Even though the effort has just recently launched, we have used “best practice” social marketing techniques we have learned through our work with highly regulated industries such as banking and insurance to build-in security while optimizing engagement. Here are three key elements we believe are important in using social media as a marketing tool for medical practices.

Dealing with Risk

Medical providers are (rightfully) concerned about the risk of HIPAA violations on social media sites. Medical providers are also concerned about expectations that they will furnish diagnoses and treatment advice in response to fan queries. The safest way round these issues is to have a clearly stated policy (published as part of a bio or “about” section on all social media platforms) that outlines what may and may not be discussed in a public forum. For AMI, we also crafted a library of physician-approved responses to some expected (and potentially problematic) questions that would, for example, refer the fan back to his/her personal physician.

We also knew that we should be prepared to the “airing” of patient-service issues (for example, long waiting times, billing concerns, etc.). These types of issues need to be addressed quickly in the public space to show the practice’s concern and then moved offline for resolution.

Perhaps most importantly, Media Logic (via its Zeitgeist & Coffee social media management service) established a rigid approval protocol for all social media postings, including responses to fan queries and blog comments.

Establishing a Voice

One of the most critical aspects of establishing an effective social media presence is to differentiate your practice from the sea of medical information available online and in the social space. For AMI, we looked to do two things. First, we needed a persona (or a “voice”) that would speak for the practice. No one wants to have a conversation with an institution or a faceless practice. At AMI, this voice was the voice of Dr. David Dowe, an eminent radiologist and a rather forthright persona in his own right. Dr. Dowe’s voice personalizes AMI and makes it distinctive in the social space.

Second, we needed a point-of-view. Why should anyone care to read AMI’s blog or to follow the practice on Facebook or twitter? We found the answer in AMI’s adoption of an important new approach to CT-scans using low doses of radiation. It allowed us to position AMI as a thought leader and champion of an important cause – beyond being “just another imaging center.”

Being Committed

Finally, participating in social media requires a commitment. “In & out” attempts fail to build followers and can, in fact, produce a negative response. AMI, working with Media Logic, established firm expectations for participation (for example, number of Facebook posts per weeks, number of blog posts per month, etc.) to make sure that we were actively conversing with our target audiences. Using Media Logic’s Zeitgeist & Coffee dashboard as control central, a Media Logic conversation manager tracks the schedule, promotes topics of conversation, encourages client participation and handles the details of posting and follow up. Most social media efforts fail because they are just not anybody’s “real” job.

How much is a Facebook fan worth?

There has been a lot of discussion about this topic lately, among brands and marketers alike, that are struggling to quantify the value of social marketing efforts. Here in Albany, a local car dealership has been advertizing a $50 incentive to become their fan on Facebook. Another company has come up with a formula that they consider to be a scientific method of putting a dollar value on a fan, while other marketers rebut this formula as inaccurate.

So, who is right?

Honestly, I don’t think it matters.  And at the end of the day, will the perceived value of your Facebook fans help inform any meaningful strategic social marketing decisions?

Probably not.

To effectively use social media as a marketing tool, marketers must be able to demonstrate the value that a follower base delivers to their clients.  At Media Logic, we are taking a more qualitative approach to determining how social marketing is benefitting our clients’ brands and bottom lines. Using four metrics categories, we paint a valuable picture of the marketing impact we’re making through our clients’ social channels, one that delivers valuable insights and actionable conclusions.

Loyalty
Loyalty metrics look at the behavior of repeat visitors and the actions that caused people to become repeat visitors. By understanding the actions that encourage loyalty we can refine messaging, target promotions, and identify similar audiences.

Sample Metrics:

• Cross-pollination between different channels (Facebook to website, website to Twitter, etc.)
• Visitor recency (how long since the last visit)
• Comparing trends between new and returning visitors

Engagement
There are many different ways that visitors can engage with your brand. The goal is to determine which of these ways provide the most value in terms of conversions and loyalty.

Sample Metrics:

• Top-viewed and top-commented posts (so we know the types of content people find most interesting)
• Conversion rate and conversion efficiency (would be applied if we were driving people to a certain action)
• Raw author contribution (which measures the overall quantity of new content)
• Conversation rate (number interactions per post)
• Media consumption (video & photo views)

Authority/Reach
Authority and reach measurements help to gauge how widely content is being found and consumed. To measure authority and reach we take an outside-in view of traffic coming to our site.

Sample Metrics:

• Number of in-bound links from blogs and other sources
• Fans and fan growth rate
• Page views and page view growth rate

General KPIs
Key performance indicators (KPIs) measure the overall performance and health of marketing campaigns. The metrics in this category are specifically chosen to measure success factors for individual businesses. In most cases, KPIs are measured against targets, which are pre-determined indicators for success or failure.

Sample Metrics:

• Demographic and geographic breakdown (to determine if we are hitting our target audience)
• Daily page view growth rate (measured against the number of followers to see if its keeping pace)
• Fan retention rate

To assign an arbitrary dollar amount to social connections, we would be underestimating the value of the very organic relationship between companies and their fans. And besides, every fan has significantly different levels of influence and engagement with brands and within their social networks. But by looking at patterns across the four metrics we’ve outlined, the real value of fans becomes much more evident, as we begin to understand why people choose to be a fan. And understanding what motivates consumers to action and advocacy on behalf of a brand is invaluable information for agencies and companies developing and refining social media optimization strategies.

Just as eMarketer was making this prediction in January, Media Logic was ramping up a strategic social marketing effort with Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness Program® that would help prove its validity and demonstrate how social media can effectively engage the older adult crowd. By implementing a collaborative marketing approach and launching a site specifically designed to encourage information sharing in a safe, supportive online older adult community, SilverSneakers witnessed active engagement on its Facebook page grow from fewer than 500 fans in December 2009 to nearly 12,000 fans today.

The success of our work with SilverSneakers supports the upward trend of social media adoption among older adults while highlighting the value of social media as a marketing tool enabling conversation-centric, two-way models of communication for membership-based organizations.

Working Social Marketing Into a Mature Network
As far as membership organizations go, the award-winning SilverSneakers Fitness Program was thriving – offered to Medicare Advantage plan members through their health plan clients at more than 9,400 participating fitness and wellness centers across the country, SilverSneakers provides an innovative blend of exercise classes, health education and social opportunities to help mature adults maintain active, independent lifestyles. Studies have even found that older adults who participate in SilverSneakers are admitted to hospitals less frequently, have lower overall healthcare costs and experience a significantly reduced risk of depression.

SilverSneakers was already a hugely popular program, but the strategic use of social marketing has provided the organization with new and effective ways of connecting with potential members, and perhaps more importantly, encouraging loyalty to the program, ongoing member participation and involvement.

“The program is an inherently social experience,” according to our client and Healthways’ senior manager of Member Engagement Marketing, Michelle Eckert. “Introducing social media has allowed our participants to further enhance their social connections by sharing stories, photos, tips and notes of encouragement to others. Our experience supports the research that shows older adults citizens will adopt social media and participate, provided they see content and groups dedicated to their needs and interests.”

Managing Social Media Without Breaking a Sweat
While SilverSneakers began experimenting with social media late last year, the program needed a systemic approach, guidance, and support to create stronger interest and active participation. In January, the organization partnered with us and deployed Zeitgeist & Coffee^sm, our social media management suite specially designed to help organizations ramp up their social media marketing efforts, making them more effective and easier to implement and sustain.

Since implementing Zeitgeist & Coffee, SilverSneakers has realized…

• A significant spike in Facebook fans
• A dramatic increase in fans’ levels of engagement
• More fans who are potential SilverSneakers members visiting the Facebook page to learn about the program
• Friends and family members of SilverSneakers participants are joining the Facebook page to lend support and enthusiasm

SilverSneakers’ experience with Media Logic and Zeitgeist & Coffee has meant the difference between having a Fan page and having an active community.  By providing the methodology, marketing expertise and technology to fully leverage social media as a marketing a tool, we’ve made it easier for organizations to engage older adults and foster a meaningful social presence with the mature audience.

Related Articles

• Engaging the Aging: Creating Conversation for SilverSneakers (logicaljuice.mlinc.com)

Upon entering the store it was clear that the interior had been completely overhauled since my last visit. They did a really nice job. It was as if Firestone decided to tap the modern marketing ethos – facilitate conversation and establish authenticity – as their design inspiration.

Most notably, the counter has been removed. Instead of constructing a three-foot-tall barrier between customers and employees, the new design includes a handful of high tables or stations where interaction and dialogue is intended to take place. This improvement immediately changes the purchasing dynamic for me. I no longer expect the I place order/you tell me what to buy/I buy because I don’t know any better/I leave dynamic. By simply removing the counter and adding the “conversation stations,” the employees feel more like advisors or guides; like they are there to actually help consumers, not simply take their money.

There is a computer at each station but, instead of shielding me from the screen, the employee turns the screen my way so that we share in its viewing as we scroll through product options. It provides a sense of transparency. I don’t feel as though this guy is going to try and sell me the most expensive set of wiper blades, but the wiper blades that best suit my needs.

So in addition to picking up some new wiper blades, my jaunt to Firestone helped to reinforce – through a surprisingly pleasant retail experience – the principles of conversation-centric marketing:

• Offer the consumer more control
• Engage in a conversation
• Be authentic and transparent

FRED:

So Josh, I read an article recapping the 2010 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement. The gist: Consumers will continue to be frugal in 2010, but they are more likely to spend their money on relevant, functional items coming from brands that differentiate and show “meaning” and “authenticity.” Hmm, I wrote that sentence and I’m not sure what it means.

My read of this is that consumers are more and more aware of the “personality” of a brand and are more willing to engage with brands that they can relate to. Now, every marketer who’s done a “brand personality” exercise knows that we try and ascribe human traits to them by asking questions like “If Apple were at a party, what would he be doing?” And consumers are exposed to this as well, just look at the Mac/PC ads.

But what’s different now is that we can actually connect with the brands that we like and directly interact with them. Every time we go on Twitter or Facebook, the voice of a brand sits right next to posts from our friends. And we can talk to them, and they talk back to us. Of course, we know that a real person is writing the words of the brand, but that person represents (or should represent) the personality and voice of the brand. This study is telling us that it is more important than ever for companies to have an authentic presence that allows them to converse with their customers and prospects. Suddenly consumers want to connect with us, so we’d better be there.

JOSH:

I agree with your sentiment. I think customers are quickly demanding even more. Instead of a simple connection, customers want access to brands; and, more and more, they are beginning to demand access. In return, they are willing to promote their affiliation with, sometimes even advocate on behalf of, advertisers. However, customers are only willing to grant this exchange when the access they receive from advertisers rewards them with exclusive information, price points or recognition.

Yes, a brand’s personality is often the hook that allows companies to begin building this engagement. And social media platforms allow companies to demonstrate this personality like never before. But Facebook and Twitter are littered with companies who’ve focused too heavily on brand personality and too little on delivering value and providing customers with exclusivity. Take a look at Aflac on Twitter. Alfac was one of the first big brands to take the plunge and commit to Twitter. The problem, though, is that Aflac hasn’t been able to evolve their Twitter stream from a brand personality bullhorn to a demonstrable reason to buy. The duck might be a great hook, but brand personality is overrated if not coupled with meaningful value.

Watch as our conversation manager, Michelle, provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Media Logic and SilverSneakers are using social media as a marketing tool for collaboration and interaction with an active community of older adults.

“absolutely brilliant!!!“

“hopelessly dorky”

“creative, fun, and energetic”

“William F. Buckley is rolling in his grave.“

This new admissions video for Yale University is creating quite the buzz around the interwebs by taking a lighthearted musical approach to selling higher education.

And with nearly 300,000 views in two weeks on YouTube alone, it’s amassing quite an audience – and quite a bit of word of mouth.

But amidst the praising of their originality is an unfortunate undercurrent of condemnation. What many seem to be missing, is that this effort is a lot more “Glee” than “High School Musical.”

Produced almost exclusively by Yale students and recent Yale alum, this 17-minute magnum opus to the home of Handsome Dan is at once witty, kitschy, earnest, and entirely self-aware.

Yes, it’s goofy. It’s supposed to be.

A project like this could very easily have been a painful exercise in how NOT to be authentic. But instead of feeling like slick marketing, it’s become something entirely different – an organic extension of the school itself. From showcasing their technical proficiency and creative diversity to providing what at the end of the day is a great deal of information about the school itself, this mini-musical really gives prospective applicants something to sing about.

And, if after 17-minutes (and one dated but funny “Cats” reference), you still don’t get it, you’re probably not who they’re looking to attract in the first place.

We live in a world where everybody can create credible media – from a simple Twitter post to a mini-movie length musical. Further, it is a world where everybody can rebroadcast or promote the stuff they like. Professionals – marketers, writers, artists – have to stop being jealous and start taking advantage of this phenomenon. Now! Advocates, because they actually care, are simply better at making compelling media.

If you need further proof, just check out “Backwards Hall and Oates.”

Harness the power of social media. Register for your free presentation today and find out how you can use social media to build your brand and business.

If we as buyers do not have a personal experience with a brand, or know someone who has, we generally defer to (and trust) the “wisdom of crowds” and their conversations about a particular brand or product to inform our purchasing decisions.  In the modern marketing world, in which social media and social CRM are moving at break-neck pace, the crowd-sourcing mechanism will be a primary influencer of how, when and where B2B consumers decide to make a purchase. The once-isolated customer is now an active consumer of expert opinions, product comparisons and peer reviews, using the Internet and massive social networking to gather the necessary information for making an informed purchase decision.

The new participatory role of the consumer has fundamentally changed B2B marketing by presenting companies with the opportunity to excite and engage prospective customers in their prevailing platform for conversation. Now that the consumer has control (as discussed in our recent whitepaper, Forget the Funnel – a New Look at the Stealth Buyer), companies who wish to have a voice in the conversation must develop integrated marketing strategies that deliver consumers offers and experiences in an authentic and relevant way.

So how do you generate inbound leads with a social media strategy?  Develop an integrated marketing communications program that strengthens your brand within the conversation, builds referrals, communities and influencers and makes sense of your social footprint – a strategy that will pave the way for attracting highly qualified inbound leads.  Miller rightfully asserts that companies thinking strategically about demand generation must commit a significant portion of their efforts to using social media as a means for tapping the wisdom of crowds and conversations and building trust for their brands and products.  Just as it was in the traditional sales cycle, trust is a critical component to building a customer relationship, and companies can leverage social media to grow their consumer relationships, enhance B2B lead generation efforts and ultimately, convert qualified prospects into revenue for their brand.

Many companies in today’s market might be struggling with the costs of increasing their physical footprint. But with the right strategic approach, companies can afford to increase their digital footprint to reach more prospects, increase engagement and generate highly qualified inbound leads.

Learn how to integrate, manage and maximize your company’s total social marketing universe. Request your Zeitgeist & Coffee demo now.

Here’s an article about the potential end of “free TV,” as the nation’s top networks contemplate moving to a cable-like pay-TV model to compensate for declining viewership and lost ad revenue.

The lesson for marketers on the road ahead: we’ll have to be flexible, as old rules are cast aside and new opportunities emerge.

I’m struck by today’s images of protesters in Iran, some of which are no doubt captured stealthily via cell phones and smart phones. By actual witnesses and participants… not professional journalists.

The lesson for future marketers: authenticity and immediacy can trump slick and polished.

I’m bemused by this story about teens working to curb their Facebook obsession. Hopefully, they’ll share their advice with their increasingly obsessed parents and grandparents!

The lesson for soothsaying marketers: social media has inserted itself firmly and fixedly into the mainstream. We must embrace this, and leverage its potential.

Indeed, technological and behavioral changes have quickly, profoundly changed how we market products and services. And yet, at the core of all this evolution, consumers still exhibit a fundamental desire for engagement (such as fabulous cable shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men), truth (from the front lines of Iran or anywhere) and a social connection (online and in real life). These are the timeless tenets of effective marketing. Stick to them, and let’s go boldly into the new decade!

Ahem…after I check my Facebook Live Feed.

The first path is a conservative one, on which larger entrenched institutions create barriers to protect their position and power. The second path is a bit more comforting to both the old and new guard, as it is the path of change. We accept change, we compromise, we embrace the delicate uncertainties, etc. About the most painful aspect of this path is the idea that agencies, and the businesses they look to serve, will be forced to learn new practices. In doing so, disciplines will be forced to share more significant budget lines with areas of emerging opportunity.

The third and final path he describes – “digital dreaming” – is terrifying because you can’t control it, define it, predict it or balance a budget on it at the moment. It is a path that mandates we leave behind the old rules and realities that have defined marketing to completely embrace the promise of technological possibility. It is the path that forces you to let go completely of any lingering hesitation caused by fear of change. (Sound pretty familiar? This third path is akin to the year we have just experienced.)

I’ll take the third path, though – not because I am excessively driven by unmanaged risk, but because it speaks more to the idea of creative thinking. Critical problem solving deployed to deliver practical solutions, as opposed to the stale waffling of bartering that often plagues marketing – especially in the media planning realm.

Now, keep in mind, Dr. Fredericks’ book was published way back in 2007. At that time Twitter was only recently conceived, Facebook was potty training, and Apple was preparing to unleash the first iPhone on gadget junkies. Fredericks clearly states that his basis of affection for the third path is its being based on search. Yes, search, as in algorithms, Google and Bing. The content that we crave, know, seek and love will no longer be defined by its house but instead by what he terms its “essence” – whether it is text, video or audio. How will we get this essence? He proposes it will be based on voluntarily engagement in a new stream of content distribution, via both pay-for and ad-supported delivery methods.

It is a great hypothesis and, to some extent, one that has already begun to emerge as not only possibility but reality. We see it both in paid keyword search and behavioral ad delivery models via online ad networks. You type “social media marketing” into Google search and you get a stream of data that the engine tries to quantify as valuable to you. In the process, without any breakdown of the organic information that is returned, I or any number of media planning wonks will beg your indulgence to consider clicking on our paid sponsor link.

We also see it in direct content purchase via iTunes or in accessing data on Hulu. It is built on the notion that advertising is no longer dependent on the content alone to reach vaguely identifiable large packs of humans. Instead, the consumer’s intent, actions and behavior can correlate to drive relevancy of messages. It strips away the notion of the nightly news reaching adults age 35 – 54 who might have some propensity to be in the market for various things like detergent or a car. It strips it completely bare. Then it attempts to identify the consumer’s needs and potential interests based on his most immediate intentions or request for information queries.

Imagine it outside of a search engine for a moment. What if you turned on your entertainment hard drive to tap into the latest episode of Breaking Bad. You can either choose to pay $2.99 for an ad-free viewing or a free view with content support. Say you already drop $45 a month for broadband access; you might be inclined to choose content support. A menu pops up and you are given a set of category options based on your preset interests and businesses willing to pay $2.99 for that interest.

Where the wheels on this bus go “squeak, squeak, SCREECH” is that while Fredericks talks of empowered consumers with fervor, he misses the opportunity of what can only be defined at the moment as audience search. Essentially, do not wait for your customers to stumble over to you based on the intent algorithm. Tap directly into the power of the conversations that technology is emboldening your customers to have with or about your product or service. Find out where your customers are and create environments in which they will engage your brand, product or service. (I’m not creating a new mode of thought here – Seth Godin talks about similar ideas in Tribes, and Everett Rogers explained how communications or idea paths disseminate in similar ways in Diffusion of Innovations.

To me, “digital dreaming” is not only about understanding intentions and actions, but also uncovering the things that both excite and dismay established and potential customers – and perhaps the not-so-satisfied ones to boot. It really boils down to this: You simultaneously need to find better ways to reach out to potential customers with more meaningful messages, while also engaging your existing customers who have great passion for what you do. Some of you are rolling your eyes thinking, “How will I get people passionate about my product? I am not a ‘social’ brand!” I’d say, don’t look for what you mistake to be existing fruit; it is probably past its peak anyhow. Look for the seed to plant new ideas or uncover hidden aspects about your business that are inherently interesting and possibly social. Start with accepting the fact that the technology is here and it is changing how people’s communication is sparked. If you still don’t have an idea that works for you, support another entity that does. A lot of what social media marketing is about is reciprocal relationships. Support what others are passionate about and they will be more likely to consider your brand in return for that support.

Recently, we watched some digital dreaming unfold when an item pinged up in a Zeitgeist & Coffee^SM weekly landscape survey for our client MVP Health Care. What we found was a Twitter posting regarding MVP. The individual had noted the presence of community relations and brand signage at a bicycle race in which he had participated. Not long after the event, the individual was delivered an ad impression via our online video display campaign. He literally grabbed the core “TriVantage” product message from the ads’ closing graphic and proceeded to share it on Twitter through TwitPic to all his followers. The conversation became the medium, the technology, the process and the message. It gets rebroadcast and maybe “re-tweeted” and “liked,” so on and down the line.

This isn’t planned. We didn’t sit plotting in the viral war room. What we did do a few years ago with our client was come to a smart and sound conclusion that the marketplace had significantly changed. Being just a logo is not the recipe for being noticed. Your logo is the mark by which you are easily identified; your brand position is what you actually deliver to your customers. We presented a prospect with a strong message and brand experience, in multiple venues that matter to them. The message and the choice of venues were impactful enough to catalyze a positive, unsolicited response. We could keep doing it the silly old “reach and frequency” way. Continuing to put faith in saying nothing often may get us some unaided brand awareness points on a compromised survey. Or we could focus on the notion that people are willing to engage our brands and have an open mind to the possibilities.

This does not mean these efforts happen at the expense of existing media channels in favor of social media efforts. What it really means is start making the messages better and more tangible wherever they are going to be broadcast. Plug and play options will be best in Dr. Fredericks’ future world of advertising… and the future is now. Is your marketing digital dream ready?