by Stacy State | Oct 2, 2019 | Blog
We all have strengths and whether we admit it or not, we all have weaknesses. For one, I can’t seem to make a grilled cheese sandwich without burning at least one side. Lucky for me, there are people that not only cook grilled cheese to perfection, but they’ve done so well they’ve opened entire businesses to support this one simple menu item.
Outsourcing we all do it, nearly every day. I, for one, often “outsource” my cooking whether it be to family members or to nearby restaurants.
According to Dictionary.com, outsourcing is a verb meaning to purchase (goods) or subcontract (services) from an outside supplier or source. Unfortunately, the word “outsourcing” often sparks a negative connotation. In reality, it’s simply working with others to provide goods or services to enable one to focus on their own strengths.
The Benefits of an Agency
In 2017, the entire outsourcing market was worth $89 billion and has only grown since with both large and small companies outsourcing various components of their business. Frequently, companies choose to outsource all or pieces of their marketing and public relations efforts.
Some reasons companies may choose a marketing and PR agency include:
- It can be difficult to find the best talent, at a reasonable price. Hiring an agency that specializes in your field can afford you multiple experts at a lower cost.
- Faster Turnaround. With domain knowledge and available tools, a team of experts can produce results faster.
- Tools and Technology. An agency has access to the latest marketing and public relations tools and technology required to execute flawless campaigns with robust reporting.
- Staying Focused. This is especially true of smaller companies or high-growth companies. If information technology is your specialty, let your teams focus on internal development and support while outsourcing tasks that supplement your company objectives while allowing your team to stay focused on their initiatives.
- Last, but not least it is often more financially viable to outsource all or pieces of marketing and public relations rather than staff an entire team. Depending on a company’s size and growth trajectory, an internal marketing and PR team may consist of 1-2 or as many as 20+ internal employees.
Leaders must remember that it’s not an “all or nothing” scenario. If you have internal teams to handle most of the marketing and PR efforts, but you need the other 20%-40% managed externally, most agencies can fit your specific needs into a customized plan.
How to Decide
Even as a highly regarded marketing and public relations agency, we recognize that outsourcing these critical business needs is not for everyone. In a recent Forbes article, Jodi Amendola of Amendola Communications discusses the four criteria and questions to ask before choosing an “outsourced” marketing and PR agency.
The four most important questions include:
- Do you have clearly defined goals that you want your agency to achieve?
- Do you have someone that can act as your corporate liaison?
- Is your company’s culture accepting of new ideas and concepts?
- Are you okay with not being completely in control?
The last two are of particular importance. Whether you have an internal marketing staff already or will be relying solely on an agency, the culture of the company and willingness to accept an outside agency as part of your team is the key to success. The more you accept an agency as part of your team the easier it is for your employees and the agency to align with the business objectives and achieve goals.
In the most successful relationships, companies perceive their marketing and PR firms as an extension of their own teams. As with the existing marketing associates, agencies must also be held accountable for achieving defined goals and measured on their successes.
In summary, every company has its strengths and weaknesses. Josh Kaufmann, a famous business and entrepreneurship author, once said, “For everything we don’t like to do, there’s someone out there who’s really good, wants to do it and will enjoy it.” If you can find one of those, you’re ahead of the game.
by admin | Feb 26, 2019 | News
Award-winning health IT agency to elevate thought leadership for top healthcare business analytics solutions leader
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 26, 2019 Amendola, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing agency, has been selected as the agency of record for VisiQuate, a leader in business analytics serving healthcare enterprises.
VisiQuate previously engaged Amendola to launch a successful media relations campaign, which drove the decision to expand the engagement. With the expanded program, Amendola will implement a broad range of PR, marketing and content strategies to generate awareness around VisiQuate’s healthcare business analytics solutions including Ana, the industry’s first virtual Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. VisiQuate’s solutions enable healthcare organizations to connect disparate data sources, automate complex business processes, and adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to transform the way healthcare organizations use data to eliminate the waste involved with revenue cycle management.
“Healthcare technology solutions, when powered by AI and machine learning, is rapidly being recognized and welcomed across the industry,” said Brian Robertson, CEO of VisiQuate. “We chose to expand our existing partnership with Amendola due to their unmatched healthcare technology expertise, strategy and relationships that lead to high-value engagements with media, industry influencers and stakeholders across the healthcare continuum.”
“VisiQuate is shaking up healthcare analytics as we know it,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola. “From developing the industry’s first virtual Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer to their solutions focused on improving cash flow while also improving patient outcomes, their contributions are allowing clinicians to focus on delivering quality care rather than time-intensive administrative burdens. We look forward to a strong continued partnership with VisiQuate to build thought leadership, drive awareness and deliver measurable results.”
Amendola will create and execute a comprehensive, strategic plan that will include securing trade and national media placements to showcase the strong outcomes revenue cycle professionals have had when working with VisiQuate. Press releases and contributed content will position the team as thought leaders, while speaking opportunities and awards will continue to showcase the innovative and disruptive work being done to improve patient outcomes through the use of better business intelligence.
About VisiQuate
VisiQuate is an expert managed service that helps clients achieve peak business health. With advanced AI capabilities, VisiQuate integrates complex data and presents it as role-personalized insights and actionable workflows. Root causes, trends, and opportunities become clear, leading to real-world results. VisiQuate’s virtual AI assistant, Ana, is informed by the experience of industry leaders and delivers reports within seconds of being asked, suggesting next steps that yield greater value. To learn more, visit www.visiquate.com.
by admin | Jan 29, 2019 | News
PR and marketing firm to help the organization communicate its goal of transforming the care delivery system
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., January 29, 2019 Amendola, a nationally recognized, award-winning health care and technology public relations and marketing agency, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Alliance for Better Health to provide PR and marketing services to the organization.
Amendola will help Alliance for Better Health develop its PR strategy and collaborate with the organization to develop an integrated, coordinated marketing plan.
“Alliance for Better Health’s mission, its innovative approach to building health equity, and its focus on addressing social determinants of health is admirable and inspirational. We expect to see great things from this organization in the coming years and we’re excited to help them get the word out about the amazing work they’re doing,” said CEO Jodi Amendola.
The New York-based Alliance for Better Health’s innovation program is providing more than $5 million to dozens of organizations in the Capital Region to demonstrate new concepts that are proactive in maximizing the health of individuals and, as a result, reducing the need for medical care and the financial burden of that care on individuals, business and taxpayers.
Alliance for Better Health CEO Jacob Reider, M.D., is passionate about addressing social determinants of health, but recognizes there’s still a lot of work to do to raise awareness of its benefits. “It’s so important, but many managed care organizations, community-based organizations and independent physicians struggle to effectively adopt best practices and coordinate services,” Reider said. “Engaging Amendola is just part of our commitment to helping organizations promote the health of people and communities.”
Amendola will be responsible for creating a comprehensive media relations plan that will include securing trade, national and local media placements to showcase the results CMOs, CBOs and IPAs have had when working with Alliance for Better Health. Press releases and contributed content will position the team as content experts and thought leaders and secure speaking opportunities and awards.
About Alliance for Better Health
Alliance for Better Health engages medical and social service providers in developing innovative solutions to promote the health of people and communities, with a goal of transforming the care delivery system into one that incentivizes health and prevention. Established in 2015 as a Performing Provider System in the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program (DSRIP), Alliance partners with more than 2,000 providers and organizations across a six- county area in New York’s Tech Valley and Capital Region.
by admin | Oct 30, 2018 | News
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., October 30, 2018 Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing agency, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the PR and marketing agency of record for CAREMINDr, a Silicon Valley-based mobile-enabled remote patient monitoring (mRPM) solution.
Amendola is leveraging a broad range of PR, marketing and content services to promote CAREMINDr’s innovative automated, turnkey mRPM solution to Medicare Advantage plans and other health plans and managed care organizations, physicians practices, employer groups and health systems. The CAREMINDr-Amendola collaboration is already shining a light on CAREMINDr’s thought leadership and innovation in the space, including published and accepted articles in leading media outlets such as Medical Economics, Healthcare IT News, Managed Healthcare Executive and AMGA’s Group Practice Journal.
Founded in 2017, CAREMINDr allows providers to efficiently monitor and “check in” with patients between appointments through automated, scheduled, condition-specific and clinically relevant patient-reported data capture. Consistent mobile communication, actionable insights and timely interventions enable providers to boost patient engagement to improve chronic care management, care transitions and outcomes. CAREMINDr offers health plans, health systems, physician groups and other organizations focused on population health management the tools needed to empower providers in achieving the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim of lower costs, healthier populations and more satisfied patients.
“We knew we needed an experienced PR and marketing partner to tell CAREMINDr’s story about how we’re helping providers and payers improve patient engagement and outcomes while lowering healthcare costs,” said Harry Soza, CEO of CAREMINDr. “When I thought about the best agency I had worked with, Jodi Amendola and her team came to mind immediately. We chose Amendola because they have the healthcare industry expertise, media relationships and marketing strategies that will enable more health plans, health systems and medical practices to learn more about CAREMINDr and how we can optimize outcomes for their patients or members.”
Amendola is promoting CAREMINDr through numerous PR, marketing and content marketing programs, supported by Amendola’s top-tier media research and relations. The agency is working with CAREMINDr to increase brand awareness and thought leadership by communicating its core value proposition to target audiences, drawing on Amendola’s deep industry knowledge and significant media relationships in health IT. Amendola is also delivering a wide range of content demonstrating the thought leadership and expertise of CAREMINDr’s leaders, all of whom are leaders and innovators in various fields of healthcare, health insurance and population health management.
“CAREMINDr’s CEO Harry Soza is a serial healthcare tech entrepreneur who brings innovation and creativity to every project he touches; I’m so thrilled to be working with him again,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications. “The vast majority of Americans are active users of smartphones and other mobile devices, so CAREMINDr’s convenient, efficient and clinically relevant mRPM solution is a smart and timely way for providers and health plans to engage patients to take ownership of their own health for better outcomes and lower costs.”
About CAREMINDr
CAREMINDr, a Silicon Valley company, is led by a team of experienced healthcare executives, technology experts and leading physicians that deliver proven technology solutions to healthcare organizations nationwide. CAREMINDr leverages the power of mobile-enabled remote patient monitoring (mRPM) to bridge the gap between physician appointments for stronger patient engagement and more efficient population health management. The automated, turnkey solution enables physicians to effortlessly “check in” on patients between visits. Patients conveniently and efficiently provide biometric, objective and subjective data. This approach monitors health status and social determinants, on a condition-dependent, clinically relevant schedule. The mRPM approach enables physicians to reduce ED visits and unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions, while improving patient engagement, outcomes and satisfaction. Find out more at www.caremindr.com
Media Contact:
Tara Stultz
Amendola Communications
440.225.9595
tstultz@acmarketingpr.com
by Lisa Chernikoff | Jan 3, 2018 | Blog
As a marketing and PR professional who has spent countless hours in tradeshow booths and walked more than 20,000 steps at the HIMSS conference while wearing heels, I’ve experienced both the glory and the defeat of being an exhibitor. And while there is no better feeling than packing up your boxes, tearing down the booth and heading home after a job well done, there is also no greater pain than realizing that your company’s precious time and resources were virtually wasted because your conference strategy fell short.
After every tradeshow, it’s common to speak with exhibitors who complain that “booth traffic was slow” and cite that reason as the root of their conference failure. But let’s be honest — that’s a lame excuse. It’s the easy way out to blame poor performance at the show on exhibit hall organizers rather than reflecting on how your team may be at fault, or at least largely contributed to the problem.
In fact, upon much-needed reflection, those complainers would see that they are likely committing the cardinal sin of tradeshow marketing. They’re only focused on the conference. They’re not focused on the holistic strategy that enables the smartest, more successful companies to succeed at conferences again and again and again.
To avoid this tradeshow trauma and emerge triumphant in 2018, it’s critical for companies to have a three-pronged approach that includes not just a conference strategy where you show up and wait, but also and even more importantly a pre-conference strategy and a post-conference strategy.
Here are 4 insider secrets to help you get started:
#1 Never rely on booth traffic
Sure, booth traffic is nice and we all want it but it’s even better to drive traffic to your booth in advance. As savvy marketing professionals know, the best tradeshow marketing strategies start early and establish a regular cadence of communication. Most companies find that implementing a targeted email campaign starting 6 weeks in advance of the show is ideal but some may find that 8 weeks or 4 weeks works best for their audience.
These emails should be geared to both sales prospects to schedule meetings or demos and current clients to have a face-to-face touchpoint and determine cross-sale opportunities. As always, the top-performing emails are brief and targeted to attendees by role and job setting. It’s also best to have a form where attendees can schedule time and then receive a confirmation with a calendar invite. Why is that so important? It gets you on attendees calendars before they arrive at the show and are overwhelmed. Also, then your team can send them reminders about the scheduled slot or reach out if they don’t arrive as planned.
#2 Winning is great but winning isn’t everything
Pre-conference email campaigns can also invite attendees to activities in the booth such as speaking events or games instead of just meetings and demos. They can also offer attendees “a chance to win” and highlight big prizes, but they must not rely on the allure of a gimmick alone. There are few too many promotions for your giveaway to break through the noise. A pre-conference strategy that shares quality content, in addition to touting “a trip for 100 around the world” is the safest, most effective way to not only illustrate thought leadership but also to create brand awareness of your company as leader and innovator that offers far more than just a chance to win ““ but rather real ROI.
#3 Think like an attendee
Spoiler alert for those many hours spent in the booth. Nobody wants your marketing brochure! It will end up in the next trash can even if they take it, and if it makes it back to their room, it will end up in the hotel trash can. They also really don’t want a folder with multiple product one-pagers and a recent press release about your new product. Please note that this realization also spares your marketing team and admin hours of folder stuffing. Yes, you’re welcome.
The big idea here is to remember why attendees are at the conference. Most attendees are there to learn, not to purchase your “ground-breaking, best in class, fully integrated solution.” So, give them what they want like client case studies with real-world insights and thought leadership that demonstrates your knowledge and unique perspective. That’s the true value proposition that won’t get throw in the trash.
#4 Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up
It’s great to have a successful show, but it’s what companies do afterwards that matters most. It’s all about the follow-up communications, which should include a series of e-blasts, with the first prepared ahead of time and sent within 1-2 days of show close. The post-show e-blast should provide an opportunity to continue to engage with your company by downloading a new piece of content, registering for a webinar, or scheduling a full product demo for their broader team. However, the e-blast is not enough. To see results, it must be complimented by personalized follow-up from the sales team where there is even a small percentage chance of generating new pipeline. Without this timely and dedicated post-show communications, it’s impossible to reap the benefits of your hard work pre-show and at the show.
Remember, it doesn’t matter how many people attend the tradeshow. Only that the right people make it to your booth.
Instead of leaving success to chance, put together a three-prong plan that will tip the odds in your favor. It sure beats coming up with lame excuses later.
