People are talking about your brand. They could be telling each other glowing stories about their experiences, or complaining about the substandard service that they received. Your audience is building a brand narrative, with or without you—so if you want to help shape the story arc, you must participate in the dialogue. Read more »

In the 2012 Presidential Election, the Democrats taught the Republicans the value of a good Ground Game, or, in marketing terms, grassroots marketing. The Democrats got their base out to vote by spending millions and committed even more in man hours to ensure people made it to the polls on Election Day. Wisely, the Democrats saw grassroots marketing as an important element in their overall approach to winning the election.But, if you're told Read more »

Just two years ago, women outnumbered men in the workforce for the first time in US history—and the disparity has only grown since then. With three women earning college degrees for every two men, and more and more women entering managerial positions, we can no longer rely on the same age-old advertising maxims. As women assert more power, marketing to them must change as well—especially in healthcare, where they make most of the household choices.Building Read more »

Hi CHPRMS attendees! This is the provocative blog Stephen mentioned. Enjoy!While some people believe certain things are better left unsaid, the following companies prove that with the right amount of humor and sensitivity, nothing is off the table when it comes to marketing to women. Healthcare brands pay attention: we're in a conservative industry, but when other brands redefine the boundaries, we can benefit from knowing the edge gets a little Read more »

All marketers (healthcare and non-healthcare) say they measure their campaigns, and almost all feel they lack the  tools to connect the ROI dots.Information, we've got. We're drowning in data. Google Analytics can tell us everything about our web traffic, except how much revenue we're delivering our health systems with each new visitor.Klout scores (does anyone follow these anymore?) can tell us how cool our social online presence is, except Read more »

You’re a savvy marketer—savvy enough that you probably turn off your brain whenever you hear the word “engagement.” After all, what is engagement other than another painful buzzword?But here’s where things get tricky—“engagement” isn’t necessarily meaningless, but it also isn’t a cure-all panacea for your marketing woes. It does not have intrinsic value. It is not a metric, nor is it an easy way to build loyalty. It is not Read more »

Great branding campaigns are, ultimately, campaigns of great story telling.Stories are the best way to impart information. People forget facts. They remember stories.Before the written word, oral storytellers shared history, which was passed to other generations.Peter Guber writes about the art of storytelling as a persuasion tool in Tell to Win.Nike, Disney, Coke, Chick-fil-A. Just Do It. Magic. Refreshment. Cows telling us to eat Read more »

As a guy writing this blog, I realize the headline above could be considered piggish.But it's not.If you haven't heard of Hot Mama, it's a chain of clothing stores that has Disney-like brand loyalty.Their secret? A highly focused customer experience tailored to moms who want to feel sexy and beautiful.Hot Mama stores are designed so that kids playing with the in-store video games are always in view, no matter where mom Read more »

Did you know that an overwhelming 86% of Facebook users think "it's no ones business but my own" when asked about sharing personal health information on Facebook? Thanks to the group at the Path of Blue Eye Project for commissioning this infographic that lays out all of the juicy details on why the social media giant, Facebook, isn't for sharing...yet.It's important to know where your clients and prospects are and what they're willing to share. Read more »

One of the latest trends in the tech field is employee perks. Google offers subsidized massages, a rock climbing wall and hair cuts. Work/Life balance is all the rage and for good reason. Happy employees are more than just labor – studies show psychologically well employees perform better. Even better, a happy employee who loves and lives the brand becomes the greatest advocate.Now, we aren't telling you to compete at Amazon's level. And Read more »