Junto ("june-toe") is sponsored by Franklin Street, a branding and full service advertising agency specializing in health and wellness. We call the blog Junto in homage to Benjamin Franklin, who created the first "Junto" brainstorming group, which established the first American public hospital.
Your smart phone can do amazing things: video chat with friends, check the latest scores for your favorite Indian cricket team, or play Scrabble with your co-worker. But your smart phone more than fun and games. The latest additions to the smartphone app market may just end up saving your life.
According Fast Co., mobile health technology is currently a $2 billion of the $273 billion medical-device industry. And that number is skyrocketing. Experts believe the number will continue to grow as smart phones get smarter and patients take their health into their own hands.
Up next? The FDA plans to release a rigorous set of guidelines for mobile health applications later this year. A more formalized process will make entering the market easier and energize the mHealth market.
What does this mean for your healthcare organization? It’s time to pay attention to mHealth.
Keep an eye out for great new apps and products that may help cut costs–a new app and accessory for eye exams is literally .3% the cost of its predecessor.
Think ahead – mobile health portals may soon allow patients who track their health via apps to plug into your EMR. Imagine that data shared seamlessly with your medical staff.
Try them out yourself. After all, you deserve to be happy and healthy, too. Check out our favorite apps for staying fit and healthy.
Get your own app–from ER wait times to tips and calendars for pregnant moms. The possibilities are endless.
If it isn’t already, make your site mobile friendly. While this isn’t an app, it is mHealth. If your website isn’t compatible with prevalent mobile technology, you are missing a golden opportunity. 1 in 7 searches are now mobile and that number is even higher for local searches.
Have more ideas for mHealth? Know an mHealth guru? Need more inspiration? We love sharing our thoughts and talking with other experts in health and wellness. Give us a shout.
We’ve spent months curating predictions and trends that are most likely to impact marketing and communicating healthcare brands. Below are five key trends brands should embrace in order to engage with today’s healthcare audiences.
Just 44% of Americans believe their home is worth more than their mortgage, and only 22% of likely U.S. voters believe the country is headed in the right direction. With so much uncertainty and feelings of disillusionment, today’s audiences have no time for organizations that talk down to them. They want frank, honest conversations more than ever from brands.
Implications for healthcare brands: Health systems can’t be skittish about engaging prospective patients and caregivers. This means more on-line communications where straight talk via blogs and open door conversations via social media. Traditional branding efforts should evoke honest dialogue: more real life instead of make-believe. Our audiences can handle adult conversations about their healthcare; in fact, they demand it. Meaningful calls-to-action are hallmarks of Maturialism in 2012: make an appointment, speak to a nurse, or attend a screening or event for early diagnosis and prevention.
DIY (Do It Yourself) Health
Health is the new wealth. Tech innovations will keep fueling our audiences’ desire to take charge of their health. (There are already more than 9,000 mobile health apps available and Ford is now testing in-car health monitoring technology in their cars.) This trend dovetails one of the tenets of the Affordable Care Act: keeping patients well and out of the hospital.
Implications for healthcare brands: Health systems have a huge opportunity to lead the charge for wellness, not just treatment. This means new approaches to traditional community health events and screenings. Healthcare had been a low interest conversation, a “pay attention only when I need it” philosophy. Today, our messages have a sticky factor as audiences clamor for how to live and feel better. Yet, healthcare providers account for only 2% of all social health buzz. It’s time for health systems to pony up and engage to the DIY Health crowd.
In the age of Siri, access to information isn’t a problem. It’s finding the right answers and solutions that’s the challenge. Our healthcare audiences are seeking trusted guides to deliver enlightenment. With our audiences’ time and attention at a premium, though, they are seeking out gurus on topics. These gurus take a patient approach to sift information and distill in meaningful ways to audiences.
Implications for healthcare brands:It’s not enough to purchase third party health information, plug it into a website and expect it to be perceived by healthcare audiences as valuable and useful. Healthcare brands must play the role of gurus: sifting and filtering information and sharing it in ways that don’t overwhelm audiences. Because healthcare audiences vary so widely in need, healthcare brands should use multiple platforms to connect with audiences. This means Facebook strategies geared to new moms, blogs and support discussion groups for people living with COPD, and monthly lectures on trends in heart care.
Attitudes towards aging are changing, with people of all ages taking a positive view of growing older. As the demographic and culture changes, along with medical advances, audiences will redefine what “old” means and when it occurs.
Implications for healthcare brands:Traditional healthcare services like orthopedics and cardiac services will benefit from appealing to the youthful spirit of audiences 50+. This means more emphasis in messaging on how healthcare brands get patients “back to a busy, full life.” Because older adults today don’t view their age as a barrier to youth or vitality as did generations prior, healthcare brands can benefit from their willingness to actively seek out medical treatments that keep them on the go.
The universal archetype of masculinity is over. The old rules that define a man’s role in the home and office do not apply in today’s world. More women are out-earning their husbands and men accept it. In fact, 77% of all men say they are comfortable with their wives earning more than them and 72% are okay staying home to take care of the children.
Implications for healthcare brands:Because men accounted for over 75% of the recessionary job losses, they are running more errands and homesteads while the spouse works and brings home the paycheck. For the coveted healthcare age cohort of 55-64, men use the Internet equally as women to search for healthcare information (74.7% to 75.4%, respectively). Women, once the default demographic for healthcare messages, should no longer be considered the sole target audience for all healthcare campaigns. More health systems are developing programs and services around men who are tuned in to healthcare messaging–and responding to it–like never before.
Communication Trends
Strictly speaking communications, we see the continued growth of mobile and web-based video as tools for healthcare brands in 2012. Consider these facts:
Smart phone web-based searches have quadrupled in the last year and now 1 in 3 mobile searches are for local brands (like hospitals!).
Smart phone usage is expected to double within 5 years as mobile overtakes the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web.
Americans spend on average 2.7 hours per day “socializing” on a mobile device.
eMarketer estimates that US online video ad spending will grow by a compound annual rate of 38% in a five-year span ending in 2015, making this by far the fastest-rising category of online spending.
By 2015, video ad spending will reach $7.1 billion, up from $2.6 billion in 2011. In the past year alone, growth was 52.1%.
What do you see as the trends that could positively or negatively impact your brand? What’s next?
Mom-centric social media focuses on sharing knowledge, product reviews and experiences. From “Powersuit Mom” to “Stay-at-Home CEO,” the many roles of women today do not comply to the formerly rigid disconnect of working mother or homemaker. Most women somehow find time to do it all – working full-time jobs, cheering at soccer matches, baking cupcakes for the classroom, and vacuuming the living room. As a 20-something career-focused girl, I feel exhausted just watching my Gen Y gal pals juggle friendships, marriages, kids and jobs.
So how on earth do they do it all and do it so well? They turn to each other for tips, tricks and advice. And in today’s tech-obsessed world, that advice is usually found online. Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter are over flowing with personal stories, lessons from experience and comradery.
This social-media-mom push puts the healthcare industry in a particularly sweet spot. In addition to about a million other responsibilities, moms tend to take the lead on family healthcare. Babycenter.com reported that:
93% of the women surveyed “manage the health and well being of their entire household” from themselves and husbands to children and elderly parents.
A recent MediaPost article zeroes in on a mom-centric survey. According to the study, moms who use technology to share health information:
Frequently use e-mail and Facebook. E-mail is reported as the most used method at 84% with Facebook not far behind at 69%.
Use the Web to find out about new things from teething rings to teen discipline. 83% find out about news things through email from friends or email lists. (Only 65% chose television.)
98% check email, 84% visit Facebook, 60% visit a news Web site, and 60% talk on the phone with a friend on a daily basis.
The ever-expanding community of Web-savvy, social-media-loving, smartphone-toting moms is on the rise. Moms are sharing their healthcare experiences with each other at unprecedented levels. A positive patient experience is bound to be applauded in blogs, tweets and posts. On the other hand, one negative interaction can be a reputation killer in certain circles.
A few tips for keeping your maternal patients happy:
Maintain an active social media presence to respond to praise and criticism
Create and share new and fun content for young moms
Want to keep reading? We have tons of info on marketing healthcare to women and men! Interested in the world of mom bloggers? Check out this top 25 list or visit a few office favorites: Ill-Advised by The Bloggess,Mommy Shorts, and Three Kid Circus.
Share your thoughts! Have a favorite mom blogger? Best bets for email lists? Thoughts on healthcare marketing to women? Tell us about it!
There are certain questions you should never ask a lady. Her weight, age, or phone number. (Insert laugh track here.) But in all seriousness, there’s something inherently personal about healthcare.
And while engaging consumers isn’t easy in any market, in today’s low-attention-span society reaching patients on a personal level about a subject they don’t necessarily want to talk about is even harder. A new way to engage and interact with consumers in both the digital and real world? Flash mobs!
These word-of-mouth, social-media driven events get people active, excited and interacting. Plus, they tend to make great viral videos.
Earlier this month, over 200 staff members and supporters of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute – took to the streets of Columbus before the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The team performed a choreographed dance to Whoopi Goldberg’s memorable “Dancing in the Streets.”
Why dancing? “We wanted to do something fun to raise awareness about the need to fund breast cancer research to get us closer to a cure, and ultimately to creating a cancer-free world,” said CEO Dr. Michael Caligiuri.
Physical activity meets viral videos meets healthcare activism? How could you not dance in the street?
Marketers are always searching for the newest trends and movements, from flash dancing mobs to the use of Foursquare and other geo-targeting social marketing movements.
Unlike other marketing trends that feel perfect for young consumers but challenge healthcare marketers to package to more mature audiences, Random Acts of Kindness fit perfectly with our audience and our healthcare brands. Health and wellness companies are compassionate by nature. Opportunities abound and don’t require big budgets to have big returns.
A few ideas:
A potted plant for a patient who loves gardening
Providing free inspirational books like Chicken Soup for the Soul to patients and family members of cancer patients
Sunscreen and bottled water for a local high school track team before a meet
Passing out free umbrellas to walkers on rainy days
A homemade jug of Splenda-sweetened tea for a Diabetes patient
Batman, a clown, Dora the Explorer or another childhood favorite showing up for an underage in-hospital birthday
A group of nurses organizing a food drive and giving bags of free groceries to needy families in the community
Monitoring Twitter for people commenting on needing to lose weight, feeling tired or run down and sending them notes of encouragement
For hospitals in urban areas, leave gift certificates to drivers who’ve received parking tickets or cover people’s bike seats when it rains
Royal Dutch Airline has started an amazing campaign where social media stalking meets Random Acts of Kindness to really personalize gifts for their customers.
Like any other tool we use as marketers, there is an art to effectively using it. Trendwatchers.com identified nine guidelines to consider while developing this type of program.
Consumer trend-spotters like Trendwatching and Faith Popcorn have identified several interesting behavior patterns for 2011. While many of the trends are poised to significantly influence retail sectors, healthcare providers should take note. How can your hospital create opportunities to address these emerging consumer needs?
Here are five trends that likely will have the greatest impact for healthcare marketing teams this year:
Maturialism – Savvy, world-tested consumers no longer tolerate being treated like naive audiences. They crave much more honest conversations. That means hospitals that traditionally have danced around difficult health topics may generate more traction by getting real - like this colonoscopy campaign we did for Augusta Health.
Generation G – More focused on generosity and realness, weary consumers continue to embrace brands that display random acts of kindness. Using insight on their audiences from social networks, organizations like Interflora flowers and KLM airlines [‘How Happiness Spreads’] have surprised people with thoughtful gestures.
Could hospital staff bring a cookie to a new mom craving chocolate? A map or personal guide to a family member who got lost during vistiation?
How do staff or volunteers who go the extra mile get thanked?
Of course, this plays into another trend of consumers who love to broadcast good news (and your brand for being part of it) through social networks.
Price Pandemonium – Deal-hunting has hit a fever pitch with the economy, fueling location-based social media “check ins” for special offers and the rise of greater group buying services like Groupon and Living Social.
What about using these channels to promote a package on cardiac screenings or a wellness assessment for those who picked the most popular New Year’s resolution?
Online Status Symbols – Who’s mayor of your hospital? (Bet it’s not someone on the executive team.) Interactive customers love all kinds of these virtual badges of honor, which help them share (show off) status and online or real activities.
Could your hospital apply this trend by creating social networking markers to recognize cancer survivors and new parents?
Volunteers or staff recognized for exceptional patient care?
How about those meeting progressive wellness goals?
Which leads us to the most important trend:
Wellthy – Trendwatching.com says, “As good health is now as important to some consumers as having the biggest, newest or shiniest status symbols, growing numbers of consumers will expect health products and services in 2011 to improve their quality of life, rather than merely treating illnesses and ailments.” For healthcare marketers, this trend nicely overlaps the previous one.
Healthcare consumers will search and share online more than ever. Mobile health apps will continue to explode in growth, and health monitoring will become more portable and affordable.
Is your organization leading the charge for wellness, not just treatment?
How can your hospital capitalize on this and other emerging trends to further connect with your community?
Americans’ well-being is eroding due to the economy and stress, especially among women.
Key findings include:
People feel older, younger, hence the “35 is the new 40″ headline.
For 3 in 4 Americans, it’s the economy keeping them up at night.
We think we weigh less than we do. According to the Philips’ study, 6 in 10 Americans don’t feel they’re overweight. But the CDC says that 7 in 10 Americans are overweight.
The Internet is second after the doctor as the American’s #1 source for health information. In the 2004 survey, the #2 source was friends and family. (This is a contrast to Manhattan Research, which reports that the Internet actually surpassed physicians in 2009.)
Marketing take-aways:
Despite the hoopla during the presidential campaign, hope and change are still meaningful communication messages for healthcare marketers. What better benefit can a hospital offer a cancer patient than hope? What more powerful promise can a hospital offer a weight loss surgery patient than positive, life-enriching change?
But hope is not enough. Given the strains on everyone these days, results-driven strategies and messages are required for relevancy among audiences. In healthcare, for hope and change messages to be meaningful, we must back them up with solid proof points: your organization’s da Vinci technology for example, or your heart surgery team’s track record of positive outcomes.
In this Great Recession, people are gravitating to products and services that will empower them, make them feel better—both short- and long-term. That’s one of the reasons the movie Avatar is on track to becoming the biggest grossing movie of all time. People want to leave their gray lives for awhile and surround themselves in a Utopia. (This is also why the board game Monopoly became so popular during the Great Depression.)
And if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, fat and pessimistic about the state of the world, you can always watch this and feel better.
