The Newspaper

While reading this week's Crain's Chicago Business, I came across a photo of the office of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, legendary publisher of the Chicago Tribune. On the mantle of the fireplace is a definition of the word newspaper. As a long time reader and former employee, the Tribune is an institution that has a special place in my heart, and the Tribune Tower has always been one of my favorite Chicago icons. So I did a little Web research and found the full definition, which dates back to 1924:
 

"The newspaper is an institution developed by modern civilization to present the news of the day, to foster commerce and industry, to inform and lead public opinion, and to furnish that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide."

 

While newspapers are on life support, substitute the word "media" or "journalism" or even "Internet" and the definition remains evergreen.

 

Journalists still present the news of the day, inform and lead public opinion, and provide a check on government. I would quibble with the reference to the Constitution, as without the First Amendment thereto there might be no free press in the US.

 

The clause referring to fostering commerce as part of the purpose of journalism, spoken like a true publisher vs. an editor, also struck me. Journalism has always been a business, and it is a positive contribution to foster commerce, as commerce makes everything else in our society possible.

 

While the traditional ink on newsprint newspaper is rapidly evolving into bits, bytes and pixels displayed on multiple screens large and small, the underlying purposes and activities of journalism remain remarkably unchanged almost a century after The Colonel so aptly defined it.

Copy--the long and short of it

Yesterday, I joined a discussion in the LinkedIn Direct Mail group about long copy vs. short copy. This is one of the most ancient debates in the direct marketing and copywriting world, and there are fierce advocates on both sides.

My basic philosophy on this eternal question is threefold: first, copy should be as long as it needs to be to get the job done; second, it is somewhat medium dependent; third, it needs to be tested perhaps on a segmented basis using age and other demographics.

In regard to medium dependency, for example, email, copy should be shorter in the message itself, with a call to action that may be used to drive readers to a longer form appeal.

Having just participated in a webinar about millennials and Generation Z (the next generation after millennial who are basically 13 at the oldest as I understand it) probably had a lot to do with my call  for generational segmentation.

I got some pushback on that, which was valid. Claims are made that the average attention span of the youth of America has declined from 12 minutes to five or less, Harry Potter novels still get read. Nonetheless, I still think that in this day and age it makes sense to test the most concise copy possible.    

I must share the latest comment in the fairly active discussion by Michael Gama: 

"I read an article years ago, written by an early DM copywriter (Caples?) who promised a friend (just call him John Smith) "I can write a full page ad for the NYT, total copy, with no photographs, and I guarantee you'll read every word of it." Mystified, Smith asked him how he could be so confident. The DM copywriter answered, "Because the huge headline will say, 'The Truth About John Smith.'" The point here is fairly obvious, and is still worth remembering today, I suspect. So, long vs. short copy is really, arguably, while not unimportant, still a secondary concern behind others such as proper targeting and showcasing benefits."
 

So the ancient debate goes on. The answer, as usual in direct marketing, is test and see what works best for you.

Healthcare Marketing Trends

Medical Marketing and Media magazine and Ogilvy Commonhealth Worldwide did a good study of health care marketing trends, which was published in the June 2013 issue.

Here's what I highlighted as I read the report:

• Direct marketing is being used by 67% of respondents, about the same as in 2012, but 35% increased budget devoted to direct marketing, whereas only 28% decreased spend;

• Marketing service companies must integrate their offerings and become more dynamic to serve the changing needs of the health care industry;

• Health care marketers use referrals and relationships as their primary method to find sources for marketing services, but procurement plays a much larger role in larger companies;

• Physicians remain the most important audience according to respondents, followed by nurse practitioners (NPs) and (PAs), although it is thought that Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation will make NPs and PAs a more important target;

• The elimination of lifetime health insurance benefit caps could substantially help marketers of high priced products.

       You can access the report here.

The state of medical association membership marketing

In another life, back before the turn of the century, I spent about a decade in membership marketing for the American Medical Association (AMA). While it was a challenging task, it turned out I did pretty well, as I still hold the record for number of AMA members and market share.

Although it's been a while, I still have an interest in what's working in membership marketing. As you might imagine, so do many of my current clients at MMS.

So I was interested in the results of a membership marketing survey we conducted of our health care professional association clients. It turns out that the findings are a lot like visiting an old hometown--much is the same but there are definitely some new developments.

We conducted the survey in July 2013. We asked a simple, open-ended question:

"Can you share what your organization is doing to increase membership? What media are you using—direct mail, email, telemarketing, social media? What’s working best?"

The respondents indicated they were using the following tactics:

• Direct Mail--the oldest of media was cited as one of the most effective for new member acquisition;


• Email--No surprise here, as email has by far the best ROI of any direct marketing media, 47:1 according to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). In some cases, emails campaigns are conducted personally by local and national elected leadership rather than by association staff;


• Trade Shows--Exhibits are working well for at least one association to acquire new members. Trade shows are selected if current members belong to them, if their members responded well to direct mail and email, and based on partnerships with other groups;
  


• Social Media--I personally think social media has great potential for membership marketing when used in tandem with email. Because people are so price sensitive these days, the new style membership marketing vision is to use email to recruit potential members to social media such as LinkedIn groups, Twitter feeds, etc. Then the social media are used to warm up prospects with member discounts on member-only benefits such as trade shows, publications, etc.;
  


• Telemarketing--In some cases, association staff participated to recruit new and retain existing members. As when I was in the trenches, telemarketing was much more cost- effective for retention.

All in all, 21st century marketing looks a lot like its 20th century antecedent, with the exception of the addition of two media which weren't around yet back then: email and social media.



  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to get a free copy of Forrester's Email Marketing Scorecard

I just got a copy of Forrester's Email Marketing Scorecard, courtesy of Exact Target, which is now owned by Saleseforce.com. It is a useful platform for benchmarketing, evaluating, and improving your email marketing progam.

I agreed with almost all the criteria used by Forrester, but here are a few that echo what I've been telling email marketers about best practices:

• Use email strategically based on advanced analytics--By strategy, Forrester means evaluating how well email programs engender engagement, incorporate email-specific customer research, deepen customer relationships rather than just driving email conversions, and integrate into a larger multichannel customer-communications strategy. Strategy also involves quantifying the long-term or lifetime value of email subscribers rather than just evaluating ROI on the immediate purchases triggered by a campaign. Forrester recommends a defined and documented email marketing strategy outlining program goals, metrics, and measurement methods across divisions;

• Include social media--Forrester research indicates that personalized, engaging, interactive content (including user-generated testimonials, images, and videos) resonates with users. 26% of US online adults have found websites through an email from a friend or family member. Therefore, Forrester scores incorporation of user-generated content and ease of social sharing;

• Use segmentation--Forrester recommends using preference based data combined with behavioral data;

• Test--Forrester recommends monitoring delivery issues, managing frequency, and testing various creative approaches and what they call the user experience (UX);

• Optimize UX--This includes the keys to email success. The subscription process should capture relevant data to drive segmentation concisely. Email content should be engaging and customized. A clear call to action should be placed "above the fold". Emails should be easily shareable. from lines should engender trust. Subject lines should compel the recipient to open the email by using descriptive, evocative, and benefit-focused copy. Layouts must be quickly scannable, including benefit-focused headlines and subheads, with concise copy. "Alt tags" should be used so that the message is clear even when images are suppressed. An option to view in a mobile-friendly format must be included--better yet, the message should be designed for mobile first.

Forrester also recommends quarterly campaign benchmarking and competitor analysis.

To get the Scorecard free, go here.

           

Mobile device use virtually ubiquitous among primary care physicians

The stats just keep on coming, but these are more remarkable than most. According to a survey of practicing primary care (FP and IM ) physicians conducted in April 2013 by Ipsos for Wolters Kluwer Health:

• Nearly 80%  use  smartphones in their “day-to-day practice.” 61% use mobile tablets.

• The top use is obtaining prescription drug information, such as side effects and interactions, and for dosage calculations--78% use smartphones for that purpose, 55% use tablets.

These statistics underscore yet again the importance of designing email and other medical marcomm for a three screen environment. The simplest way to do so is to design for mobile first.

Other findings of interest:

• Physicians use the larger-screened tablets more than smartphones for reading medical research--63% use tablets vs. 43% using smartphones.

• Phones however are the first choice for patient communications, used by 33% of respondents, only 17% of whom reported using tablets to communicate with patients. 

• Professional journals remain the most popular source for accessing the latest information for diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care of patients--84% of respondents report using journals  journals frequently or occasionally. But 80% reported using general Web searches on Google, Yahoo and others.

• Doctors do not think health information technology (HIT) is lowering the cost of care. In fact, almost 80%  they think it's raising costs. However most concede that HIT improves safety, quality, and evidence-based medicine. 

The rule of seven touches

In the midst of a lengthy New Yorker magazine piece ("How Good Ideas Spread", by Atul Gawande, MD about the important topic of global diffusion of medical knowledge, I came across a rather surprising reference to medical marketing:

"This is something that salespeople understand well. I once asked a pharmaceutical rep how he persuaded doctors—who are notoriously stubborn—to adopt a new medicine. Evidence is not remotely enough, he said, however strong a case you may have. You must also apply “the rule of seven touches.” Personally “touch” the doctors seven times, and they will come to know you; if they know you, they might trust you; and, if they trust you, they will change. That’s why he stocked doctors’ closets with free drug samples in person. Then he could poke his head around the corner and ask, “So how did your daughter Debbie’s soccer game go?” Eventually, this can become “Have you seen this study on our new drug? How about giving it a try?” As the rep had recognized, human interaction is the key force in overcoming resistance and speeding change."

Later in the article, Gawande interviews an Indian nurse and asks her why she has listened to a less experienced trainer's suggestions on delivering babies. The answer is poignantly simple:

 “She was nice.She smiled a lot. It wasn’t like talking to someone who was trying to find mistakes, it was like talking to a friend.”

In one sense this is a powerful argument for the importance of personal promotion in medical marketing. However, in an era when expense and access make personal promotion more scarce than ever, the lessons can also be applied to non-personal promotion (NPP).

First, the rule of seven touches can be applied to NPP. My personal experience and industry best practices confirm that it takes up to seven contacts to influence behavior. Certainly, NPP can be integrated with personal promotion to leverage relationships, reminding health care professionals (HCPs) of messages first introduced through personal contact.

Second, there is a matter of tone. Emails can be sent from a person known and respected by the recipient. Language can be friendly and personal, as opposed to bureaucratic and impersonal. Can an email "smile"? Yes, if it includes a flattering, cheerful photo of the sender.

Certainly these assertions can be tested. But Gawande's New Yorker article certainly provides food for thought.

10 fundamental, universe-defining communication truths from Roger D'Aprix

I never heard of Roger D'Aprix until this morning. But now I'd like to meet him. Because he is a sage wise man, with over 50 years of experience in communications. Imagine that: 50 years. In these days when seniority and experience seem to be considered liabilities, it is refreshing that Ragan Communications saw fit to share the wisdom of a lifetime in a post entitled  "10 fundamental communication truths and their solutions"

It is a great read, but I'll share my favorite insights (the ones I tweeted @tjpnugent).

• Stop being bedazzled by the newest technical delivery platforms. They’re just transports. It’s the cargo that counts;
• Get over fear of measurement. Correlations are as persuasive as you can get. Cause-and-effect of success is almost never clear;
• Become a perpetual learner and change expert;
• Understand that only outcomes count; the rest is mere activity.

Wisdom is rare and must be treasured, and often translates into simple common sense. In Roger, it is abundant.

4 billion email addresses

There are 3.6 billion email accounts in 2013, and by 2016, the number will reach 4.3 billion according to Campaigner.com (@CampaignerEmail).

Given that there are about 7 billion people on the planet according to the US Census Bureau, there is still room for growth. World email market share is about 50% by that measure. Email penetration in the US is higher at about 66% according to eMarketer.

MMS has email addresses for over 70% of US physicians, which is pretty consistent with the statistics above, indicating that physicians as one might expect are somewhat more likely than the general population.

One may expect that US email penetration will eventually approach 100% both in the general population as well as among physicians and other healthcare providers. Which is perhaps one reason why email is experiencing something of a renaissance. Another factor is the mobilization of computing. Email becomes perhaps the best way to reach people wherever they are--at home, at work, or on the go, as they are always able to check email regardless of location.

Another factor is the ability to use email as sort of a unique ID using something called "hashing". Hashing uses an algorithm to convert emails into 32-character hexadecimal strings which can then be used like cookies to segment and target customer lists without exchanging active email addresses. Learn more about that here.       

All and all, the future looks bright for email marketing.

MMS Moves

My employer, MMS, Inc. moved last week from Wood Dale, IL, our home for the entire Nugent era (1989-) to Schaumburg, IL, home to Woodfield Mall as well as MMS World HQ.

Our new address is:

935 National Parkway, Ste. 93510
Schaumburg, IL 60173-5150

Phone numbers are unchanged and our Web site still resides at www.mmslists.com.
   

Welcome to the Nugentverse

Welcome to the Nugentverse. The name is something of a double entendre. I envision that this blog will be a way to share my view on the universe, one perspective among the 7 billion+ human perspectives available, set forth in verse (actually prose, but Nugentprose just doesn't resonate).

Most of my posts will probably relate to my profession, which is direct marketing to health care professionals. But I may venture into other arenas should the muse summon me there.

The views I express here are not necessarily those of my employer or anyone else.