Airfoil Public Relations

Ragan UnConference offers advice for digital marketers

This past weekend, myself and my fellow social media-aholics Tonja Deegan and Allen Arnold traveled to the Windy City to attend Ragan Communication’s UnConference. The goal of the conference was to create a forum for communicators to discuss their uses and challenges in the social media and digital marketing space.  No surprise to us, Twitter remained a hot topic for most of the day along with other tools including Flip cameras and Facebook.

During the four-hour forum, it became clear that communicators and clients alike have reservations about engaging in social media for fear of opening the flood gates and receiving negative responses from customers or competitors.  Several suggestions were offered and if companies use them wisely, it will be hard to argue against online engagement:

• Have a social media policy – Develop rules of engagement for clients and fellow communicators representing your brand. These are no longer the days of the Internet wild, wild west and developing guidelines for types of posts made on blogs, Twitter or Facebook is necessary.  Moreover, it will give your fellow communicators a framework for developing the type of online persona that consumers can recognize.  For those considering developing these types of policies, the NewPR Wiki links to several corporate policies.

• Break the rules – Nobody ever said the ways companies and communicators are using social media sites are the only ways.  A fellow communicator shared a great initiative that utilized several facets of social media to present an online event called “Sleepover 2.0.”  The communicators invited friends on Facebook, looked for sponsors on Myspace, promoted it on blogs and streamed the event live.  The four women at the event used Twitter to solicit other users to contact MC Hammer by enacting a TweetBomb and received national coverage for this initiative and accolades on social media sites, not to mention a phone call from Hammer.

• Measure – Our role as communicators is to gauge the overall sentiments about the brands we represent and improve the perceptions. Opening a forum for consumers to complain can be scary, but it can also become a way to improve (and more importantly, measure) public sentiment of your brands.  Through engaging with customers, influencers and media, the brand is able to build relationships and measure improvement.

• Rethink what you already know – Consumers are changing their behaviors – accessing more information online before making purchases, reading online versions of their daily papers and looking for the best deal possible. Social media has become a powerful tool to get in front of these consumers and provide them direct communication and updates.

• Have a strategy – Oftentimes, communicators can get caught up in social media tools as a strategy.  Twitter, Facebook, online video and MySpace are not strategies.  Rather, they are tools and tactics.  A strategy with goals and metrics is the best way to ensure a brand’s integration into the social media world and to track success.

The most important take-away for any communicator who attended this unconference does not have to do with the tools, tips or advice offered by colleagues.  The most important advice is that when it comes to social media and your brand, use these tips and start exploring digital media.

-- Nicole Yelland

HIMSS for communicators

After several years working in health care PR and marketing, I recently attended HIMSS for the first time. The must-attend conference for the health care IT world detailed a lot of changes that are facing the industry:

• Health care is going digital, whether physicians are open to that change or not. This will save our government, our insurers, our hospitals and consumers valuable time and money. It will also save lives, improve the coordination of care and reduce complications. And it’s not all about EHR and PHR. It’s also about RFID, ePrescribing, HIE, measurement and more. That is why the ARRA (PDF) is pouring tens of billions of dollars into the support of this transition.

• There is a clear communications disconnect.  If you are in health care communications and are not actively engaging in social media, public affairs and education about eHealth for both physicians and consumers, you might as well continue your one-way dialogue with the wall and wait for your pink slip.

• EMR and PHR providers are struggling with differentiation.  The most common response when I asked what a fellow attendee’s company did was “EMR.” OK, well, what makes it different from the 200 or so other EMR providers here? Companies need to figure that out before their competitors do.

• Private and group practice physicians, as well as consumers, need to hear “What’s in it for me?” One physician said that the paper-to-EMR switch saved him $33.15 per patient visit, which totaled tens of thousands of dollars a year in additional revenue. He also said more than 13,000 patients visit his practice’s portal each month to participate in their own health management. If you build it, they will come.

• Physicians are currently positioned as technology novices. The industry is not giving them enough credit. These people graduated from med school. We just need to persuade them based on factors that are important to them: time, money and outcomes.

The dialogue that was missing from the conversation at HIMSS is how this digital shift will affect health care marketing in the next five years. As outcome measurement becomes more thorough and more regularly reported, hospitals and physicians will be able to more effectively market their results, giving consumers opportunities for more educated provider decisions than “it’s near my house” or “it was the first name on my insurance provider’s Web site.”

Vendors and users will also need to have a strategy to gather and digest the vast amount of information being generated by both the private and public sector, as well as strategies on where and when they should participate in this fast-moving dialogue.

Some of the particularly interesting companies I met have technologies to watch, including OnBase, Epic Systems, TeleHealth Services, Microsoft’s HealthVault, Zynx Health and triPRACTIX. The HIMSS site also has additional details and news from the conference.

-- Keith Donovan

Building online credibility and the role of public relations

Let’s face it: If I wanted to, I could post a blog entry detailing a plan that the U.S. Treasury wants to implement to replace the U.S. dollar with the peanut.  I could even make up quotes and cite them to unnamed sources in an attempt to make the post look legit.

But even though it looked professional, it would still beg the obvious question: do you believe it?

Chances are, you wouldn't.

Why?

Because I lack the ‘street cred’ that comes with years of proven, newsworthy material.   

As an information-starved reader, you would likely dismiss it and move on, save for the 20 seconds it took you to tweet to your followers about the crazy rumor you read.

But let it be known that as a public relations professional, identifying who is and isn’t credible is going to become an important question asked of our industry as more and more print newspapers cut, or eliminate, staff.

Judging by what a group of reporters at the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News intend to do to keep their journalistic spirit alive, it’s not unreasonable to think that more and more laid-off reporters and out-of-work journalists will turn to the already muddied waters of the Internet to get their voices heard.

Since they’ll want to retain the credibility they enjoyed when their words appeared in print, they’ll look to us for assistance.

It then becomes our job to not only continue that relationship, but also to discover where our client message will get the maximum exposure.  These new sites might be in their infancy, but we will be tasked with accurately expressing to our client that they should reach out with their message and justify influence, even though their current metrics don’t, at least on the surface, compare to a local paper’s.

As this transformation continues, the days of blogs getting away with providing rumor-fueled "news" to their readers will be limited.  Readers will prefer the sites that offer them solid information and will increasingly take lazy bloggers to task.  (Or, stop reading them.)

Essentially, they'll expect the same set of standards from the people providing the information as they did when they could hold their words in their hand.

It’s up to us to help deliver it.

-- Brad Marley

Hospitals, health systems begin path to electronic media record adoption

Late last week, HIMSS Analytics, a subsidiary of the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), recognized 15 hospitals within two health systems with its first Stage 7 Award. Stage 7 is the highest possible level on HIMSS’ Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption Model, and represents an advanced patient-record environment.  Stage 7 hospitals can deliver patient care without the use of paper charts, can share standardized patient information securely with other providers, can use medical information to drive measurable patient care improvements, and are “best practice examples” to other hospitals looking to implement EMRs.

President Obama has allotted $17.2 billion in incentives via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act beginning in October 2011 to Medicare and Medicaid providers who can prove they’re using healthcare information technology (HIT) “in a meaningful way.”  No matter what your views on his policies, it’s clear President Obama understands the role HIT can and should play in delivering quality healthcare at reduced cost.  It’s also evident that while “Stage 7” HIT adoption won’t happen overnight, he’ll be looking to the industry to begin moving in that direction from now on.

How can the industry start on the path to “Stage 7” in HIT?  Start investing now, and tell Health & Human Services in Washington you want a say in what constitutes a “meaningful” HIT investment, and standards for HIT implementation when incentives arrive in 2011.  It stands to reason the focus on HIT only works best when the playing field is level.

-- Brian Barthelmes

Upcoming tech events discuss issues in social media, traditional media and the economy

We’re up to a lot of new things at Airfoil, and technology communications remains a large part of our focus.

This week, I’ll be in our Silicon Valley office and will be participating in PRWeek’s technology breakfast and technology roundtable.

On March 19, PRWeek’s technology breakfast at the Santa Clara Marriott< features a Q&A session with Carolyn Pritchard, managing editor of the GigaOM Network.

Following the breakfast, I’ll be taking part in a PRWeek technology roundtable discussion with some public relations colleagues and companies in the Valley. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with and meeting some of my peers, including Susan Butenhoff at Access Communications and Frank Shaw at Waggener Edstrom, not to mention hearing from companies including Microsoft, eBay<, HP, LinkedIn, NetApp and Cuil.

Although the roundtable is not public, PRWeek will report on the discussion in an upcoming issue. We plan to have a lively discussion regarding the economy, staffing and recruitment, the shrinking traditional media and the continuing evolution of social media.

-- Janet Tyler

Tech stimulus is just what we need

The stimulus bill introduced by the Democrats in the House, with its strong focus on technology, is just what our economy needs.

According to the Wall Street Journal: “If the bill becomes law, it would allocate billions of dollars for tech projects to improve healthcare, education and government funding, among other things. Much of this money would be spent on computer hardware and software.”

President-elect Obama has professed his support for electronic medical records previously. As the new administration shapes a stimulus package to help individuals and companies survive, information-technology innovators can assemble their own package of public relations initiatives and techniques to help them stimulate interest in their products and services and continue to thrive.

Recently, we developed a white paper with marketing communications strategies that IT companies can employ (or partner with a PR agency to employ) to help them emerge from the downturn with an advantage over competitors.

A stimulated tech sector will have a ripple effect across industries such as health care. With some planning now, companies can be in the perfect position to take advantage and propel their businesses on the right path.

-- Janet Tyler

2009 technology trends look virtual, smaller, eco-friendly

Recently, Airfoil was a sponsor for the PRSA Silicon Valley Media Predicts 2009 event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.  The event featured a fascinating panel of high-profile tech journalists, often with delightfully conflicting points of view, and was moderated by Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. 

The panel discussion took a quick look back at the technology trends that were big in 2008 and focused on projections for what will be big in 2009.  Journalists on the panel included:

• John Markoff, senior technology writer, New York Times

• Elise Ackerman, technology reporter, San Jose Mercury News

• Mark Veverka, West Coast editor, Barron’s

• Richard Waters, West Coast editor, Financial Times

• Michael Arrington, co-editor, TechCrunch

So what will be big in 2009?  Here are some of the projections made by the panel:

The economy of course will be of utmost importance.  Ackerman created quite a stir in the audience with her predictions that many people in the Valley, including journalists and PR professionals will soon be unemployed and residing in shanty towns.  On the upside, she also predicted that we will soon be using jet packs for transportation. 

Green technology will definitely be an important market segment, but there is much debate as to whether it’s a viable industry due to its capital-intensive nature.

Netbooks are hot!  A not-so-useful fad due to tiny screens and inadequate keyboards, but hot nonetheless.  Smartphones on the other hand are beating existing mobile technology and netbooks as portable, do-it-all mini computers. 

Cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) received a lot of attention as an emerging technology trend, as did the security benefits and consequences of moving applications and data onto the cloud.  Some called for the elimination of hard drives for security reasons, with cloud computing serving as the secure alternative. 

Other security and privacy concerns abound as viruses get stronger, bad guys get smarter, consumers lose privacy and corporations and government gain privacy. 

Overall, the PRSA Media Predicts event was a very insightful look into the hot technology trends of 2009.

-- Sue Barnes

Electronic medical record education, influence to become more prominent

This week on NBC’s “ Meet the Press,” President-elect Barack Obama stated  that he has immediate plans to invest billions of dollars in introducing electronic medical records, among other investments in schools, roads and bridges.

He said, “All those things are not only immediate - part of an immediate stimulus package to the economy, but they're also downpayments on the kind of long-term, sustainable growth that we need."

So, now is the time for EMR marketers to invest in brand-building, awareness and influencer relations in preparation for the future to come.

This may be counter-intuitive in today’s economy, but so is playing dead when being attacked by a 8-foot tall grizzly bear.

-- Leah Haran

Detroit Welcomes the 2008 PRSA International Conference

It’s just about a month (ok, it’s actually 24 days, 22 hours … and counting)>until PRSA-Detroit welcomes the 2008 PRSA International Conference, “The Point of Connection,” Oct. 25-28.

While the majority of recent local news has covered the automakers, the economy and Detroit’s mayor, the city and region have had its share of positive news, as well, including an influx of movies being made here, a new airport terminal and a new mayor.

Oh, and we also have several national conferences that continue to take place in Detroit. We’re excited that the Public Relations Society of America – the world’s largest organization for PR professionals – has selected Detroit this year, as well, and we plan to show off our city and its many treasures.

The conference will include many Detroit features and flavors, with several restaurants on tap for dinner events and the opening night reception at the Renaissance Center’s Wintergarden.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my colleague’s panel regarding the communications challenges with companies’ environmental policies. Tracey Parry, Airfoil senior vice president, will be moderating “Going Green: From Detroit to the Valley and Everywhere in Between.”

Other topics will include social media, emerging technologies, crisis communications, sustainability, reputation, branding and integrated communications.

If you can’t be there in person, PRSA has several ways you can stay connected – the PRSA- Detroit chapter site (of which I am the treasurer); the conference’s Twitter feed, YouTube, Facebook, and the conference blog.

I look forward to connecting with you in Detroit.

-- Rich Donley, APR

'Foilers Take Manhattan, Find Business Use in Twitter

This past week, I had the pleasure to be assigned to assist our client, American Laser Centers, at New York Fashion Week’s Style360 events. The experience was both unique and fruitful on all fronts. In true ‘Foiler spirit, I utilized every available resource at hand and tapped into one of our foci for 2008 – collaboration and technology.

Over the course of the first day, I introduced myself to every event coordinator, intern and PR professional staffing the event. This helped me to learn whom to ask for what and trade media, tit for tat. Like the game Pogs, we traded introductions to contacts at major media outlets with PR contacts on site, introduced ourselves to every camera in the house and every influencer we could grab.

As professed by our leadership, collaboration yields results. More than 25 interviews with major media outlets and bloggers took place in three days, some at our event, and some during the after parties thrown by the designers.

The second major resource was the technology phenomenon, Twitter. Throughout the week instead of writing the team at the office lofty emails with updates, I tweeted interviews secured, observations and, of course, celebrity sightings.

Prior to the event, I had tweeted an invite for beauty and fashion bloggers to connect with us during the event. That brief, less-than-a-minute effort produced a great response and I was able to meet some great new people that were interested in my client.

I look forward to seeing more results at Airfoil via collaboration and technology. Oh, and feel free to follow me any time on my twitter at @nwlife.

-- Nicole Yelland