I understood, some of it I didn’t. But the difference was how all those facts connected to tell a 14-billion-year-old story. I was able to understand how all those discoveries impacted the world I lived in. Suddenly, the universe wasn’t a C+ on a future pop quiz. It was impossibly big and beautiful, brimming with weird worlds and strange physics. It was vast and violent and without mercy. And I was a part of it!
I don’t remember the name of my science teacher, but I remember Carl Sagan and the story he told in Cosmos.
All those capabilities and features of your healthcare solution what deeper story do they tell? How do they impact the lives of the people who will use them? How does it add to the larger healthcare stories being told today?
It’s not enough to say you’re innovative. People don’t connect to “innovative.” They connect to stories.
Your story might be big. It might be small. But if it’s meaningful, if it connects, it will find an audience. Tell a great story and your solution will rise above the noise.
by Matt Schlossberg | Aug 16, 2017 | Blog
Traditionally, B2B healthcare marketing shops design their campaigns to cast a very wide net, seeking to get their companies solutions in front of as many potential customers as possible. Today, more marketing teams are considering a much more concentrated alternative account-based marketing (ABM). The automation software company Marketo defines ABM as a strategy that “concentrates sales and marketing resources on a clearly defined set of target accounts within a market and employs personalized campaigns designed to resonate with each account.”
Rather than target “hospitals and health systems,” ABM marketers identify specific provider organizations the Cleveland Clinic or Intermountain Healthcare, for example as markets of one. In other words, rather than organizing marketing and PR efforts around such broad areas as industry, product or channel, ABM harnesses those efforts and customizes them for individual accounts.
According to SiriusDecisons, 92% of B2B marketers worldwide say that ABM is “extremely” or “very” important to their overall marketing efforts. And more than 70% of those respondents say their ABM budgets will grow this year. According to the analyst firm Forrester, only 0.75% of generated leads become closed revenue using traditional marketing tactics.
While ABM has seen expanding influence in increasingly commoditized industries, there is evidence that ABM could enjoy widespread application. So what are the advantages of ABM over traditional marketing campaigns?
- Alignment. Companies can unify their marketing, sales, public relations and implementation teams around an account’s buyer journey from online research to purchase to brand advocacy and loyalty and work from the same set of goals and metrics.
- Analytics. Marketing has become much more customized in the era of machine learning and digital commerce. By leveraging research and analytics to individual accounts, engaging with those customers through highly customized campaigns, and making evidence-based adjustments to strategies and tactics based on data, healthcare companies can develop more focused lead-gen programs than funneling potential leads from a broader audience to the sales team.
- Adaptability. ABM complements other marketing strategies, such as inbound marketing. For example, both ABM and inbound marketing rely on personalized strategies that push value over products.
Getting Started with ABM
ABM does require front-end research and developing a methodology for identifying potential accounts, including company size, location and annual revenue, market influence, etc.
It also requires sales and marketing teams to get together to discuss the ABM framework that includes corporate marketing activities, account-specific communications, and detailed research into not just the target organization but also its key players, influencers and decision-makers.
Once the target research has been completed, the next task is creating the customized content for outreach. It’s important to remember at this juncture that you are not marketing for a broad audience. Speaking to generalized pain points won’t work. Use your research into each account to create content that meets that specific target where they are.
With content in the hopper, the next big decision is choosing the right channels of distribution. Your research into the target organization and its primary influencers should shed some light on which digital and social platforms will best bring your message to the potential client.
Once the campaign is up and running, measuring the success of your campaign is critical. And that can be trickier than you think. The ROI of ABM uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative measures. For example, is your list of decision-makers and influencers within a target account growing? Has there been an uptick in engagement from the account? Has revenue increased for specific accounts?
ABM is a perfect-storm mix of art and science. However, well executed, this species of marketing can help break silos between corporate sales and communication, engender greater loyalty and interest from customers, and help your organization better meet the needs of clients.
by Matt Schlossberg | Apr 19, 2017 | Blog
On the night of November 2, 2016, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, ending the longest drought in the history of American sports
OK, before I continue a caveat. This isn’t going to be another metaphorical sports-as-insert-unrelated-industry-here blog post. I’m not going to compare media relations to a clean-up hitter nor end this piece advising your team to “hit is out of the park.”
But there is a practical lesson the Cubbies historic run can offer to organizations that contract with a healthcare PR agency.
When he was hired to run baseball operations for the Cubs in 2011, Theo Epstein held a remarkable press conference. He explained that in order to build a winning club, the entire structure needed to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. The overhaul would affect every aspect of the organization, even the ball park, and that several years would pass before the front office’s effort bore fruit.
It didn’t take much to read between the lines the Cubs were going to stink. And not in the usual way fans had become accustomed to. In other words, history-making bad.
What was remarkable and perhaps overlooked about that press conference was Epstein’s transparency. It’s an unwritten rule in sports to never admit to a rebuild, to confess that the product you are placing on the field may be intentionally awful for the foreseeable future.
If you were a Cubs fan between 2011 and 2016 and you referred to “The Plan,” everyone knew what you were talking about.
Reflecting on those sour years, Epstein said, “You realize it’s just easier when you’re transparent. You realize it works with everyone. It works managing up, it works with the media, it works with agents, it works with your fans.
It’s kind of the best way to do things if you can pull it off. Something as simple as transparency is really scalable, because it quickly impacts the culture.”
Transparency is a critical component of a successful PR program. Great PR teams are proactive. Not only do they get ahead of stories, they also help create the narrative. But that only works if a transparent culture is fostered between the agency’s team and the organization it represents.
PR teams that understand the good, the bad and the ugly of the organizations they represent allow them the space to best position the company and its narrative in the public eye. Quietly working on a months-long initiative only to bring it to your PR rep’s attention the day before launch and expect the moon in terms of coverage is unrealistic. Obscuring a poor outcome or promising customers that never show up to interviews puts your rep on the defensive and makes your program reactive, always playing catch up.
Think of your PR team as the guardians of your reputation. They can only protect and position what they know. In short, anything and everything you tell your PR teams helps them help you. On the flip side, a good PR team is going to be explicit about being upfront, diligent and discreet in their communications.
So what are the ingredients for a culture of transparency?
- Be open. It’s important to focus on missed opportunities as much as victories, so we can learn from our experiences and apply it to the next campaign.
- Seek and deliver feedback. PR is as much an art as science. Some initiatives work, others don’t. If your agency’s style of operation doesn’t mesh with your own, speak about it openly and frankly. If you have a good agency, they’ll adapt.
- Make sure good news isn’t the only news. Every organization hits a rough patch a delayed initiative, an unhappy customer, internal shake-ups. Keeping your PR team in the loop helps them offer constructive advice and a strategy for dealing with these issues should they become public.
A transparent culture impact everybody it build trusts, strengthens relationships, and enables your PR team and organization to tap the flexibility and creativity required to be a positive, proactive force in the marketplace.
by Matt Schlossberg | Dec 7, 2016 | Blog
The Day After
Wednesday, November 9, about 6am. Bleary eyed, I throw back a couple cups of black coffee and start collating and reviewing my notes, observations and potential talking points on the election results and their affect on healthcare PR before making phone calls and firing off e-mails to clients.
The GOP had captured the White House and retained majorities in both houses of Congress. From now until Inauguration Day political and policy reporters would be laser-focused on the agenda of the incoming administration, the Senate, and the House and the impact it could have on the country.
Healthcare specifically the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid expansion and even accountable care is near the top of that list. Reporters and editors would be turning to the industry for their perspectives, hot takes and prognostications.
The Elephant in the Room
Many vendors and healthcare associations, especially those who work to some extent in areas of policy or advocacy, decline to publicly speak on political matters because they have to work with whichever party controls the executive and legislative branches. The increased intensity of partisan rancor also makes healthcare companies reluctant to comment on any hot-button topics for fear of losing customers or causing internal turbulence with key staff.
Industry leaders can certainly decline to speak and have legitimate reasons for doing so. But it’s critical that their public relations executives prepare them for that eventuality anyway.
There’s an old adage that says that politics and religion are the two forbidden topics at the dinner table. However, the former is not always an option for healthcare PR pros and their clients. Let’s face it: no matter your political affiliation, the results of the 2016 general election will likely have a significant impact on the healthcare industry,
Don’t believe me? Take 60 seconds to check out your news and social media feeds.
An Approach to Message
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, I had explored with my clients potential frameworks for how to respond to the priorities of a new administration and Congress. The differences between the two national parties on healthcare are both well-known and famously divergent. Democrats favor modifying and improving the ACA. Republicans campaigned on the law’s repeal and replacement.
I recognized a few potential hazards for my clients who chose to go on the record. First, much of today’s politics is personal and personality-driven. I felt that as a PR executive, my job was to frame the issue of healthcare policy in a way that was factual and focused on the policy and its potential ramifications.
The second major hazard is the perilous nature of predictions. Yes, non-partisan agencies such as the Congressional Budget Office had outlined potential impacts to healthcare based on candidates’ statements and plans. However, the political process is filled with too many twists and turns, too many procedural tricks and local political considerations to make any prediction a sure thing. In addition, speculation is often peppered with bias (any prime-time cable news panel is evidence enough of that).
Through my own research and discussions with clients, the overarching theme of nearly all perspectives was uncertainty. Campaigning is wholly different from governing. Nobody really knows what is going to happen. The healthcare plans of the two parties could not be more different. But how would political realities alter those stances?
For payers, providers and patients all of whom have invested incredible time, resources, and money into the implementation of the ACA uncertainty became a story unto itself. All of the information I had collected began to take shape as a narrative my clients could use as industry thought leaders while avoiding the volcanic clickbait statements that dominate today’s political discussions.
Lessons Learned
I wasn’t always in PR. I cut my teeth in journalism, and admit to viewing PR as a profession more focused on obfuscation than clarity. My 18 months working in PR has certainly changed my perspective and this first major election of my new career has offered me some critical lessons.
- Spin is Dumb. A general election is unique in so many different ways. A grueling 18-month campaign focused primarily on scandals and gaffes sometimes feels as if it is something to be endured rather than an opportunity to understand the principles and policies supported by the candidates. “Spin” is a major driver in the paper-thin evaluation of political candidates and their policies. I see my job as an opportunity to raise awareness and educate. But even honest assessments and insightful thought leadership requires calibration and planning.
- Messaging Matters. Even if your company is not interested in speaking to the press on any political matters, it’s smart to at least talk about it. We live in an omni-channel world. Everyone, it seems, has four or five social media accounts. Understanding how to approach your narrative will help you navigate the murkier swamps of policy and politics.
- Prep is Key. I’ve worked in healthcare for more than 12 years. Many of my clients have been in the biz even longer. And one of the reasons we are all successful is that we realize that we can always learn more. Collect as much information you can. A lot of it you’ll already know but seeking out a variety of perspective can help you shape how you tell your story.
There’s no getting around it. Reporters from national publications and healthcare trades are turning to the industry’s thought leaders for their perspectives on what the next four years could look like for the healthcare industry and the millions of people it serves. It’s critical that we present ourselves as knowledgeable and responsible sources of information.
Image Copyright pam fray and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
by Matt Schlossberg | Sep 21, 2016 | Blog
It happens to healthcare vendors all the time…
It’s a great day at the office. Your sales team inks a deal with a major client. Your development team tells you that a recent implementation has been an earth-shattering success. An industry-renowned customer casually mentions to your CEO that your company’s platform should be an industry standard.
You fire off an email to your PR agency and the machine is set in motion. Press releases are drafted. Media alerts are sent. A steady cadence of pitches for bylines, case studies, and interviews land in the inboxes of scores of reporters and editors. Momentum begins to build.
You turn to your marketing team to begin coordinating strategy with your PR team, when suddenly a single e-mail or phone call brings the entire endeavor to a screeching halt.
Your customer the shining example of your company’s efficacy in a fiercely competitive marketplace can’t or won’t do a press release. Previously unknown policies against speaking to the media begin to pop up. Oh, and about that opportunity to co-present at a major healthcare conference yeah, turns out they will have to pass on that, too. So sorry, but perhaps they can do something as long as it is stripped of any quotes, endorsements, or mentions of the client.
A healthcare vendor’s clients are a critical and bountiful resource for your PR and marketing program. They offer third-party validation for the efficacy of your solution within the industry. They act as vendor-neutral sources for editors and reporters in the trade and business press. They provide real-world solidity to the larger trends and narratives impacting healthcare in the United States.
Though your clients may understand the value they could bring to your PR strategy, that doesn’t mean they will go along with it. Communication with a healthcare vendor’s clients about PR initiatives not only clears up misunderstandings, but also helps establish with your client boundaries and a level of comfort about deliverables being created with their name and reputation affixed to it.
Here are some tips to consider:
Reach out to their PR department. A big part of PR is relationship building. A quick huddle with your client’s PR or corporate communications department and agency is great for setting boundaries about what they will or won’t participate in.
Consider contractual language. Speak with your sales and legal teams. Do you contracts include any language about PR participation? Most client would understandably balk at being required to participate in a full-fledged PR campaign, but many contracts have a line or two mandating that a press release be distributed within 60 to 90 days of signing the contract.
Introduce your agency. You know and trust your PR agency but that doesn’t mean your client does. A quick meeting between your agency and your client clears the air and ensures that everyone is on the same page.
Share your plan. Any client who is participating in your PR efforts should have a voice in the actual strategy and tactics. This thinking goes beyond press release approval. It includes how and when they will be positioned and prepared for media interviews, speaking engagements, or other opportunities.
Establishing a regular cadence and open line of communication with a healthcare vendor’s client’s marketing and PR team ensures that you both make the most of your public relations efforts.
