by admin | Dec 15, 2020 | News
Award-winning health IT agency offers guidance applicable in virtually any industry
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 15, 2020 – Amendola Communications has built an outstanding reputation as one of the leading public relations, marketing, and social media firms serving healthcare, health IT, and life sciences organizations. So it’s no surprise that its blog, peppered with contributions from the entire team, would become a favorite destination for information among organizations, reporters and others within those industries.
While healthcare is always on their minds, the reality is the advice proffered by the award-winning agency extends well beyond its core healthcare market. In fact, as these posts demonstrate, most of the content generated and topics covered are applicable in virtually any industry. Here’s a quick sample from the past few months.
In “Branding: Be Yourself, Earn Engagement,” the post describes how CEOs and other organizational leaders can stand out among their peers by being authentic and really saying something about what’s happening in the world, or their world, rather than playing it safe. It uses the example of Elon Musk, CEO and Founder of Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and other companies to show that being yourself and taking a stand rather than putting out vanilla pap is a way to create an indelible brand and drive intense loyalty and engagement in the market. READ MORE >>
Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an all-consuming story for pretty much everyone this year. It has been such a sentinel event you might think all the old rules have gone out the window. The post “Revisiting ‘The Four Ps’ of Marketing During a Pandemic” takes this topic on head-on. It shows that these tried-and-true principles still apply, but must be adjusted to reflect the reality in which we’re currently living. READ MORE >>
Then there is the agency’s advice on “Breaking Into the Policy World Through Public Relations.” Government policy can have a profound effect on organizations as well as industries. Yet many in both simply shrug their shoulders at the prospect of influencing policy, assuming it requires a significant investment in heavy-duty lobbyist firms. Yet that isn’t always the case. This post describes strategies organizations in a variety of industries can use to help ensure policy decisions go their way – or at least do not work against them. READ MORE >>
Finally, for those interested in the personal side of business there is this heartfelt homage from agency CEO Jodi Amendola to the influence her mother has had on her career. Written shortly after receiving the news that Kamala Harris would become the nation’s first female Vice President, “Women Leaders: A Tribute to My Mom,” recounts the lessons her mom, Thelma Kurzweil, taught her throughout her life, including the importance of just being a good person and taking responsibility for your own happiness. Sadly, Thelma passed away shortly after Jodi’s blog was published in November and we are not sure if she had a chance to read it but, as Jodi said, “Nothing was left unsaid.” READ MORE >>
This is just a sampling. The Amendola blog has been around for several years, offering timely and evergreen advice that covers the gamut of activities of interest to PR, marketing, social media, digital content and other allied professionals. This information is offered free, so be sure to explore it in-depth and subscribe.
About Amendola Communications
Amendola is an award-winning, insights-driven public relations and marketing firm that integrates media relations, social media, content and lead gen programs to move healthcare, life sciences/pharma and healthcare IT decision-makers to action. The agency represents some of the industry’s best-known brands as well as groundbreaking startups that are disrupting the status quo. Nearly 90% of its client base represents multi-year clients and/or repeat client executives. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros understand the ongoing complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and provide strategic guidance and creative direction to drive positive ROI, boost reputation and increase market share. Making an impact since 2003, Amendola combines traditional and digital media to fuel meaningful and measurable growth. For more information about the industry’s “A-Team,” visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes, Amendola Communications, mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
by Stacy State | Sep 9, 2020 | Blog
In mid-May we talked about the emergence of a new normal in public relations and marketing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Media coverage of the virus has become all-consuming in the intervening four months.
Over 100 million pieces of news focused on COVID-19 have appeared. In just one sampled day, 340,000 came from 30,000 media outlets. As the lingering epicenter of the crisis, the United States produces one third of all global daily coverage.
Even as pandemic fatigue sets in among the American population, our collective obsession with the virus and its toll never wavers. Potential vaccines linger on the horizon bringing hope. However, even aggressive projections place their availability 5 to 6 months away. COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The brands and products that most easily resonate with Americans these days are those that fulfill critical needs, both physical and emotional. So, unless you’re selling hand sanitizer, outdoor entertainment, or any type of toilet paper, how do you keep your brand in front of your customers?
By making your brand feel critical.
The Five Things That Matter
Brand Messaging
Gone are the days of simple promotions. In today’s world the only messaging that stands out and feels genuine is that which tries to connect with people on a human level. The mixture of isolation, fear of the unknown, and an overwhelming sense of community and empathy has hot-wired most Americans to see the world differently in a very short amount of time. It has crystalized the things that matter and those that don’t. To matter, your messaging must account for this shift in thinking.
Social Media
The isolation of social distancing has caused 32% of Americans to spend more time on social media as a way to stay connected to their friends and family. Leveraging this groundswell of attention, paired with appropriate messaging, is the key to remaining relevant and to gaining new audiences. Make your brand into a trusted news source that offers important information during this time of need. Engage your followers in a conversation that proves valuable.
Virtual Events
Our need to connect with one another is fundamental. While physically isolated, virtual events have skyrocketed 1000% during the pandemic. These events are a collective backbone offering education, networking, and collaborative opportunities. It cannot be overstated how important these events are for socializing your brand’s presentations, white papers, and case studies. These webinars and virtual roundtables serve as important touchpoints with your existing customer base and essential engines generating new client leads.
Email Campaigns
Email remains another reliable and consistent communication vehicle. Since the beginning of the pandemic email open rates have improved 8% with a corresponding click-through increase of 22%. Incorporating the critical elements mentioned above into a comprehensive email campaign can help drive the success of your brand’s overall marketing strategy.
SEO & Lead Generation
The consistent theme here is Americans are turning to alternative tools to stay connected. Social media, virtual meetings, email, and the Internet have replaced most traditional in-person communication. Internet usage has surged 70%. A clever SEO & lead generation plan will plant the seeds that flourish long after COVID-19 has disappeared. Providing evergreen content that engages customers and answers core needs remains the heart of successful lead generation. Whitepapers, eBooks, and blog posts will always matter. And SEO drives their visibility.
The world has changed. People have changed. It’s impossible to know for how long. But for now, connecting with people requires embracing this new normal. The five keys listed here will help your brand lead as we all step into this brave new world.
by Margaret Kelly | May 20, 2020 | Blog
AKA #WantToUseNewHashtags!
As any public relations professional will tell you, making your story stand out from the rest of the noise is what we’re paid the big bucks to do. Press releases, bylines, blogs and case studies are the stuff of dreams.
Internally, this is how it’s done: your Amendola team is comprised of an account executive, strategist, writer, media relations specialist and, if we handle it for you, a social media manager. Everyone on your team is deeply knowledgeable about your company’s offerings.
The strategist and account executive put your company’s expert message in front of our writer who produces a piece of content. The media relations specialist pickups up the ball and gets the press release or byline in front of the right set of editors and journalists who are looking for exactly the contact you have. Once it’s published, the social media manager links the article to your various social media platforms.
Client-generated content is nuggets of gold for the social media team; however, we follow a pretty strict practice of the 80/20 rule. That means all your company’s
LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter posts should be a mix of 20% company news and 80% third-party content to keep you focused as a thought leader on the topics
in which you excel. You want your followers to be interested in your feeds because you generate news of interest, not just commercials.
Finding that all-important third-party content for your social media posts is where the social media team earns its KUDOs.
But how do we do that when the whole world is talking about one subject?
Don’t get us wrong especially when all our clients are in the healthcare field – we have the utmost compassion for everyone suffering and working courageously during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s impacting everyone their jobs, health, lives, and everyday routines. This is by far, the single largest collective story we’ll see in our lifetime. But my colleagues and I are struggling to keep it fresh in a one-hashtag world.
So once again, how do we find articles that help propel you as a thought leader when all media seems tuned to one channel? How do we help you stand out above the din?
Here are 5 tips to help you find ways to enhance your message.
- Research. Our team finds RSS feeds (such as Feedly) a good resource for tracking keywords created in a Google search, or to subscribe to specific outlets, which is perfect for locating articles that come at least close to your company’s subject. Additionally, we use keyword searches within Twitter to actively find articles, people with whom to engage, and conversations around hashtags normally discussed in a non-pandemic world.
- Pivot. Turn your company’s news into the world’s news. Do you have a solution that helps patients monitor their meds and stay compliant? I could find you 10 articles any other day. But now, I have an article that mentions how COVID-19 patients are getting free insulin, which keeps them compliant. Do you work with EHRs? Let’s talk about how EHRs are helping or hurting during COVID-19. Give your opinion. Ask for others to tweet or comment theirs. The idea is to keep in your lane but stay relevant.
- Sidestep. OK, so perhaps you can only make 20% of your posts about you. But you can include news about your clients or business partners. Find articles about them and thank them for doing a great job. Thank others for helping your clients. If you’re not already (and you should be!) follow your clients’ Twitter feeds. When they post something positive about a local restaurant feeding them, or a video of their clinicians dancing to relieve the stress, share it! Re-tweet with a comment like, “Thanks, @Joe, for helping our friends @Client! #FrontLineHeros.” It’s technically not your news, but it’s a way to engage with your clients, and most of all, it feels good.
- Join in. If you can’t beat em, join em. You’re not going to get out of posting COVID-19 news; why fight it? However, everyone is in the same boat as you tired of reading all the grim statistics. So, let’s give them something to smile about!
- Let us help. In these difficult times, you’ve got enough on your plate. You’re trying to run a business, keep employees on staff, and find solutions to beat this nasty thing. Why don’t you let the Social Media Team at Amendola help you lighten the load?
Remember social media is just one part of your overall messaging. When used in conjunction with the rest of your public relations offerings, it’s like adding frosting to the cake. Although, I am a little impartial. Stay safe!
by admin | Dec 11, 2019 | Blog
Healthcare technology companies spend a lot of time urging providers and payers to become “data-driven.” But what about themselves? The fact is, most healthcare tech companies are sitting on goldmines of data that, given a little exploration, could produce intriguing and meaningful insights. In turn, these insights can become marketing and PR gold.
It’s not just analytics companies that have access to a lot of data. Any company that processes digital information in some fashion for its clients presumably has access to sizeable datasets. They are in a prime position to examine this data for patterns and trends.
A clearinghouse for medical claims, as one example, can spot trends in which claim types payers are more likely to deny, and for which reason. In another example, a company with care coordination technology can detect patterns about which health events and conditions require the most collaborative care. And of course, analytics companies have access to any number of data insights.
Once these insights are in hand, how to package them? Here are a few ideas:
- A graphical representation, such as a chart or infographic
- Industry reports
- Byline articles and blog posts
- Press releases
Or bundle all of the above into a larger campaign, especially for those data insights that are sure to make industry waves.
Start by capturing the main data points into a graphical format, which you can brand with your logo. Flesh out these findings in an industry report, which you can announce is now available via a press release. Further market the industry report with social media posts of your graphics.
Many tech-enabled companies outside of healthcare already do this and get national news coverage for it.
So, how can marketing and PR departments get these data insights? The answer lies in understanding what kind of data your organization processes, and forging relationships with the stewards of this data. Even one initial project can show the success of these efforts if the findings reap media coverage or increased social media interaction. And success tends to beget more success.
CEOs can also make it part of the data steward job description to share interesting findings on a monthly or quarterly basis.
The point is to remember that data isn’t just an asset for the healthcare tech company’s customer. It’s of value to the healthcare tech company, too; especially for those inevitable times when news is slow. Rather than wait for a big event to promote, shake up the industry with some big findings and make some data-driven news of your own.
by Stephanie Janard | Aug 14, 2019 | Blog
All of the below suggestions are offered by experienced publicists in the B2B arena, including myself and several colleagues at Amendola Communications. While we fully get that a public relations program is just one of many important contributions to creating a successful company along with a whip smart product development team, a terrific product, turbo-charged salespeople, and savvy marketing, to name a few each one of our recommendations below helps fuel these crucial moving parts even more. So here is what we’d prioritize if we had a few months in the driver’s seat
Item #1: Create a customer success library and keep it continuously restocked. Nothing will give you more credibility with prospects, investors, your own employees, and of course, the media, than the testimonials of thrilled customers. So as an established company with a solid customer roster of your own, why don’t you have more of these stories to broadcast to the world?
Most likely, it’s one of two primary reasons. Either your employees are too nervous to ask customers to participate in a case study, or there’s no real process in place to develop these strategic assets. And it does take a process. The next few items delve a little deeper into both of these challenges.
Item #2: Incentivize your employees to get customer success stories. Here’s the deal. The main reason employees aren’t going after customer success stories is out of fear that the customer will decline to participate. The product’s not fully in use yet they’ve run into some issues you get the idea. There is always a seemingly legitimate reason for putting off the request.
But what if getting customer success stories was part of the job description? And what if the pressure to obtain them was considerably lightened with the right tools and handsome bonuses?
One of our own most successful clients has made obtaining customer success stories part of the company’s official bonus structure. At last count, this client had more than 170 customer success stories! Money is a great motivator, people. We know this.
But money alone isn’t enough to create outstanding, detailed customer success stories
Item #3: Formalize and launch a customer adoption program. All good success stories have tangible results to report. And a customer adoption program is a terrific opportunity to establish with your customer what the metrics for success will be. From there, you can organize your efforts around seeing that the customer fully and productively adopts the appropriate components of your product to reach these targets. Typically these efforts include regular communication, benchmark reporting, and always available support. In person, on the phone, via email a combination of all three will be part of most top tier customer adoption programs.
And within a relatively short period of time, you should be able to have some successful results to report in a customer story. Oh, and couple of other significant benefits like increased customer satisfaction and retention.
Item #4: Create a “Customer Reference program.” My colleague Stacy State, a senior account director at Amendola, further advises making best use of customer testimonials by creating a spreadsheet or other document that houses:
- Clients who can provide quotes (organized based on product/location/benefit/challenge solved)
- Clients willing to be references (organized based on location, product/s, account manager, etc.)
- Clients who are willing to speak at trade shows and who will have the necessary presenting skills to do so
- Clients who allow onsite interviews of how your solution works in their setting
Item #5: Have talented storytellers on hand. Whether they reside in your in-house PR and marketing teams or with your agency partner, it’s essential that you are telling your product, company or customer story in human, attention-seizing terms. Identify and utilize those people who will be fearless at doing just that a surprisingly rare resource, by the way. Many people are intimidated by writing for corporate/business needs, and inevitably revert to “safe” corporate-speak and industry jargon.
But please listen to someone who has spent her entire career crafting stories for newspapers, companies, non-profits and others. Nothing will snuff the life out of a good story faster than peppering it with phrases like “ensure” and “going forward” and “operational efficiency.” So don’t do it! Invest in great writing. It will pay off for you, I promise.
Item #6: Develop a stable of charismatic thought leaders. There are some solid benefits to doing so. According to another colleague, Amendola senior account director Michelle Noteboom, “Once executives have established themselves as credible industry experts, media outlets will seek their opinions and be more receptive to covering company news.”
To make sure no single thought leader is stretched too thin, you’ll want to cultivate multiple spokespeople within your organization. But please don’t base this on their expertise alone. An effective thought leader is personable, warm, as good of a listener as he or she is a speaker, is eager to share knowledge, willing to participate in media training, and of course, is quickly responsive.
You can start cultivating potential thought leaders early on. My colleague and senior account director Philip Anast recommends: “Include external communications in an executive’s performance requirements, i.e. actually making it part of one’s job requirements to make oneself available for media interviews and garner media coverage.”
Item #7: Stop putting social media on the backburner. This recommendation comes courtesy of Amendola social media guru, Margaret Kelly. “In this day and age, don’t underestimate the impact of reaching clients in 280 characters with a clever phrase or video. The trick is to know your audience and social platforms. Messages on LinkedIn, where you’re likely to already be connected to C-suite members of other companies, may have more impact than messages on other platforms. If you’re trying to put sales in your pipeline, for example, LinkedIn is the best platform to engage your decision-makers,” Margaret observes.
No matter your platform, a social media program must be consistent to be successful. You can’t just flirt with social media it’s either all the way or not at all. But it takes time to see results. Viral sensations are usually the umpteenth attempt not the first, second, or even 50th.
Item #8: Break down the barriers between executives and the rest of us. Personally, I see a flatter hierarchy as the future of corporate business, but there will always be identified leaders within an organization. They need not be walled off as if their work is top secret. Account director and Amendola colleague Brandon Glenn has a great suggestion here.
“Conduct quarterly executive Q&As with employees. My old company used to do this every time quarterly earnings were released because we were public, but this could apply to any company. The idea is the executives get up in front of the company, deliver some prepared remarks about how things are going with the company financially, key business highlights, what was good about the last quarter, what they’re looking forward to in the next quarter, and so on. After, it’s opened up for employee questions, which can be asked live verbally or pre-submitted in written form,” Brandon explains.
Depending on the size of your company, consider also making everyone’s weekly work schedule transparent. Here at the agency we share our weekly projects on a common online document. It gives us all a sense of what our coworkers are working on, and is just a more helpful way to organize and be accountable for how we spend our time.
Item #9: Break down the barriers between sales and PR. Even quarterly meetings between sales and PR can make a big difference in the substance and quality of your PR messaging. My colleague Philip Anast notes, “Salespeople especially can give invaluable information to PR. They’re on the front lines of prospect interaction, so can bring a lot of the industry challenges to the fore, providing good fodder for thought leadership.”
Item #10: Break down the barriers between YOU and PR. Of course, there’s no need to micromanage PR if you have effective people overseeing it. But make time for media training and schedule monthly calls to touch base with your PR team. I’m actually surprised by how many CEOs are removed from their company’s public relations. While this demonstrates two important positives–trust in the people who oversee PR and a willingness to allow others in the organization to develop into thought leaders–a CEO who isn’t engaged in PR much at all can find herself or himself caught flatfooted at the most inopportune times when a good response is essential.
With that, my tenure running your company is over. Which is fine with me, because with these recommendations now in place, I can’t wait to get back to publicizing it!
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