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Nov 30 2012

How Your Healthcare Ad Agency Can Stand Out in a Crowd

While many small companies envision themselves in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, don’t underestimate the power of trade media coverage to improve search, and increase web traffic, product demand and quality sales leads.

One of our clients, a branding/advertising agency called Jocoto Advertising, serving the medical device and life sciences industries was definitely distinctive and edgy in its branding campaigns for lesser known medical device companies, who, being in a highly regulated industry, were inclined to be more conservative. Looking at the campaigns the agency created for its clients, one knew that Jocoto Advertising was different. But when it came to differentiating its own company, Jocoto tended to use the same language as its competitors so it was hard to see what set them apart. G2Comm had to find new words to promote the agency’s uniqueness.

We developed a platform about the conservative notions of branding in the medical device industry coupled with Jocoto’s unique approach. Our strategy focused on articulating branding pitfalls in the industry and how Jocoto’s proven approach helped its clients increase sales leads and revenues, presenting this story via news generation, case studies and ghost-written bylined articles appearing in biotech and other trade publications.

Jocoto saw a surge in new business accompanied the PR campaign which shined a spotlight on the company as a branding expert in its industry.

Written by Laura R. · Categorized: Public Relations, Uncategorized · Tagged: advertising, campaign, medical device, PR

Nov 14 2012

PR Case Study: How to Promote Your Medical Start Up Without EPA Clearance

Nearly 80 substantive media stories and more than 170,000 Google hits resulted from closely-coordinated marketing and PR efforts between G2Comm and start up PurThread Technologies

The Client: PurThread Technologies, Inc. — San Francisco, CA

— A start up with a new antimicrobial textile technology for preventing hospital acquired infections

The Challenge

PurThread Technologies (PT) is a development-stage company that is refining an anti-microbial textile fiber designed to help lower the incidence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). The company was restricted from promoting its products without EPA clearance, yet wanted a seat at the table for the highly-important discussions about HAIs, and infection prevention and control.

The Public Relations Strategy/Solution

G2Comm was brought in to publicize the results of a research study sponsored by PurThread. The study showed that 92% of hospital privacy curtains harbored infectious bacteria within one week of being laundered. In concert with study investigators, G2Comm capitalized on the research findings, creating PR documents for the media to publicly introduce PurThread while at the same time complying with regulatory guidelines.

G2Comm also used the study to position PurThread as a lead contributor to the discussion of HAIs, since the topic appeared regularly in mainstream media as well as health journals and blogs. Concurrently, G2Comm forged relationships with editors of key healthcare publications.

The Results

—More than 80 stories on PurThread’s study appeared in top-tier national and industry media including Reuters, CBS News, FOX News, MSNBC, Time magazine and many more.

—Viral syndication of the original news story on the study generated 170,000+ hits on Google, enabling this development-stage company to amass a significant base of quality followers.

—In advance of receiving EPA clearance, PurThread executives are being interviewed and writing commentary on infection control for well-respected healthcare publications.


Written by Laura R. · Categorized: Public Relations, Uncategorized · Tagged: hospital, medical, start up, technology

Nov 07 2012

Doing Your First Press Interview? Follow These Tips…

If you’re new to press interviews, the best rule of thumb is to keep your answers short, pithy and quotable.  Say what you want to see in print (or broadcast).  Keep it conversational; try to avoid long narratives that leave no room for interjection [by the journalist!]. After all, you know how it feels to be subjected to someone who waxes on without taking a breath.  If the interview is by phone, which most will be, have a sheet of talking points so you don’t get flustered and fumble.

During the interview:

  • Say the most important thing you have to say first and say it slowly and clearly.
  • Don’t build to your conclusion.  Be brief in your replies.
  • Use your answers to make a point or convey a memorable message about your business
  • A message should answer who we are; what we do; what makes us different
  • If you don’t like how you started start over.
  • Avoid jargon or acronyms.  Use analogies to illustrate points.
  • Never say “no comment”.  If you can’t answer for legal reasons, just say so.
  • Don’t speculate or make predictions you can’t substantiate; reporters will not accept your claims at face value.
  • Remain focused but enthusiastic.
  • Don’t make things up.
  • Don’t bash the competition.
  • Don’t ramble; check in with the reporter; ask if he needs clarification.
  • Ask for clarification if you don’t get the question; repeat the question if necessary.
  • There is no such thing as “off the record.”  Everything you say to the reporter has the potential to be published.
  • Turn off your cell phone.
  • When you’ve answered the question, stop talking.
  • Do not ask for a review copy of the story before it goes to press.  To avoid bias journalists never share drafts with their sources.

What’s a sound bite?
A short, memorable statement that captures the essence of the issue and illustrates the point being made.  The key to a good sound bite is:

  • Conclusion first (think of the headline or lead paragraph in a newspaper story)
  • Add an example or supporting information
  • End by explaining what it means to the reader/listener/viewer.

 

Written by Laura R. · Categorized: Public Relations, Uncategorized · Tagged: broadcast, interviews, journalist, press, tv

Oct 17 2012

The PR Honeymoon is Over… Now What?

You’ve just completed a successful PR launch for a new medical device that yields faster post-operative recovery for cardiac surgery patients, the clinical trial results have been published in a medical journal and the FDA has approved it for safety and efficacy.  Health and science journalists from top media outlets thought it was unique enough to cover.  The articles have been very respectable by startup standards.

Investors are delighted and all 20 employees are singing your praises.  You’ve had lots to tweet about and post on the company Facebook page and the retweets and comments are rolling in.

But eventually the PR bloom will fall off the rose and the board will be expecting the next wave of coverage.  Customers are not quite ready to go on record, nor are surgeons who are trying out the product.  What do you do?

While you have focused on generating broad coverage with great success the second wave of brand building requires a new PR strategy to sustain momentum.  It’s the right time to narrow your PR focus to reach your target customers – the surgeons who will push their hospitals for acquire your device; the patients who will benefit; the investors who see a healthy ROI.  Identify the publications, blogs and other digital destinations where surgeons and post op nursing staff get their medical news and information.  Set up specific PR programs to penetrate this second tier media: trade publications, medical journals, blogs, etc.

First, research healthcare and medical publications read by your customers. Check out the magazine editorial calendars which schedule feature stories throughout the year to drive advertising spending.  Identify the topics related to your device.  Set up a spreadsheet and populate with those publications and topics.  Pitch your new device and how it shortens patient recovery times in unique ways.  Invite the editor – or assigned writer to interview your company founder.

Develop a thought leadership program for company clinical executives by proposing and ghostwriting articles for those same publications, which are often looking for content, especially for their websites.  These articles help position executives as experts who articulate the problem your device solves — but doesn’t shamelessly promote it.

Don’t forget to post and Tweet all PR driven content on Facebook and Twitter.  Reshape these articles into blog posts, or add an introductory paragraph with a link to your published article.

Start a speakers’ bureau and arrange for speaking engagements at medical conferences and tradeshows where you’ll be exhibiting your product.

Find opportunities to announce the latest company news [following the initial product introduction]: a new round of funding; new customer; new executive hire; results of a clinical trial; etc.

Set up a mini PR program for new customers with a news release template that lets them announce the benefits of your product to the communities they serve and how they’re securing post-op safety for their cardiac patients.

Develop a story around the company founder for the business media; who she is; what inspired her to create a solution; her unique journey that led to the invention of the device.

Set up Google alerts on cardiology or cardiac surgery. Use headline news stories as angles to introduce your company to the media; pitch the founder as a guest for a radio talk show.

The honeymoon will end at some point so don’t ignore the myriad ways you can use PR to promote your company’s accomplishments.

 

Written by Laura R. · Categorized: Public Relations, Uncategorized · Tagged: articles, coverage, executives, facebook, health, healthcare, journalists, media, medical device, PR, startup, Twitter

Oct 01 2012

What the Heck Should I Do with Pinterest?

I listened to Pinterest pro Andreea Ayerslast who runs Pinterest Advantage. She gave us some of her choice ones…

Pinterest is a new way to discover new audiences.  It’s visually based and image driven.  You can organize and share (pin) visual content – images and video — around specific topics.

Unlike Facebook, Pinterest is not chronologically based…and images live a lot longer!

You create boards which are viewed as catalogs.  Use Pinterest to plan a wedding.  Start by searching on wedding locations; find wedding gowns, caterers, cake vendors, photographers, etc.

Pinterest is good for authors. It can help you connect with current readers and find new ones; drive more traffic to your website.  Book genres that have the most success?  Cookbooks, children’s books, home decor, self-help, health and lifestyle, marketing books.

How to use Pinterest effectively and efficiently:

–        Create an account – very easy to do

–        Think about what you want out of Pinterest – promote you as an expert; promote a book tour, promote your photography

–        Figure out who you’re trying to reach

–        Build your following; add a Pinterest button to your website

–        Direct Facebook and Twitter followers to your Pinterest boards

–        Repin other people’s pins, especially the people you follow on Pinterest and those who follow you

Let’s say you’re an interior designer.  What about creating a board and pinning the latest colors or one with images of creative small spaces. Or perhaps a board with living room themes.  How about a board with some nice quotes on the aesthetics of your home?  Or create a board and pin the interiors of others’ designs you admire.  Show us your own work environment – the space that gives rise to you creative ideas.

What are the lifestyles of your clients? Start a board on those visuals.

Here’s a good one: create a board with quotes and turn them into a graphics using Pinstamatic.  Drop in a testimonial from a client, click some buttons to add the flourishes, then click on Pinterest to upload.

Make sure you support other pinners.  Promote other pins and boards you like.  Leave comments too.  Show us your design team: the upholsterer, the furniture showroom, the cabinet craftsman, the painter, artist rep.   Show viewers your next project.

For authors pin your favorite book covers – yours and others.  Comment and tell us why.  If your book is in 20 stores create a board to tell viewers where they can find your book with images of those bookstores.

Pin inspirational quotes for your target reader.  Quotes get widely repinned.

Don’t forget boards related to our own personal interests.  People might want to learn about us — not just what we do for a living.

PicMonkey – you can upload your image and add all kinds of textures, backgrounds, facial designs, and add text on top of that.

Try it out… have some fun.  Don’t worry about monetizing for now!

Written by Laura R. · Categorized: Public Relations, Uncategorized · Tagged: book, facebook, interior design, pinterest

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