Transcript Aria Marketing Overview and Capabilities

Healthcare IT PR 101
April 7, 2014
a.k.a.
Everything you ever wanted to know about healthcare
technology public relations, but were afraid to ask
because you thought you were supposed to know the
answer already…
What is considered part of public
relations?
Planning and strategy
Positioning/messaging
News releases /media
alerts
Pitch development
Trade show support
Awards
Crisis communications
News monitoring and
analysis
Analyst relations
Investor relations
Thought leadership
Content development
Article/ case study /
white paper writing
Speaking opportunities
Media kits
Media training
Measurement and
reporting
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I think PR is going to be effective for my
organization, what do I do first / next?
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Positioning and messaging
Strategy
Inventory of assets:
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Thought leaders
Thought leadership concepts
News
Data
Budget
Internal vs. external resources
Media lists
Editorial calendar
Speaking / awards calendar
Rough map of next six months
Go!
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Can I have a copy of my media list?
Yes!
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Should I do a press releases?
Is a release the right vehicle?
What should they be about?
News
Momentum (wins, growth, hires, partnership)
Offerings (new products and services)
Issues (maybe)
What shouldn’t they be about?
Does anyone read them?
Will they get coverage?
Not always, may need to set expectations.
How often should I do them?
Will they be good for my SEO?
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What makes a good press pitch?
Aligned with focus of publication, issue and reporter/editor
Significant or buzz worthy
Timely (just / is about happen,
or ties into something that
just / is about to happen)
Brief
Easy to understand
No sales pitches:
Customers
Data
Experts
“Consultants”
Delivered thoughtfully, politely, persistently, and with ability to
discuss topic and flexible approaches
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How do I build good relationships
with key reporters?
Give them what they need
Offer credible, interesting pitches
Be flexible
Know what you
are talking about
Do your
homework
Empathize
Meet them
Don’t let
them down
Stay classy
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How do I know if I should engage a PR firm?
You have more to do than you and your team can do
You feel like you are leaving opportunities on the table
You want a resource that is more flexible than a hire
You want to leverage existing relationships vs.
building your own
You have budget
You need another marketing voice at the table
internally
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What is the right division of labor with
between the agency and the client?
Resources, politics and culture will largely dictate this,
but try to:
Do the things you need to do
Herd senior leadership, liaise with sales, cajole customers,
negotiate budgets, etc.
…and have the agency do what they are best at
Writing releases, pitching media, drafting abstracts,
handling logistics, etc.
Divide up the rest as budgets and skillsets allow
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What kind of care and feeding does an
agency require?
To get the most out of your agency investment, you need to provide:
Time
Content, ideas and feedback
Customers, thought leaders and data
Good communication
A collaborative approach.
Ask don’t tell
Succeed and fail as a team
Polite professionalism, occasional gratitude
Humor and perspective help a lot too
In return, you should get:
Hard work and responsiveness
Results
Good ideas
Professional insight and guidance
Professionalism, gratitude, humor and perspective
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How do I measure the success of my
PR program?
Some popular approaches:
Set goals you know you can crush
Measure what you can easily measure
Measure things that look good to the board/CEO
Measure what matters (vs. competition, by message, etc.)
Does your organization buy into the value of PR?
If yes, then measure the quality and quantity of your PR
Quantity is easy
Quality is subjective but critical
Benchmark and stretch
If no, then you have to quantify impact on sales, which is tricky
I shall not attempt to define the kinds of material I understand to be
embraced within the shorthand description "hard-core pornography“
…But I know it when I see it.
Justice Potter Stewart, Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964)
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How do I get my company to see the
value of my/my agency’s work?
Classic rookie mistake: assuming everyone gets how
useful the PR program is
Always be selling the value of the program,
communicating, soliciting feedback
Leverage those PR results as much as possible
Internal email distributions
Individual article promotion
to sales with guidance
on how to use
Lots of reporting
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QUESTIONS?
About Aria Marketing
Founded in 1999, healthcare’s integrated, full-service
communications agency
Healthcare consulting firm roots (Gartner Healthcare) drive our
thought leadership approach
The premier source for first-class strategy, creative, PR, social media,
interactive and writing under one roof
Experts in launching healthcare technology companies and executing
comprehensive communications programs that distinguish brands
and help achieve business goals
Experience with all healthcare B2B segments
Right-sized to tackle today’s challenges and tomorrow’s by offering
strategic creative and PR counsel from senior management, as well as
full-service tactical support
Our growth comes primarily from word of mouth referrals
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Some Current and Former Aria Clients
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