Grace Vinton, a seasoned PR director for Amendola Communications, and James Aita, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Medicomp Systems chat with HealthcareNOW Radio’s “What’s My Tagline” host Carol Flagg about the recent ViVE 2023 conference in Nashville. Listen in as they share their top 5 takeaways from the conference.
The first-to-market companies who see a problem or need and develop tech to expertly solve it, aren’t always the ones that win in the marketplace. Why? Because they often are so focused on doing the good work that they miss the opportunity to broadcast their success to the world. They fail to achieve recognition and get the credit they are due as first-movers and capture mindshare, while others flood the market with similar technology, bigger budgets and gain market share.
That’s why thought leadership marketing and communications strategies are crucial to startups and first-to-market disruptors to give a startup street cred and drive online awareness in the marketplace.
Thought leadership will continue to be crucial strategy in the B2B tech space. It’s a go-to strategy anytime technology is transforming, modernizing and disrupting. This is happening in a lot of industries right now — especially in healthcare — where the pandemic has ignited long-overdue, massive digital transformation, from the back office to the OR and to connective home care to life sciences.
In working with a range of healthcare tech companies from startups to publicly traded entities, our recommended thought leadership campaigns include strategies to drive credibility and massive awareness with targeted audiences and the general public. Campaigns typically include strategic news/content, analyst relations, collaborations, awards, high-profile speaking engagements and, of course, focused efforts to secure earned media coverage for client thought leaders and subject matter experts through interviews, podcasts, webinars, and contributed byline articles.
Many of our clients have seen a white space opportunity — such as a chronic challenge in healthcare — and have solved it with tech. That’s leadership! Creating thought leaders within the client organizations who can share their expertise, amplify and broadcast their solution stories, and even help other peers by sharing their learning, is powerful.
Here are some thought leadership strategy tips to consider:
Analyst Relations
We all know these firms by name – Gartner, IDC, Forrester, CBInsights, Frost & Sullivan, KLAS, and Constellation Research, among many others. They provide consultative services and publish helpful reports that are distributed to their paid client base to help organizations understand the latest technology solutions, where and why to apply these solutions, who the tech vendors are, how they stack up and who to consider in a technology purchase decision. The job of industry analyst is challenging – they have to stay on top of all the many players in several niche areas, even as new players pop up every nanosecond.
Collaborations
As consumers, we see these regularly in the mass market. Right now the hottest collaborations include Cheetos and Kentucky Fried Chicken…Sharpie and Nike…Lego and the streaming series Stranger Things. The formula behind this idea is 1 plus 1 equal more than the sum of the parts, and that brands and businesses can borrow the credibility and equity of each other, shape an exciting and creative story, capture media attention and drive awareness and buzz.
That principle holds true in B2B marketing and communications too. Beyond the obvious – a vendor and a client coming together to tell their success story — we’ve seen creative forces come together for webinars, high-profile speaking engagements and social media and PR campaigns. One of the best examples was in 2011 when Ford and Toyota – two thought leaders in the newly disruptive automotive tech space – teamed up to innovate on hybrid cars. In healthcare, two thought leaders in a specific movement, say value-based care and AI tech — that aren’t in direct competition for the same geography or niche application space, could join forces to help drive the change. Again, 1+1=3!
Recognition
Submit your thought leadership work for awards which are not only feel-good recognition for the team, but also lend credibility and generate earned coverage and online buzz. Awards from prestigious organizations like Inc., Fortune, CNN, Forbes and Fast Company and industry-specific awards from the likes of Modern Healthcare or Fierce Healthcare offer high-profile cache and elevate a company’s brand.
As long as technology continues to advance – AI, ML, VR, G5/6G and more – and startups keep disrupting industries, thought leadership strategies will be an integral part of any successful PR program. From what we can tell, that’s not easing up any time soon.
Attending healthcare conferences is an investment for your company. Balanced against the costs of travel, lodging and registration are the opportunities to make valuable connections, showcase your company and learn more about the industry. Accomplishing those goals requires a plan to get the maximum benefit from your two to three days at the conference.
At Amendola, our public relations experts boast decades of combined experience planning strategy and executing performance across a wide range of healthcare trade shows, from HIMSS and HLTH to RISE and ViVE.
Creating a successful conference strategy begins with defining what your company is and how it can help clients improve care delivery, reduce costs, or boost efficiency – and how you want to characterize those factors to the market.
“Healthcare tradeshows give you the opportunity to showcase your company’s identity to the world,” says Grace Vinton, account director. “Similar to the way each person has a unique identity and personality, so does your company. Are you smart? Funny? Wise? Risk-taking? Get out of your comfort zone and show the industry who you really are!”
Once strategy is set and media targets are selected, schedule meetings and interviews, but don’t make the mistake of walking into these discussions unprepared. It’s important to prepare and know your audience.
“Plan ahead!” recommends Jodi Amendola, CEO. “Schedule meetings well in advance with prospects, partners, potential investors, new hires, etc. When I attend a key trade show, I have a full calendar of meetings and events before I even pick up my badge and this has served me well. Trade shows are the ideal venue for meeting new people, but also a time to build on existing relationships and catch up over coffee or drinks. Reuniting with former clients, editors and other industry veterans that I have known for years is my favorite part of the craziness at conferences.”
“As a thought leader packing a lot into just a few short days, it’s vital to stay organized,” notes Katlyn Nesvold, senior account director. “Make sure all your meetings are on your calendar, including media interviews, networking lunches with clients or prospects, and add any sessions you would like to attend directly into your calendar so you know where you’re going on the fly! Print and review briefing documents for interviews in advance in case wi-fi isn’t working, and so you can plan for your day.”
In other words, do your homework.
“My best recommendation for clients participating in media interviews is to spend time reviewing the media briefing information so you are familiar with the publication, the reporter, and the likely direction of the conversation,” says Michelle Noteboom, senior director of accounts and content. “Check out previous stories and interviews to familiarize yourself with the topics that might be of interest to the interviewer.”
Whether your company has a booth, is speaking, or is hosting an event, a thoughtful social media strategy is also important. “When I’ve taken the time to align social content with clients’ conference activities, I’ve seen a huge jump in exposure online and in booth traffic,” notes Maddie Noteboom, account manager. “Whether it’s on LinkedIn or Twitter, there is so much chatter throughout these conferences and it’s a wasted opportunity to be sitting on the sidelines. Start by researching relevant hashtags and trends, making a checklist of photo opportunities, and planning out pre, during, and post-conference insights from company leaders. Do the prep work ahead of time and get in on the action during the conference!”
For newer companies, healthcare trade conferences are an excellent opportunity to raise their profiles among key stakeholders such as investors, partners, and analysts.
“Startups looking for industry credibility to increase sales should implement smart thought leadership strategies to drive recognition from credible third parties, such as industry analyst firms, awards programs, speaking opportunities at high-profile events, and even creative collaborations that allow the lesser-known company to leverage the brand equity of a more-known entity,” recommends Mardi Larson, media relations and account director.
Similarly, journalists come to conferences hungry for news and the chance to learn about latest industry developments. Companies attending trade shows can take advantage of this need for news by delaying big announcements until the show.
“I always advise clients to save their big announcements for a trade show,” shares Marcia Rhodes, vice president. “Journalists are always looking for news so if you can hold off announcing a new product or acquisition for a few months so that it is unveiled during a trade show, your odds of getting media coverage doubles. Then be sure to bring hard copies of the press release to hand out in your booth and during media and analyst meetings.”
Of course, there’s never a bad time for a refresher on the basics of trade show attendance, including perhaps the most important consideration for conference-goers: The right footwear.
“The important things to remember about healthcare trade conferences are to get plenty of rest, wear comfortable shoes, and leave enough time between meetings for contingencies,” says Philip Anast, general manager. “Employing these basic tips will amplify your chances of making the most of your media interviews and analyst briefings and bringing the best reflection of ‘you’ to your company and the influencers you’re targeting.”
Many PR and marketing professionals hold the mistaken belief that analyst briefings are pointless unless their company has a paid subscription with the analyst firm. Analyst relations are frequently one of the first items marketers seek to remove from our PR proposals.
We firmly believe it is worthwhile for your organization to conduct an “earned” briefing, similar to the earned opportunities your PR team is actively seeking from the media. This is true even if your organization does not have a paid relationship with an analyst firm. Analysts are typically flexible when it comes to scheduling calls or even in-person briefings, provided the privilege of an earned briefing is not misused. Nonetheless, make sure you have something significant to say, and that you are ready for challenging inquiries regarding the strategy, target markets, clients, and even the financials of your firm.
Executives looking to make significant buying decisions about healthcare technology solutions often rely on analyst recommendations. Several companies rely on the rankings of a well-known analyst firm and send their RFPs only to the top 5 vendors on those lists. It is critically important that your organization is included among vendor recommendations when your prospects check in with analysts.
Yes, you’ll probably have to take a sales call along with the briefing. But the intrinsic, long-lasting value of getting in front of key analysts who decide to make the lineup for recommendations makes that 30 extra minutes listening to a sales spiel about their services and events well-worth the effort. Plus, the media often turns to analysts for expert insights. While analysts usually don’t reference specific vendors in their quotes, you do want them to be aware of your positioning so that when they are quoted in the media, your organization’s vision is helping to shape the thinking behind their comments.
Which are the key analyst firms you should consider targeting for “earned” briefings? In general, the most well-known firms are Gartner, Advisory Board, IDC, Forrester, Frost & Sullivan, KLAS, Chilmark, S&P Global and Signify Research. There are analysts, such as Mike Feibus of FeibusTech, who also write articles for media outlets.
Regular briefings with the pertinent analysts at these firms should be a part of your analyst relations strategy. Several of them regularly attend health tech conferences such as HIMSS, ViVE and HLTH. Your PR team should be making sure you connect with them in person during the show. The meet-and-greet at these shows should lead to a full briefing via Zoom a few weeks after the show.
If there is no opportunity to meet in person, visit the analyst firm’s website to view a list of the reports they intend to release throughout the course of the year. Create a briefing schedule based on these reports and then complete an online form requesting a briefing with the pertinent analyst.
So, you got the briefing booked. Now what? Be sure to read “Analyst Briefings Best Practices” for recommendations to help you prepare, including who should attend the meeting, what slide content to include and how many slides you need, practicing your presentation, and more.
We’ve all been there – sitting in a meeting that could have easily ended a half-hour ago – but for some reason, the meeting just crawls on and on.
One person may go off on a tangent that may be mildly interesting but has no relevance to the meeting’s objectives. Another person may ask a question that they would have already known the answer to if they were paying attention five minutes earlier. Yet another may deliver a 5- or 10-minute monologue that only has relevance to one other team member at the meeting and could have more easily and efficiently been handled via one well-written email.
Regardless of the reason, business meetings too often turn out to be a waste of time and resources. That was a major conclusion of the book “The Surprising Science of Meetings,” written by Steven G. Rogelberg, a professor at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte and perhaps the world’s “leading expert” on business meetings.
“Poorly conducted meetings clearly hurt leaders, teams, departments, and organizations,” Rogelberg writes. However, that is not to say that meetings should be eliminated. In some cases (when performed properly), meetings are a necessary means of exchanging ideas, arriving at decisions, and keeping team members informed.
Most companies view bad and unnecessary meetings as an inevitable cost of doing business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s simply a question of making meetings more productive and valuable to all participants – and a big part of that is choosing the right length of time.
Meetings in Corporate America: Too many and too long
On an average day in the U.S., 55 million meetings occur, according to Rogelberg’s research. That represents five-fold growth over the 11 million daily meetings that happened in 1976, according to a Harvard Business Review estimate.
Today, on average, non-managers attend eight meetings per week, while the number for managers climbs to 12. Chief executives may spend a whopping 60% of their time in meetings, according to Rogelberg.
Though most of us may prefer not to think about it, there is a time and cost associated with every meeting. An estimate by Xerox once found that meetings among its 24,000-employee development team cost the company over $100 million a year. Separately, an estimate from Lucid Meetings found that the U.S. spends $1.4 trillion per year on meetings, or roughly 8% of the nation’s annual gross domestic product.
Despite all this expense and investment, meetings often fail to accomplish much of anything productive – just ask the attendees. A 2014 survey of nearly 2,100 U.S. adults found that nearly half of respondents would rather do anything unpleasant, such as standing in line at the DMV or watching paint dry, than attend a status meeting. Further, more than one-third of respondents said status meetings are “a waste of time.”
Separately, a 2005 Microsoft survey of 40,000 global workers found that 69% said their meetings were unproductive.
30 minutes is the magic number
It’s all enough to make one ponder: If so many of us seem to agree that corporate America spends too much time in meetings that often fail to accomplish their objectives, then why don’t we cut down on the amount of time we spend in meetings? Judging from a couple of Google searches, I’m not the only one.
Luckily, there’s a simple way to reduce the amount of time we all spend in meetings: Never allow them to exceed 30 minutes.
Plenty of other meeting-weary attendees have come to the same conclusion:
While doing away with hour-long meetings might seem like a dramatic shift to some, I believe it is more doable than many of us assume. Instead of hour-long meetings, try 15 – 20 minute huddles, SparkHire suggests. Come prepared with an agenda, ask attendees to brainstorm ideas by themselves ahead of time (a technique known as “brainwriting” that I’ve previously advocated), limit the number of participants to only those absolutely necessary, and start with what’s important.
So next time you’re tempted to send out a notice for a 60-minute meeting, pause, take a deep breath, and think about what you could do beforehand to cut that time in half. Your teammates will undoubtedly appreciate it.
Many of our clients who accept an invitation to appear as a guest on a podcast are shocked when they learn that the interview included a video recording that was uploaded to YouTube. Keep in mind that even if the interview is in podcast form, you should always be ready for a possible video interview. No problem as you frequently use Zoom for calls. Right?
Zoom is undoubtedly the most user-friendly video platform in the world. It enables remote interviews without requiring a complex home studio setup. But there’s a catch: you’re now in charge of your own lighting, audio, and makeup.
Do not fret. There is no need to put in hours attempting to simulate an interview created by a professional company. Get the following fundamentals down, and you’ll exude assurance, polish and warmth.
#1: Learn about the “Touch up my appearance” tool in Zoom. Your video display receives an instant soft focus, giving it a more polished image.
#2: Steer clear of virtual backgrounds. They’re enjoyable with friends and coworkers, but not suitable for interviews with the press. The ideal setting is a neat home office. However, if you don’t have a specific working area, pay attention to your surroundings. A messy bed, an open bathroom door, or a background mirror might be embarrassing. Additionally, look for a location where you can keep out kids, other people, and your pets to prevent this scenario.
#3: Do not position yourself too near the camera. This gives the potential viewer the unsettling impression that a huge face is staring back at them through their computer screen. Put yourself in a position where your head, shoulders and chest are visible to the camera.
#4: Dress in professional business attire. On video, solid blue clothing projects well; however white could make you appear washed out. Avoid wearing jewelry with loud or dangling charms or busy patterns that will draw attention away from what you are trying to express.
#5: Powder your nose and forehead to “de-shine.” Any shine gets exaggerated on video and can be distracting. If you don’t happen to have a compact of powder on hand, crank up your AC ahead of the interview.
#6: Keep looking the audience in the eye. Direct your attention to the camera on the laptop or computer screen. To make sure that your eyes are pulled to the camera, experts advise adding an arrow.
#7: It’s a good idea to write down three important points that you want to remember and set them nearby, out of sight of the camera. It is preferable to glance down at notes rather than up at the ceiling when trying to remember anything. In fact, looking up during an interview makes candidates seem dishonest. To use as “cue cards,” you may also put up your talking points against the side of your camera.
#8: Instead of using your smartphone, use a laptop or desktop PC. Your interviewer will be able to capture you in landscape mode this way.
#9: Always rehearse with a coworker to ensure that all of the above have been taken into account. Your confidence and memory of the information you wish to convey will both be greatly improved by even one practice session.
If you would like coaching on what to say and how to say it during interviews, consider taking some “Media Training.” Everyone gains significantly from it, regardless of how frequently they have been the subject of media interviews. To learn more about our media training programs, contact Amendola at info@acmarketingpr.com.
Best of luck with your next video interview!