by admin | Dec 14, 2016 | News
Retail healthcare company cites Amendola’s reach, as it expands nationwide
Scottsdale, Ariz. Dec. 14, 2016 Amendola Communications, an award-winning healthcare marketing and public relations agency, has announced it has been chosen as the agency of record by Infusion Express, a patient-focused alternative to hospital infusion centers. Infusion Express brings a new paradigm to the infusion market, offering individuals with chronic conditions the option to enjoy high-quality, personalized care in a convenient, comfortable, private setting with flexible hours at a price that is much lower than hospital-based infusion services.
“We chose Amendola to tell our story because of both its deep healthcare experience and its national reach,” said Don Peterson, CEO, Infusion Express. “As we expand, we want to make sure patients and providers are aware of this new option for high-quality infusions. We know Amendola is best positioned to get our message out.”
Infusion Express makes it easier for patients to get the infusion treatments they need to successfully manage conditions including multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic asthma, plaque psoriasis, lupus, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Lyme disease and blood disorders.
The company launched with locations in the Kansas City area, and has recently expanded to include treatment centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Philadelphia and Chicago metro areas. Infusion Express is an in-network provider for most health plans.
“Infusion Express is providing a unique service for an important and growing healthcare demographic people living with chronic conditions,” said Amendola CEO, Jodi Amendola. “We are thrilled to work with Infusion Express to educate providers and patients about the company’s superior level of service and convenience.”
Until now, patients who need regular infusion treatments had just two choices, a hospital or a physician’s office. Since infusion treatment can take several hours, this poses a significant disruption to their lives””often compounded by administrative hassles and parking expenses. By contrast, Infusion Express provides private rooms with comfortable chairs for patients and their guests. Snacks and healthy hydration, flat screen TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi are all features of Infusion Express treatment centers. Infusion Express offers appointments six days a week, and offers evening time slots.
About Amendola Communications
Amendola Communications 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 Infusion Express
Infusion Express (IVXpress, Inc.) delivers safe, clinically necessary drug treatments for patients who seek excellent customer service, comfort and convenience in a healthcare setting. Infusion Express provides a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to hospital or physician office infusion therapy, close to home.
Infusion Express IV therapy centers offer a superior level of service, with private suites, large screen TVs, high-speed Wi-Fi, complimentary snacks and healthy hydration. Flexible hours, including evenings and Saturdays, are available. Treatments cover a wide variety of autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic asthma, plaque psoriasis and lupus. Infusion Express also provides treatments for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Lyme disease, IV immunoglobulin and other blood disorders.
Open in Kansas and Missouri, new locations are opening soon in major cities in Illinois, California and Philadelphia. Most insurance plans accepted.
Visit www.infusionexpress.com, on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact: Marcia Rhodes | mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
by Jodi Amendola | Nov 23, 2016 | Blog
Like so many companies, you want to promote your company brand and unique value proposition far and wide. But convincing others to pull the trigger on hiring a PR agency is proving to take more time than you anticipated. Or, perhaps you’re the one who isn’t sold yet on bringing in agency expertise. It’s a big decision, no doubt in some ways, as important as choosing a spouse! But there’s also one surefire way to assess if you should hire an agency: Is the timing right?
With 25 years of experience in PR, including owning the fastest-growing agency in healthcare technology, I can help you sort it out. The first step is to determine what your goals are. Why do you want to be front and center in the news? Reasons can vary some of our clients want to stand out clearly from the competition; others want to gain a share of voice on industry trends, and still others want to position their company for a strategic acquisition or IPO.
Once you’ve identified why you want to effectively and consistently promote your company, products, services and thought leaders, then you can move on to 10 key questions to help you make a decision about hiring a PR agency now or in the future. The questions fall under five categories and your answers will give you an honest assessment about whether or not you need a PR agency at your side.
STRATEGY:
#1 Do you have a precise understanding of your target audiences and which media outlets they are mostly likely to engage with? Are you reaching them now or do you need to?
#2 In the event of an unexpected challenge from a competitor/member of the media/credible industry insider, do you have sufficient resources readily available for a rapid response?
#3 In the event of a crisis, do you have the right PR resources in place to quickly gain control of the public dialogue?
MEDIA RELATIONS:
#4 Are you successfully cultivating and maintaining media relationships with key influencers in your space? Are you sending them interesting pitches based on their beats to secure ink for you and your clients?
#5 Are you reaching out to the right media outlets? Every day I hear from prospects that they want to be in the NY Times or the Wall Street Journal but are those the outlets your buyers are reading like the niche pubs in your own office lobby, or the ones they hand out at targeted key trade shows?
CONTENT MARKETING:
#6 Are you creating and distributing enough information to educate today’s information-driven buyers at every step of the buying process? Establishing your educational/thought leadership position through each phase is often critical when it comes time to making purchasing decisions.
#7 Are you getting your thought leaders’ messages out to your targeted markets and media outlets?
SOCIAL MEDIA:
#8 Do you have an effective social media strategy in place that is getting you noticed and talked about by industry/digital influencers?
ANALYST RELATIONS:
#9 Are you getting cited in the most widely read industry reports where your competitors are?
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION:
#10 Do we receive the recognition we deserve through different awards, speaking opportunities and trade show presentations?
Now, time to assess the results. If your answers have left you feeling somewhat alarmed about your own company’s “PR readiness,” don’t worry help is just a free consultation away. And now that you know where you’re particularly vulnerable, you can have this consultation tailored to your most pressing needs. We’re here to help you make an informed decision!
by Jodi Amendola | Sep 14, 2016 | Blog
I often tell my clients that selecting a PR agency is much like selecting a spouse. It’s an intimate relationship; we often talk with our own clients several times a day on the phone and email, so we know how important it is for agencies and their clients to “click.”
As for finding this perfect PR match, it’s a lot like real life dating. Sure, an online search can reap lots of possibilities, but referrals from people you know and who know the other party are often the most effective way to find the agency just right for you. So be sure to ask your colleagues, strategic partners and industry editors who they’ve worked with in the past.
After you’ve identified a viable candidate, do your due diligence to confirm it really is a match made in (business) heaven. With 25 years of experience running a successful PR agency, I’ve narrowed this vetting process down to 7 key factors.
Expertise
Do you need an agency with experience in multiple verticals or do you want an agency in a specific market niche such as healthcare IT (HIT)? With the latter, you’ll get knowledge that’s both broad across different niches within that space and deep a combination which uncovers many more messaging opportunities and angles. Such an agency is going to have more relationships with HIT media and digital influencers, along with media experience and skills in national and local markets.
But don’t just take the PR agency’s word for how experienced its team members are find out how long the agency has been in business and be sure to review customer case studies. If possible, seek a conversation or two with the agency’s clients.
Size
It’s amazing to me that some companies, even really small start-ups, think they need a “large” agency to succeed–the “nobody ever got fired for hiring IBM” mentality. I have heard so many clients and prospects describe their experiences working with a large PR agency and their inevitable discovery that the agency viewed them as one of the smaller fishes in the pond. How much attention do you think these companies ended up getting?
There are some companies who start with a small or medium PR agency and then become so big that they do in fact need a large, global partner or multiple agencies and very often, it was the dedication of an independent agency that helped get them there. So when it’s time to hire your next PR agency, make sure to scope out how much personalized attention you’ll get. Ask how many people will be on your team, and their different levels of expertise. Find out their roles and responsibilities and get a good sense of how much access you’ll have to each one.
Location
In the old days before email, Skype, web conference calls and the like, companies largely felt they had to work with agencies in their town or state. But that’s no longer the case. Today companies can communicate and work with any agency in the world, meaning they have exponentially more agencies to choose from. Of course, time zones are a consideration, so you’ll want to seek a PR agency with staff located in all zones. But aside from that, you now have so many more agencies to choose from. So many choices can be overwhelming, so again narrow them down by how well an agency meets the criteria I’ve outlined for you. It really does work!
Range of Services
It’s so much more convenient to work with an agency that offers a roster of services that clients can choose from, either a la carte or integrated. Look for a PR agency that can offer media relations, social media, PR strategy, content marketing, digital marketing, and writing at a minimum. Ask about their connections with video production firms, graphic design and other auxiliary creative services. An experienced agency will either offer these services themselves or have numerous connections on hand they can refer you to and work with on your various campaigns.
Partners
On the subject of agencies working with other creative groups, choose one that can collaborate not compete with your existing agency partners. This is important for integrated campaigns that are executed by multiple agencies to actually work.
Team
Here’s something you might not discover until after you sign the retainer contract with some agencies: very often the high-level execs you met at the presentation aren’t the team who will be working on your account. That’s unfortunate, because experience and compatibility matter. Ideally, at the initial presentation at least one of the people who will be on your team should be there. Do you feel a connection with them? Are they someone you would enjoy working with on a regular basis? Remember this is going to be a close relationship. There are days when I speak with my clients more than with my own husband!
Budget/terms/scope of work
When evaluating agencies you will want to compare apples to apples in terms of services, quantities/deliverables, etc. Are you going to engage in an annual retainer program or a PR project? Will you be billed by the hour or by scope of deliverables? Based on my experience, the latter will get you more value. Teams won’t be clocking out the second your hours for the month are used up; instead, they’ll work tirelessly to successfully execute your campaigns with no limit to the time they put in.
Most PR agencies, if they have hit your top 5 or 10 list, are probably going to be solid contenders. They can all probably write a solid press release and know the nuts and bolts of working with the media. But hone in on how they’ll work with you. Zero in on the fit. Does it feel right? Is this the company that you want to serve as an extension to your own team? As with all other relationships, this comfort level is the key to finding your PR agency soul mate.
by admin | Aug 24, 2016 | News
Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and healthcare IT public relations and marketing agency, announced today that it has been selected as the agency of record for Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA). Amendola will provide a broad range of public relations and content services that promote Vocera’s mission to break down communication barriers and improve the healthcare experience for patients, families and care team members around the world.
“We knew Amendola Communications was the right agency to promote our unique value proposition to the right audiences and media outlets, with its deep industry knowledge and significant media and analyst relationships in the healthcare and healthcare IT sectors,” said Kathy English, Vice President of Enterprise Marketing. “The decision to hire Amendola was a clear and easy one to make after vetting the agency’s track record of delivering high-performance PR and marketing campaigns in our targeted markets. In just a few months, Amendola has already exceeded our expectations.”
Smartphones and wireless technology are fundamentally changing how care teams connect and collaborate, and Vocera is leading the way by supporting all types of communication, working in concert with multiple devices, and integrating with more than 70 clinical systems. The Vocera Communication Platform provides a secure, enterprise-class solution with an intelligent active staff directory that enables users to connect and communicate with each other instantly via voice communication, secure text messaging, and contextual alarm notifications. Used by more than 1,000 hospitals around the world, Vocera delivers the right information to the right person at the right time, saving valuable steps and time.
Amendola Communications is executing public relations, social media and content marketing strategy and programs for Vocera, with a special focus on the company’s thought leadership. Vocera’s leadership team is made up of widely respected clinicians and tech industry luminaries who are at the forefront of national movements in healthcare today, including offering technology solutions that address longstanding communication challenges and restoring the human connection at every point of a patient’s healthcare experience.
“We felt an instant connection to Vocera’s impressive team and look forward to promoting their initiatives and successes in this high-tech market where we have deep expertise,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications. “Our team is leveraging both Vocera’s thought leaders and clients to convey their important value proposition to the healthcare industry that critically depends on teamwork and the right information in order to globally dismantle communication barriers across even the largest healthcare enterprises.”
About Amendola Communications
Amendola Communications 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.
Media Contact: Tara Stultz | 440.225.9595| tstultz@acmarketingpr.com
