Are you tracking the right things? – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in anticipation of my upcoming 50^th birthday.  Here’s number 7: a food and exercise tracker.

As part of my 50/50 plan, as a one of my friends calls it, I made a commitment in January to start tracking all of my food and exercise.  I’ve always been a healthy eater. However, I started to suspect that I was eating a few too many bites of birthday treats at the office or a few too many bites of snack foods I buy for my son.  It was nothing crazy or outrageous – just a little bit here and there.  I had also slacked off on my exercise, again just a little bit. But, as I suspected, just a little bit here and there can lead to unintended consequences, e.g., a few extra pounds that had crept up on me.

After consulting several friends, I decided to use MyFitnessPal.  Both the mobile app and the desktop version are easy to use and powered by a robust food and exercise database.  I am used to writing down daily activities; I’ve worked in a business that requires me to track my work time in 15-minute increments for my whole career.  However, the prospect of writing down every bite of food or minute of exercise seemed more daunting at first.

Image courtesy of fitbit.com

After doing it for 9 weeks now, it’s actually kind of liberating.  It’s made me very mindful of my actions.  Before I eat something, I have to ask myself if eating it is worth the effort it will take to write it down.  I also have to decide if it’s worth the calories and whether it has the right type of nutrients to meet my goals.

One of the most interesting features of MyFitnessPal is its dashboards that track calorie deficits and goals for various nutrients and macros, e.g., carbohydrates, protein and fat. This information keeps me accountable and lets me adjust daily to keep things on track. And the good news is that several of those extra pounds are history.

In many ways, this experiment reminds me of the data analytics discussions we have with clients.  These days, access to a wealth of data is not the challenge.  The real obstacle to reaching many brand goals lies in tracking the right information and making adjustments along the way.  As shown by my diet and exercise experiment, making small changes can bring big rewards.  Most brands are not so off track that they need to make major strategic overhauls.  However, most of us can benefit from the accountability of tracking the right data and using it to make smarter decisions.

What are you doing to be more accountable?  I welcome your feedback.

Four Strategies to Increase Scans for Your Cardiovascular Marketing QR Codes

A few simple tips can ensure your audience will scan your QR codes.

The momentum on QR codes continues, even with other mobile technologies moving in. Much to my surprise, a post I did a few months ago on QR codes was the most popular topic I wrote about all year.

Not wanting to be accused of being out of touch with my readers, here’s a follow up with a few great reminders from Target Marketing.

1. Provide Instructions Near the QR Code


While use of QR codes is much more mainstream than this time last year, some people still don’t know what they are. I was recently reminded of this when a person who is arguably a member of the CV marketing target audience sent me an e-mail asking if I knew about this “great new technology.” Yikes.

Anyway, I digress. Simple instructions, e.g., copy that says, “Scan the QR Code with your smartphone” can help. You might also think about adding a visual that shows a smartphone pointing to the QR Code.

2. Give People an Incentive


As with any marketing tool, make sure you have a good reason to use it besides the “cool” factor. Think about how the QR code can make life easier for your audience — accessing a map or directions, contacting you or making an appointment. Then make sure to include the benefit on your printed materials to let people know what they’ll gain from scanning the code.

3. Educate Your Audience Ahead of Time


Promote your QR codes in some of your other media channels. Think about a blog post or an online video that demonstrates how one uses a smartphone to scan QR Codes. Put one on your social media pages or in your email signature for a little while. Talk about them in your e-newsletter. Integrating information about your QR codes in these channels may increase usage on your printed pieces.

4. Shorten the Destination URL

This is similar to the importance of fast load times on your website. The more data that you have in a QR Code, the harder it may be to scan it quickly. Make sure to use a service that shortens your URLs before generating the QR Code.

If you have other tips that are working for you, share in the comments below.

An Even Smarter Smartphone App for Cardiovascular Marketers

New smartphone software can reportedly read vital signs as accurately as standard medical monitors.

A team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has created an app that can measure heart rate, rhythm, respiration rate and blood oxygen saturation using a phone’s built-in camera.

Apparently, users place their fingertip over the lens of the camera and, as light penetrates the skin, the camera captures pulsing blood, and an application analyzes the video clips. The app can correlate shifts in color of reflected light with changes in a person’s vital signs.

Researchers say this will give many patients the added convenience to measure these stats at any time, building a database of their personal readings that will aid in monitoring various conditions.

The technology was developed for a Droid phone, but it is adaptable to any smartphone with a built-in camera. Apparently, the app can also be used to detect atrial fibrillation (AF).

This sounds like a great development – certainly from a clinical standpoint, but it could have excellent marketing potential as well. We have developed a heart health app for our clients that measures heart rate and BMI, and also offers heart health tips. It has been very well received as an offer in cardiovascular campaigns.

Imagine how awesome it would be to be able to offer an app that takes it even further. I will be watching the developments at WPI with interest.

Cardiovascular Marketing – There’s an App for That

Mobile health and fitness applications are exploding on the health care scene.

An estimated 500 million smartphone users will be accessing mHealth apps within the next five years according to mobile research consulting firm, research2guidance.

So, how do you make your app relevant and effective in a sea of competitors?

A wise creative director I know says all communications pieces – from ads to apps should do three things:

• break through
• ring true
• make people like and trust you

To achieve those goals, you must define a focused message, wrap it in an interesting creative premise, produce it using a simple execution and ensure it makes a human connection.  To me, this is excellent advice.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded an app only to feel disappointed because it was too complicated, or the information just wasn’t relevant.

I don’t often use this space to brag about our own clients or push our agency’s services.  However, I’m going to make an exception.   We just produced a heart health app for one of our clients, Liberty Hospital, that in my humble opinion, meets all of the criteria for success I’ve outlined.

It includes realistic tips for achieving better heart health in 30 days, a nifty heart rate monitor and an easy-to-use BMI calculator.

This app is designed in a way that makes it easy to customize for use by other hospitals in non-competitive markets.

Check it out in the iTunes App Store under HeartHealth by Liberty Hospital.  Then, let me know if you’d like more information about how you can license this app for use in your cardiovascular marketing efforts.

Even More Reasons to Go Mobile With Your Cardiovascular Marketing

Nearly one-third of Americans over the age of 12 now have a smartphone.  That’s more than twice as many as this time last year.

If you haven’t developed a mobile-optimized site yet or considered developing an app, what are you waiting for?

Media gurus at Arbitron and Edison Research just released results of a new survey, The Infinite Dial 2011: Navigating Digital Platforms.

“When you consider the rapid growth in ownership of smartphones in context with the continued rise in the use of social media it becomes increasingly clear that these platforms are fueling fundamental changes in consumer expectations and how they use media,” said Bill Rose, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Arbitron Inc.

Here are some additional highlights from the study:

• Facebook is now being used by a majority of all Americans age 12 and over (51 percent); this number was only 8 percent when Arbitron/Edison Research first measured the social media phenomenon in 2008.
• A majority of American households now have two or more computers (51 percent); as compared to 24 percent of households in 2002.
• Usage of online radio is up significantly, with weekly usage of all forms of online radio having doubled in the last five years; self-reported weekly time spent with online radio is now nearly 10 hours (9 hours 47 minutes).
• Daily time spent with TV, Radio and the Internet combined has increased by 20 percent in the last ten years, with self-reported daily usage now at 8 hours 11 minutes compared to 6 hours 50 minutes in 2001.
• Just less than one-third of all Americans (31 percent) have plugged an MP3 player such as an Apple iPod into their car stereo systems.
• One in ten Americans report listening to Pandora Internet Radio in the week before they were surveyed.
• Among the 81 percent of American households with Internet access, two-thirds now have a Wi-Fi network installed.
• More than one-tenth of all cell phone owners have listened to online radio streamed in their cars by connecting their phones to their car stereo system.

To me, these facts speak to the continued importance of a media mix.  Rather than eliminating the need for traditional or offline media, it seems that digital media is being consumed simultaneously with offline media.

For example,

“This study provides further evidence of radio’s continued resilience and relevance in today’s digital landscape,” said Arbitron’s Rose.

We often talk with our clients about developing a “brand contact wheel,” a graphic representation of all of the ways their brand can potentially come into meaningful contact with various target audiences.  We also look at how those various contact points intersect and interact with each other.

The Arbitron and Edison research adds credibility to this strategy because it’s more apparent than ever that both online and offline communications have to be deployed and have to work together.

5 Ways to Integrate QR Codes into Your Cardiovascular Marketing

QR Codes can offer a seamless way to engage patients and prospective patients in a meaningful experience with your brand.

QR codes, or “Quick Response” codes are generating a lot of buzz right now. These matrix barcodes can be read by QR scanners, which can be downloaded as an app on most smartphones. A phone’s camera can scan the code and then direct an Internet browser to the webpage the code is linked to.

Are QR codes just a passing fad or are they an important extension of your marketing efforts?

Consider these possible uses and form your own opinion:

1. Put QR codes on literature in clinic waiting rooms. QR codes allow access to a mobile site even when a patient is already at one of your locations.  Imagine the possibilities for pre- and post-procedure education or serving content on chronic disease management that could then be discussed during a physician appointment.
2. Add QR codes to business cards for physicians, therapists and patient educators. Scanning the code might take a patient to a microsite that has bio and contact information for the person whose card he/she has.  From there, the viewer could easily access more information about that person’s specialty area or go to the mobile-optimized site for your entire organization.
3. Include QR codes for seminars, classes and patient education events on print ads, direct mail pieces, posters, table tents, etc. Including QR-coded hard links to online schedules can eliminate costly printing and provide prospects with updated event information.
4. Imbed a QR code at the top of the homepage on your website. Visitors can use the code to bookmark the page into their mobile phone so that they can easily visit your site later from their mobile phone when they have time on their hands – standing in a line or waiting for an appointment.  You can also use QR hard links to PDF brochures about specific procedures or specialties.
5. Include QR codes in variable data applications on direct-mail pieces. QR codes can direct recipients to more information about topics that are relevant to their particular situation.  They can also link to maps to show facilities that are close to the recipient’s home.

As health care becomes increasingly consumer driven and patients are clamoring for personalized information, it seems like a great time to take advantage of this emerging technology.  Please share your ideas and examples.

Should Your Next Cardiovascular Marketing Hire Be a Robot or Avatar?

Harnessing technology to develop new patient education programs may be critical in the move toward Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).

With nearly three-fourths of health systems reporting that creating an ACO is a top priority, we marketers are scrambling to unravel what this means for us.  While not everyone is a fan, there seems to be a lot of discussion about what ACOs will look like if they are truly patient-centered.

It’s no secret that Medicare is pushing the ACO concept through pilot projects and encouraging the shift from fee-for-service payments to global payments for reimbursement. Because many cardiovascular patients fall into the Medicare category, I found this post about the head of Medicare, Don Berwick, interesting.

In an article last year, Berwick defined patient-centered care as “They give me exactly the help I need and want exactly when and how I need and want it.”

He talked about patient-centered care focusing on operational changes like:

• no restrictions on hospital visiting hours;
• inpatients choosing the food and clothes they wanted;
• patients participating in rounds and the design of medical services;
• patients really owning their medical records;
• and patients and doctors universally using shared decision-making aids so patients could make wise choices knowing the inevitable trade-offs involved in picking a treatment.

In order to make these practices work, patient education and self-management programs would have to go far beyond traditional wellness curriculums.  That’s where technology comes in.

Patients could harness their smart phones’ computing power, audio, video, motion sensors, and GPS modules to explore new ways to self-manage their health and wellness. There are currently smart phone applications for fitness and weight control, diabetes management, sleep hygiene, stress reduction, and heart health, with more showing up all the time.

One physician envisions technology will go even further in the ACO world.  Dr. Joseph Kvedar of Harvard’s Center for Connected Health believes that we will need to use robots and avatars to meet the manpower needs of taking care of all the retiring Baby Boomers.

In his keynote address at the 2010 Health Symposium, he talks about a successful walking program in which participants are guided by a virtual coach, an avatar named Karen.

Dr. Kvedar acknowledges his ideas may make caregivers uncomfortable, but his concept of emotional automation is actually an extension of the “trusting relationships with technology” that people are already forming with smartphones and other devices they count on for advice.

Regular readers of this blog know we’re working with clients every day to explore new apps and mobile engagement strategies.  We’ve even helped one of our clients create a successful online walking program.  (I can’t wait to tell the marketing director that we need to add an avatar coach this year.)

In all seriousness, though, in the real world where physician/staff shortages are colliding with exponential growth in patient-centered needs, Dr. Kvedar, may be onto something.  If anyone is exploring these ideas in earnest or already incorporating virtual strategies into your marketing programs, please chime in.

Tips for Cardiovascular Marketers to Connect with “Social Mom”

Marketing success this year will be more dependent than ever on building online relationships.

We talk a lot with our clients about connecting with “Chief Home Officers,” the women who make the vast majority of health care decisions for their spouses, their children, and increasingly, their aging parents.  For cardiovascular marketers, Chief Home Officers are a critical target because they research and coordinate care decisions for a wide array of family members.

I came across a post from Holly Pavlika on Digiday Daily that offers twelve tips for connecting with this crucial audience:

1. Prepare for a more sophisticated Social Media Mom.

• More moms are concentrating on building their personal online brands.
• Depending on their involvement with you, they may look to be fairly compensated.
• And she wants a long-term relationship – not a one-off program.

2. Social Media Moms are going to start leveraging their expertise.

• Many moms have taken expertise from prior/current careers and are looking to leverage it.
• Combining her Mom expertise with a specialty gives her more currency to negotiate bigger relationships with a brand.

3. More focus on the Latina Mom.

• Latinas are a very important market that is just starting to be tapped into.
• Many Latinas are digital and very family-focused.

4. Rethink your budgets.

• Are your current efforts netting the end result you desire?
• A recent Café Mom study showed Moms spending a lot of time on multiple communities. Are you covering the bases?

5. Evolve your mobile strategies and tactics.

• Moms are mobile and increasing their use of mobile every day because they want information at their fingertips.
• There are 8 million Moms in the U.S., 20 million worldwide and 5 billion mobile phones worldwide, even in developing countries.

6. Create a strategy for branded apps.

• Moms love apps.
• Build her an app that simplifies or enhances her life or saves her time, and your brand will become important to her.

7. Develop a content strategy.

• Moms love entertaining, informative content.
• If you want to take advantage of her incredible sharing and relationships, you need engaging content such as video, games, polls, blogs, forums, etc.

8. Develop new content platforms.

• Studies show Mom watches TV but usually with her children while on her computer multi-tasking.
• That means content needs to be particularly relevant, helpful and engaging. Maybe that’s why so many Mom-directed “TV” sites are popping up and why video content is so popular with Moms.
• Many of the Social Media Moms are adding .tv to the end of their personal URLs. Maybe it’s time to consider a webisode series.

9. Reinvent customer service.

• Good customer service is important to Mom. When it comes to talking to brands, Moms often use Twitter for solving conflict.
• It might be time to rethink the role of Twitter.  Even with HIPAA restrictions, health care organizations can use it to develop a two-way dialogue with patients.

10. Integrate social into your web properties.

• Are you incorporating social sharing features across the content on your website, as well as adding Twitter and Facebook links?
• Moms like to share if the content is relevant and worthy.

11. Think about causes and being eco-friendly.

• Moms are extremely aware of our environmental issues.  And if it isn’t the environment, she is involved in other causes.
• Think local with things that support her community. But make it easy for her to be involved.

12. Develop programs with her.

• Moms will smell insincerity. The best way to understand what she needs and is looking for is to partner with Mom.
• If you don’t currently have a Mom panel on your team, it may be time.

More than anything, I think these tips recognize that this is the year to move beyond static posting and really involve our audience in a truly collaborative manner.

Harnessing the power of the iPad for Cardiovascular Marketing

iPads could be a critical tool for cardiovascular marketers – especially in the area of physician recruitment.

Medical companies are distributing thousands of iPad tablet computers to salespeople to spice up their pitches to doctors.

According to the Wall Street Journal, companies like Medtronic Inc., Abbot Laboratories and Boston Scientific Corp. say the tablet computers offer new ways to display product information or surgical-implant techniques and eliminate time wasted on issues that don’t drive sales. Their quick start-up times allow sales people to get into their presentations before doctors lose interest.

“[The iPad] enables our sales employees to do a much better job of engaging in a really different way than we’ve done before,” Mike Hedges, chief information officer of Medtronic, said in an interview.

Medtronic, a leading maker of implantable heart devices and other products, recently bought 4,500 iPads for its sales and marketing team, making it one of the iPad’s biggest corporate buyers. Mr. Hedges said the company could buy as many as 6,000 iPads.

Before making the purchases, Mr. Hedges said he had attended a dinner with several cardiologists when one asked about Medtronic’s drug-eluting stent. Normally, the conversation would have shifted to another topic, but one of his salesmen quickly pulled out his iPad with the product information, which kicked off several hours of discussion.

“Try pulling out a PowerPoint from your briefcase or from a piece of paper,” Mr. Hedges said.

Mr. Hedges makes a good point.  Our clients are often looking for ways to strengthen physician recruiting and outreach efforts — striving for that perfect balance of relationship building and information sharing.  The iPad offers an excellent platform to quickly present data in an engaging way.

Taking a cue from the device companies could be a smart strategy for 2011.

Is the iPad the Next Big Cardiovascular Marketing Tool?

If you’ve been watching the release of Apple’s new iPad and wondering how it could work in your hospital, you’re not alone.

St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, is using a new iPad interactive video application from Unity Medical Inc., an Eagle, Idaho-based provider of digital health tools.

The program will include content for patients undergoing heart and vascular procedures, and for those participating in physical rehabilitation programs.

Patients can view videos and patient testimonials on iPads in the hospital or download content directly from the iTunes store to their iPad at home, for use anywhere they choose.

The Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children is also using the new iPad application to explain common medical procedures such as CT scans and MRIs to patients.

“This application will support our patient resource specialists in ensuring that children and their parents understand and feel comfortable with important medical procedures and mitigate any potential fears or concerns they may have,” said Marla Silliman, administrator of Florida Hospital for Children.

What a great use of technology.  I’ve been coveting a co-worker’s new iPad since it came out.  What an amazing device.  Its user-friendly design truly makes consuming content of any kind a pleasure.

Our health care clients often strive to position their programs as both high-tech and friendly.  In my opinion, the iPad is both, making it a great delivery vehicle for  cardiovascular education and marketing messages.