Healthcare Social Media
Innovative healthcare marketing example #12.
Memorial Hermann will be doing more than putting pins in patients today. They will be pinning a live brain tumor resection. Brain surgery on Pinterest? Yep. I'm not sure if it's the right social platform - it's not where I'd go to get up to speed on leading brain surgery centers - but it's certainly innovative. As is the hospital's social media machine. This Texas hospital performed the world's first live-tweeted open heart surgery a few weeks back. When this reaped 125 million views via Twitter, Storify and media coverage, they decided to go for it again. Adding in Pinterest.
Today's brain surgery will be performed by Dr. Dong Kim, the surgeon who operated on former congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. While surgeries have been tweeted in the past, this will be the first to share the feed from the surgeon's fiber optic microscope. Real time pics and videos will be posted on Twitter, YouTube and Storify.
According to Nielson @Plan, homemakers index 204 on Pinterest, meaning they are 104 times more likely to be on this site. So Pinterest definitely reaches the female healthcare decisionmaker. But will she want to look at photos of brain surgery while hunting for recipes and fashion tips?
(Image from IdeaStream.com)
Time will tell. I think one thing's for sure. Memorial Hermann is living up to its themeline of "100 Years of Patient-Centered Care and Innovation." Not only with its team of expert docs, but its team of social media experts.
What do you think of surgeries on Pinterest? Is it over the top? Or is this hospital ahead of the curve?
Innovative healthcare marketing example # 11.
One man. In a box. For one month. No, he's not homeless. Just kinda unhealthy. Until Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota put "Scott the Human Doing" in a glass apartment at the Mall of America. There he learned in the public eye, and with their help, how to be healthier. Sit-ups. Tai chi. Pilates. Cooking and eating fruits and vegies. Whatever his audience desired. Scott did exercises directed by Facebook and Twitter polls. He also spent a lot of time connecting with folks via posts, tweets and videoblogs. And marveling over the support they gave him, which he says made all the difference.
The brilliance in this disruptive campaign is the two way communication. We've all heard that we should exercise and eat better. But this campaign showed and engaged people. In a real and memorable way, with live results. As for the results? National buzz. Over 2 million social media impressions. Over 4300 Facebook fans. Over 500 Twitter followers. Thousands of on-site impressions from people at Minnesota's most popular tourist attraction. Not to mention Scott dropping 29 pounds and 110 cholesterol points in just 30 days.
The Human Doing is part of BCBS of Minnesota's "do campaign". Getting people to move and groove at home, work, school, their community, etc. to fight obesity. Testimonial TV ads spotlight people explaining the excuses they used of why they couldn't lose weight ("I told myself it was hereditary"). Each ends with the thinner, healthier person "do dancing" with the funny "do dance" guy who makes you smile.
I think BCBS of Minnesota is doing a good job of getting people to do. What do you think?
The future of User Interface (UI) Design: Part 1.
As one of the digital thought leaders at Brogan & Partners, I was excited to attend this year's SXSW conference and see where the future of digital design was heading. Often, I feel like the "usability police" and for years I have been making sure our web sites, rich media and social media designs where intuitive so the user knows where to click and what they'll get. But with Touch UI gaining momentum, it begs the question: Is Touch UI the Click UI killer? After all, video killed the radio star... During my week of Interactive sessions at SXSW, I realized that the focus of conventional Click UI was pretty much obsolete. If anything, it was only mentioned in passing. And I also didn't hear the word "usability" mentioned at all. It was all about the touch or gesture experience.
I joke that my kids don't know what a mouse is, but it's true. Their first experience and exposure to computers were a laptop, iPhone, and iPad. None of these devices uses a mouse or has to be clicked. We do have desktop computers around, but it's avoided because there's a feeling of entrapment compare to our mobile devices. Our expectations of how we experience the web has gone way beyond just the conventional and intuitive navigations.
Whether we believe conventional Click UI is a passing phase or not, it is paramount to consider the visual interface as part of the brand. As designers, we'll need to build an easy and memorable experience for our users. And to stay on top of our competitors, those experiences will need to be unique. This is what Nike Myers described in his "The Visual Interface Is Now Your Brand" session at SXSW. Where do you think the user interface is heading?
Here's a little taste of things to come when the visual is the interface.
A secondhand smoke YouTube singing sensation.
Never underestimate the power of a good idea. It will stick in your head for years. It will push itself to the forefront among other ideas. And when the right people see it and believe in its potential, they will jump on your bandwagon. I came up with the idea for “Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Rose”, 17 years ago working on the Michigan Department of Community Health account at Brogan. At the time, we were doing some TV spots, so radio wasn’t in the budget and YouTube did not exist. But the tune, “Secondhand Rose,” (which is in public domain) and my rewrite of the words had a sticking factor. And the tune stuck in my head for years. So recently when I heard MDCH needed a radio spot about secondhand smoke for parents of young children, I remembered that idea from long ago. Of course, the original script was gone, considering it was written on one of the first Macs! But I recreated it. And I couldn’t have scripted what happened next better. Our wonderful clients at MDCH, Kelly Niebel and Jason Holben, let us produce it as both a radio spot and a YouTube video (the latter has over 4,000 hits just after a couple weeks). Serendipitously, we found the perfect talent shooting another spot for STEM awareness. We called in favors to make it amazing and stay in budget. But the icing on the cake: powerful results. The calls to the Michigan Tobacco Quit Line were so dramatic, one of our clients exclaimed she “almost fell out of my chair.” So that great idea you have, it can happen. It just may need a little longer incubation period. What do you think of our “Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Rose” spot for the Michigan Department of Community Health? I'm glad it stuck in my head all those years!
Innovative healthcare marketing example #5.
When you hear the word, dentist, what do you feel? Dread… Anxiety… Discomfort…Perhaps even terror. How many times have you heard the analogy “…it’s kinda like going to the dentist.”? (which is never a good thing). Well, one dentist, Dr. Deborah Cooper-Lall, has taken great lengths to lessen these negative perceptions and calm her patients’ fears via social media. Her Facebook page includes lots of online advice, but also talks about the hiking or rowing she did on the weekend. Making her less the scary dentist. And more just a real person. On Twitter, she convinced an adult male with a fear of the dentist to come and see her; she also uses Twitter to follow up with patents after procedures and for staff recruitment. She believes a careful blend of talking and listening and accessibility is key in letting people know you care and are human. She is making a positive emotional connection with her patients which is critical in helping to overcome their key emotion: fear.
Another innovative calming technique some dentists has discovered is pet therapy. Patients are soothed by petting or holding a pooch while receiving treatment. One popular pug, Booster, who accompanies 80% of one dentist’s patients, even has his own Facebook page.
Innovative healthcare marketing example #3.
When I say St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, what do you think of?... Marlo Thomas, right? Or maybe Jennifer Aniston or Robin Williams if you’re too young to appreciate founder, Danny Thomas. At any rate, you probably get a warm feeling, as they’ve done a great job of positioning this national pediatric research center and hospital via celebrity spokespeople paired with pediatric cancer patients. Nothing fancy, just consistent messaging that pulls at the heartstrings and delivers their undisputable leadership claim. And always with a fundraising call to action. Because this is the critical marketing goal for St. Jude's as “85 cents of every dollar goes to research and treatment” and “no child is ever turned away”. (You learn these impressive facts quickly if you look at any of their marketing communications.)
So what makes them an innovative healthcare marketing story? The way they’ve extended their brand and fundraising efforts into the social media world. With 425,000 fans, their Facebook page has customized tabs including my favorite, “Patient of the Month”, with photo and short summary, linking back to the website for a more detailed profile of the child, including an endearing patient story video. Their incredibly active wall has branded posts from the hospital, including fundraising activities, donor appreciation messages, even some from Marlo herself. Many more posts come from the loyal St. Jude’s patient family and fan base.
The YouTube page is nicely branded and chock-full of touching testimonials, both internally and externally produced. Their Twitter page is branded, and while they don’t come close to leader Mayo Clinic’s 190,000 followers, they do have 29,000. Again, the message is clear: donate to save children’s lives. Opportunities to donate, such as the “Become a Partner in Hope” button, abound throughout all social and digital media. As do opportunities to share patient stories. Interactivity is further encouraged via text or email alerts about St. Jude’s.
Social media is the perfect health care marketing avenue for an organization such as St. Jude’s as moms, key social networkers, love to connect and share experiences, especially about their children. Kudos to St. Jude’s for maximizing this medium to help us connect with and love them even more.
Share with us your favorite innovative healthcare marketing example.
Why women are leading the social media bandwagon.
For generations there has been an endless debate of who rules the world, men or women. During the sixties, James Brown stated his opinion with “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”. In Beyonce’s new song “Run the World” she sings, “Who run the world? Girls, girls”. The debate will continue. But in the world of social media, we have a definitive gender winner. It’s women who rule. Sure, men created most of our social platforms but it is women who are maintaining and growing them.
According to Read Write Web, a study done by an online company rapleaf.com revealed that on most social network platforms “women outnumber men by a considerable amount. On Facebook, the 18-24 age group is the largest, with 1,685,029 women in that age group compared to 977,753 men.”
Why are women the largest contributors to social media? According to Jessica Faye Carter, an award-winning author and owner of Nette Media, it is simply because as mothers, we like to share information, educate others as well as develop new trends.
As expert multi-taskers, women like how easily they can share information with family and hundreds of “friends” simply with a click of a button. And as the leading household purchasing decision-maker, they use social media to share information about products, services, time-saving tips and money-saving offers.
Men want to rule the world. Women want to save the world. So it’s no wonder so many women are using social media to make social change. Whether raising awareness for lead paint or money for the breast cancer 3-day, women are using these social tools to build a better world for all of us.
Who do you think will rule the social media world in the future?
Inspired by AAMC conference.
I got to present at a pretty cool conference about a week ago. The Association of American Medical Colleges national conference in Tucson. While I thought my co-presenter (our University of Toledo Medical Center client) and I did a pretty good job enlightening folks about our UTMC brand ambassadorship program, I was delightfully enlightened myself by two awesome conference keynote speakers. And have become an ambassador for them!
Two prominent docs and authors. Andrew Weil, M.D., founder of The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (U. of AZ) and Abraham Verghese, M.D., Stanford School of Medicine professor and author of his debut novel, Cutting for Stone.
Dr. Weil highlighted his grassroots mission to transform the broken healthcare system via Integrative Medicine that addresses body, mind and spirit. Dr. Verghese read excerpts from his book, reflecting his view of medicine as a passionate pursuit and priestly calling, requiring "empathy and curiosity for the human condition."
There were many comforting parallels to their messages. Doctoring is an art. Doctors must take the time to LISTEN to patients (did you know the average doc interrupts a patient within 14 seconds? And worse, some actually see 30 patients per hour? ) Doctors must never give up on the patient, must open the door to novel and/or holistic solutions, must keep searching for the "magic pill" or non-pill, if you will. And patients must empower themselves and take greater personal responsibility. This, not more tests and drugs, will result in better healing and outcomes. Problem is there's currently no fiscal incentive for docs to sit and listen or teach relaxation techniques.
Interestingly, both are active in residency program reform, where change can really take root. Verghese's "Stanford 25" is a new initiative to teach 25 fundamental physical exam skills and their benefits to interns. Dr. Weil's Integrative Medicine in Residency is now required curriculum at 8 family medicine sites nationwide and his goal is ALL primary care residency programs, followed by ALL specialty residency programs. Not to mention integrating IM into the school education system, beginning in kindergarten.
It impressed me that these two men really do care. They want to see a healed health care system where people can truly be healed. I am behind them with my whole body, mind and spirit. How about you?
Healthca.mp comes to NC.
Through the LinkedIn grapevine, I learned about a really interesting opportunity for patients, providers, insurers, and healthcare experts to explore, discuss, and brainstorm what is happening in the healthcare 2.0 realm. HealthCa.mp is described on its own website as an "un-conference" with the mission encouraging open dialogue on how "social media, open source and the best of the Internet, Mobile web and process innovation to work for better health care and health technology."
As a healthcare marketer, I'm intrigued. So I've paid my $25 to attend and see what the rest of the world (or at least Raleigh/Durham) is thinking - and add my own two cents-worth, of course. Anyone out there attended a healthca.mp? If so, please comment and let me know about your experience.
Getting social on WebMD.
Having just blogged about WebMD a couple of weeks ago, I thought it interesting that the #8 most trusted brand has, earlier this month, introduced a social component to their website. Similar to other sites dedicated to allowing consumers with key health concerns interact and share support online, the new WebMD feature pulls in subject-matter experts to share reactions with readers. It's a great new addition to a site that so many already love and live by. Check it out and tell us about it!
