One Step at a Time – Good Advice for Healthy Lives and Healthy Brands

Those of you following along know that I’m committed to doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my upcoming 50^th birthday.   Here’s #3: wearing shoes that fit properly.

It’s been a busy January.  I’m not complaining.  Our clients are on a mission to make their brands healthier, and we’re excited to help.  But there have been a number of days so far that have required me to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going – both literally and figuratively.

I am determined not to let a busy schedule derail my fitness efforts this year.  So far, so good, except for some new pains on the bottom of my right foot.  Well, no wonder. Upon inspection, I realized that my workout shoes had certainly seen better days.

So, to remedy the situation, I decided to consult some pros.

Although I’ve been active my whole life, I’ve never really been professionally fitted for shoes.  Sure, I’ve had some sales person stick my foot on one of those metal slide rule contraptions, but as I learned at Gary Gribble’s, there’s much more to it.

First, they asked me a lot of questions about my intended activities – running, walking, working out in the gym?

Then, they measured the length and width of my feet.  Surprise – I’ve been wearing a full size too small.

But next came the really interesting part.  They analyzed the biometrics of my feet by watching me walk, and they examined the wear on my old shoes.  From this analysis, they were able to determine the correct shoe category for me: neutral, stability or motion control.

I am proud to report that I do not suffer from either pronation or supination. (What a relief.)  In plain English, it just means that my feet don’t roll either inward or outward during a normal walking motion.  Therefore, a neutral shoe is best for me.

I also learned that I have “good” arches.  (Oh boy, something else to flaunt.) My consultant recommended that I try a shoe with a lower heel than I had been wearing so that impact of exercise would hit my feet in a more desirable spot – potentially eliminating that pesky pain I had felt.

After trying on several pairs, I am now the proud owner of these Saucony beauties.

They feel great, and I’m motivated to keep going.

For healthy lives and healthy brands, sometimes it’s important to deconstruct an issue, analyze its components and try something new. It’s also usually a good idea to consult an expert.

What are you doing to look at challenges in new ways this year?  What’s motivating you to keep going? I’d love to hear from you.

Give Healthy Brands a Boost- How To Make The Most Of Your Content Plan This Year

Okay, so it’s week two of the New Year.  For some people, resolutions are starting to wane, but it’s important to stay motivated.  One of the most important tools in the toolbox for today’s healthy brands is deploying a robust content strategy.  Here’s a guest post by Kuhn & Wittenborn’s Matt Bartlett about how to get organized to make the most of your content plan this year.

Planning season is upon us, and if you are like me, you are scrambling to put together plans, schedules, estimates, etc. for your clients. One piece I struggle with every year is putting together content calendars. It’s not that the content isn’t there, but organizing a full year’s worth of content can be a huge (and stressful) challenge. It seems like I try a new format every year and always end up piecing together a document from a number of different sources for each client.

I recently ran across this article on the social media and content marketing strategy website Convince and Convert. Not only does it include a free template, it serves as a great reminder of the importance of a thorough, well-planned content calendar. The author notes, “the further ahead you plan your digital content publishing the better placed you are to produce a consistent flow of content.” I think that is a great reminder as we plan out the year for our clients and ourselves.

If you try out the template, let us know what you think in the comments. Or, if you’ve seen success with a different method, feel free to share.

Beating the Smoking of Our Generation – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Those of you following along know that I’m committed to doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my impending 50^th birthday.  Here’s #2:  Walking meetings

I first got this idea when I attended a Kansas City TedxKC event last fall.

This talk by Steve Illardi, a neuroscientist who studies depression, covered “life hacks” to enhance brain function.  He focused on the problem of too much sitting, saying it is “the smoking of our generation.”  He espoused the idea that physical inactivity takes a toll on the brain, not just the body. Conversely, key circuits in the brain are activated by physical activity.  He even went so far as to say that exercise keeps your brain young by generating new cells. (Sounds good to me.)

Illardi’s talk really hit home.  I spend a lot of time in meetings – as do all of my associates and clients. And you guessed it, we are mostly sitting.  In our business, solving problems and generating ideas are keys to success.  Maybe those hours sitting in conference rooms are not only endangering our health but also preventing us from doing our best work.

So to remedy the problem, we are instituting more walking meetings at Kuhn & Wittenborn.  We are fortunate that our office is located at Crown Center, the campus of Hallmark’s world headquarters.  During inclement weather, we have an elaborate maze of skywalks and underground tunnels in which to conduct our walking meetings.  And of course during nice weather, the grounds of Crown Center are beautiful. Our goal is to do at least one walking meeting each day – creating healthy lives and healthy brands.

Could this idea work for you?  Try, and send me your pics.

50 Ways to Get Healthier in 2014

I am going to turn 50 in August.  It’s a hard, cold fact — even though in my head, I’m only 25.

Since I can’t turn back the clock, I’ve decided to make the most of it.  I’ve never made a public New Year’s resolution before, but this year is different.  I’ve decided I’m on a quest to make 2014 the healthiest year ever.

To that end, I am pledging to do 50 things this year to improve health – for myself, my family, my friends, my colleagues, my clients, my community, or the world.

I’ve already done the first thing.  I just traded in my old, gas-guzzling Volvo for an all-electric, emission-free Nissan Leaf.  I’m counting on this purchase having an impact, even if it’s small, on the air quality of Kansas City.  (And yes, it makes me feel better knowing that Nissan will tow me for free if I forget to charge my new car, and I end up stranded.)

I’m still formulating the rest of the list. My vision is that some of these things will be small and personal, while others may be larger and more organized. I would love your ideas, input and participation.  Stay tuned.

Wishing all of you health, happiness and success in 2014.

A New Beginning for the Main Artery – Getting to the Heart of Healthy Brands

Regular readers know that the Main Artery has covered many topics over the past couple of years, mostly pertaining to cardiovascular marketing.  For more than 25 years, I have had the privilege of working with clients in a variety of industries. The combination of working with great clients and dealing with unexpected health challenges in my family led to a special interest in healthcare, and in particular, cardiovascular marketing.

However, a New Year leads to new perspectives.  I’ve been thinking for awhile now that I’d like to expand the subject matter covered in the Main Artery.  At Kuhn & Wittenborn, we work with clients whose products and services make life better.  Some improve our physical or financial health.  Some show us ways to have fun and learn new things.  Others keep the lights on and protect the environment.

Going forward, the Main Artery will get to the heart of how to creatively make all of us – our clients, their customers and each other — happier, healthier and more successful.

I believe we all get smarter through shared knowledge.  I love to exchange insights, ideas and strategies that work.  I hope you’ll join me.

Food Fraud and Cardiovascular Marketing

I’m on a bit of a rampage. I was discussing the importance of relevant, dynamic content for brands that help people improve their quality of life with a couple of my industry colleagues. And here’s the rampage: how can we be sure the tips we’re presenting are accurate when there’s so much fraud in the food industry today?

Especially when we see things like this infographic.

Shameful. It really almost makes me want to hurl my lunch across the room (except I know it was prepared from all-organic ingredients from my local CSA).

This certainly impacts us as cardiovascular marketers looking for dynamic and engaging content to share because, like most of my clients, some of the most popular content involves tips on healthy eating.

I know cynics may think the food fraud headlines are a bunch of hype, but I think it bears careful watching. What do you do to ensure the resources you use for cardiovascular marketing content are relevant and safe?

Online Health Information Trends for Cardiovascular Marketers

Prioritizing online efforts to fuel your marketing mix can be tricky.

While there’s no question that patients are seeking online health information, it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint the best places to target messages.

A new infographic from Mashable highlights current trends in how consumers are accessing healthcare information and engaging with social networks.

Here are some notable finds:

People who visit doctors more frequently are also more likely to turn to online sources such as WebMD or YouTube. Are you developing relevant content for this segment of engaged patients?

Parents are more likely to seek online information, and people in their 30s are the biggest fans of blogs and patients communities. I suspect this behavior extends to people who are seeking information about their own parents’ health. Adult children are certainly important influencers for cardiac care.

WEbMD still leads the pack in terms of the most accessed online resource. Have you checked out their geo-targeted advertising possibilities? We’re having good luck there for some of our clients.

Patients still trust traditional communication more than digital or social. Even in this age of online frenzy, don’t neglect more traditional media and PR as part of your mix.

More people are still accessing online information via their PCs vs. smartphones and tablets. This will not deter me from recommending that you get your mobile strategy in order. But, I agree it’s critical to make sure the rest of your online content, including your regular website, is updated and relevant first.

What advice do you have for maximizing online efforts?

Four Tips to Boost Cardiovascular Marketing Direct Mail Response

Direct mail is not dead.

Don’t get me wrong. I love email and online marketing as much as the next digital guru. But those of you who know me well can hear me saying, “They’re just another tool in our toolbox.”

Based on recent campaign results for our clients, I’m convinced more than ever that cardiovascular marketers can generate excellent results with strategic, targeted, well-crafted, “traditional” direct mail.

It’s an excellent medium to reach residents who are new to your area or to engage with new patients through offers of screenings or heart-healthy educational content.

However, it’s not necessarily enough to just mail once and to expect miracles. Direct mail, like any media, can benefit from frequency.

An excerpt from “Strategy & Tactics for Boosting Direct Mail Response,” a new 122-page report from Direct Marketing IQ, features best practices from leading direct mail experts. It highlights four ideas to consider:

• Re-mail the original package to the same target audience.
  • As with any message, timing is everything, and a re-mail could catch people just when they need your services. We’ve had great luck with the strategy — often generating more than 50 percent more response than we got with the first round.
• Send anew mailer execution to non-responders.
  • Highlight a different benefit. The theory is that if one approach doesn’t work, you go back to the prospect with a different pitch.
• If your offer is good for a limited time only, be sure to play that up.
  • People tend to respond more if there’s a sense of urgency. For example, if you have packaged screenings into a package price, think about setting a time limit: “Your eligibility for this final offer expires on December 31, 2011.”
• The last contact with the prospect can be a postcard.
  • 
Postcards are inexpensive, and your message is instantly visible. Our clients have had great success with follow up postcards. It’s certainly an easy strategy to consider.

Worst Heart Habits: Great Content for Cardiovascular Marketers

Lifestyle choices may account for more than 90 percent of heart attack risk, according to new research. And even small changes can make a big impact.

I saw a great post from Healthline that identifies six of the worst habits for your heart and looks at how to turn them around.

Too much TV

• People who spend four or more hours per day on screen-based entertainment have double the risk of a cardiac event vs. those who spend two hours or less in front of the tube.
• The risk of dying prematurely is much greater for those who are heavy screen watchers, even if they also exercised.
• Recent research also shows that too much sitting can be just as bad for your heart as smoking. (I hope you’re walking around reading this post on your mobile phone.)  I’m tempted to start scheduling more meetings while walking. Seriously.

Negativity

• A Harvard review of 200 previous studies found that an optimistic outlook might cut heart disease and stroke danger by 50 percent.
• The association between an upbeat attitude and reduced cardiovascular risk held true even when they took the person’s age, weight, smoking status, and other risk factors into account.

Ignoring Snoring

• Frequent loud snoring can trumpet obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a dangerous disorder that magnifies heart attack and stroke risk, if untreated.
• Ask your doctor about a sleep study if you are waking at night for no apparent reason or have unexplained daytime drowsiness.

Forgoing Fiber

• Research from the National Institutes of Health and American Association of Retired People found that people age 50 and older who ate the most fiber were up to 60 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and respiratory ailments, compare to those who ate the least.
• Another study showed that eating eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day trims the risk of a fatal heart attack by 22 percent, compared to eating less than three.

Failing to Floss

• One theory is that the same bacteria that trigger gum disease may also spark inflammation inside the body, damaging arteries. I’ve seen other research lately disputing this as a clear link, but still….this link seems to make sense.
• A 17-year-study published in Journal of Aging Research showed those who never flossed were 30 percent more likely to die than were those who flossed daily.

Smoking Even a Little

• Some statistics show that smoking even one cigarette a day increases the threat of heart attack by 63 percent and smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day more than quadruples it.
• Tobacco use also boosts risk for diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and many types of cancer.

These are great reminders.  Sometimes it’s hard to realize how much even small changes matter.

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.