Giving & The Intangibles

We give away ideas and that makes some people nervous. But we do so because we're in an era when the willingness to share is evidence of progress toward a more social form of business. A way of doing things that says, "we know that our success truly is tied to yours. So, we're going to share some ideas. We're going to hear some from you. And then we're going to do something that matters, together."

I get that this is an intangible notion. But, we’re involved in four marketplaces that revolve around intangibles. We serve membership organizations, health care providers, educators and philanthropies. Intangibles. But let’s be careful. Intangible doesn’t mean it can’t be built. It doesn’t mean it can’t be measured. It doesn’t mean it can’t be segmented. And, it doesn’t mean it can’t be monetized. But it does mean you’ll have to live it.

You’ll have to live it because often times the only evidence of a brand’s intangibles is how they manifest in the lives of those who represent or who have a relationship with the brand.

I think it’s pretty clear to the community when you’re living your brand’s intangibles and when you’re not. And if you’re brand is about helping others connect in ways that might lead to their personal development, enable their well-being, drive toward achievement of their aspirations or empowerment them – then you better be practicing what you believe even when it doesn't translate into business.

One of our intangibles revolves around people, their ideas, and what we give away. This past week I was challenged regarding the logic of that. One expert told me, “Your ideas, like mine, are inventory. You need to make people pay for them.” I said, “You don’t know me very well. Most of my ideas serve only to demonstrate to others that like them we have ideas. And then through conversation they learn that unlike many of them, we have the know-how to do get ideas done (our ideas and theirs). 

Still with me? Well, I have an idea for you. We’ll call it “giving to be social”. It's risk free and it might be good practice. By social I mean to benefit others. By giving I mean sharing intangibles. And by “we’ll” I mean all of us.

Consider this list of things that my friends at Bigfish suggest could be given freely, without spending any money:

Give love

Give a hand

Give a pat on the back

Give a word of encouragement

Give Hope

Give yourself

Give someone a chance

Give all you have

Give your best

Give your heart

Give a hug

Give a smile

We can all do that. Right? Each of the items on the list requires putting ourselves out there a bit. Sort of like sharing an idea but without having to actually have an idea. You're just sharing something that might prove of value to them.

At Bigfish, we have ideas. We share them to start a dialogue. We give in part as a response to the shared interests found in conversation. And we're learning that no matter have much of it we do, we never run out of it.

A Risk Worth Taking

This is the tale of two people. Each with an entirely different take on the idea of risks and rewards when using social media in the context of health care. And each with much to be gained when the two strike a balance.                                                       

The first asks, “What’s the ROI of adopting social media in my practice?” then adds, “Can I be reimbursed for the time spent there? It seems after all that the risk of a HIPAA violation is greater than the return on investing in its use.”  He’s a health care provider.

The second is among the about 80% of patients in a recent survey who said, “I’d give up chocolate, eating out, my cell phone even sex to be healthy.” You’ll find them on social media looking for answers from people who share their ailments and those who might help him get better.

It’s natural. Each of us is inclined to think about risk and reward from our individual perspective, but for healthcare providers it may be time to consider this issue from the patient’s point-of-view.

For health providers, reward means return on investment and is associated with dollars and cents. Meanwhile risk is often associated with maintaining HIPAA requirements and avoiding malpractice suits (also dollars and cents).

Reward is seen as, “How will it drive revenue?” Risk is seen as, “How do we protect earnings?”

But patients view risk and reward in a much different light. It’s all about their health.

A patient’s greatest asset is their wellness. If using social media to improve their health requires some risk, then they’ll take it. 

Reward is seen as, "having someone or learning something that might improve my health." Risk is seen as, "What do I need to do to get better?"

As for how that applies to social media, rewards are found in strategies that revolve around the patient experience and specifically what they value from you. Your knowledge of issues that affect their wellness. Your patients are your ambassadors. And don’t you want a healthy ambassador? After all, their experience with you determines the value of your brand. And it seems that their satisfaction with your services has even become a factor in determining your reimbursement. More rewards.

But don’t take my word for it. Consider Pediatric Otolaryngology specialist Dr. Russell Faust. He is a health care provider with a social presence. In a recent article for Physicians Practice he said this about ROI:

“I achieve many returns from my presence in the digital world, things that are difficult to assign a number-value to: enhanced connection with my patient community; enhanced recognition by my referring physician community for my areas of expertise; significant improvement in operational efficiency in my clinics; improved patient advocacy.”

“Besides that,” he adds, “30 to 50 percent of new patients report that they learned about me online.”

Rewards for Dr. Faust are evident even though “returns” aren’t why he developed his social presence. He started so that his patients could spend less time sorting through misinformation and more time focusing on the real reason they were at his office – their wellness.

In the meantime, Baylor Medical reports no HIPAA violations in the year since their decision to open access to social media sites for all employees. It seems that risk is being somewhat mitigated by experience and good policy.

So while our tale of two people may have started with them being at odds, there’s still hope for a happy ending. And it looks like this:

Risk? Not getting better - neither the provider’s balance sheet or the patient’s condition.

Reward? Getting better - on the provider’s bottom line and the patient’s health prognosis. 

Let's talk about it. I'm on Twitter as @timbigfish or email me.

Wanna Make 5000 Tweets Matter? All You Need is Love

I'm @timbigfish on Twitter. I've met some cool people there. We've shared a few ideas. And I've learned a little. It's fun. But I can use my social reach to do something that matters. You can, too. It's easy. All you need is love.               

In early 1967, the Beatles were asked by the BBC to take part in what would be the first-ever, live global television link. 26 countries would participate.  To mark the occasion, the Beatles were asked to write a simple song that would be understood by viewers of all nationalities. John’s “All You Need is Love” emerged as the obvious choice. The song was not only musically and lyrically uncomplicated but also it perfectly captured the aspirations of international youth in the summer of 1967.^a

John liked advertising and was fascinated by the power of slogans He was determined to create something timeless.  And he did.

Beatles’ manager Brian Esptein said, “The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted. It is a clear message saying that love is everything.”

So what’s this have to do with my 5000^th tweet? Well three things. Two of which you may have to do with how we promote ideas and one that will use our shared experience to raise money for women’s heart health. All you have to do is read and click (no money required). Here we go:

1.   Keep it Simple – To my fellow artists, our goal isn’t to prove how much we know about our “instrument” but how well we use it to connect with others. Use what you know to create a message that cannot be misinterpreted. People like clarity.

And it starts with this,

2.   It’s About Them – To brand leaders, whatever John’s motivation, the song worked because it captured the aspirations of those who were buying his records and through it’s simplicity connected with new audiences. In the social era of business, people want to see if your “why” and their “why” are aligned. So ask yourself, “Am I focused on what I want? Or, what my audience wants?” Know their heart and you’ll win it.

So, why is this the subject of my 5000^th tweet? The third thing:

3.   Doing something together – to my friends on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, We’re not 26 countries but we all want to see the power of our connections do something that matters. We’re not here for validation. We’re here to share ideas and help one another do something that matters.  Let’s use our clicks. Like this:

My friends at Bigfish and I will donate $10 each up to $1,000 total to raise awareness of women’s heart disease at www.goredforwomen.org for each unique user who tweets, likes, shares, or comments on this message between now and October 5^th.

Use the Facebook Like or Send, Tweet, or Google Plus found on the left side of this webpage (when on the Bigfish site). It'll help us measure our progress. Then, we’ll do the giving.

John said it best, “It’s easy. All you need is love.”^b

Sources:

a. A Hard Day’s Write by Steve Arnold

b. All You Need is Love video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p8qxGbpOk

Hey Doc, Thumper's Take on Social Media

It’s called the Thumper Principle. Are you familiar with it? The notion was first introduced in a scene from the movie Bambi. Thumper observes that Bambi is “kinda wobbly” and is quickly reproved by his mother. She makes him repeat what his father had impressed on him that morning, “If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.” 

Introduced nearly 80-years ago, the Thumper Principle could serve as a test for your next conversation or email. In the era of social business, it could be the sort of rule that you apply to your next tweet or Facebook status update.  But don’t take my word for it. Consider how the Mayo Clinic used this sort of common sense when creating a policy for employee use of social media. They think about it in terms of do’s and don’ts for those who blog, tweet or otherwise share information via social media platforms.

Mayo’s policy:

Don’t lie. Don’t pry. Don’t cheat. Can’t delete. Don’t steal. Don’t reveal.

We live in an over-programmed culture. Life is busy. Each moment is saturated in media. And we’re increasingly sifting through it for a bit of information or the one vital connection that might give us a leg up on the competition, move us one step closer to a goal, or in the context of the single most searched issue on the Internet, perhaps find something that will have a positive affect on our personal health.  Social media is an increasingly vital part of that search.

Patients are consumers and they know that information on almost any subject is available online. In many instances they have access to it. Some of that information they themselves may have created, curated or shared with others.

What you regard as “too much information” in the form of an opinion tweeted or a picture shared on Facebook, they see as a willingness to let others in on their lives. In a word, it’s transparency. And they expect it from you, too.

But if you’re still not comfortable with the idea of sharing information on social media platforms consider using it as a place to gather information.

Maybe listening is the best place for you to start. It is after all an important part of the social media success formula. For example, tap into patient transparency. I’m not talking about personal info but their healthcare related groups. You’re not prying. A recent survey found that patients are comfortable with their health care provider seeking advice from online communities to help better treat their conditions.

But whom are we kidding? You’re probably using social media. Most physicians say that they are (85% personally and 65% for professional use). So, apparently the benefits make social media use worthwhile even in light of the concerns. Well, at least until it gets personal.

About a third of surveyed physicians say that a patient has tried to friend them on Facebook. Three out of 4 decline but some accept. This “friend request” is misunderstood. Most patients don’t really want to be your friend. At least not in that, “what did you do this weekend” sort of way. They simply see you as the person they most trust who has access to information they most prize: how to be healthy.

So don’t get personal. Create a professional page where you share information that is helpful to a wide variety of those in your patient community. Have a policy for its use. In the context of HIPAA it might sound like this: share what’s helpful to others but don’t share about others.

Oh, and if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.