Three Wise Dames

Marketing in the Life Science Industry

Blessings to my Healthcare Social Media Gurus July 29, 2010

Filed under: Debbie,DTC,marketing,Programs,Social media,strategy — Debbie Donovan @ 11:05 pm
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found: http://the-tech-guru-radlett.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

In the past few months, many have asked me to explain how “social media things” are relevant to health care companies and providers. After I answer specific questions and cite examples, the next question I get is a variation of, “How did you figure all this stuff out?” The answer is pretty simple. Early in my self-guided study I stumbled upon what I can only describe as gurus.

They provide a steady stream of examples of creative execution, critical insights on legal and regulatory issues and infinite enthusiasm for this communication revolution. Today, in particular, they all helped me. I’ve learned that the best karma I can give is a shout out to those whose activity I can’t miss:

Namaste!

 

Marketing Tool Kits: Excellent Content July 28, 2010

Filed under: Debbie,marketing,Programs,Tool Kits — Debbie Donovan @ 1:45 am
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Typical advertising mail
Image via Wikipedia

You’ve engaged with branding, advertising, public relations, web and communications firms and/or leveraged internal resources to create highly effective marketing assets. Now, lets get creative on how customers might use them to set up a win-win situation.

1. Assets—creative re-purposing of existing work

An enormous body of work has made the successful journey through legal and regulatory. Without a doubt, you have a treasure chest of assets to re-purpose into a marketing toolkit. Be creative when looking at each asset in its current form and deciding if elements can be combined into a new use.

In a first pass audit of materials include any item:

2. Tool Kit Organization:

A common approach is to organize the elements based on the user of the materials—physician, nurse, and hospital marketing staff. The challenge comes when you realize that most elements can be used by any of these customer groups. As with any marketing activity, the target audience (patient/consumer) should be the focus of the elements contained in the kit. Here’s a common list of channels that can be used to reach the patient and referring health care professional audiences:

  • advertising: print, broadcast, outdoor, on-line (banners, ad words)
  • direct mail: postcard, newsletter, and email copy
  • media relations: releases, backgrounders, b-roll
  • web content: pages, images, downloads, transcribed videos, clinical data
  • educational collateral: brochures, posters, videos, presentations
  • social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

3. Delivery and Maintenance of the Tool Kit

Gone are the days of the clip art on printed pages and so should the material contained on disks. These pieces of paper or DVDs “cement” a marketing moment in time and are not easily modified. To be nimble and stay current, the delivery mechanism for your marketing toolkit needs to be electronic. Creating a website section for the media that includes files to download is a great first step. Now services like Google Docs, DropBox and Box.net allow downloads to be by invitation and tracked. As new material comes out of your development and approval process it can be uploaded upon release and not have to wait for the next disk burning.

Next up:  Easy to complete tactics

(c) 2010 eGold Solutions

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In the beginning… July 14, 2010

Filed under: Customer Service,Lisa,Market Planning,marketing,Marketing staffing,strategy — Lisa Pohmajevich @ 9:16 pm
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PSB Church

During a recent discussion about when to hire marketing personnel, my client responded with ‘we’re not really ready for marketing’. This comment struck me odd, as I had been working with them on market development and marketing strategy. So I probed the thinking behind the comment. The client replied ‘we are not ready to roll out the product yet, so we don’t need advertising’.

In discussion with colleagues I’ve found that this thinking is not uncommon, and that many companies associate the term marketing with advertising and little else. It seems that what marketing is – is bewildering to some; sales and marketing are often used interchangeably when discussing customer interaction.

Peter Drucker is credited with the following quote; “Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business has two – and only two – functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation create value, all the rest are costs.”

That quote perfectly defines my belief about business and marketing. I have long worked in marketing, the world of art and science blended to connect with and serve a customer.  I love that marketing consists of a wide breadth of functions and is core to a business.

The very definition of marketing through the four P’s defines the necessity of marketing early on and throughout the course of the product life.

  • Product
  • Price
  • Place
  • Promotion

While promotion is very important to the mix, it is the last in the list to master – and so much more successful if the other three are well attended to with hard core professional marketing.

Marketing happens in the earliest stages of a company.  An idea, a product concept or a service is presented to investors for early stage financing support, this is concept marketing.  Demographics, profiles and current practices provide a backdrop against which a new product or service is contrast; this is market definition.  Investigation into customer needs, behaviors, and loyalties is market research.

Marketing continues throughout the development phase of products and services, with a product requirements document, this is product marketing. Branding, product naming, product promotion, product training and service are all marketing functions.  All customer support and engagement are marketing. Public relations, education and training, pricing and promotion and market development are all marketing functions.  Even the discontinuation of a product or service is a marketing function.

Eric Brody, author of the blog Healthy Conversations, recapped the July Fast Company story about 10 lessons from Apple.  Among these key lessons is that ‘Everything is marketing’.  The recap and post can be read here.

It is true that my client is not yet ready to do advertising and should thoughtfully consider which marketing talent to hire. The best hire is someone who can do the marketing that is essential to the business at this point.  However, they have begun marketing, and if they are to be successful they must continue to do so.  Marketing starts in the beginning.

(c) 2010 pH Consulting