Three Wise Dames

Marketing in the Life Science Industry

Why my toes are blue with stars March 1, 2013

Filed under: Advocacy,Debbie,Patient,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 12:01 am
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Colorectal Cancer advocacy

Ready for Colorectal Cancer Awareness month and One Million Strong website kick off

March is colorectal cancer awareness month

Blue is the designated color and stars are the symbol for hope.

Many years ago, the National Colorectal Cancer Round Table (NCCRT) began using the blue star as a unifying emblem for Colorectal Cancer advocacy. Dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals show their support by wearing blue stars in the month of March. As you see events in your communities, I encourage you to participate to raise awareness and get screened. This is the most easily preventable cancer and it is also becoming more survivable even when diagnosed at late stages.

In the US, over 1 million people are survivors of colorectal cancer.

To kick off 2013 festivities, I am in Times Square to support the launch of One Million Strong #1MilStrong a campaign created by Fight Colorectal Cancer. The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness for prevention, screening, treating and beating colorectal cancer. All day we will be spreading the excitement from these activities:

  • Free yoga sessions by Lululemon
  • Dance class/party with James Darling and music by DJ Jay McElfresh
  • Cancer survivor group photo
  • A strong arm pose-off with a visit from WBO Middleweight Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin
  • And don’t miss Prevent Cancer‘s Super Colon, an interactive exhibit that offers a close-up look at a healthy (and unhealthy) colon with tips about screening and early prevention

When on the One Million Strong website you can:

  • Make a pledge to be strong, talk to your doctor about screening, be an advocate, urge family and friends to take action
  • Learn more about colorectal cancer advocacy
  • Discover how supporting colorectal cancer organizations improves healthcare for everyone

Fight Colorectal Cancer is one of the leading advocacy groups for this preventable, treatable and beatable cancer. I am proud to be on the team representing:

  • The Colon Club which uses out-of-the-box ways to promote prevention and screening especially for men and women under 50 years old that are symptomatic and/or at risk for developing colorectal cancer. The Colossal Colon and Colondar models will be on tour throughout the year raising awareness in a community near you.
  • Third Eye Colonoscopy which developed the Third Eye Retroscope device to help physicians see behind the folds and flexures in the colon where adenomas (pre-cancerous polyps) like to hide. This breakthrough technology allows physicians to see more of the colon which leads to increased detection of adenomas.

I hope you will follow the fun today on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn and share with your networks so we can “get behind a cure” in March!

(C) 2013 eGold Solutions; all rights reserved.

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Guest Post Part III: Judging Social Media Success February 21, 2013

Filed under: Debbie,Guest Posts,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 12:00 pm
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Guest Wise Dame Susan L. Brown for Brown & Associates

elephantWboyWguitarROI for social media and communities is the “elephant in the room.” Everyone wants a definitive answer to how to evaluate return on investment. Also how much investment is enough? What are the resources needed? What kind of social media is effective and why?

“The most socially engaged companies typically enjoyed revenue growth of 18% on average over the last 12 months, while the least socially engaged brands saw revenues fall 6%.”

  • The study also showed that social media reach alone may have a positive impact: BUTTERFLIES enjoyed significantly stronger revenue returns than SELECTIVES or WALLFLOWERS. Why? Because more touch points can present a ripple effect, inducing viral marketing, boosting brand recognition and driving sales volume.
  • SELECTIVES delivered higher gross and net margins, suggesting that deep engagement in a few channels can be a rewarding and effective social media strategy. Focusing on depth over breadth present an opportunity to better understand the customer, react quickly to customer demand, and improve satisfaction – which in turn generates pricing power and drives business success.

Key Take-aways:

  • Engagement via social media IS important — and we CAN quantify it.
  • It pays in both revenue and profits to engage meaningfully in social media. Emphasize quality, not just quantity.
  • To scale engagement, make social media part of everyone’s job.
  • Doing it all may not be for you — but you must do something.
  • Find your sweet spot – it is better to be consistent and participate in fewer channels than to spread yourself too thin.

How Companies Judge Social Media Success

The amount of web site traffic generated is the most popular way that companies in this study measure the success of their social media initiatives, followed by engagement with prospects and brand awareness.

Figure 1: Top Social Media Success Metrics

SuccessMetrics

 The next figure shows the bottom two box (Not at All, Barely) and top two box (Well, Very Well) percentages for respondents using each of the success metrics

Respondents were asked how well they can see the impact of company social media initiatives on the success metrics they use today using the following scale:

1. Not at All – Unable to Measure

2. Barely – May or May Not Have the Data

3. Somewhat – Data is There but You Have to Dig

4. Well – Most of the Data is Easily Accessed

5. Very Well – Part of Standard Reports

Figure 2: Ability to See Impact of Social Media Initiatives on Success Metrics

SocialMediaSuccessMetrics

Don’t Miss:

Part I: 6 Key Steps to Determine Social Media ROI

Part II: Social Media’s Impact on Purchases

(C) 03/2011, updated, 1/2013; all rights reserved. This article may be shared in part or whole with credit given to author and link to Brown & Associates

 

Guest Post Part II: Social Media’s Impact on Purchases February 14, 2013

Filed under: Debbie,Guest Posts,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 12:00 pm
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elephantWgirlWstickGuest Wise Dame Susan L. Brown for Brown & Associates

ROI for social media and communities is the “elephant in the room.” Everyone wants a definitive answer to how to evaluate return on investment. Also how much investment is enough? What are the resources needed? What kind of social media is effective and why?

How Does Social Impact Brands and Purchase?  Some Use Statistics

Performics is a Publicis-owned company that focuses on digital marketing optimization including assessments of how consumers talk about brands on the social web. It conducted an online survey of U.S. consumers who access at least one social network regularly and determined what kind of impact social networking has on the purchase process. 34% of social networkers had taken action on an ad they had seen on a social networking site by doing a further search on the product, while 30% had learned about a new product while on a social networking site. One quarter of respondents were making product recommendations while social networking.

Use of Social Networking in the Purchase Process:

I have discussed products/services/brands on social networking sites after seeing an ad elsewhere: 20%

I have recommended a product/service/brand to my friends via a social networking site: 25%

I have gone directly to an online retailer or ecommerce site after learning about a product/ service/brand via a social networking site: 25%

I am receptive to invitations to events, special offers or promotions from advertisers communicated to me through social networking sites 27%

I have learned about a new product, service and/ or brand from a social networking site: 30%

I have used a search engine to find information on a product/service/brand after seeing an advertisement on a social networking site: 34%

Source: Performics, 2009; The Impact of Social Media Methodology: Online survey of 3,011 who access at least one social network regularly

Another landmark study conducted by the Altimeter Group and Wet Paint has found that the most valuable brands in the world are experiencing a direct correlation between top financial performance and deep social engagement. The relationship is apparent and significant: socially engaged companies are in fact more financially successful.

Key Findings of the Study:

1) Depth of engagement can be measured.
As the number of channels increase, overall engagement increases at a faster rate. Engagement differs by industry.

2) Brands participating in the social space fall into one of four engagement profiles.

SelMavWallButterMAVENS – These brands are engaged in seven or more channels and have an above-average engagement score. Mavens not only have a robust strategy and dedicated teams focused on social media, but also make it a core part of their go-to-market strategy.

BUTTERFLIES – These brands are engaged in seven or more channels but have lower than average engagement scores. Butterflies have initiatives in many different channels, but tend to spread themselves too thin, investing in a few channels while letting others languish.

SELECTIVES – These brands are engaged in six or fewer channels and have higher than average engagement scores. Selectives have a very strong presence in just a few channels where they focus on engaging customers deeply when and where it matters most.

WALLFLOWERS – These brands are engaged in six or fewer channels and have below-average engagement scores. They are still trying to figure out social media by testing just a few channels. They are also cautious about the risks, uncertain about the benefits, and therefore engage only lightly in the channels where they are present.

3) Financial performance correlates with engagement

  • The findings revealed that there is a financial correlation showing companies that are both deeply and widely engaged in social media, or MAVENS, surpass their peers in terms of both revenue and profit performance by a significant difference.

Next–Part III: Judging Social Media Success

Don’t miss–Part I: 6 Key Steps to Determine Social Media ROI

(C) 03/2011, updated, 1/2013; all rights reserved. This article may be shared in part or whole with credit given to author and link to Brown & Associates

 

Guest Post Part I: 6 Key Steps to Determine Social Media ROI February 7, 2013

Filed under: Debbie,Guest Posts,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 12:00 pm
Tags: ,

Guest Wise Dame Susan L. Brown for Brown & Associates

elelphantWgirlWbananasROI for social media and communities is the “elephant in the room.” Everyone wants a definitive answer to how to evaluate return on investment. Also how much investment is enough? What are the resources needed? What kind of social media is effective and why?

Addressing these questions is the first step to defining Social Media ROI.

Context is everything

The first issue to realize is that while social media and networking communities are new vehicles, however, they must be evaluated in context of each company’s business model, objectives, market and customers. Without this context there is no objective way to determine the value of social media and communities in a business situation.

What are these vehicles and why are they different? Mainly because the value of social media is interactive and immediate feedback as well as “user generated content,” a marketing-speak way of saying the content includes a dialogue with participants, instead of the advertising model where copywriters create text and readers are passive recipients.

Success in online marketing hinges on effective budget allocation and marketing mix decision making. Practitioners and executives must be able to identify the marketing campaigns and assets that help drive the business’ top and bottom lines, and invest in and optimize them accordingly. This of course requires access to comprehensive, granular, and accurate web analytics data with which marketers can measure campaign performance and understand the complex website and social media behaviors of prospects and customers. Performance measurements should not occur solely within the confines of individual channels and campaigns. The best online marketers measure performance and ROI in a comprehensive view that comprises all online channels, be they social media, paid and natural search, email marketing, banner or display ads as well as lead generation webinars, opt-in advertising campaigns, website content, coupons, contests, blogs, videos, etc.

Social Media Benefits and Risks


Benefits


Risks
  • Distribution is cost effective with potential wide global reach
  • Reduced customer acquisition costs
  • Increased website traffic potential
  • Direct sales opportunities
  • Immediate feedback gives ability to respond to issues or complaints in a timely manner
  • Capability of viral marketing—to build a brand through building “fans”
  • Communities can create unique customer engagement and retention and selling opportunities
  • Lack of message  “control”—companies fear potential legal risk and liability for unauthorized statements
  • Social media requires ongoing updates and responses to participants’ issues; resources need to be assigned and costs more than originally estimated
  • Monitored vs. Open Forums; decisions regarding the type of communities need to be addressed; and what guidelines to be developed

6 Key Steps to Determine Social Media ROI

  1. What are your purposes and objectives?
    • To introduce new products and services?
    • To provide customer support and/or reduce call center expenses?
    • To generate leads?
    • To create customer, partner, patient communities as a vehicle for engagement and retention?
    • To create internal communities or collaboration portals for employee retention, engagement and to add to innovation?
    • To use communities to increase revenue through coupons, contests, direct sales?
    • Can you use social media to sell directly?
  1. What elements of social media would be most important and yield greatest benefits and ROI for your business?
    • Blogs
    • Customer, Partner, Patient, Internal Communities
    • Facebook page(s)
    • Twitter campaigns
    • Online ads
    • YouTube Channel
  1. Budgeting and Resources?
    • Determine % of Budget for Social Media (Consider 2-5 % of marketing budget to start)
    • Content creation; at least one dedicated FTE per blog, or vehicle; or outsource?
    • Participant response: at least one dedicated FTE per blog or vehicle; or outsource?
  1. Creating On-Going Content; What Content aggregation, lead management or listening tools to use?
    • Ping.fm
    • Seesmic.com
    • Hootsuite
    • Social Mention
    • Marketo
    • Meltwater
    • Radian6
    • TweetDeck
    • Eloqua
    • Silverpop
    • Others?
  1. What to measure?
    • Website click through, Page views, downloads, etc.
    • Community/Fan page followers; membership, referrals, etc.
    • Social media activity; Community, Facebook, Twitter retweets/ activity/responses, engagement
    • Online ad follow through (leads, conversion to sales, etc.)
    • Lead results (qualified leads, scoring, contacts, registrations, etc.)
    • Customer or user conversion
  2. What analytic/measurement tools to use?

Next–Part II: Social Media’s Impact on Purchases

Don’t Miss–Part III: Judging Social Media Success

(C) 03/2011, updated, 1/2013; all rights reserved. This article may be shared in part or whole with credit given to author and link to Brown & Associates

 

3WD Interview–Susan Brown February 1, 2013

Filed under: 3WD Interviews,Debbie,DTC,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 12:00 pm
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Susan Brown

I connected with Susan Brown at an industry luncheon. We quickly bonded over the topic: how medical device companies could metric their marketing efforts real-time to determine which ones were the most efficient revenue drivers. She was working at Conceptus at the time and I was an alumni so we decided to meet again and learn more about each other’s experiences. I admired what Susan was doing then and now and I couldn’t resist asking her our interview questions.

  • How did you arrive in your current role?

Basically I’ve been able to take my technology marketing background (Intel, Cisco, Apple, etc.) and apply it to healthcare/med devices/pharma products and services. I’ve been involved in technology and healthcare since the 1990’s; first with a medical imaging company that evolved into a company with a software platform for automating clinical trial patient identification (kdhsystems.com). I’m still an advisor to them. Then I had the opportunity to work on revolutionary changes in healthcare for Kaiser Permanente’s HealthConnect launch—we had no idea it would be the most disruptive model for change in US healthcare. Most recently, as eMarketing consultant for Genentech, I got to lead the new Tamiflu launch for the 2012-2013 season—been a fun progression!

  • What do you love most about the work you do?

Best of all to me is to work with creative, smart people and use new techniques and technology to connect and inform health care professionals and consumers/patients, through such methods as affinity communities. For example, as Digital Marketing Director for Conceptus, I produced the “GYN Summit” Community, a moderated on-line forum and destination site for OB/GYN docs to share best practices and communicate easily and securely with each other about procedures, best practices and techniques. Was great to “meet” new folks, help them learn from each other and learn a lot myself as well!

Also I especially enjoy the challenge of transitioning healthcare marketing to involve more social media—there’s still a lot of hand-holding to do to help companies engage consumers, patients and healthcare professionals in new ways of communication.

  • Where is the most exotic place in the world that you’ve eaten?

In November 2011 I went to Vietnam and Cambodia— so far the trip of my lifetime. One evening in Cambodia, our guide took us to a local nighttime street market with food stalls of all kinds. There were food stands with grilled frog legs, tiny birds (not sure what they were) and “snacks” of sautéed crickets spiced with soy sauce and Sriracha (a type of hot sauce). The crickets are crunchy like popcorn with kernels that get in your teeth! Actually I tried everything and liked it all.

(C) 2013 eGold Solutions; all rights reserved.

 

2012 in review December 31, 2012

Filed under: Debbie,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 4:49 pm
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I’ve been reviewing a variety of free services that analyze your social data.

Here’s what Vizify did with my Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.

Here’s how the Three Wise Dames blog did according to WordPress:

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy New Year!

(C) 2012 eGold Solutions all rights reserved.

 

The Scariest Thing About Blogging October 31, 2012

Filed under: Betsy,Leadership,Public Relations,Reputation Management,Social media — betsymerryman @ 11:14 am

Blogging can be scary.  Maybe not scary in the same way as the haunted house my neighbors are building down the street.  But scary in that….  What if I’m left in blog hell where no one reads what I blog?  Or what if I get negative comments to what I blog?  What’s worse: no comments or negative comments?

The scariest thing about blogging is figuring out what to say that adds value and not noise.  Let me know which of the following topics you want me to cover in future posts, or anything else you’d like me to blog about:

  • Interviewing others about their successful healthcare communications case studies
  • FDA device approval process (because a description of it doesn’t exist anywhere else)
  • General summary of do’s and don’ts in communications for FDA-regulated products
  • Ongoing examples of “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”
  • My reactions to campaigns, news, events or trends

Maybe it would be helpful if I revisited why I blog:

  • As a healthcare marketing and communications consultant, I have recommended blogs to many, many clients, and some have even taken my advice.  So, I want to learn more about blogging and the credibility and communications results it generates since I feel like I should walk my talk.
  • As a consultant and as a professor, I have a responsibility to my clients, my teams, the universities where I teach, my students, and my network to stay current and share information and knowledge about healthcare, communications and marketing.
  • HubSpot, a pioneer in inbound marketing, says I should because “blogging is a critical piece of a company’s inbound marketing strategy.”  Blogging greatly increases my chances of being found online, reinforces my position as an expert and thought leader, and helps me stay top of mind – and that’s what I’ve been telling clients.

So, now that I’ve blogged today, I’m going to go visit the haunted house down the street.  I’m up for another good scare….  Happy Halloween, everybody!

 

Blessings to my Healthcare Social Media Gurus September 26, 2012

Filed under: Debbie,DTC,marketing,Programs,Social media,strategy — Debbie Donovan @ 2:15 pm
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[I've updated this post from July 2010 because in the past 2-1/2 years a few things have changed.]

I am frequently asked to explain how “social media” works for 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.

The big news is that gurus Ed and Lee have gotten together to make sure that Ed’s Hospital social media list has a new home at the Center for Social Media at the Mayo Clinic and title: Health Care Social Media List . It’s a critical resource for anyone selling products or programs to hospital administration.

I’ve learned that the best karma I can give is a shout out to those whose activity I can’t miss:

Namaste!

(C) 2012 eGold Solutions all rights reserved.

 

Creating a digital entity step-by-step June 28, 2012

Filed under: Corporate Preparation,Debbie,Market Planning,marketing,Social media — Debbie Donovan @ 1:40 pm
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In the past few years, I have needed to create digital identities for a variety of entities–projects, clients, groups, etc. Each time I set up the digital footprint for these entities I’ve gotten smarter about the sequence of steps.

Below is a list of initial steps to take when creating the digital footprint of an entity. These services are all FREE so it’s affordable for a bootstrap situation or a well-funded business.

  1. Establish Consistent Brand: Brainstorm name ideas or brand variations.  Check yor top selections on NameChk.com. This service magically checks all the major, second level and minor level social media outlets (159 at last count) to see if a specific “handle” is available. You can also download the results into a spreadsheet and use it to maintain a list of site registrations and log in credentials.
  2. Create A Master Hub: Create a Gmail account with the user name that cleared the brand hurdle above. The free services offered in Google are astounding starting with their web browser Chrome. My other favorites are Google+, Google Alerts, YouTube, Blogger and AdWords/Analytics.
    Hot Tip: When you initiate your Google AdWords account it will issue a Google Analytics code [UA-xxxxxxxx-1] from within that service. When you build your blog-based website you can embed this code for tracking customers from search to purchase using Analytics.
  3. Get On The Majors: Using your gmail account or GoogleID establish identities on all the major networks and companion services: Twitter/Tweetdeck, Facebook, LinkedIn/SlideShare, Pinterest, Tumblr, WordPress, etc. The advantage of using Google ID is that as long as you are logged into your gmail account (especially when using Chrome) the other services will recognize you instantly.
    Hot Tip:   Every single network and service contains getting started tutorials–use them! You can frequently sign up for a getting started email series.

I have become aware of many of these services by attending free webinars–usually under the heading of search marketing, but also competitive intelligence gathering.

What are your favorites? Share the wisdom.

(C) 2012 eGold Solutions all rights reserved.

 

Putting a stake in the poop December 1, 2011

Filed under: Debbie,marketing,Programs,Social media,strategy — Debbie Donovan @ 12:59 am
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Today I began my next adventure as the Director of Marketing at Avantis Medical Systems (Sunnyvale, CA). I will be applying my marketing knowledge and experience to help the Third Eye® Retroscope® become a household name (great branding, right?). Here’s a brief description from the current website (being ever mindful of labeling):

“During a colonoscopy exam, the Third Eye provides a retrograde—or reverse—view that appears on a screen side-by-side with the traditional forward-looking view. Colonoscopy is currently the most accurate test for detection of both polyps and colorectal cancer. It also provides the best means for removing them. However, research shows that some polyps and cancers can be missed during routine colonoscopy, especially if they occur in locations that are hidden from the forward view of the colonoscope. The colon has many folds in its inner lining and contains many sharp turns, or flexures. The areas behind those folds and flexures are difficult to see with the colonoscope. The Third Eye Retroscope provides a way to visualize the hidden areas behind folds and flexures by providing a retrograde view.”

Here’s why I am so excited about this opportunity:

  • As a young marketing communications agency executive, I worked on the Hemoccult® Brand Fecal Occult Blood Test used to screen the colon for hidden blood caused by cancer and other diseases. Back then it was owned by SmithKline Diagnostics, now it’s owned by Danaher. I received two awards for a patient education poster entitled Colorectal Cancer: Facts you should know about its detection and prevention (I know, very sexy stuff). More importantly that work connected me permanently to the lifelong work of my father, Ron. For those of you that know my family, it’s beyond exciting for all of us that I am “back in the poop.”
  • The time has come to put into put a “stake in the poop” and apply all that I have learned about digital marketing, and especially social media. I can’t wait to discover the haystacks of needles, use social capital and motivate healthcare providers to find the power in combined brands. I believe it is possible to drive brand value for medical devices and diagnostics using modern marketing techniques.

I vow to continue blogging to highlight learnings and great resources I stumble upon. Feel free to ask me questions about what’s happening as you begin to stumble upon the Third Eye Retroscope and its contributions to colonoscopy and cancer detection.

Views expressed on this blog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

In this season of giving thanks for all the blessings in my life, I want to express my gratitude for the support I have received in the past two years.

  • To Lisa for getting 3WD started and being a great mentor and friend.
  • To Betsy for her most recent colonoscopy post (looks like I get to use the image after all).
  • To my social media gurus for keeping me ahead of the curve.
  • To my incredible network of friends and family maintained on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Ole!

©2011 eGold Solutions. All rights reserved.

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