Hey Doc, Patients First on Social Media

The secret of a successful social media strategy starts with who is in the middle. And that’s not any different than the philosophical and practical approach any successful physician or clinic takes to his/her efforts. Well, at least when the patient is the one at the center of the effort.

 I recently read an excerpt from Dr. Toby Cosgrove’s book “The Cleveland Clinic Way” that reminded me how challenging it can be to put the patient at the center of our work. And simultaneously, how imperative it is that we do just that. You may know Dr. Cosgrove as the President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic.

Early on in his efforts toward being “patient centered”, Cleveland Clinic had decided to reassign the reserved parking spaces near the front of its buildings to patients, not doctors. One physician complained, “What’s this, patients first and doctors last?”

Other physicians wondered whether reform promoting kindness and compassion was necessary. They said, “Dr. Smith is kind of mean to people, but he’s a great surgeon” as if that were enough. Being a great is surgeon is about being technically proficient and treating patients well.

Cosgrove recognized that we live in a time when technology has leveled the playing field with respect to the outcomes patients might receive at competing hospitals. But Cleveland Clinic could differentiate itself by treating its patients well and creating a true healing experience.

Through conversations with patients and their families the clinic learned that many were frustrated by access to medical records. So, they made them accessible. They learned that patients found visiting hours to be a major irritant. This info with data they had on the role of family in healing drove a decision to open visiting hours to “whenever…and to spend as much time as they like” with the exception of the Intensive Care Unit.

Look, you’re not reading this to learn what the Cleveland Clinic did or is doing but it seems a fitting metaphor for the things we talk about with social media. So here....

Like the issue with the parking spaces, many think that practice social media policies should revolve around the doctor’s convenience. A policy wherein doctors aren’t directed to share health information via an occasional tweet might be convenient. But it’s not improving patient health outcomes for those with chronic conditions whose Twitter newsfeeds are filled with hash tag rich tweets concerning their disease from every source but you.

Oh sure, there’s always the risk that the “mean doctor” will be exposed via social media through something he says that demonstrates indifference. But in all likelihood, patients and families who share their feelings about “customer satisfaction” on Facebook pages, Yelp and Angie’s List have already exposed him. Help him improve his bedside manner one post or tweet at-a-time. Yeah, bedside manner. Smartphones have become as common on the nightstand as grandma’s dentures. And many – maybe even your grandma - are using social media first thing every day and last thing they do at night.

And then there was this, a Cleveland Clinic team enlisted a designer to create an alternative to the traditional open back gown. Their goal was to address the frequent patient complaints about the indignity and discomfort they suffered when wearing them. Good for them. But, I couldn’t help imagine how much fun it would have been to engage patients in developing a solution via a simple Pinterest board. So I googled “hospital gowns on Pinterest” and got 279,000 results.

Come on, Doc. Let’s be social. By the way, the Cleveland Clinic is great model for that, too. They’re @ClevelandClinic on Twitter. 

Hey Doc, Don't Be Like Joe

My father-in-law, let’s call him Joe, is eighty something years young. He enjoys a robust life. Well, except for the part that he’s missing. The part where his vision has declined to the point that he’s unable to focus on what’s ahead in the road or read anything that’s NOT IN LARGE PRINT. Or the part of life he’s missing because the television volume is too high for conversation with others. Sure there are proven methods for diagnosing and dealing with these two issues. Each backed by science and enough bits of anecdotal evidence to convince even the most skeptical patient. But some people just don’t get it.

Maybe Joe’s reluctance to address the issue(s) is in part due to misinformation regarding the tests. Perhaps it’s the negative reviews (i.e. glasses make me look old, hearing aids squeal) shared by some users. Maybe it’s the notion that the solution is too expensive. But it could also be the ostrich putting his head in the sand and choosing to ignore facts because he doesn’t want to know what he’s missing. Oops. That got a little personal didn’t it?

But patients aren’t alone in this sort of “If I can ignore it then I don’t need it.” approach to some things.  Take for example the idea of you using social media in your health care practice. What if your approach to that was similar to my father-in-law’s approach to his issues? It might look a little like this:

Misinformation. 

The notion that you can’t create a plan and measure it’s effectiveness is not true. You need some software and a little experience but it’s not nearly as difficult as your board exams. There are ways to measure interactions as simple as the preview window on the Facebook administrator’s page. And methods to analyze the flow of traffic from there to your website are as easy and free as Google Analytics. So Joe, you can see and hear if you want to.

Negative Reviews.  

Like that pair of glasses Joe needs, everything takes a little getting used to. Smudges on the lens in the form of negative comments on your page are a matter of attention and adjustment. You need a plan to proactively address negative comments and to avoid accidental HIPAA violations. Listen to what Dr. Jeff Livingston, OB/GYN and social media pioneer says about it all, “I don’t think it’s that hard (to avoid HIPAA violations).  If you step out of technology and just think about how doctors communicate throughout the day, they do it very naturally and never think about it.” So Joe, other people are wearing glasses and doing just fine.

Costs. 

Being on Facebook is expensive. Forget that. The applications are free. Yes, you’ll need a communications person on your the team but you may already have that person in the form of a marketing partner or staffer. Think about it this way, it’s less an issue of cost than it is opportunity lost. A study once showed that each Facebook “like” is worth $125. Maybe it’s more or less depending on the industry you’re in. But a doctor told me, “If we add one new patient through our social media spend you, we’ve paid for one year of service.” That’s his math. Can you hear me now, Joe?

Nobody really cares. 

Maybe you think that your generation of patients isn’t interested in what you have to tweet but the evidence runs to the contrary. The older patient that you’re caring for may be part of the fastest growing demographic on Twitter. That platform saw a 79% increase among those 55 to 64 since last year and grew by nearly 50% on Facebook during that same time. So even an old-timer like you cares, Joe.

Don’t be like Joe. Find someone you trust to talk about the health of your practice marketing, patient education, and patient satisfaction programs. Until then, can you recommend a good vision and/or hearing specialist for my father-in-law?

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

Worthwhile Connections

I have a confession to make. I like to be liked. Being retweeted is joyous. And someone pinning my work is a sort of validation. But I’m learning that these moments of connectivity - even if worthwhile - are fleeting. I ask things like:
                                                        

Was my instagram cool enough?

How many people saw my Facebook post and ignored it versus those who liked or commented on it?

Are you retweeting me to connect with me? Or because you think my ideas are worth sharing with others?

Is all this social interaction some sort of affirmation or is it part of an ongoing conversation? I don’t know. But I do know this. Everyone connects somewhere. And sometimes that somewhere requires a bit more investment than a mouse click.

In 2011, a group called ChompOn published a report focusing on the immediate next sale, to provide a starting point in discussing the value of social actions.

•   Facebook Share: $14

•   Facebook Like: $8

•   Twitter Tweet: $5

•   Twitter Follow: $2

So what’s the value of our other interactions?

I think it’s a lot but at least as much as those we make socially.

I invite you do to this with me. Right now with just a word or two of affirmation, consolation or as a simple gesture of appreciation -- write a note.

Write to someone with whom you routinely interact with online or perhaps haven’t interacted with in some time. Write to them on behalf of your workplace. Write because you have something to say and want one specific person to hear it. Write because receiving it in the mail will blow their mind. Write because it’s worth it.

Oh and if you like this post, share it. It’s worth $14 – or so they say – and it will make me think that we’re connected even if only for a moment.

Facebook and The Super Bowl

This weekend hundreds of millions of people will gather in family rooms and around party platters with smartphones in-hand and the Super Bowl on the big screen. And Facebook will be there, too. It will be part of every TV ad and it will be the most used App (Twitter running a close second) on your phone. The game is a magnet for connection. Facebook is magnetic for the social engagement it enables. People are drawn to each because people are drawn to people.

Connection is a human imperative. Any event or technology that enables it thrives. The Super Bowl, an event with national holiday like status, thrives because via television everyone is there. Facebook thrives because via affordable anywhere technologies, everyone is there.

Harvard Business Reviews says, “Facebook enables (connection) better than any other social network.” And it’s found its way into the soul of our mobile devices. (Install the Facebook app on your iPhone, for example, and you'll see its features integrating themselves mysteriously throughout every function of your phone.)

Just look around the den on Super Bowl Sunday and watch the people that you know connect with people you don’t but could via the Facebook friend finder. People simultaneously present and absent courtesy of their smartphone app.

As Facebook has grown it has become less a website and more an extension of ourselves in the same way that the telephone was for our grandparents and cell phones were for the next generation. It’s also changing business in ways that most people can’t get their heads around -- because they see it as a technology or a platform for making announcements and doing transactions.

They miss the listening. They miss the engagement. They miss the inputs and innovation. The business guy wants the metrics for something that can no more be measured than the number of ripples from a pebble thrown in the sea. He fails to see it for what it is; the way we connect.

Speaking of connections, would you please pass the nachos?

Oh, and get back with me on those metrics. There are some and the results are going to blow your mind like a safety's hit on the opposing team's wide receiver.

The Truth of a Rumor

"Facebook will close its doors on March 15th," according to the rumor run rampant last week. And as unlikely a rumor as it is, there is one sure truth to be found in it - you flinched.


Perhaps you've decided to develop a customer relationship and business development strategy on a social media platform. You've embraced the idea of humanizing your brand. You've become conversational and promoted interaction between you and your prospects and customers. You're "all in"… on Facebook. And that's why you flinched.

A social media strategy is no more about a single platform than CRM is about software. It's beyond Facebook. Resolving to create a genuine dialogue between you and your customer is a brand lifestyle. It includes actively listening to their ideas, concerns and invention. It means being where they are so as to accommodate their on-demand desire for personalization. It's not easy. It is necessary.

A flinch in and of itself is a natural response to something unexpected or in anticipation of a painful event. Relax. The likelihood of Facebook "going away" any time soon is unlikely but the rumor of such an event is a reminder to have a broader plan. Here are a few building blocks for your strategy:

• Know what types of interactions your audience values.
• Decide what you expect from those interactions.
• Identify the platforms that best facilitate the objectives of you and your audience.
• Resolve to diversify your platform selection.
• Commit to a website that incorporates your platform selections but engages the user beyond a reliance on public networks.

And stop flinching.

Want details? Let's talk.

I'm tim@gobigfishgo.com, www.twitter.com/timbigfish or www.facebook.com/timcnicholson. You get the idea.

Yeah You're Different

How much longer will you subscribe to the notion that business customers aren’t using social media? Or, that the way B2C companies use it is irrelevant to your B2B firm? Each of those notions can be dispelled in the amount of time it takes you to say, “We’re different.” Here we go.

If your B2B company thinks it will let someone else be the pioneer you may want to consider this, a 2009 study by MarketingProfs found that ALL COMPANIES, regardless of model and size, are predominately using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, and Linkedin. So, if the tactics are often the same, how do the lessons from B2C not apply? You won’t have to teach them how to interact. The B2C guys did that for you. Just don’t let your competition teach them how to connect with a B2B.

Even if you can’t offer a coupon (bet you could if you thought about it long enough) the core ingredients of social media success: storytelling, humanization, friendship, and purchase intent are not B2B or B2C items. They are human items and they apply as long as you have prospects, members, patients, prospective customers and employees.

Okay, so we’ve established that your B2B is just not that different from a B2C marketer in knowing which platforms matter. Still you insist that your sophisticated decision makers have no time for such foolishness. Oh yes they do. Forrester found that 81% of U.S. adults with an Internet connection use social media in some form. Further, last year’s Forrester study of B2B technology buyers found that they use social media nearly twice as much as U.S. adults overall.

Ok. Maybe I was wrong. You are different. But, you’re different because you’re not connected.

I’m at www.facebook.com/timcnicholson or www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Next Big Thing

What do Facebook posts, tweets, YouTube videos, saved searches, cloud-based email subject lines and all manner of other Participation Age activities have in common? People and data. And, you guessed it -- People and Data are the next big thing.

Data plus People leads to improvement. What if one of the YouTube videos about opening the iPad box led to the introduction of easier to open, reusable packaging? If you think the planet is too hot than you’d probably find this to be cool. The data is there to explore that.

Data plus People equals product development. If you’re fortunate enough to get customer interaction in the form of Facebook posts and tweets, you’re probably already talking to the people with the next product idea. If you’re Lenny’s Sub Shop it might be the next great-tasting high margin sandwich. The people are there for that.

Data plus People leads to invention. If you’re a car dealer who wishes he had an App that would allow users to import their Craig’s List “want to buy a Ford Mustang for $9500” ad and receive an alert about cars meeting that criteria when they drive past your lot…you’d sell more cars in less time. The data and people are there for that.

Perhaps you think this is all still just a little too much work but it’s being used now by the big guys and should be used by you. After all, the reason you see the ads you do when using Gmail is because they have analyzed your subject interest. The reason you see the ads you do on Facebook is because they have the psychographic data to begin targeting you.

Data plus people is the difference between survival and extinction. Your future success could very well hinge on whether or not you were responsive to the people who left data right at your door step one tweet or post at a time.

You Still Need a Website

Apparently virtual kitty cats, beer pints and roses aren’t profitable enough to satisfy Facebook’s virtual ROI goals. So, they are closing the Gift Shop that features these goodies. It’s just this week’s reminder of why you still need a website.

It’s tempting to consider the possibilities of starting a “Facebook only” web presence for your new product, business or interest group. And while it absolutely should be part of your marketing plan (see Starfish Strategy) you can’t afford to make it the single touch-point for your new “whatever”. Why? Because regardless of how open a platform Facebook presents, it remains their platform. As such, it will expand and contract at the pace necessary to see Facebook toward their goals. Need proof? Consider this:

Closing the Gift Shop – if you want to send a virtual cupcake, get it done before midnight July 31st. The store is closing. At least this change came with a notice to users. Others didn’t. Including:

Notifications Change -- one of our favorite services was Facebook Notification. Using an app created by Bigfish clients could enable their customers or members to choose Facebook as a preferred notification system (i.e. email, text message, Facebook), write it to their customer/member record thereby integrating Facebook into their communications strategy. It was a great way to connect communication to preference and continue dialogue until Facebook change their process.

Custom Tab as Default change – there has been some back and forth on this but the situation remains, Facebook will decide which tab you can display to your audience. The custom tab is the mechanism that enables administrators to set a preferred display page for their guests, fans and/or those who like it. If this were a permanent setting you could control, you might give more consideration to the idea of a Facebook-only web presence except…

Privacy Settings – by default your personal information is set to be included in Facebook search and other engine searches. You can change this setting but will you? Facebook may never get this part right (to your liking) but maybe they don’t have to. It’s still their site.

Read enough? Thought so. You need control of your message and its delivery. The platform that offers you such control or predictability is your web site.

Prospects, customers, fans or members may spend most of their time facebooking, tweeting, watching YouTube videos or googling. So, connect with them there. Then direct them to the one place where you can enable their preferences, determine which messages to present and where you set the hours of operation: your website.

Let's talk. I'm on Twitter @timbigfish or visit my site http://www.timcnicholson.com/

Whose Face is This?

It's the newest Facebook feature but there is more to it than meets the eye. This holiday weekend found me near the pool but never far away from my iPad. It's one of those things most people don't know about me. But should they? They would likely recognize my face but would they recognize my habits and trends? You know, the things that make me - me?

Here's the deal. While surfing Facebook this morning I saw a familiar face in the right hand margin. Above it the headline, "whose face is this?" and a field in which to write a response. On this occasion the pretty face belonged to my wife. So of course I recognized it. As she already knows, I'm a face guy. Still I'd like to think that if the feature had listed attributes like, "loves old movies, broke her arm as a little girl, has an authentic joyful laugh, is a great hostess, listens to Sinatra, doesn't know her own beauty, graduated summa cum laude, likes brunch at the Beauty Shop, and enjoys summer watermelon", instead of her picture -- I still would have recognized her.

The same should be true for your brand. Sure, any person familiar with your logo will know who it belongs to but what about the essence of your brand? Does the marketplace know your brand personality, its voice, how it interacts with its constituents, and the value it proposes to bring absent the "mark"?

I know of a recent instance when a small segment of a brand's audience attributed certain unflattering characteristics to the brand. It happened largely because the organization wasn’t teaching the market about itself and so the market chose to create its own definition. A couple of years later the brand owners are still working through it.

The non-visual part of your brand is what resonates beyond the first glimpse. It’s the result of reflection, planning, teaching, marketing and market dialogue. It takes time to develop and years to establish. For those who read this blog looking for speed consider this: if you subscribe to the same “farmer’s approach” to social media that I do, you can begin getting the non-visual messages about your brand into play quickly and at a lower cost than ever before. You’ll even find members of your brand audience who are already in step with you and willing to advocate your brand message right away via platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

So, whose face is this: original, consultative, loves ideas, tech savvy, creative, and treats customers like the big fish?

Let’s get to know each other. I’m www.twitter.com/timbigfish or on Facebook www.facebook.com/timcnicholson.

Wow! Uh Oh.

If you’re a marketer you have to be watching the recent moves of social media darlings Twitter and Facebook with equal thoughts of “Wow” and “Uh oh”. First the “Wow”. Twitter and Facebook have made interesting moves of late. Twitter with Promoted Tweets and Facebook via Open Graph. These initiatives are bound to affect online advertising as over 500 million users will see more promotion on their favorite platforms. Wow.

Note: My position for sometime has been that each of these platforms is relevant to your search advertising objectives NOW even if you don’t have an appreciation for the Participation Age itself. Both Twitter and Facebook matter because tweets and posts have emerged as a high worth element in Google’s search algorithm.

And now, each player has amped up its own ability to compete for ad dollars. This brings me to the “Uh oh”.

“Uh oh” if you’re a business that has yet to seriously explore social media as a touch-point for interaction with your prospects and customers. The longer you stay away from social media, the further behind you will be in attracting prospects, cultivating relationships, and accumulating customers through fans (likers) and followers. And if like me you believe that selling in the Participation Age is more farming than hunting -- you can’t afford to remain disconnected from the digitized form of word of mouth that the rest of us know as tweets and posts. Not even for one more day.

I'm not saying you can't run a successful business without social media participation, but it’s not going away. There are more applications, strategies, and opportunities being built upon it. You can’t afford to ignore it. "Uh oh" is not a strategy.

Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

It's not for them. It's for them.

Apple has taken a beating in the tech blogosphere for its recent release, the iPad. And, that may be all that you really need to know - because the tech blogosphere isn’t who the product was designed for.

It was designed for “them”. We all know them. They are like the 3rd world country citizen whose first telecommunications experience is a cell phone. They never knew the pleasure of a rotary dial, a knotted phone cord, or a pay phone. When the tech convergence reached them it was hands-free. No wires.

Likewise, the them I refer to now is not the multi-tasking web developer, funky graphic designer, titan of the spreadsheet, or master of the network domain. It is the man or woman who thinks Facebook is the Internet. And, when that’s not the answer then just about anything else online will do. They want to tweet, share pictures, check email, and watch TV with their Slingbox App. And, they want to look cool doing it; whether on the couch or at the coffee shop.

But pencil-necked, geeky friends of mine need not be frustrated. This is all good. Anything that acclimates your customer’s customer to the Internet moves them one step closer to being a visitor to your client’s web site, user of your iPhone app, or player of that killer Xbox game you’re working on. And then the them becomes one of us. Except cooler and without carpal tunnel syndrome.

Want to talk about how to get your business or idea in front of them? Follow me www.twitter.com/timbigfish or visit my company Facebook Fan Page http://facebook.gobigfishgo.com/