Personal Archives - Page 43 of 47

Bobby’s 5 Links of the Week | November 21, 2010

Hello friends, here are my links for the week. As you can see…they include social media, mobile technology, physician marketing, and hospital social media. I hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts about any of these article!

5 Mobile Technologies Retailers Should Be Using Now
November 15, 2010 | Houston Neal of Software Device
Mobile commerce is driving the next major shift in retail, and retailers that can learn to harness this technology stand to gain a competitive advantage. To learn about 5 mobile technologies retailers should be using, visit the Software Advice blog. CLICK HERE to read more.

The one sure-fire way to get more clicks and RTs for your blog posts
November 16, 2010 | MackCollier.com
Write better headlines. That’s no big relevation, and there’s a lot that goes into writing better headlines. I’ll refer you to someone like @Copyblogger who has written a great series on writing better headlines. But there’s one area I wanted to focus on when it comes to headlines. I share a lot of links on Twitter because I am trying to find helpful information for my followers. CLICK HERE to read more.

Calling Bullshit on Social Media
November 18, 2010 | Tamsen McMahon
1) There are tools. There are people who use the tools. And then there are people who are tools. Know the difference.
2) Ass-kissing will get you anywhere, but where is that, exactly? Where do you actually want to gofrom there? Think long-term.
3) Speaking of long-term, “asshole” is not a long-term strategy. Neither is “edgy” or “off-putting.” What do you really want to achieve? And for how long? Build a strategy on that.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the 32 points!

NewberryCountyDoctors.com – Video Repository
November 18, 2010 | Newberry County Memorial Hospital
Looking for a doctor and your in Newberry County, South Carolina…here is a cool portal providing videos of doctors talking about what they enjoy to do the most, practice medicine. Pretty cool idea to allow physicians to speak in-their-own-words by wrapping the searchable power of YouTube and a brand-able portal for Newberry County Memorial Hospital. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Woz: Apple Almost Launched A Phone In 2004, Android Will “Win The Race”
November 18, 2010 | Robin Wauters
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak was being his fascinating self again this morning, revealing in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that the company he helped get off the ground actually developed a smartphone in partnership with a well-known Japanese electronics company as early as 2004, but shelved the project prior to its debut (via Engadget).

Bobby’s 5 Links of the Week | November 14, 2010

Hello friends, here are my links for the week. As you can see…they include social media, hospital leadership, Medicaid, and hospital social media. I hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts about any of these article!

Allay fears and build loyalty by using social media during crises
October 20, 2010 | HospitalImpact.org
Hospitals are not exempt from the economic woes our country is facing. More and more, we hear of hospitals facing layoffs to address budget deficits. This can undoubtedly cause concerns among patients and members of the community. They may worry about whether they will be able to get the care they need if your hospital appears to be downsizing. CLICK HERE to read more.

How to turn around a failing hospital by Richard Smith
November 11, 2010 | BMJ Group
England is said to have 30 hospitals that are failing so badly that they may be taken over by the private sector. So there might be a lot of interest in a case study posted this week on the Health Foundation website that describes how a major academic hospital in Boston was saved from failure. CLICK HERE to read more.

Medicaid managed care programs; so do issues
November 13, 2010 | USA Today – Phi Galewitz of Kaiser Health News
After Tonya Bauserman slipped in a grocery store and hurt her right knee last July, an emergency room doctor prescribed painkillers and told her to see an orthopedic surgeon. But Bauserman, 27, who’s insured by a Medicaid managed health care plan called HealthCare USA, says she had trouble finding an orthopedist in her plan who would see her. Finally, she drove 2½ hours to Columbia from her home in a northwestern suburb here to see a physician, who fitted her for a brace and recommended physical therapy. HealthCare USA later said it wouldn’t pay for the brace. CLICK HERE to read more.

Company accused of firing over Facebook post
November 8, 2010 | Steven Greenhouse of NYTimes.com
In what labor officials and lawyers view as a ground-breaking case involving workers and social media, the National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page. CLICK HERE to read more.

12 Fun Hacks for getting more out of YouTube
November 13, 2010 | Amy-Mae Elliott of Mashable.com
There’s no doubt that plain old YouTube can be tons of fun, but when you get bored of watching clips the traditional way, there are a ton of sites that can help enhance the experience. CLICK HERE to read more.

Word of Mouth meet Technology – Brand Ambassador’s Badge of Honor!

At first look…this is a business card for someone who works for Kawasaki. But…look a little harder, look under the name. Yep, it is the name of a motorcycle….the Vulcan 2000. A Kawasaki Vulcan 2ooo. Hmm…what? I am confused a bit, well not really.

So let me set some context. I was over with my family visiting my grandfather, celebrating his 80th Birthday! Happy Birthday POP! As we were chatting, my Uncle Carroll handed me this card, yes the one in the picture above. I looked at it and thought, cool! Mind you, my Uncle Carroll has been working for Michelin North American here in Anderson for as long as I can remember. He is devoted to his job and the company that has provided the means to put food on the table and a roof over his family’s heads. Devoted. Well…to be honest, most of my family has been working for Michelin here in Anderson for a long time. My father-in-law just retired from Michelin after 32 years of service…WOW.

So I take this card and realize, my Uncle has just bought himself a new motorcycle. Now, a few years ago…my Uncle Carroll and Aunt Mary Joe (my Mom’s sister) decided to buy Harley’s after both kids were out of the house either married or attending college. A little empty nest present…a way to enjoy life after kids in the house. They have been devoted to their Harley’s…THEN one day, my Uncle Carroll showed up with a Kawasaki. Step back jack…that is like crossing over from Ford to Chevorlet. Those are “fighten words” in the land of NASCAR. I have seen people flip the bird to a driver going around a turn if they were driving the “other car.” Yes the middle finger for driving another car, another brand…WOW.

Well…my Uncle Carroll is proud owner of a new Vulcan 2000. I have no idea what a Vulcan 2000 looks…hell, I would have no idea the difference between this motorcycle and a Harley. I am just not in that world. But, my Uncle is proud…proud enough to go home one day and create a business card. One with his passion on this little piece of marketing. Yes, he found a simple template from Avery, downloaded the template for a business card, f0und a simple Kawasaki logo, used Microsoft Word, and created his little piece of marketing. Yes! An to top it all off, he is printing them and passing them out to his friends…not that Michelin business card that pays for that Vulcan 2000. Riding his bike is his passion and he has found a simple way to share it with his friends. Passion…Passion for his brand.

If you look at the card…you will see his name, his address, his phone numbers, even his email address. Most importantly…the logo of his favorite motorcycle brand and the name of HIS motorcycle under his name. How would you like to have someone become your brand ambassador…love your product/service so much that they create a business card with your logo and share with their friends. Word of Mouth meet Technology! Passion for “his” brand” of motorcycles and specifically his choice of bikes from all the other models…Passion meet Brand Ambassador.

Now I can here all you corporate communication experts thinking, that is not how I want “our” logo to be mis-represented. This does not fit into any style guide and protected branded campaign. This might even be the wrong logo, and old logo, or the right logo but not the right medium for this type of distribution. This is when the control freaks of a brand should step back and be honored. Your brand is so powerful…with so much devotion, it is their badge of honor.

Who are you Doctor Joe Schmo on Twitter?

As I sit here and drink my morning coffee…I am browsing through the healthcare column of my Twitter account. I have a healthcare list that follows many healthcare organizations, hospitals, doctors, healthcare marketing professionals, nurses, and any one talking healthcare and social media. One thing I have been noticing is how awkward it seems to me to watch tweets from healthcare groups using doctors names in a tweet for promotion or awareness. Well, weird that I cannot click the name to learn more.

Side Note:
If you look above, there is no link to read about Dr. March Seabrook or even an article to learn more about the award. It is not my intention to pick on Dr. March Seabrook or the hospital that posted this link. That is why I am not making it obvious the name of the hospital. I am sure Dr. Seabrook is a fine chap…so he deserves a link of some kind. So, here is where you can read more about the award…CLICK HERE.

What seems so weird about using just the name, well it is that I have no frame of reference to this person, no link, no Twitter account…just a random doctor with a name…in a sea of Tweets. If he walked past me down the road, I would have no idea who this person is and if they were even a doctor. Twitter is a good way to inform the public at-large about a doctor, their services, and even activities they are taking part. BUT, Twitter is still a place that moves so fast and crosses so many geographical boundaries. So if I am in South Carolina and a healthcare organization talks about a great piece of research or service from a doctor with no link in the Tweet…he is like “Joe Schmo” to me.

Ideas to help
Most of the time, healthcare organizations included links in Tweets to a referenced article or an event that includes verbiage and sometimes a picture of the doctor. This is good…so atleast one click can provide me with a little more information about this doctor. So how can we make these doctors names more personal on this social media platform?

1) Well, first of all…I think they should consider having a social media account (Twitter account) so that the audience at-large can click the name, see a picture of the doctor, and find more information.

2) Every time you talk about a doctor, and they do not have a social media account…include a link to read more.

3) Include the doctor in a regularly scheduled chat hosted by the health care organization. Regularly scheduled chats are a great place to build a community and then engage the audience with that program and doctor.

4) The doctor should have his own bio page inside the health care organizations web presence. This should include his/her picture, background, information about their specialties, and how they can reach them in the future (email, phone, and/or social media accounts for professional use).

5) A blog is a great way for a doctor to communicate with patients and the public at-large. This can be time consuming for a doctor, but it is a great way to write short posts that relate to the practice and their interests.

Social Media platforms like Twitter have developed their own language especially in 140 characters, so it is important for us as professionals to frame the conversation in the context of the end reader/user/community.

Doctors using Social Media
There is a time management issue that is hard to tackle when implementing these ideas, but putting together a plan is the most important to make this experience successful. Doctors barely have time for their families given their long hours of working, so their are ways to make this successful. If the doctor is interested, put together a plan to create the accounts and how often they need to be touched. Many marketing groups ghost write and ghost tweet for professionals, I am not a big proponent of this solution. The only way to be genuine is through genuine, heart felt writing.

1) Set-up a time frame to create and establish the blog and other social media accounts. This should include finding an appropriate picture.
2) Set-up a plan to engage online. Talk in terms of how often a week to get online to write a post and possibly spend with the social media account.
3) Engage the doctors in hospital chats so that they can take part in the online experience. When I mean chats, use Twitter or any other chat platform to engage with the community. Use a hashtag for the chat so that audience understands it is a chat and that they can track the conversation.
4) Track followers, hits, and conversation created to show success.

Here are a few doctors I follow, who I think do a good job with their Social Media accounts:
1) Kevin Pho, MD – @kevinmd – http://KevinMD.com
2) Bryan Vartabedian, MD – @Doctor_V – http://www.33charts.com
3) Wendy Sue Swanson, MD – @SeattleMamaDoc – http://seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org

our little pitch

We spend so much time trying to pitch. Whether you like it or not, we are pitching. Selling an idea, trying to get a job, trying to convince our significant others to buy a gadget…we are pitching.

I have so many students asking me and sending my questions, wondering why people are not hiring, people are not buying, just plain not accepting their pitch. But why? Economics and supply/demand tell us that this is one hell of a competitive market. We have to be on our “A” game. We better have all of our “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed…we better dress for success and make sure we can sell ourselves. We must make sure we position ourselves as “thought leaders” with a piece of differentiation that makes us rise to the top. But does this really make us relevant?

why pitch?
I have been thinking through this little “elevator pitch” concept. Get it down in 60 seconds so if we are trapped in an elevator with that one person…they might be interested and buy what we are selling. We are selling…selling…pushing…selling…pushing….CREATING NOISE! Why? Because we are conditioned.

During NetworkBash Excite at Clemson University, my friend Robbin Phillips took the time to talk about the relevance of Social Media in the job search today. She shared a piece of paper with some notes…her “Sixty Second Speech.” The first line:

“Let your passion shine. Share who you are and what you stand for with the world. Your hopes, your dreams, your life. Then like magic, you’re going to start drawing kindred spirits and like minds towards you.”

what are we seeking?
Hmm…why are we selling what we are not passionate about? Why are seeking jobs that are just jobs, not careers. Why are we not chasing the dreams, finding like minded people like our tomorrow is our last? Why are we pushing our stuff instead of learning more about the people we share a common interest. Why are we not trying to create our lasting legacy?

Each time we spend more time selling and less time learning about the people that might have a common interest…it is like cold calling at 7pm when the person answering is having dinner. It is like we did not take the time to do the research and put the “To Whom It May Concern” at the top of the letter.

So what is your story? Now think…who are the people we are trying to connect with daily? What is their story? How do you know you can help them until you know their story? I am just as much a victim to this un-human approach to connecting.

my little confession…
Over a year ago, I went to a conference in North Carolina. When I walked in, they gave me a great list of all the people that attended and their email address. These people were decision makers. So when I got back from the conference…I defaulted to my old way of thinking. Created a boiler-plate email, changed out the name and email address, and off to the races. I sent out about five emails…but I had a slight twinge in the back of my mind that just did not settle well. It was confirmed in about five minutes. A response that indicated that they did not attend at the last second. I was embarrassed. NEVER AGAIN!

It is about people…STUPID! I am talking to myself.

Next time…I will just call, say hello, introduce myself, and ask to take them out to coffee…then LISTEN.

Below is Robbin Phillips’s little paper called “My Sixty second speech.” Enjoy!

My 60 Second Pitch

It is all about a Thank You Note!

So today I found a little surprise in my mailbox, a thank you note. Well, there was more than just one thank you note…two. Below you can read the thank you note from one of my students. The note was not to me.

I teach Business Writing at Clemson. It is my goal to teach students more than just how to write, but how to use writing to build relationships. I teach them to think like entrepreneurs. I teach them to think about building career relationships. This thank you note is not only just a representation of a student thanking and praising a teacher, but using the knowledge learned in the classroom. Today, I am the student! It has come full circle!

There are so many times if we wonder if we are making an impact, but tonight…this one student made me shed some tears. I love teaching! Thanks Kelly!

Read below!

We all need a breather…a refresher!

When I became self-employeed…I knew I was going to work hard! I knew that my tendancy was to invest myself in my work, commit myself to my clients, and build a sustainable business. My moto…”Work Hard and Play Hard!” So that is what I try to do, take a break from the 60 plus hours a week and enjoy time with family, friends, and my sanity.

So, Sarah and I decided last year to plan three vacations a year…regardless of where and the costs. We decided to take three, one week vacations that force me not to use digital technology that keeps me connected. Find places that are cost effective and have limited technology access so that we can enjoy down time.

Why is it necessary for business owners, self-employed individuals to get away from our work? To REGENERATE! We need to step away, reflect, enjoy what is important, and go back to our work refreshed with new ideas and energy.

I took two books with me on my cruise, “Brains on Fire,” and “Unmarketing.” Both great books within my discipline insiring a revivied approach to my business and clients. Guess what, I am looking forward to my Christmas vacation in the Georgia mountains.

We should feel so blessed!

We should feel fortunate. We should feel blessed…because everyday we have an opportunity to get up and chase our dreams. Times are tough right now. Everywhere we look, more and more stories of foreclosure, layoffs, cutbacks, indicators or slow economic times. Families being forced from their homes, men and women looking hopelessly for work.

We should feel blessed…I know I do. I wake up every morning with a roof over my head and the God given ability to generate income. I shed tears every time I read an article about a family not able to pay their bills, no work in sight, no healthcare…tears. We live in the United States of America…land of the free. What is so wrong with access to health care and a quality education. What is so wrong with the humanity of sharing with the common man.

I am self-employed, blessed everyday that I have the ability to serve my clients. They have been so good to me….damn I am blessed! I get to express my God given, creative talents at their expense. What an honor. This creative enterprise pays my mortgage, my healthcare, and the food on my table. I should be so humbled.

When is the last time we have exercised the ability to say thank you! Thank you to those people that have made our successes possible. There are so many people who “have” and so many who “have not.” I hurt for those who “have not.”

So tomorrow…I will wake up and say my prayers, be thankful I have someone wonderful to share life with daily, and remind myself that everyday is a blessing. Let us be passionate about what we do, how we do it, and thankful we have a platform to exercise that creative energy.

You have to be aligned: head, mouth, heart, feet!

After spending two days attending the InnoVenture Southeast Conference in Greenville, SC…I started to think about one of the speakers from the CHPRM’s Conference I attended last week. OK…let’s back-up for a second. Two different conferences, how in the world am I relating these two totally different topic areas: healthcare marketing and innovation/entrepreneurship?

CHPRM’s is the Carolina Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society who puts on two conferences each year, one happened this Spring. The opening speaker was a man by the name of Scott Regan who was talking about how to build a better brand. He said one thing that stuck out in my mind,”Be authentic! You have to be aligned: your head, your mouth, you heart, and your feet.” Hmm…makes sense. He then charged us with seven questions:

Who are you?
What is your product?
How is it special?
How is it different from others’ similar offerings?
How can I demonstrate it’s trustworthiness?
How can I demonstrate I am contemporary?
How can I demonstrate cool?

As I walked through the InnoVenture Conference this past few days, I was surrounded by entrepreneurs, medium size to large companies, non-profits, etc. giving 15 minute presentations. These were more than just presentations but more like pitches. Each had to tell what made them special and what they needed to be successful, their elevator pitch. Some real good, some not so articulate. As I sat there…I thought about those seven questions and Scott’s quote: “Be authentic! You have to be aligned: your head, your mouth, you heart, and your feet.”

Creating messages with groups, whether it be a video message, direct mail piece, web landing page, or even a print piece…you have to think as it being a mini-elevator pitch for that particular situation. You have to get rid of the clutter.

I compare writing and executing a 30 second television spot and even 140 character tweet the same as an elevator pitch, asking myself those seven questions. It is easy to sit down and write a presentation for a pitch knowing your time is unlimited or even more than 30 minutes. But imagine having to to trim it to 5 minutes. It is just as hard as writing that same message in a 30 second spot or even a 140 character tweet. You have to be aligned, head, mouth, heart, and feet.

I was writing a script for a small business the other day and one of the first things I asked them to do is write out a one page description of their company’s message. From there, I sat down and spent time talking with them, challenging thought, presented opposing view-points, and began extracting a message. I am looking for that pitch, that memorable piece that if you were riding the elevator with Donald Trump, you would shake his hand, tell him what you do…enough so that you leave him with a taste in his heart to want to ask you to jump off the elevator and talk more.

I would much more prefer writing a memorable pitch, a memorable script, or a memorable piece of marketing that can achieve more in 140 characters (or 30 seconds) that two pages of boring non-sense. OK…I have written 2 hour documentaries and produced long form work that warranted story development, but the principal is still the same.

So what is my point here in this long drawn out madness? We have to be memorable, authentic to survive in this crazy game called business. It is healthy for us to ask ourselves those seven questions and not only apply it to our message, but how we do business. From state supported universities to major big box companies to small businesses…we are trying to leverage what we can to succeed. We have to be aligned in-order to be authentic.

I was talking with Russ Davis from Sandler Sales Institute today as he was explaining how he helps groups become successful. I felt like he and I were speaking the same language, helping people define their objective, understand their audience and goals, and refine the message…drill it down until it is memorable. That Russ Davis…he is a smart guy and so is Scott Regan and John Warner of InnoVenture. Where do you want to go and what do you need to get there? Ask yourself the seven questions and remember to “Be authentic! You have to be aligned: your head, your mouth, you heart, and your feet.” I need a dose of my own medicine!

Entrepreneurs are wanted: InnoVenture 2010

There is something about walking through the halls of innovation. Feeling the overwhelming assurance of our ability to innovate, generate ideas, connect with like minded people, and push forward. There is something refreshing, moving from one hand shake to the next, from one introduction to another, and feeling the sense that connections can help us conquer the possible impossibilities.

This is the “pipeline of game changing opportunities.” John Warner has brought us together, empowered our intellect, inspired our creativity, and provided the platform to “connect together in our enlightened self-interest.”

Why is it that we strive to go attend a two-day event, one that has evolved each year….what are we in search of? Hmm…could it be that we are entrepreneurs at heart? We want more than the status quo, we want to find people that can not only help us solve the problems that seek to understand, but meet people and share. It all starts with a handshake.

As we looked around, we found ourselves in a sea of possibilities, and the room was filled with a sea of problem solvers, seekers, ad diverse set of individuals looking for what we are looking for: the common ground that binds us together…innovation.

Where else can you find a room filled with over 500 people listening to a revolving door of entrepreneurs, big business, big ideas, angel investors, people with solutions, people looking for solutions…a sea of opportunity. Where else can you find more human connection happening faster than the transactions in the Blue Cross Blue Shield server farm. Whether if it was an entrepreneur, a big box business, or someone offering a solution…the isles between the chairs were like the sea waters being split providing an angelic pathway from the crowd to the presenter…connecting diverse groups, talking innovation and collaboration.

I want to be a part of this..yes. I want to take my idea to the next level. I want the assurance that it is possible to find someone to help me develop a plan, guide me to funding, inspire me to keep pushing, ground me in the reality, and cheer with me during my successes. Then, I want to be a part of a place similar to Plato’s Republic…a place of sharing, sharing ideas, sharing knowledge, building our knowledge economy.

Where else can you listen to a wireless information provider talk about distributing video to devices and immediately be followed by a appliance provider thinking about the possibility of having video content provided on the face of a refrigerator. Then, both sitting down side-by-side and having a conversation. WOW!

Where else can I be empowered by the COO of Michelin Americas Research Company to think big about the possibility of reducing friction between the tire and the road for energy efficiency; only after being empowered by a lawyer talking about bringing one of the biggest airliner manufactures into our knowledge economy of South Carolina. Where else can I here from someone who wants to help entrepreneurs connect with Angel Investors right after someone seeking new ideas to present to automakers in Detroit.

It is possible! It is in our DNA! It is in our language. We can do it…we can create this knowledge economy right here in South Carolina and become the poster child for open innovation…globally.

Where else can I have a few brews right beside one the greatest examples of open innovation, bringing the academy and private sector together under a common vision. How inspiring is it to see each person clap and cheer a deserving award, knowing we felt a little closer to those around us because we wanted; hoped one day to be honored by that very award just named. It is like a new fraternity was formed, a fraternity of innovators…we know that feeling, that dream, that reality that we can almost touch.

Thank you John Warner, thank you for connecting us, inspiring us, and creating a language of innovation right here. The future is right here…among us. Like Dave Bodde said,”Entrepreneurs are wanted!” We are all entrepreneurs…open innovation is fun. The sea of open innovators is right here. Just like Dan Wooster said…”We are story shapers.”