VIDEO MARKETING: IF YOU”RE NOT DOING IT, YOU’RE MISSING OUT

Our own Matt Schlossberg was quoted in the article below, which originally ran on www.acefitness.org.

Written by Carrie Myers

“Everyone is doing it,” says Jimmy Craig, M.A., video marketing and viral expert and co-founder of MethodLoft, LCC, based in Boston, Mass.

What is Craig referring to? Put simply: video marketing.

“Video isn’t only great at connecting to and converting visitors,” Craig adds, “it can significantly boost your visibility online. Google displays blended search results, too, making it easier for businesses with video to get the coveted spots on the front page.”

Shawne Duperon, Ph.D., six-time EMMY-award winner and founder of Project: Forgive, agrees. “Video is the fastest and easiest way to create relationships in business. People do business with people they trust and like. Video is a medium that builds trust and likeability.”

Not quite convinced video is for you? According to James McQuivey of Forrester Research, the value of a one-minute video is equivalent to 1.8 million words. Here are a few more convincing facts compiled by Adelie Studios and Syndacast:

  • 70 percent of marketing professionals report that video converts leads into customers better than any other medium.
  • The average Internet user spends 88 percent more time on a website that include videos than on websites that do not contain videos.
  • Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it.
  • Featuring video on landing pages has been shown to increase conversions by 80 percent.
  • If a video lasts one minute or less, 59 percent of viewers will watch it all the way to completion.
  • Only 24 percent of brands are using online video to market to consumers.
  • Using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19 percent and click-through rates by 65 percent and reduces unsubscribe rates by 26 percent.
  • Business-to-business and business-to-consumers marketers both say video is among the top three most effective social media marketing tactics.
  • 52 percent of marketers believe that video is the content format with the highestreturn on investment.
  • By 2017, 74 percent of all Internet traffic is predicted to be video.
  • 69 percent of smartphone users say videos are a perfect solution for smartphone viewing, as it offers a quick way for consumers to grasp an overview of a product.
  • Three out of four brand marketers and ad agency executives expect original digital programming to become just as important as television programming within the next 3 to 5 years.

PUTTING YOUR FEARS TO REST

I know what you’re thinking. You don’t have the budget to produce videos. Or you can’t stand the way you look on video or the sound of your voice. Or perhaps you feel you’re not enough of an expert to be on video.

Let me put your fears to rest. First, you do not need a Hollywood budget to create videos that will market and promote your business, skills or products. In fact, says Duperon, “your phone is perfect, especially if you’re doing little one-minute video blogs with tips.”

“The bottom line for health and fitness clients are client results,” explains Scott Sobel, president of Media and Communications Strategies, based in Washington, D.C. “You don’t necessarily need to dress up those kinds of videos. As a matter of fact, demonstration and testimonial videos that appear to have been shot by a home user demonstrate honesty and simplicity of method. You see what you get.”

“High-quality equipment is surprisingly affordable today,” adds Craig. “Even smartphones have incredible video cameras now, too. I think that the most overlooked piece of equipment is a reliable audio recorder. If you’re working with little-to-no budget, at least pick up a cheap wired lavalier (lav) microphone, because most on-device audio recording capabilities are severely lacking. You might be surprised how much quality audio will improve a video.”

Don’t have a website to upload video to? Our experts overwhelmingly suggested YouTube as one of the best platforms for video marketing. Matt Schossberg, senior account and content director for Amendola Communications in Scottsdale, Ariz, recommends integrating your YouTube account with your other social media channels to get the biggest bang from your video time and buck.

As an example of this big bang, Duperone says, “You can start a channel on YouTube and repurpose your videos to share on your social media. When I post a video on our Facebook page, it’s getting shared up to 15,000 times. It’s deeply impacting my business.”

According to YouTube’s own statistics:

  • YouTube has more than a billion users, which is almost a third of all people on the Internet. Every day, people watch hundreds of millions of hours of YouTube videos and generate billions of views.
  • Each year for the past two years, the number of people watching YouTube each day has increased by 40 percent and the number of hours people spend watching videos on YouTube has increased by 60 percent.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS

As far as lighting and make-up go, keep it as natural as possible, suggests Schlossberg. “Unless you have a budget and expertise, try to use natural lighting. Avoid fluorescent lights or spotlights that shine directly down over your head.”

If you’re a man with a shiny face, Schlossberg recommends splashing some water on your face and drying it off or do a light dusting of translucent powder. “For women, their normal amount of make-up usually works fine.”

Try to make sure there are no shadows on your face, points out Duperon. “If your face is hard to see, it actually has the opposite impact of trust. You literally appear shady and untrustworthy!”

Duperon also suggests keeping your eyes steady and your chin down some. “People have a tendency to raise their chin and it will come across as arrogant,” she says. “People tend not to buy from a person who feels arrogant. It’s actually an act of vulnerability to keep your chin down, similar to how TV news anchors are trained.”

Keep it short and simple. “Keep the topic high level and the message succinct,” recommends Schlossberg.

“Ideally, keep your video under a minute,” Duperon advises. “Research shows more than 50 percent of the audience leaves after 10 seconds. When someone starts watching your 60-second [or shorter] video, they tend to stay with you and the video, because the time investment is so little. Think about how many times you dropped out of a video that says it’s three minutes or longer.”

Lastly, make it personal and speak directly to your audience. “When talking on-camera, talk to one person, just as though you were at [a coffee shop], says Duperon, and use the word you.

If you still feel a little skittish at the idea of going on video, here are a few final words of wisdom from Duperon:

“Dance in the discomfort! For newbies, it takes some getting used to [performing on video]. That’s normal. The more conversational you are and the more authentic, the better. Perfection is overrated. You don’t have to do it perfectly. My motto is that 80 percent is good enough.”

Digital Nutrition Innovator Zipongo Names Amendola Communications its Public Relations Agency of Record

Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized and award-winning public relations, content creation and marketing firm specializing in healthcare and health information technology (HIT), announced that it has been selected as the public relations agency of record for Zipongo, the digital health company that makes it easy to eat well.

Zipongo’s mission is to reduce chronic disease by positively impacting the one thing everyone does: eat. The San Francisco-based company provides highly personalized and medically relevant meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists tied to grocery loyalty cards, as well as a growing number of food-related innovations. Some of the nation’s largest employers and health plans use Zipongo to improve the health, satisfaction and productivity of employees and members by making it easy for them to eat healthy food at home, on the job and while eating out.

As part of Amendola’s comprehensive and aggressive public relations program for Zipongo, the agency has already delivered a New York Times article, “Wellness App Aims to Improve Workplace Nutrition,” in the Feb. 22 national edition of the newspaper and online. The Amendola team will provide Zipongo with ongoing strategic counsel on market developments and messaging to support media and analyst relations, as well as speaker and award initiatives.

“I’m delighted to have a public relations partner like Amendola, whose team has already demonstrated their ability to get us in front of the news,” said Scott Smith, Senior Vice President of Revenue for Zipongo. “Brands are built on what people are saying about you, not what you’re saying about yourself. We’ve already seen that the Amendola team can help foster critical relationships within healthcare and the benefits management industry, and position us as knowledgeable and trusted thought leaders.”

“Zipongo is one of the most exciting companies I’ve seen in a long time, with a unique means of addressing the single biggest influencer of population health what we eat,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications. “Until this week’s New York Times article, Zipongo was flying under the radar despite landing some of the nation’s best-known self-insured employers, health plans, and large provider organizations, who see the company as the answer to many of their wellness problems. Our deep knowledge of healthcare and technology media is helping to viralize the Zipongo story, which we believe with drive ever greater market success for the company.”

About Zipongo

Zipongo is a San Francisco-based digital health company that makes it easy to eat well. We work with employers, health plans and other wellness partners looking for an easy way to engage their members in healthy and sustainable eating habits that drive positive results. Zipongo’s proprietary MealRx personalization engine delivers individualized recommendations tied to convenient, real-time actions that enable healthy eating at home and at work, including healthy recipes, meal planning tools and discounts and incentives to healthy groceries. We provide a HIPAA-secure, easy-to-implement software-as-a-service platform that runs on web, mobile and tablet. Learn more at www.zipongo.com.

About Amendola Communications

Amendola Communications is an award-winning national public relations, marketing communications, social media and content marketing firm. Named one of the best information technology (IT) PR firms in the nation by PRSourceCode for four years running, Amendola represents some of the best-known brands and groundbreaking startups in the healthcare and healthcare IT industries. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros delivers strategic guidance and effective solutions to help organizations boost their reputation and drive market share. For more information about the PR industry’s “A Team,” visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow Amendola on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Media Contact: Todd Stein | 916-346-4213 | tstein@acmarketingpr.com

Amendola Unveils Redesigned Website and Thought Leadership Blog

Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning public relations, content creation and marketing firm specializing in healthcare and health information technology (HIT), has redesigned its website to create an immediately meaningful experience for visitors. Along with information about Amendola’s services and capabilities, the new site showcases the agency’s broad portfolio of successful client campaigns, plus incisive, insider advice for healthcare and technology organizations seeking to effectively communicate their message.

Following website best practices, Amendola’s new site emphasizes visual impact over text-heavy content, and features distinctive graphics and a color palette of rich ambers and other desert hues in a nod to Amendola’s Arizona headquarters.

Thought leadership advice from PR and marketing veterans

Just in time for HIMSS, Amendola’s free guide “Hacking HIMSS: Your Guide to Conquering the Annual Conference & Exhibition” and free eBooklet “Can I Quote You On That? Becoming a Media Interview Rock Star” are both available for download at the new website. Additionally, the new site includes a weekly blog from Amendola’s team of public relations and marketing veterans on all topics related to delivering an effective message in the healthcare and healthcare technology arena.

A platform for agency’s client work

An experienced agency, Amendola has a long track record of success and a portfolio of referenceable client work to prove it. The new site includes a prestigious collection of Amendola’s PR, marketing and creative work for clients like Health Catalyst, The Joint, Greater New Orleans Health Information Exchange, Bernouilli, Recondo and many others. A library of case studies outlining Amendola’s successful campaigns for public relations, marketing, content marketing, social media and strategic counseling initiatives is also on the new site.

“Every facet of Amendola’s redesigned website was created with the visitor in mind, from the eye-pleasing layout to easy access to samples of our work and a blog that answers the questions we most consistently hear from clients and the industry-at-large,” stated Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications.

Visit Amendola’s new website at www.acmarketingpr.com.

About Amendola Communications

Amendola Communications is an award-winning national public relations, marketing communications, social media and content marketing firm. Named one of the best information technology (IT) PR firms in the nation for times by PRSourceCode, Amendola represents some of the best-known brands and groundbreaking startups in the healthcare and HIT industries. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros delivers strategic guidance and effective solutions to help organizations boost their reputation and drive market share. For more information about the PR industry’s A Team, visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow Amendola on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Marcia Rhodes, Regional Managing Director | (480) 664-8412, ext. 15 |Amrhodes@acmarketingpr.com

Amendola Unveils Redesigned Website

Article originally published by AXBigMedia.

Public relations firm Amendola Communications, which specializes in healthcare and health information technology (HIT), redesigned its website to create an immediately meaningful experience for visitors.

Along with information about Amendola’s services and capabilities, the new site showcases the agency’s broad portfolio of successful client campaigns, plus incisive, insider advice for healthcare and technology organizations seeking to effectively communicate their message.

Following website best practices, Amendola’s new site emphasizes visual impact over text-heavy content, and features distinctive graphics and a color palette of rich ambers and other desert hues in a nod to Amendola’s Arizona headquarters.

The new site includes a weekly blog from Amendola’s team of public relations and marketing veterans on all topics related to delivering an effective message in the healthcare and healthcare technology arena.

The new site includes a collection of Amendola’s PR, marketing and creative work for clients like Health Catalyst, The Joint, Greater New Orleans Health Information Exchange, Bernouilli, Recondo and many others. A library of case studies outlining Amendola’s successful campaigns for public relations, marketing, content marketing, social media and strategic counseling initiatives is also on the new site.

“Every facet of Amendola’s redesigned website was created with the visitor in mind, from the eye-pleasing layout to easy access to samples of our work and a blog that answers the questions we most consistently hear from clients and the industry-at-large,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications.

Visit Amendola’s new website at www.acmarketingpr.com.

Reputation is Everything: How 2 Hospitals are Weathering PR Firestorms

Our own Marcia Rhodes was quoted in the article below, which was originally published on HealthcareDive.com.

Although more than 1,000 miles apart, both Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and Jackson Health System in Miami have had an onslaught of bad press recently. One involves criminal sexual abuse allegations, the other a drunken tirade against an Uber driver caught on a video that was posted to YouTube and quickly went viral. As of last week, the video now had close to 6 million views.

Dr. David Newman, an emergency room physician at Mount Sinai, turned himself over to the police after a woman claimed he drugged, groped her and then performed a lewd act when she went to the ER for shoulder pain on January 12.

Newman 45 has served in Iraq, taught at medical schools, and is an author of a book called “Hippocrates Shadow” about the doctor-patient relationship as well as The New York Times articles. A few days after the woman contacted the police about the alleged incident, the New York Daily News reported the police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office were investigating the case.

Mount Sinai issued the following statement to The Daily News: “We are aware of an allegation that has been made against one of our physicians. This is a matter under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities. We take this matter very seriously and are conducting our own internal investigation.”

Marcia Rhodes, regional managing director at Amendola Communications, a marketing firm specializing in healthcare and healthcare IT, told Healthcare Dive, “Mount Sinai did the right thing by responding to the press the same day the incident came to light and keeping the lines of communication open.”

After the news broke, another women reportedly came forward and told police she went to Mount Sinai’s ER in September 2015 and was also groped by Dr. Newman. When Dr. Newman was arrested on January 19, hospital officials told The New York Times he had been suspended.

When Healthcare Dive inquired about the status of Dr. Newman earlier this week, Kathleen Robinson, senior media director at Mount Sinai, sent this statement via email:

“The physician has been suspended from Mount Sinai pending the outcome of the investigation, and we continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities. He has not provided care to patients at Mount Sinai since the investigation began. We take the nature of these allegations very seriously and continue to conduct our own extensive internal inquiry. The health and safety of our patients are our primary concern. Since this is a police matter, we cannot provide further details.”

Reputation is Everything

Fraser Seitel, an adjunct professor of public relations at NYU and a partner at Rivkin & Associates, a management and consulting firm that specializes in crisis counseling for healthcare institutions, agreed with Rhodes and added the hospital is “doing the right thing” by suspending Dr. Newman.

“They have a well-respected doctor who’s been charged with violating the [Hippocratic] oath he took to prevent harm,” Seitel said. “If he is found by Mount Sinai’s investigation, not to mention by the courts, to be guilty, then the institution has to discharge him. The reason why is because the reputation of the organization transcends the individual.”

In fact, a hospital’s reputation may be its most important attribute. A report by the National Research Corporation found 60% of consumers said a hospital’s reputation is “very important” when considering it for future needs.

Hospitals are more vulnerable than other organizations to public relations challenges because of the nature of treating patients on a daily basis. “As these [recent] incidents show, character and proper conduct are often as important to patients as technical medical skill,” Tina Cassidy, executive vice president and chief content officer at InkHouse Public Relations, told Healthcare Dive. Also, physicians are held to a much higher moral standard because they took the Hippocratic Oath, Rhodes explained, so when they harm another person, it’s viewed as a more serious crime.

Trouble in Miami

Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon, a fourth-year neurology resident at Jackson Health System in Miami, whose Jan. 17 drunken tirade against an Uber driver was captured on a video that went viral, also has been suspended. The driver did not press charges.

The hospital issued a statement, which said Ramkissoon had been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, and removed from all clinical duties. The hospital is conducting an internal investigation, and the outcome will determine if any disciplinary action will occur, including termination, according to the statement.

Although damaging to the hospital’s reputation, Seitel described the event as a “painful incident” but added, it had nothing to do with her practice as a physician, unlike the Mount Sinai situation. He suggested that she go public immediately and win empathy by admitting her mistake.

Ramkissoon did appear on Good Morning America, albeit a week after the incident, and apologized for her actions. But Cassidy said she thought the hospital could have helped her manage PR after the fact.

The Miami Herald reported Dr. Ramkissoon said she has not been contacted by the hospital and was hiring a lawyer and a public relations firm.

Hospitals can not ignore social media

The power of social media cannot be ignored. The Pew Research Center reported in 2013 more than 60% of people younger than age 40 get their news from social networks.

Hospitals need to keep this in mind when handling times of bad press. “Social media has become a major challenge for hospitals and can be exacerbated during times of crisis,” Rhodes explained. Since hospitals have to be HIPAA compliant with information they share with the press, they can be misperceived as holding back information, she added. “HIPAA and social media are a dangerous combination, which explains why Career Cast has listed PR executives as the 6th most stressful job in the U.S.”

“It’s always a challenge for hospitals to balance privacy with transparency,” Seitel stated. It’s important for hospitals to use a “common sense approach” even if involved in litigation and “do what’s in the best interest of the institution.”

Cassidy agreed hospitals always need to protect their patients first, which then leads to protecting their reputation  without which their business and mission will suffer. While they also have a duty to their doctors, outside forces will always reveal any perceived wrongdoing  and hospitals need to be ready for that.

Do hospitals need a plan?

The PR experts Healthcare Dive interviewed said hospitals are so vulnerable to a wide variety of potential public relations crises that a communication plan is essential.

However, Seitel said hospitals can’t prepare for all types of incidents and should instead have a philosophy of transparency and disclosure that service well in these type of cases.There are many stakeholders involved in hospitals, so without a plan, it would be difficult for hospitals to think through what to do in these situations, Cassidy said.

The main components of a crisis communication plan, according to Rhodes, include a:

  • List of the crisis team members (legal, operations, and PR counsel); and
  • Process for determining what types of events need to be escalated to the crisis team and how to best handle five crisis scenarios.

Most crises are predictable, so they should be planned for in advance, she noted. PR agencies can help with risk assessment: We start by identifying the five crises that are most likely to occur and be most potentially damaging to one’s reputation, and help our client with a well thought-out, proactive plan involving all stakeholders.

It remains to be seen how the two hospitals will resolve the recent PR storms.

Their biggest challenge is the court of public opinion, Cassidy remarked on the hospitals  situations.

“You try to do the right thing. That’s the mantra of the PR counselor, Seitel concluded. You try to get the client to do the right thing, depending on the situation. That’s another reason why it’s difficult to plan for every situation, each one is different.”

Aprima Selects Amendola Communications For Public Relations and Content Creation

Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning public relations, content creation and marketing firm specializing in healthcare and health information technology (HIT), is pleased to announce that Aprima Medical Software, Inc. has selected Amendola to provide public relations and content creation services.

“Since the advent of government regulations under Meaningful Use and the evolution into alternative payment models, Aprima has brought to market innovative software and excellence in customer implementation and support, complemented by an industry leading Revenue Cycle Management offering,” said Michael Nissenbaum, president and CEO of Aprima. “We needed a firm that has proven experience and connectivity to effectively communicate this great story. Amendola’s strong history and track record was the perfect choice.”

Carrollton, TX-based Aprima offers a fully integrated, single application, single database EHR/PM solution, as well as complete RCM services. Its no-template design is chief-complaint driven with an adaptive learning capability based on a user’s style and habits. Aprima performs all development, support and implementation from the U.S.

Amendola Communications will provide broad PR services, including media research, aggressive media relations, and securing top-tier awards and speaking opportunities. The agency will also be responsible for delivering a range of content demonstrating the thought leadership and expertise of Aprima’s subject matter experts including bylined articles, blog posts, press releases, and other materials.

“Aprima is one of the healthcare industry’s most-established and respected providers of IT solutions for medical practices,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola. “They have a reputation for consistently delivering innovative products and quality support, which has allowed them to build a large network of happy customers. We are excited by the opportunity to partner with the Aprima team to advance their PR goals and provide quality marketing content.”

About Aprima

Aprima provides innovative electronic health record, practice management and revenue cycle management solutions for medical practices. The Aprima EHR/PM is an integrated system built on a single database. Aprima uses a fast, flexible design that adapts automatically to a physician’s workflow and sets the benchmark for ease-of-use, speed and flexibility. Aprima is one of the few companies with an 18-year track record of success, including Certification for Meaningful Use Stage 2. Thousands of Aprima users are benefiting from improved quality of care, improved patient satisfaction, improved quality of life and an improved bottom line. Based in Carrollton, TX, Aprima performs all development, support and implementation from the U.S. To learn more about how Aprima can help your practice, please visit www.aprima.com, call us at 866-960-6890, option 7, or email us at info@aprima.com.

About Amendola Communications

Amendola Communications is an award-winning national public relations, marketing communications, social media and content marketing firm. Named one of the best information technology (IT) PR firms in the nation for times by PRSourceCode, Amendola represents some of the best-known brands and groundbreaking startups in the healthcare and HIT industries. Amendola’s seasoned team of PR and marketing pros delivers strategic guidance and effective solutions to help organizations boost their reputation and drive market share. For more information about the PR industry’s A Team, visit www.acmarketingpr.com, and follow Amendola on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Media Contact: Michelle Ronan Noteboom |512.426.2870 |mnoteboom@ACmarketingPR.com