Yesterday's Tweets

A complete list of yesterday's tweets. Thanks for following. If you would like to follow, go to http://www.twitter.com/skypen.

• YPulse Blog Post: "How To Use Social Media To Market To Gen Y": tr.im/nxI3

How To Use Social Media To Market To Gen Y

By Nicole Driscoll
Original Post: YPulse

Today's Ypulse Sponsored post is from Nicole Driscoll (pictured below) at Fuse, anchor sponsor for this year's Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup. This post is part of that sponsorship

How To Use Social Media To Market To Gen Y

Social media networking sites are around every corner we turn. Spreading like the scare of swine flu, the explosion in usage of these sites by Millennials requires our understanding of them. Use of these sites, such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, are simple to navigate: create a username, upload some photos and scrawl a few sentences into your profile, however, achieving legitimacy is another story altogether.

Millennials are fluent in the ways of social media; according to the Center for Media Research, 74% of 18 – 34 year-olds have a Facebook or MySpace account and 8% use the newer, trendier Twitter. Even with its popularity, social media networking is still a fairly new concept to the masses; some even venture that the Twitter phenomenon is merely a flash in the pan. For those people still not convinced, note that Twitter had a staggering 17 million unique visitors in April 2009, almost doubling from 9.3 million in March, as reported by the digital research company ComScore, and according to New York Times reporter Paul Boutin, “Twittermania has just begun.”

Generation Y has grown-up with social media as a way of life and use these profile-centered, content-sharing sites for much more than just social networking, they are also utilizing them for self-marketing. Millennials can easily customize their online public space by posting their likes and dislikes, photos of themselves and their friends, even setting it to the music of their choice. Many Millennials also use platforms to display their brand loyalties; in a study conducted by Fuse and the University of Massachusetts, 29% of teenagers surveyed had “friended” a company on a social networking site.

With all of this attention around social media, it seems obvious that brands wanting to reach the coveted Gen Y consumer would jump on the bandwagon. What better way to reach Millennials than go where the Millennials are, right? Not so fast.

In the same study conducted by Fuse and the University of Massachusetts, it was found that social media advertising was consistently ranked as one of the lowest preferred platforms among 13 – 18 year-olds surveyed. The explanation for this is due to companies’ common misuse of the online networks that the Gen Y set regards as a sort of trademark of their generation.

With an ongoing decline in ad spending, many studies predict a rise in the use of social networking for advertising, however this rise could result in a clutter of brand space sites on Facebook and the clogging of brand chatter on Twitter. How can your brand stand out among the rest on social media sites?

- Social media networking takes time. It isn’t as simple as creating a profile. Take the time to learn your platform, identify who your core audience is on that platform, and then consider how to authentically communicate with them

- Strive to maintain legitimacy. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not; e.g. giving your PR team the job of creating “fan sites” for your brand. Consumers will find out, and they won’t be happy

- Create and maintain a conversation with your consumer. The beauty of online networking is the real-time conversation that it creates. Dedicate time to searching the conversation to learn what people are saying about your brand, and respond. If people feel strongly enough about your company or product to tweet, post or blog about it, whether it be positive or negative, take the time to respond. When a social networker provides good feedback, reinforce that; on the contrary, if someone is sharing a negative experience with your brand, utilize the platform to remedy it. This is perhaps the greatest asset of the social networking experience for brands, the opportunity to engage with the consumer; take advantage.

- Know when NOT to use social networking. Fudging your way along the social media path will not go unnoticed. Most important to maintaining legitimacy in the social networking circle: don’t fake it.

Social media networking can be a great marketing tool and should be utilized. Follow these important points and you’ll reach a huge and attentive audience.

More on Fuse

Fuse is a leading youth marketing agency that connects brands with youth through sports, music, fashion and other relevant youth cultural interests. Fuse strives to help brands reach a mass audience while maintaining credibility with key influencers.

For more coverage of youth marketing, go to the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

Yesterday's Tweets

A complete list of yesterday's tweets. Thanks for following. If you would like to follow, go to http://www.twitter.com/skypen.

• PR Newswire Launches Comprehensive Social Media Monitoring Tool: tr.im/npJR
• "Aligning tactics with strategy" EyeForPharma's Lisa Roner interviews Sr. eMarketing Mgr at Novo Nordisk: tr.im/nq6V
• Great case study from KRU Research on Novartis' "CML Earth" Social Network: tr.im/nr7r
• Jason Ary guest blogger on @intouchsol "The Twitter Craze in the Context of ePharma": tr.im/ns1U
• "Four Digital Activities Pharma Companies MUST Engage In Now Or Next Year" (@fardj) tr.im/ns3Q
• "Ten Digital Marketing Ideas Pharma Companies Will Never Try (But Should)" (@jonmrich) tr.im/ns4T
• FDA announces its new "Transparency Blog" (courtesy @InfoMedics): tr.im/ns7r

Case Study: Novartis CML Earth

Source: KRU Research

Novartis deserves credit for jumping into the social media space with a very unique site, CML Earth. Its purpose and audience:

CML Earth is a global interactive social network dedicated to connecting the CML community from around the world. We invite patients, patient groups, and healthcare professionals to join us in building this new online community.

This is an instance of a condition-focused social network which enables patients and their care givers to provide support and information.

The Design

In keeping with the name, the main interface to the site is a beautiful image of the Earth itself and member location is prominent. Like other web mapping program, you can zoom in and out and scroll to different locations. Small circles show where other members live. Most impressive, the site provides support for nine languages.

Like other social networks users can sign-up and enter their name, birth date, and location. But when it comes to telling “more about me” you are forced to select from a series of drop-down menus. Instead of just writing who I love, I have to pick from a list that includes my parents, my kids, etc.

This forced entry system is even stranger as it applies to telling your story. When answering “What I look forward to” you must choose from a pre-set list that includes items like “just being” or “laughing last.”

This forced set of choices for your personal information is so awkward there must be a good explanation for it. I would have guessed that it was so nobody had to screen the entries in the open ended fields, but in fact there is a final open text box that lets you write whatever you want. I just don’t get it.

The main purpose of social networks, or course, is to connect with others. You can see in the image below that you can get profile information on other members and, similar to Facebook “flair”, you can send members signs of encouragement by sending smiles, hugs and high-fives.

When it comes to communicating with another member for some reason it doesn’t seem like too many users have activated that feature. You can go through a lot of members before finding someone who is willing to accept an email from you.

Guidelines and the Adverse Events Problem

When it comes to social media, health marketers often worry about things like spam, adverse event reporting, and negative comments regarding their brand. Novartis handles this with strict and clearly stated policy.

Refrain from sharing any treatment information or names of specific medicines or companies; Do not include any profanity or indecent or inappropriate language, whether in text or image; Do not embed any links in your profile.

So how does Novartis handle the dreaded adverse events reporting problem? Easily-they don’t allow them. They inform users:

CML Earth is not the place to report adverse events. If you wish to report a suspected adverse reaction to a Novartis product, click here.

The Business

Many companies are trying to make online patient communities a business, but in that regard most are struggling or failing (eg, Trusera). I suggest that online communities are a valuable tool, but just hard to monetize. To be sustainable online patient communities will have to

1) be directly sponsored, like Novartis CML Earth

2) be indirectly sponsored, like JDRF’s Juvenation which is sponsored by Novo Nordisk

3) be hosted on a public platform, like McNeil’s ADHD Moms on Facebook

4) be an add-on to an existing health information business

I don’t know what Novartis’ goals are for the site but I’ll bet they’ll exceed them. They have clear corporate branding-no hiding in the footer here-and rather than going for mass adoption they seem to be using this site as a tool to offer the community. It’s certainly going to be something to talk about when they are with physicians, and will earn good will among CML patients.

Areas for Improvement

Some things definitely jumped out at me during the review:

1) Optimize for search engines-there is almost a complete lack of SEO effort thus far on the site. Keywords are limited to “cml” and “cmlearth”. This is such an obvious oversight that I would think they are purposely trying to fly under the radar, yet they are buying Google adwords to drive traffic.

2) Tell the world-Novartis should issue a press release and upload their demo video to YouTube. Two simple actions that would drive awareness and a positive image for the company.

3) Ditch the canned responses in profile-enough said.

4) Add low-bandwidth or mobile version-the site is beautiful and uses a novel, geographical driven primary interface. But I wonder how accessible this site is in low-bandwidth countries in other parts of the world, and as many people do their social surfing from the mobile phones, a lightweight mobile version or iphone app is in order too.

5) Provide content-one key that most private networks are ignoring is to provide a library of content. Even though the point is to connect members, a simple library of content-rich articles provides added value, makes the site stickier, and Google loves it too!

Summary

Novartis deserves high marks for jumping into the social network world with a very innovative, slick design. They deftly handle the AE issue with a clear policy. Hopefully they will open up the member profile data, make it mobile friends and do more to promote CML Earth to the rest of the world.

Aligning tactics with strategy

by Lisa Roner:
Original Post: EyeforPharma

The latest “gee whiz” e-tool is just that unless the use of it is aligned with a company’s or brand team’s marketing strategy, says Aaron Uydess, senior eMarketing manager at Novo Nordisk. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or a host of other online communication advances, Uydess says marketers should be using new tools because the offer the right channel for reaching their customers and delivering their messages, not simply because they’re the latest buzz.

The greatest misconception of eMarketing is that it is a strategy in and of itself, he told attendees at eyeforpharma’s recent eMarketing Europe 2009 conference. “We shouldn’t want to Twitter or Facebook simply for the sake of doing it,” Uydess says. “We should use those tools only if they truly serve our goals.”

Online tools as tactics for executing strategy
He says eMarketing should be used as a tactic because it’s the right channel, not because it’s the “hot” thing to do, despite a program’s goals.

“eMarketing fails in the long-term when concentrating on the ‘sexy’ factor and working backwards to the strategy,” Uydess says. “Show internal stakeholders how technologies support their strategies and ultimately the business goals. The question should always be: What online tactics can I use to effectively market my messages to my target audiences?”

Uydess suggests using a “target model” that aligns metrics to your strategy and tactics, allowing you to show value for your investments and support for the chosen strategy. This means beginning with a marketing strategy that targets specific customers with specific messages, using only the tactics (online of otherwise) deemed most likely to yield success – and then measuring that success effectively.

To become truly customer-centric, he says, marketers must take their strategies and begin to think like their customers. He suggests asking questions like:

• What are the issues from your customer’s point of view?
• How does your customer obtain your product?
• What are the key benefits to your product from your customer’s point of view?
• What drives your customers to make a decision on a product?
• Who are the outside influencers and how do they talk to your customers?
• What are your company’s key strategic drivers?
• What has worked in the past and what has not?

And he stresses that “silos happen” and can be leveraged to a marketing team’s advantage.

“Your customers don’t just communicate with you online, why market to them that way?” Uydess asks.
Whether communication is online or companies are in touch with customers through the call center, the sales force, print ads, telesales or events, the important thing is ensuring that data collection methodologies allow for one view of the customer, he says. And he stresses that there’s no point in closed loop marketing tactics that allow for the collection of large amounts of data if companies don’t understand and use it to improve their strategies.

Uydess says his #1 recommendation is to create a project team to reduce and leverage silos, communicate goals and objectives, leverage resources and share successes. He stresses the importance of the “extended brand team” concept as a mechanism for getting everyone together on brand strategy.

Measure to treasure
Last, but not least, Uydess urges measuring success (or failure). “If you can’t measure it, you can’t treasure it,” he says.

He advocates developing “scorecards that tell a campaign’s story.” These one-page scorecards should: outline the strategy, explain the tactics, showcase the target audiences and provide KPIs, Uydess says. Most importantly, however, they should highlight lessons learned, he says.

“Communicating the lessons learned tells stakeholders that eMarketing is an ever-evolving entity and by taking an honest look at what worked and what didn’t, you’re telling the organization that you’re ready to evolve, you’re ready to do better the next time,” Uydess says.

One important way of assessing a campaign’s success is through the use of “funneling” tools offered by analytic services such as Google, Omniture and Webtrends, he suggests. “These tools are great for marketers,” Uydess says. “They tell you that based on a predefined experience, where people are dropping off. If it’s after they hear the first message, maybe it’s not resonating or maybe you didn’t deliver it in the best way and you can tweak it a little to keep their attention.”

Funneling, he says, creates an added sense of dimension to metrics, allowing marketers to optimize campaigns through customer insight. And having such customer insight facilitates shaping the way eMarketing tactics are sold to stakeholders the next time around, Uydess says.

“It’s not just about conversions, it’s about becoming more effective marketers,” he says.

And becoming more effective marketers relies on communicating more effectively with senior management, Uydess suggests. He stresses the importance of “telling the story in terms your brand manager understands.”

By not talking in terms of technologies (hits and visits), but rather reach and frequency of campaigns, we can make brand managers look good, he says. “It’s important to frame eMarketing not as something that’s different, but as something that’s strategically aligned to other tactics – like sales. Doing so, develops confidence in the tactics and provides the language needed to sell those tactics to others.”

In summary, Uydess says marketers should:
• Consider strategy first, tactics second
• Think like their customers
• Reduce silos
• Strategically promote
• Properly set expectations
• Communicate metrics and lessons learned

TMS Health to Offer Innovative Video Detailing Services from Clinical Information Network

Original Post: Miami Herald

BOCA RATON, Fla., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- TMS Health, the largest provider of outbound and inbound Teleservices to the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, including TeleDetailing services, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Clinical Information Network of Scottsdale, Ariz. Under the terms of the agreement, TMS Health will co-market Clinical Information Network's state-of-the-art Video Detailing system, Clinical InfoCLICK.

"Having the ability to turn any inbound or outbound telephone call into a high quality, real-time video meeting sets TMS Health apart from other service providers in this field," stated Guy Amato, CEO of TMS Health.

"By providing the physician with a Clinical InfoCLICK link embedded into an email or web site, the physician will be connected to one of our video-enabled representatives by simply clicking on the link. The representative's real-time video image will appear on the physician's PC or Mac screen and he or she will be able to share visual materials and data with the physician, turning the call into a highly productive and cost effective meeting," Amato added.

Commenting on the partnership, Peter Moriarty, the CEO of Scottsdale-based, Clinical Information Network, said, "We are delighted to be partnering with TMS Health. We believe that by integrating Clinical InfoCLICK into the TMS Teleservices infrastructure, more pharmaceutical companies, will now be able to cost effectively employ Video Detailing to gain access to and communicate with target physicians and other healthcare providers."

About TMS Health:

TMS Health is a leading healthcare teleservices company specializing in customized programs designed to cost effectively extend marketing reach. Programs include physician TeleDetailing, pharmacy launch/stocking, pharmacy education and awareness, inbound DTC (direct-to-consumer) call handling, multi-channel CRM (customer relationship management) programs. For more information, contact 1.800.867.2340, or visit www.tmshealth.com

About Clinical Information Network, Inc.:

Clinical Information Network, Inc., is a privately held company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company is focused on providing innovative communication systems and services to the healthcare industry. Its mission is to provide healthcare professionals with convenient access to multiple sources of clinical information that can assist them in further enhancing the standard of care delivered to patients. Their communication channels include state-of-the-art, yet easy to use, videoconferencing software that physicians can use on their desktops or laptop computers to contact other physicians and other healthcare professionals, medical institutions, and pharmaceutical companies. For more information, contact 480.422.1811, or visit www.ClinicalinfoNet.com

Skyscape's network tops more than 1 million healthcare professionals

Source: ePharm5

Skyscape's user network has reached more than 1 million healthcare professionals, the company reports. Dr. Omar Saleh, who is associated with the Diagnostic Radiology Department at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is Skyscape's "Millioneer," the customer who pushed Skyscape's database to more than 1 million users. He is subscribed to Skyscape's DrDrugs: Drug Guide for Physicians and Archimedes 360° Medical Calculator for his smartphone and received rewards including a MacBook, an iPod Touch, and $200 toward the Skyscape store. Earlier this year, Skyscape launched the referral program "March to 1 Million."

PR Newswire Launches Comprehensive Social Media Monitoring Tool

Source: PR Newswire

Social Media Metrics monitors and analyzes over 20 million blogs, 5 million forum posts, and 30,000 online news sources, social networks and microblogs

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Newswire announced today the launch of Social Media Metrics, a powerful new intelligence tool powered by Sentiment Metrics that enables communications professionals and marketers to monitor, analyze and measure the impact of what is being said about an organization, brand, spokesperson or competitor across the social media landscape.

[Click here for a sample report on WIND POWER]



"Blogs, message boards and discussion threads can reveal invaluable information about how messages are resonating, what customers are saying about an organization, who is buzzing about a brand, and when a crisis situation is about to develop," said Allison Murphy, PR Newswire. "However, sorting through the reams of information in the social media universe and then analyzing the data in an effective manner can be an extremely daunting task. With the launch of the Social Media Metrics service, communications professionals can now efficiently and intelligently analyze how key audiences and the public in general are reacting to and even dictating how their organization and brands are portrayed within the various online and social media circles."

Social Media Metrics monitors over 20 million blogs, 5 million forum posts, and 30,000 online news sources, social networks and microblogs including Twitter. The system enables users to build customized searches to track keywords related to one's organization, industry and competitors, while simultaneously isolating specific geographic, demographic and language parameters. Users can further refine Social Media Metrics searches to target those blogs and social media sites that are important to one's customers or industry opinion-makers.

"With the spread of user-generated media such as blogs and discussion forums, consumers have become more influential than ever before and often, what they are saying can make or break a brand," said Leon Chaddock, managing director, Sentiment Metrics. "As new media continues to grow in influence, the organizations and brands that effectively utilize social media intelligence to either build on positive buzz about their brand or to quickly respond to an emerging crisis situation will rise to the top, while those that ignore the influence of online voices will risk losing out on valuable opportunities and in some cases, suffering irreparable damage to their brand."

Once search criteria are established, Social Media Metrics provides intelligence on the data it tracks through a series of analytical tools. Social Media Metrics' Authority Score can reveal the impact of a blog or social media network on one's brand or message by providing the number of inbound links from other social media sites, while the Top Topics Report identifies the most frequently discussed topics surrounding a brand and/or its competitors. Social Media Metrics' Sentiment Report delivers additional insight on social media mentions by gauging whether discussions are positive, neutral or negative. Key to the Sentiment Report tool is the ability to create alerts that isolate negative mentions and warn the user that a potential crisis may be building.

"The longer it takes to respond to a negative situation that may be developing on social media channels, the worse the situation is going to be," continued Murphy. "An alert dedicated only to negative mentions helps to ensure that users can respond to potentially explosive situations before they spin out of control; an invaluable tool for any communications or marketing professional."

Social Media Metrics also offers robust reporting capabilities that enable users to tabulate data in customizable charts in a variety of formats, including CSV, graphs and pie charts. The system's PDF Report Builder allows users to combine graphical information with custom notes to create reports that bring together both qualitative and quantitative analyses.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the global leader in innovative communications and marketing services, enabling organizations to connect and engage with their target audiences worldwide.

Through its multi-channel distribution network, audience intelligence, targeting, and measurement services, PR Newswire helps corporations and organizations conduct rich, timely and dynamic dialogues with the media, consumers, policymakers, investors and the general public, in support of building brands, generating awareness, impacting public policy, driving sales, and raising capital.

Pioneering the commercial news distribution industry 55 years ago, PR Newswire connects customers with audiences in more than 170 countries and in over 40 languages through an unparalleled network of offices in 16 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and via unique affiliations with the leading news agencies across the globe. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited, a leading global business media company that serves professional commercial communities around the world. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

About United Business Media Limited

UBM focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities -- from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists -- with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

About Sentiment Metrics

Sentiment Metrics provides the social media monitoring and measurement platform for PR, marketing and communication professionals. The real-time dashboard monitors all forms of social media and online news, breaking down mentions by sentiment (positive, negative, neutral), demographics, influence and authority. Sentiment Metrics is focused on providing real actionable insight and analytics for their clients rather than just the data. For more information, go to www.sentimentmetrics.com.

Click here for a Multimedia Press Release with more samples.

Yesterday's Tweets

A complete list of yesterday's tweets. Thanks for following. If you would like to follow, go to http://www.twitter.com/skypen.

• RT @wegohealth: Remember: today's webinar using the tag: #whevents. 20 minutes to go - and there's still time to join! bit.ly/qjJpB
• "Twitter for health activists " ... follow hashtag #whevent, hosted by WEGOHEALTH and @shwen

Share-to-social Buttons Increase Email Interaction

Case Study #CS1921: Share-to-social Buttons Increase Email Interaction: 6 Steps

Source: Marketing Sherpa

SUMMARY: Social sharing features, which allow subscribers to share content from an email with their social networks, are emerging as a counterpart to the long-standing “forward to a friend”. But how do you implement social sharing in your messages, and how do you track the impact?

We spoke with a B2B email newsletter publisher to learn how they recently implemented social sharing. The early results showed a 25% boost in reader interaction, and a surge in inbound traffic from social networking sites. Includes tips on:
o Choosing the right networks
o Designing a template
o Launching the program
o Measuring results

CHALLENGE

Like most email marketers, Rob Birgfeld, Director, Audience Development, SmartBrief, could not ignore the rise of social media. Subscribers to his team's B2B email newsletters were increasingly asking questions about the value of social networking. And in late 2008, Birgfeld and his team expanded their own social media efforts, through a new email newsletter and blog dedicated to understanding the channel.

The more the team interacted with social media, the more they wanted to create closer ties between their newsletters and those networks -- particularly around content sharing.

"We created a blog and Twitter account that started show some interesting results and value to readers. But our newsletter "share" button was only giving he option to email articles," says Birgfeld. "We realized that for a publication in the social media space, we had to relate to those networks."

CAMPAIGN

The team had followed the development of share-to-social functionality that allowed users to click an icon that automatically uploads a link to their social networking accounts. So they developed a plan to include social sharing as an option alongside their existing button that let subscribers email newsletter articles to their colleagues.

Here are six steps they took to develop their social sharing functionality and measure reader interaction:

Step #1. Identify the most relevant social networks

The team didn’t want to clutter their email design with too many social sharing buttons -- especially if those networks weren’t popular among their B2B audience.

"We don’t want a brief to look like NASCAR, with buttons and logos everywhere."

So before adding share buttons, the team identified which social networks were most relevant to their B2B audience:

- They sent an online survey to the 80,000 subscribers of their SmartBrief on Leadership, asking them which social networks provided the greatest business opportunities.

- The team also examined inbound Web traffic to see where subscribers were already posting article links on social networking sites.

Data from both sources showed that the top three social networks among their newsletter subscribers were:
o LinkedIn
o Facebook
o Twitter

Step #2. Point shared links to article summary pages

Next, the team established a sharing methodology that was aligned with subscribers’ interests and the company’s goals for reaching a broader audience.

- SmartBrief daily newsletters feature a collection links to current news articles related to a specific industry or operational focus, such as Advertising, Manufacturing, Retail and HR.

They decided to place share buttons at the end of each article summary, rather than creating one share button that posted the entire newsletter to a subscribers’ network. That way, subscribers could choose which stories they found most interesting and worthy of sharing.

- They also made the share button upload a link to the article summary page, rather than the original source of the story. That way, the team could generate traffic to its own website, and introduce non-subscribers to the value that article summaries provide to their newsletter audience.

"Some would argue that from a user-experience point of view, driving people to a summary is an extra step," says Birgfeld. "But our readers have shown, year after year, that they appreciate the summaries."

Step #3. Use focus group to test new newsletter templates

The team created a few mockups of new template designs that incorporated share buttons alongside the existing email forwarding button. Their goal was to create an understated design that still made it easy for subscribers to share content with their networks.

Then, they showed those mockups to their in-house reader-advisory panel. They asked for feedback on social sharing in general, and asked them whether:
o They recognized the icons
o They had interacted with similar buttons in the past

The majority of readers understood the concept and recognized the icons.

Step #4. Stagger social sharing launch across newsletter titles

With more than 100 newsletter titles on their roster, the team did not want to roll out the social sharing feature to all subscribers without first testing the concept further. Instead, they rolled out the feature gradually to specific newsletter titles.

- They first added social sharing buttons to their SmartBrief on Social Media, because they figured there would be significant interest in social networking among that subscriber base.

- Next, they added the feature to other SmartBrief-branded newsletters, including SmartBrief on Leadership and SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs.

- Shortly after adding the feature to their own newsletters, the team began receiving requests from its trade industry association partners to include the social sharing buttons on co-branded newsletters.

Each time the team added social sharing to a newsletter, they sent a note to those subscribers highlighting the new feature and providing instructions on how to use the buttons.

Step #5. Track shared article metrics

Once buttons were active on newsletters, the team monitored how subscribers were using the feature.

- To determine how many subscribers were interacting with the social sharing feature, they tracked how many times users clicked on share button. This metric was easy to calculate, as it was no different than measuring clicks on other links within the newsletters.

- Measuring subsequent activity once a user had shared a link with their social networks proved more challenging. But for articles shared to subscribers’ Twitter accounts, the team used its own URL shortening system, which allowed them to track how many times a day their articles were accessed from links that had been posted to the microblogging platform.

(The team is currently working on additional technology to help them monitor what happens with a link that’s been shared with a subscriber’s Facebook or LinkedIn network.)

- They also measured in-bound traffic from their three featured social networks to help gauge the impact of shared articles.

Step #6. Use sharing data to provide additional content

Social media sharing also became another source of content for newsletter subscribers.

- Clicks on social media share buttons became another element that factored in to a "Most Clicked" story feature. The editors of each newsletter compile a list of most-clicked stories -- typically on a weekly basis -- which are then highlighted on each newsletter’s homepage.

- Editors also encouraged readers to provide feedback on specific stories, or to provide suggestions on articles that could be included in future newsletters or the company’s SmartBlog on Social Media.



RESULTS

Although the program is still in the early stages, the team is excited by the impact they’ve seen so far.

"It shows innovation, and it shows relevance, because this is what everyone is talking about," says Birgfeld. "For the most part, it’s about visibility and showing the value of your publications, because this is the way people are sharing information with each other."

- Overall inbound traffic from their featured social networks increased dramatically. The team compared statistics from the month before launching social sharing to the month after adding the feature and found:
o Visits from Twitter increased 1,680%
o Visits from LinkedIn increased 2,070%
o Visits from Facebook increased 1,351%

- Overall subscriber interaction with newsletter articles also jumped the month after adding social sharing buttons. Users clicking any of the share buttons (Email, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter) increased about 25% when social networks were included, compared to clicks to forward an article via email only.

- 85%-90% of the team’s newsletters now include social sharing buttons.

The next step for the team is measuring the conversions (in the form of new subscribers) generated from articles shared to social networks. The SmartBrief on Social Media newsletter attracted more than 17,000 subscribers in five months, with no additional marketing investment. Birgfeld says that much of that growth came from word-of-mouth and visibility within social networking sites through features such as content sharing and the social media blog.

One important task to encourage more conversions for all newsletter titles will be redesigning the article summary pages, which serve as the landing page for links shared to social media sites. Those pages are currently designed for existing newsletter subscribers, and Birgfeld envisions adding content that tells new visitors more about the story summaries and which newsletters they came from.

"I don’t think marketers have a choice any more," says Birgfeld. "This is the way people are sharing information now, and it’s important to adjust to where your readers are."

Useful links related to this article

Creative Samples from SmartBrief’s social sharing campaign:

• SmartBlog on Social Media
• SmartBrief

Yesterday's Tweets

A complete list of yesterday's tweets. Thanks for following. If you would like to follow, go to http://www.twitter.com/skypen.

• Commonplaces blog: "Big Opportunities for Pharmaceuticals in Social Marketing": tr.im/n7IQ
• "Pharmaceutical executives spend an extra 9 hours a month learning (and teaching) online" tr.im/n7Kb
• Twitter is Becoming Medicine's Social Media Channel of Choice: tr.im/n7Ko
• How to build social media programs with confidence: tr.im/n7L9
• Pharma on Facebook? tr.im/n7M9
• SKYPEN'S TOP CLICKED TWEET OF THE DAY: "Facebook, cellphones, & energy meters 4 healthier lives": tr.im/n0mC
• Microsoft unveils hands-free gaming usat.me/?35217320
• Millennials Among Those Who Don't Appreciate Twitter: tr.im/nagZ
• Twitter is Becoming Medicine's Social Media Channel of Choice: tr.im/n7Ko
• "Pharmaceutical executives spend an extra 9 hours a month learning (and teaching) online" tr.im/n7Kb
• Ad Age: "Need to Check Your Cholesterol? There Will Be an App for That"; Pharma Marketers, listen up: tr.im/n7H8
• CONGRATS! RT @pharmaguy: Pharma Marketing News Media Partner for DigiPharm Europe 09. Voucher for 15% discount: bit.ly/1bgzuG
• SKYPEN'S TOP CLICKED TWEET YESTERDAY (>150 clicks): "Facebook, cellphones, & energy meters 4 healthier lives": tr.im/n0mC
• @ mrcmv : trying to review your site, but your drop down menus are blocked by your flash movie on internet explorer. tr.im/naLj
• "Tweeting too Hard" featured in Time ... friggen hilarious: tr.im/ndpN
• MSNBC Reports "Meralgia Paresthetica", aka Tingling Thigh Syndrome (TTS), caused by Way-Too-Tight-Jeans: tr.im/ndrR

Millennials Among Those Who Don't Appreciate Twitter

by Laurie Sullivan
Source: Online MediaPost Daily

Millennials -- 18- to-26-year-olds -- don't see value in Twitter, although they spend hours daily texting friends and communicating on social networks in real time, according to a study released Monday from the Participatory Marketing Network (PMN).

The study suggests that only 22% of Millennials use Twitter, the real-time microblogging site that allows posts of up to 140 characters. Of those young people who use Twitter, 85% said they follow friends, 54% follow celebrities, 29% follow family, and 29% follow companies. That's not great news for marketers and companies trying to reach this demographic through the site.

"Twitter has a problem on their hands if they want to become a long-term viable player," says Michael Della Penna, PMN co-founder and executive chairman. "Part of that communication of value must speak to Gen Y and show them the benefit of using Twitter."

Some might suggest that Millennials aren't the only ones who don't see the value in Twitter.

When asked about social networks, nearly all who participated in the survey revealed having an active profile on at least one site. Eighty-nine percent have downloaded an application to their profile page; 89%, photos; 53%, games; 51%, entertainment; 32%, news; and 29%, weather.

Mobile social networking is heating up for Millennials, too. Thirty-eight percent have an iPhone or iPod Touch. More than 50% have downloaded games; 35%, entertainment; 31%, lifestyle; 28% have downloaded free financial applications, and 7% have paid financial applications. More than one-quarter -- 26 percent -- indicated that they have not downloaded any.

PMN conducted the study in May 2009 with its research partner, the Lubin School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab at Pace University, by questioning 200 PMN panel members and consumers between the ages of 18-24.

Patients, physicians differ on which COPD Rx messages work for them

Source: ePharm5

The most influential chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) brand messages are those that highlight the maintenance of daily activities, ease of breathing, and reduction  of general symptoms. That's according to surveyed patients and physicians in Decision Resources' new report, Brand Perceptions in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Patients and physicians differ in their perceptions about how quickly the drug works. Although surveyed physicians do not find messages promoting onset of action important, surveyed patients would respond well to a message highlighting fast relief, the report showed. The report is part of Decision Resources' Brand Perception Series, which analyzes physician and patient brand perception and message resonance. Series topics for 2009 include Brand Perceptions in COPD, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, and Non-Insulin Anti-Diabetics.

Pharmaceutical executives spend an extra 9 hours a month learning (and teaching) online

Source: MeetTheBoss

A study run by online business networking service www.MeettheBoss.com shows that pharmaceutical executives are spending an extra 9 hours a month online sharing their professional experiences and learning from their peers.

MeettheBoss surveyed 15,000 of its 200,000 executive members to understand more about what effect Web 2.0 has had on the business world.

The survey asked its executive users what direct value they gained from spending time running blogs, writing tweets and connecting with other executives on sites such as Linked-In, Xing, MeettheBoss, Ryze, Facebook and Twitter.

The answers revealed that the pharmaceutical executives proficient with online activities are spending an average of 9 hours more per month online than this time last year – and over 90% of respondents said they felt their time online was ‘very valuable’ to their daily role.

Professionals are rushing to the Web for immediate answers to their most pressing questions. “I find online business hugely beneficial,” says MeettheBoss member Oliver Bruns, Head of Polyurethanes at Bayer Material Sciences. “It allows me to create or join active discussions and get immediate answers and experiences from colleagues and like-minded professionals on a range of issues.”

Finding answers for your business is one thing, but most executives have spotted more ‘individual’ advantages to this new phenomenon.

“Everyone knows that building contacts in the industry can strengthen your career prospects, but sharing your knowledge with the world is a very effective personal branding exercise,” says Adam Burns, Editor-in-Chief of online business channel, MeettheBoss.TV.

Many thought leaders agree with him. John Earley, global head of lean and supply at AstraZeneca and Steve Dreamer, VP and head of engineering at Novartis, have all shared their expertise on the site.

“Sites like MeettheBoss are great networking and information platforms that aggregate all the information needed to start my working day,” says MeettheBoss member, Meredith Cole, Project Director at GlaxoSmithKline.

Though most of these executives agree there is no substitute for face-to-face networking, using social media tools correctly can bring substantial return on your time investment. You can become a thought leader in your niche environment overnight and even pull business to your door. The challenge is finding the best one for you.

For more information:
http://www.meettheboss.com

Yesterday's Tweets

A complete list of yesterday's tweets. Thanks for following. If you would like to follow, go to http://www.twitter.com/skypen.

• Facebook, cellphones, and energy meters nudging people to live healthier lives: tr.im/n0mC
• Hospitals Offer Wait Time Online and Via Text Messages: tr.im/n0pk
• Facebook, cellphones, and energy meters nudging people to live healthier lives: tr.im/n0mC
• Hospitals Offer Wait Time Online and Via Text Messages: tr.im/n0pk
• RT @shwen: RT @eyeonfda: Today's Eye on FDA Posting, Lessons Learned from Warning Letters, Part 3 bit.ly/aaTbI
• "How One Teacher Uses Twitter in the Classroom" (courtesy @PhilBaumann) tr.im/n7gE
• SKYNEWS: "Twitter Users Join Psychic Powers Study" (courtesy @danschawbel): tr.im/n7tA
• 7 Technologies Shaping the Future of Social Media (@mashable) tr.im/n7Cw
• Ad Age: "Need to Check Your Cholesterol? There Will Be an App for That"; Pharma Marketers, listen up: tr.im/n7H8

Hospitals Offer Wait Time Online and Via Text Messages

Patients Can See Emergency Room Wait Times From Home

POSTED: Friday, May 29, 2009
source: Click Orlando

A local hospital is offering a new program to let emergency room patients know how long the wait is before they get there.

Local HCA hospitals, like Central Florida Regional, Ocala, West Marion and Osceola, will offer their exact emergency room wait times on their Web sites.

"It’s all about time, especially in times of emergency and when you have to come to the emergency room, but now, thanks to new technology, you'll know what you're getting into before you ever wind up here," Florida Regional Hospital CEO Wendy Brandon said.

The service will help people with minor problems, like Julie Sumek, decide when to go to the emergency room.

"Years ago I was at a hospital where the wait was almost eight hours and that was something minor, and this has been great; I was in right away and I'm feeling much better than I had," Sumek said.

Brandon said wait times are important to the hospital's patients.

"The emergency department patients overwhelmingly tell us that what satisfies them is seeing a physician quickly and sometimes that even rates over getting an accurate diagnosis, believe it or not. We are very focused on diagnosis, but we heard that over and over again," Brandon said.

The software works by logging each patient individually, tracking him or her and updating every 30 minutes.

"If I think about it, I would use the Web site first," Sumek said.

Patients can also text 23000 with the word ER in the text body to find out the wait time from their cell phone. The service will prompt users for their zip code and respond with the wait time