by Jodi Amendola | Apr 28, 2021 | Blog
As many readers of the Amendola blog are probably aware, I lost my mother, who was my inspiration and guiding light, to COVID-19 the night before Thanksgiving last year. It was difficult for my family as well as me, especially because I believe it was unnecessary.
She should have been there to celebrate the holidays with us and would have been in my opinion had it not been for some missteps in her care.
As part of my process of dealing with this unexpected loss, I wrote a story about her that appeared in the Arizona Republic. If you’d like to know more about the details, along with my thoughts about what you should do to advocate for your loved ones should they be in the same unfortunate circumstances, it’s all contained in that article.
It’s what happened next, however, that I want to address today.
Shortly after that article appeared (and was re-posted on Facebook), I began to receive the most touching and beautiful comments, messages, and emails. And I’m still receiving them.
Some were from friends, of course, expressing their sympathy for my loss. Many, however, were from strangers who had gone through a similar experience and found a sense of kinship in sharing their grief as I had shared mine.
It was a stark reminder of a basic principle we, as marketing and PR professionals, should keep in mind: PR in general, and thought leadership in particular, works better when you make it personal. A topic, incidentally, I also explored in my latest Forbes Agency Council article.
The most effective thought leadership comes when the person behind it is passionate about the subject matter. Yes, you can write in a detached away about something technical, conveying information and/or data that is worth sharing. But while it informs, it usually doesn’t move people to action.
For that you need a human element. And nothing is more human than sharing something personal.
It can be a story from your childhood, your teen years, or your time as an adult. It can be about something funny that happened to you, or something sad, or something that contains a mix of emotions you can’t even sort out yourself.
Or it can be about a person who means a lot to you. Like my mom did to me.
The important thing is that it is a little glimpse behind the façade we all tend to put up in our business encounters to cover our true selves. In other words, it’s real.
Organizations often talk about creating an emotional connection to their brand during branding meetings. But then they’ll do everything they can to hide anything that seems remotely raw or real.
To me, that approach makes no sense. Sure, you don’t want to air all of the organization’s dirty laundry in your marketing and PR efforts. But what’s wrong with showing your human side?
The point is a person or a company can be open and honest about their feelings and reactions to events without falling into the rabbit hole of controversy. The key is to focus on the parts that are universal to the human experience.
We all experience joy and caring. We all experience excitement and wonderment at one time or another. We all experience grief and loss.
That doesn’t mean we experience it in the same way. But we do share those experiences to some degree.
The more willing organizations are to take a stand and tell stories about themselves, their employees, their customers, and everyone else who is connected to them, the more “real” they will become in the minds of their key audiences. And the more successful they will be in creating a brand image that is unique and memorable.
I know it’s not always easy to tell these stories. We can all feel a little exposed when we offer these types of details about ourselves.
When I wrote about my mom it was like going through it all over again.
Yet as I see the reactions continue to come in I know I made connections with people I’ve never met, and probably never will properly meet. Isn’t that what marketing and PR are really all about?
by Chris Currington | Oct 7, 2020 | Blog
Whenever asked to come up with a marketing plan, many people refer back to the “The Four Ps of Marketing” and use them as the basic foundation to develop an integrated strategy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of healthcare and health IT companies have had to totally rethink the four Ps—whether they know it or not. And, they’ve had to do this as fast as possible while trying to save lives—of frontline workers and infected patients—while remaining relevant and profitable.
Here’s an example. Currently all eyes are on the biopharma industry to see how quickly they can develop a vaccine that will effectively stop—and hopefully eradicate—the coronavirus.
- The “P”roduct here is the vaccine, and there are many companies testing theirs to see which offer the best and safest results.
- But have you also noticed a lot of the “P”romotions that these companies have been making in the national news? So far, none of them have been paying for these promotions—and that’s an important point of clarification—not all promotions are paid.
- There are also a lot of national arguments on the “P”lacements of the vaccines. How will the vaccine be distributed and who will be first in line to receive it? How will they know it’s available and where to get it?
- And of course, we’re also hearing a lot or rumblings about the “P”rice of the vaccine. Will it really be free (someone has to pay for it) or will there be a hefty cost when people pull up their shirt sleeves?
Because we’re in a pandemic, the whole healthcare industry has had to deal with its effects on their individual products and services. Here’s a recap of a few observations of what’s been happening.
Product
Because of COVID-19, many—if not all—health IT companies have had to take a very hard look at their products and solutions and how they can help health workers deal with and provide care to those in need.
Some of the products are back-end solutions that integrate with technologies such as EHRs—to provide faster service and track results. Certain companies may deal more directly with healthcare coordination or how data is being used and sent, while others may provide community-based services to those who are most vulnerable. And as mentioned above, many are dealing with therapeutics that help in delivering care to those affected with the virus.
Placement
Directly related to the product or solution is where and how it will be used. This will have an effect on how it will be marketed and determine the channels for those efforts.
Right now, in healthcare, certain products (think thermometers, COVID-19 tests, ventilators, etc.) are moving very quickly all around the world. But it takes sophisticated logistical operations to get equipment where it needs to be.
But this also affects how the public is informed and how the product gets used. For example, we’ve heard several instances of how someone may be feeling symptoms related to the virus but has absolutely no idea about where to go to get a test.
Promotions
This is probably the most confusing and difficult of The Four Ps to navigate during the pandemic. With so many companies wanting—and deserving—earned media placements, many news outlets are overwhelmed with requests. Having the right relationships with the media, and offering them true, compelling and factual stories is key to making sure products and solutions receive the attention they deserve.
Paid promotions are an obvious possibility, but with so much information “out there” companies will need to be very analytical, specific and targeted to reach their audiences and cut through the noise. Social media is also a good option to promote a product or solution, but knowing the right channel and frequency are keys to getting attention, followers, likes and shares.
Price
The most compelling of the Four Ps to the consumer of a product or service is the price! Remember all the fears about toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortages, and efforts to control supply and demand?
Many healthcare and health IT companies—in order to meet needs and create a common good for care delivery—provided their solutions for free. But they can’t do this forever because they’ll go broke. And, in an unstable economy, pricing dilemmas will surely consume many of these companies’ time—while trying to maintain and salvage relationships with clients and customers.
As has been demonstrated time and time again, The Four Ps of Marketing create the formula for a winning strategy and a profitable company. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have had to revisit all the Ps to make sure their product or solution gets where it needs to be or does what it can do for health workers.
Products, places, promotions and price are now more relevant to healthcare delivery—and saving people’s lives—than they have ever been before.
by Chris Currington | Jul 8, 2020 | Blog
Here’s the scenario. A new product or solution has been developed. Sales and marketing — because they have tangible goals that must be met in a certain timeframe — want to rush out the product launch so they can start selling it.
However, other departments within the organization — such as legal and finance — may take a more cautious approach. Legal doesn’t want to get the word out too quickly because there are too many items that need to be checked off the list first, such as the accuracy of competitive intelligence and any contractual obligations about promotions and sales. Finance wants to make sure that the pricing structure and cost of the product or solution are “just right,” and they need to make sure that future projections are accurate for budgeting and planning.
Working in corporate public relations, and marketing communications specifically, we’ve seen the push and pull between product development, marketing, finance and legal departments over when and how much information to give the general public and captive audiences. We’ve even witnessed arguments — in person and over email — about how much information should be released and how fast.
Here’s what an abbreviated conversation looks like.
Sales: “When is that product going to be ready, we need to start selling immediately!”
Marketing: “All promotions are ready to go. We’ve told Sales that they can start selling next week.”
Finance: “Hold on. What’s the pricing structure and do you have buyers willing to pay for it? If so, how many buyers do you have? And have all promotions and pricing been approved by Legal?”
Legal: “Who approved all of the promotions? We don’t have any contracts that are ready to be presented to customers.”
CEO: “Everyone stop. We need to get our strategy and information aligned before we make any entry into the market with this new product.”
Determining the who and the when
Look at developing marketing communications and the release of information in terms of three phases: product development, product launch, and post-launch.
During the product development phase, there should be several departments at the table. This would include product, marketing and legal, with executive oversight. Product is there to determine the path forward, timing and development efforts. Marketing is at the table to help with competitive intelligence and potential messaging as the product goes through testing. Legal is there to cross check the accuracy and legitimacy of competitive intelligence, as well as the claims about the new product that can and cannot be made. And the executive provides oversight to make sure everything runs smoothly and that the appropriate individuals are held accountable for their team’s efforts.
Preparing for product launch
As we approach the product launch phase — and because everyone has been working in tandem rather than in their silos — information starts to get approval and a go-to-market strategy starts to unfold. Based on testing, product is working out the final details before launch.
However, this is where things could get complicated for marketing and communications. By this point marketing has probably finalized the product name, gotten the legal approvals and trademarked or registered it. But what are we going to say about the product in order to promote it effectively, yet not tip our hand to our competitors? What remains proprietary and what can be shared? If we share too much — or if we say too little — our competitors will seize on it.
This is where marketing and legal engage in a very fine dance — with marketing getting creative and legal providing the checks and balances.
Marketing and its copywriters should begin carefully crafting the messages that were uncovered during the product development phase, and pressure-test them with confidential audiences. Here, the audience reacts to certain emotions and feelings elicited by the actual text, and copywriters can refine messaging based on those reactions. Some messages will get axed, some will get nuanced and some will be born.
After the messages have been created, then bring in the visuals that will align with those feelings and emotions that were uncovered. The visuals can be used for the collateral, website, presentations and any other materials that will be produced.
During the pre-launch phase, legal is also approving the messaging, making sure that all claims are factual, nothing crosses the line, and most importantly, that not too much information will make its way into the public domain. Legal can also help determine the intellectual property (IP) that can be shared with the general population as well as what IP can be shared with the target buyers.
With marketing and legal working as allied forces — rather than opposing forces — the whole product launch will be much easier. And, when materials are presented to sales — after they’ve been fully vetted — a lot of heartburn will have been avoided because sales will have clear parameters about what they can and cannot claim about the product.
Before product launch, marketing should be working with finance and sales as well. Together, they will need to work out product pricing, target audiences, actual buyers and projections. Sales will be determining realistic goals and anticipating the product launch date, and finance will have a detailed understanding of projected revenue.
Now that everything has been worked out and all systems are set, the product can be launched. Having worked together in unity, hopefully, all systems are a go and the information tug-of-war can be avoided — or at least made easier — and the post-launch phase is merely a matter of assessments and simple adjustments to ensure customer satisfaction.
The conversations should then be something like this.
Sales: “We’re ready.”
Marketing: “You have what you need.”
Legal & Finance: “We’re good. Good luck!”
CEO: “Good job, everyone.”
by admin | Feb 25, 2020 | News
Healthcare agency to build thought
leadership for population health management solutions provider
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 25, 2020 Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and technology public relations and marketing firm, announced today that CareMount Medical has engaged the agency to provide strategic public relations and marketing communications services.
CareMount Health Solutions, a physician-owned management services organization that is affiliated with CareMount Medical, is a leader in delivering population health management services including care coordination and clinical programs, data analytics, financial and actuarial analysis, and quality gap closure.
Additionally, CareMount’s Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) generated $778,583 in shared savings in 2018 as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Next Generation ACO Model initiative, one of just 38 Next Generation ACOs nationally to achieve earned savings for the time period.
“CareMount is pleased to have Amendola help us secure exposure for our key thought leadership areas such as value-based care, population health, and our enterprise-wide analytics platform,” said Scott D. Hayworth, M.D., President and CEO of CareMount. “We are pleased to partner with Amendola to help spread the word about our highly successful network development strategy and our expertise in helping our partners position themselves for the changing healthcare environment.”
“CareMount Medical is the largest independent multispecialty medical group in New York State and enjoys a long and distinguished history as a provider of world-class care for its patients,” said agency CEO Jodi Amendola. “We are proud to partner with CareMount as it builds on its success, while also helping the broader provider industry lay the foundation for the value-based processes that are critical to the future of healthcare.”
Amendola will create a comprehensive media relations plan that will include securing media placements to showcase the results of CareMount’s population health management program. A multi-pronged communications approach will include press releases and media pitches, contributed content, speaking engagements and awards to position the CareMount team as subject matter experts and thought leaders.
About Amendola
Amendola is an award-winning national public relations, marketing communications, social media and content marketing firm. Named one of the best information technology (IT) PR firms in the nation four times by PRSourceCode, Amendola represents some of the best-known brands and groundbreaking startups in the healthcare and HIT industries. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros delivers strategic guidance and effective solutions to help organizations boost their reputation and drive market share. For more information about the PR industry’s “A-Team,” visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow Amendola on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About CareMount Medical P.C.
CareMount Medical, P.C. is the largest independent multispecialty medical group in New York State, providing comprehensive medical care of the highest quality to over 665,000 patients in more than 45 locations throughout Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, and Ulster counties and New York City. Founded in 1946 as Mount Kisco Medical Group, CareMount has grown to over 650 physicians and advanced practice professionals representing 50 different medical specialties. CareMount is affiliated with world-class organizations including Massachusetts General
Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Northwell Health. CareMount offers on-site laboratory and radiology services, endoscopy and infusion suites, and operates eight urgent-care centers. Our physicians are frequently recognized as best doctors in respected publications and have been featured in lists including New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors,” Westchester and Hudson Valley Magazine’s “Top Doctors” as well as in Castle Connolly Medical’s “Top Doctors.” For additional information about CareMount Medical and its specialties, please visit: www.caremountmedical.com.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
480.664.8412 ext. 15
mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
by Ken Terry | Oct 24, 2018 | Blog
One of the trickiest jobs of a PR professional consists of guiding corporate executives to the proper mix of marketing and thought leadership in various types of writing.
The easy part, relatively speaking, is persuading them that if they insist on promoting their product directly in a bylined article, it won’t be published. In case they have any doubts, you can just suggest that they take a look at the publication online and see if any of its articles are marketing-oriented.
On the other hand, by its nature a case study or a press release is strictly promotional. Readers expect that the story will focus on a product or a business deal and that it will be structured to make the company and the product look as good as possible.
But the boundaries are much more porous when it comes to white papers, sometimes known as position papers. Over the years, I’ve worked for clients who have had many different ideas about what such papers should be.
Ultimately, of course, they all wanted to sell their products. But only some executives grasp the concept of a truly effective white paper: It should draw in readers with a point of view about an industry trend and promote the company’s product indirectly by showing the need for it.
The rest want me to blatantly list the advantages of their product somewhere in the paper. To them, it’s just another form of advertising.
I don’t know whether a rigorous study has ever been done to measure the readership of these two kinds of papers, controlling for length and the demand for information on the topic. But I’d venture to guess that industry stakeholders would be more interested in a paper that gave them information they could use than in another piece of marketing collateral.
Interestingly, big companies are no more likely than small ones to embrace the concept of true thought leadership pieces. Because they’re big, they may commission longer papers that have space to discuss industry trends or government regulations at greater length. But in the end, they still usually want their product promoted, with hardly a fig leaf to cover it.
It was actually a small, rapidly growing firm that gave me the widest rein to show its thought leadership and vision. Over a period of several years, I wrote a dozen or more white papers that helped build the company’s reputation for expertise in population health management.
I always mentioned the need for health IT solutions that could help healthcare organizations manage population health. But for the most part, the papers focused on topics that people needed to know about, ranging from accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes to care coordination, patient engagement and post-discharge care. Eventually, the company pulled together my essays into a book that it used effectively as a sales tool.
White papers and byliners are not the only vehicles for thought leadership. Occasionally, if a company CEO is a recognized expert in a particular area, you might be able to get a major publication such as the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post to publish a thought leadership piece by that person.
The easiest way to do this, by the way, is to pitch a letter to the editor. But it has to be on a hot topic, and you have to get it in very quickly.
One way to show a company executive the difference between marketing and thought leadership is to ask him or her where they see a bylined article or position paper being published. If they say they’d like to reach a broad universe, you advise them to think about thought leadership. If they insist on a marketing message, you tell them that it’s probably only going to be posted on their website or printed up for use by their salespeople.
A sophisticated PR professional or marketer knows that organizations need the right mix of these two kinds of communications to be successful. But thought leadership should be part of the package so that companies can impress potential clients with their deep knowledge and brilliant insights.
After reading a white paper or a bylined piece of this type, the potential buyer will probably not go running to your client. But when the organization’s salesperson comes calling, they’re likely to remember something about the company that caught their attention.
Like medicine and angling, PR is as much an art as a science. What it takes to help organizations succeed depends on how many tools you have in your toolkit, and how many different approaches you try. Eventually, if your executives trust you, they will land a fish or two.
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