by Jodi Amendola | Feb 23, 2016 | Blog
It’s hard to believe that HIMSS is next week. In addition to meetings with new business prospects and partners, networking, and reunions with friends and former colleagues, you can maximize your HIMSS experience by arranging media and analyst interviews during the show. HIMSS is a golden opportunity to meet one-on-one with these key industry influencers and differentiate your company from the competition. You can also leverage these meetings to identify and secure opportunities to be included in print or online articles, blog posts and industry reports.
These industry movers and shakers are incredibly powerful: One positive mention and your sales leads could skyrocket. One negative comment and the opposite can occur. Don’t panic. The following media training “cheat sheet” can help you achieve your goals and generate positive coverage:
- Do your Homework. One of my most embarrassing HIMSS moments was when a client told an analyst that he “really liked his magazine.” The client obviously hadn’t taken the time to read our prep book! Before a meeting, research the background of the editor or analyst and become familiar with his/her areas of expertise and interest. Always customize your answers to address their audiences needs and pain points.
- Remember your Manners. Nothing is more annoying than being interrupted. Listen to the entire question being asked and tailor your responses. Address the questions within the context of the target audience(s) and avoid dominating the conversation with a product or service pitch. Sometimes it will be appropriate to share your knowledge, vision and thoughts on the industry rather than focus on your company.
- Body Language. Be confident, enthusiastic and friendly. Smile, lean forward and make direct eye contact. Don’t cross your arms or fidget. Remember, how you deliver your message can be as important as the message itself.
- Get to the Point. Prepare an “elevator” pitch a two to three sentence description of your company that is easy to understand. In other words, how would you describe your company and its products and services to your mother or the person sitting next to you on an airplane? Make sure it includes the key points you want editors or analysts to remember.
- Avoid Jargon. Explain your product or service in layman’s terms. It’s your responsibility to make the pitch simple, clear and memorable.
- Power of Three. Focus on three main talking points and weave them into the conversation whenever possible. Often a reporter/analyst will ask if there is anything else that you would like to add at the end of an interview. Use this opportunity to restate your three core messages.
- Tie to Hot Topics. Demonstrate that you are a thought leader and can address hot topics such as meaningful use, ACOs, and where the industry is heading — not just talk about your product or company. Share the bigger vision.
- Zen of Interviewing. When asked a difficult question, maintain eye contact, control your gestures and breathe. Listen to the question and request clarification if necessary. Give yourself time to collect your thoughts and then respond. If you don’t know, don’t make it up. Offer to get back to the reporter/analyst with the appropriate information.
- Tell a Story. People remember stories. Talk about client successes and lessons learned that highlight how your products deliver real-world value. If possible, include relevant ROI data in your storytelling.
- Build Relationships. Be yourself, be genuine and have fun. Let editors and analysts know that you can address multiple topics and to feel free to call on you for commentary or to discuss industry trends. Offer your clients as sources for future articles. Remember, these editors and analysts can have an incredible impact on your company’s reputation and marketplace visibility. Take the time to establish and strengthen these important relationships. Your investors, board members and employees will be glad that you did.
by Stephanie Fraser | Feb 16, 2016 | Blog
It’s a brand new year and HIMSS season (a.k.a. #HIMSSanity) is officially upon us. The Amendola team is in full swing preparing clients for the big show in Las Vegas, from media kit development and booth collateral to social media campaigns and on-site support for interviews and analyst briefings.
It goes without saying that garnering media attention at the healthcare IT industry’s largest annual conference is no easy feat. With 125 credentialed press floating among a sea of 43,000-plus attendees and over 1,300 HIMSS exhibitors, rising above the noise takes hard work, tactical planning, and a little bit of luck to land the coverage your company desires.
No matter what time of year, it’s always a challenge for us healthcare PR folks to determine what will tickle the media’s fancy. But even more so when the industry’s journalists are flooded daily with pitches, product launches, and interview and meeting requests the months before and during the conference.
So how can you make the most out of your HIMSS investment and improve your chances of getting noticed among press, analysts, and ultimately, potential customers? I asked four respected healthcare IT journalists what advice they would give to attending vendors to maximize their efforts, remain relevant, and stand out among an overly “transformative,” “disruptive,” “innovative,” and “solution”-saturated HIMSS conference world.
Fred Bazzoli, Editor-In-Chief, Health Data Management, @fbazzoli “Many companies feel compelled to release news at HIMSS. This happens to such a degree that, sadly, most news releases issued during HIMSS are hardly noticed in the email onslaught. Nor is it true that five releases issued during HIMSS are better than one. Your best bet is to manage your news release to occur before HIMSS (one to two weeks) make it as strong as possible, and be ready to discuss it at HIMSS, especially opportunities for follow-up or second-day coverage, if the outlet did not cover the release earlier.”
Kate Gamble, Managing Editor, HealthSystemCIO.com, @khgamble “Journalists receive tons of requests for meetings during HIMSS. If you’d like your request to stand out, customize it. Tell us why you would like to meet with us in particular (for example, you have a specific interest in an article series our publication is running, or you have someone you can recommend for an interview). And if we can’t take a meeting, please be understanding – we really are bombarded with requests, and we only have so much time to cover the conference. Also, please do not have multiple people from the same company reach out to us. And lastly, thank you for your interest – we do appreciate it, even if we can’t accommodate you.”
John Lynn, Blogger and Founder, HealthcareScene.com, @techguy “Don’t shout on social media, engage. No one cares that you’re at Booth #0000 at HIMSS, so don’t shout that out on the #HIMSS16 hashtag. Instead, focus your social media efforts on engaging with those talking on the #HIMSS16 hashtag that could be customers or could be influencers that your customer watch. No one will remember your booth, but everyone remembers someone who sincerely engages with them. Others will notice that sincere engagement too.”
Neal Versel, Reporter, MedCity News, @nversel “Respect our time. There are 1,300 vendors, and we can’t meet with everyone. We also have to find time to do our regular writing assignments, and can’t afford to spend all day meeting with vendors. Plus, a lot of the educational sessions are excellent and worthy of coverage. A lot of vendors don’t understand that it isn’t just the zoo of a show floor.”
by Matt Schlossberg | Feb 11, 2016 | Blog
In 2010, the PR Director of the health IT association I worked for asked me to shoot video of staff and members. I did a double-take. I was a managing editor. Magazine articles, case studies, blog posts, Newsletters, books if you needed prose, I was your guy.
But video? My “qualifications” included being a classic movie buff and serving as director of shaky, out-of-focus snippets of my kids taking their first steps.
However, there was no budget, no oversight, and no expectations of success, so I agreed to do it. I was given a cheap handle-held camera, a tripod with a bum leg, and best wishes in finding my own editing software. I figured I would muscle through a couple of videos before this nascent program was quietly smothered in the crib.
Six years, 230+ videos, and one association award later, I’m a video evangelist. Here’s why video could be one of the most versatile tools in your marketing/PR arsenal:
Video is a powerful tactic on its own. I can quickly shoot and edit testimonials, as well as impactful messages and perspectives from thought leaders. For example, I shot 20 minutes of video for an Amendola client, and was able to edit a half-dozen distinct videos for them to use over the course of months. YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet, after Google. In addition, 70% of the top 100 search listings on Google are videos. More than 92% of B2B customers watch video online, and 75% of executives watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly, according to Forbes.
Video seamlessly integrates with other tactics. Video can make your other PR/marketing tactics press releases, social media, and media pitching stand out from the crowd. For example, video increases email open-rates by 96%.
Video is cheap, easy and fun. With a one-time $300 investment and a bit of experimentation, I had portable film studio and am able to create professional-looking video clips very quickly and on the fly.
Forget big budgets. With minimal investment and technical know-how you can create a robust, creative video program that will give the rest of your PR/Marketing tactics a much-needed shot in the arm.
Check out some of the client testimonial videos I’ve created, using footage captured at HIMSS.
by admin | Feb 10, 2016 | Blog
Our own Marcia Rhodes was quoted in the article below, which was originally published on HealthcareDive.com.
Although more than 1,000 miles apart, both Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and Jackson Health System in Miami have had an onslaught of bad press recently. One involves criminal sexual abuse allegations, the other a drunken tirade against an Uber driver caught on a video that was posted to YouTube and quickly went viral. As of last week, the video now had close to 6 million views.
Dr. David Newman, an emergency room physician at Mount Sinai, turned himself over to the police after a woman claimed he drugged, groped her and then performed a lewd act when she went to the ER for shoulder pain on January 12.
Newman 45 has served in Iraq, taught at medical schools, and is an author of a book called “Hippocrates Shadow” about the doctor-patient relationship as well as The New York Times articles. A few days after the woman contacted the police about the alleged incident, the New York Daily News reported the police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office were investigating the case.
Mount Sinai issued the following statement to The Daily News: “We are aware of an allegation that has been made against one of our physicians. This is a matter under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities. We take this matter very seriously and are conducting our own internal investigation.”
Marcia Rhodes, regional managing director at Amendola Communications, a marketing firm specializing in healthcare and healthcare IT, told Healthcare Dive, “Mount Sinai did the right thing by responding to the press the same day the incident came to light and keeping the lines of communication open.”
After the news broke, another women reportedly came forward and told police she went to Mount Sinai’s ER in September 2015 and was also groped by Dr. Newman. When Dr. Newman was arrested on January 19, hospital officials told The New York Times he had been suspended.
When Healthcare Dive inquired about the status of Dr. Newman earlier this week, Kathleen Robinson, senior media director at Mount Sinai, sent this statement via email:
“The physician has been suspended from Mount Sinai pending the outcome of the investigation, and we continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities. He has not provided care to patients at Mount Sinai since the investigation began. We take the nature of these allegations very seriously and continue to conduct our own extensive internal inquiry. The health and safety of our patients are our primary concern. Since this is a police matter, we cannot provide further details.”
Reputation is Everything
Fraser Seitel, an adjunct professor of public relations at NYU and a partner at Rivkin & Associates, a management and consulting firm that specializes in crisis counseling for healthcare institutions, agreed with Rhodes and added the hospital is “doing the right thing” by suspending Dr. Newman.
“They have a well-respected doctor who’s been charged with violating the [Hippocratic] oath he took to prevent harm,” Seitel said. “If he is found by Mount Sinai’s investigation, not to mention by the courts, to be guilty, then the institution has to discharge him. The reason why is because the reputation of the organization transcends the individual.”
In fact, a hospital’s reputation may be its most important attribute. A report by the National Research Corporation found 60% of consumers said a hospital’s reputation is “very important” when considering it for future needs.
Hospitals are more vulnerable than other organizations to public relations challenges because of the nature of treating patients on a daily basis. “As these [recent] incidents show, character and proper conduct are often as important to patients as technical medical skill,” Tina Cassidy, executive vice president and chief content officer at InkHouse Public Relations, told Healthcare Dive. Also, physicians are held to a much higher moral standard because they took the Hippocratic Oath, Rhodes explained, so when they harm another person, it’s viewed as a more serious crime.
Trouble in Miami
Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon, a fourth-year neurology resident at Jackson Health System in Miami, whose Jan. 17 drunken tirade against an Uber driver was captured on a video that went viral, also has been suspended. The driver did not press charges.
The hospital issued a statement, which said Ramkissoon had been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, and removed from all clinical duties. The hospital is conducting an internal investigation, and the outcome will determine if any disciplinary action will occur, including termination, according to the statement.
Although damaging to the hospital’s reputation, Seitel described the event as a “painful incident” but added, it had nothing to do with her practice as a physician, unlike the Mount Sinai situation. He suggested that she go public immediately and win empathy by admitting her mistake.
Ramkissoon did appear on Good Morning America, albeit a week after the incident, and apologized for her actions. But Cassidy said she thought the hospital could have helped her manage PR after the fact.
The Miami Herald reported Dr. Ramkissoon said she has not been contacted by the hospital and was hiring a lawyer and a public relations firm.
Hospitals can not ignore social media
The power of social media cannot be ignored. The Pew Research Center reported in 2013 more than 60% of people younger than age 40 get their news from social networks.
Hospitals need to keep this in mind when handling times of bad press. “Social media has become a major challenge for hospitals and can be exacerbated during times of crisis,” Rhodes explained. Since hospitals have to be HIPAA compliant with information they share with the press, they can be misperceived as holding back information, she added. “HIPAA and social media are a dangerous combination, which explains why Career Cast has listed PR executives as the 6th most stressful job in the U.S.”
“It’s always a challenge for hospitals to balance privacy with transparency,” Seitel stated. It’s important for hospitals to use a “common sense approach” even if involved in litigation and “do what’s in the best interest of the institution.”
Cassidy agreed hospitals always need to protect their patients first, which then leads to protecting their reputation without which their business and mission will suffer. While they also have a duty to their doctors, outside forces will always reveal any perceived wrongdoing and hospitals need to be ready for that.
Do hospitals need a plan?
The PR experts Healthcare Dive interviewed said hospitals are so vulnerable to a wide variety of potential public relations crises that a communication plan is essential.
However, Seitel said hospitals can’t prepare for all types of incidents and should instead have a philosophy of transparency and disclosure that service well in these type of cases.There are many stakeholders involved in hospitals, so without a plan, it would be difficult for hospitals to think through what to do in these situations, Cassidy said.
The main components of a crisis communication plan, according to Rhodes, include a:
- List of the crisis team members (legal, operations, and PR counsel); and
- Process for determining what types of events need to be escalated to the crisis team and how to best handle five crisis scenarios.
Most crises are predictable, so they should be planned for in advance, she noted. PR agencies can help with risk assessment: We start by identifying the five crises that are most likely to occur and be most potentially damaging to one’s reputation, and help our client with a well thought-out, proactive plan involving all stakeholders.
It remains to be seen how the two hospitals will resolve the recent PR storms.
Their biggest challenge is the court of public opinion, Cassidy remarked on the hospitals situations.
“You try to do the right thing. That’s the mantra of the PR counselor, Seitel concluded. You try to get the client to do the right thing, depending on the situation. That’s another reason why it’s difficult to plan for every situation, each one is different.”
