Quick! What’s your elevator pitch? You never know when a chance encounter can open a door to a new business opportunity or publicity for you and your business.

Business guru and Entrepreneur magazine contributor Asheesh Advani recently published some savvy ideas for making the most of these serendipitous moments. A few highlights:

Choose your words carefully – Use a “grabber” sentence or two that will get attention.

Practice your pitch – Aim not to sound too slick and overly commercial. Get feedback from friends and family, first.

Focus on the follow-up – Suggest a follow-up call or meeting. And make sure to always have some business cards on hand to exchange. You never know who you might meet!

A strong and memorable elevator pitch is crucial for networking success. For more suggestions, see the full article in Entrepreneur (September 2009).

For more public relations insight…

Online contests are an excellent PR strategy to help boost website traffic and increase your company’s visibility. In particular, social media—including blogs, Twitter, and Facebook—provide real value to PR campaigns.

A recent example of an effective online contest was the partnership between Bayer Diabetes Care, manufacturer of self-tested diagnostic monitoring systems, and Nick Jonas from the hit boy band, Jonas Brothers. Bayer and Nick, who has type 1 diabetes and uses the Bayer CONTOUR® meter, launched the “Express Your Simple Win Creativity Contest” online at NicksSimpleWins.

The contest targeted people with diabetes between the ages of 6 and 18, challenging them to submit a 15-30 second video online that demonstrated their “Simple Win” through song lyrics, photography, painting/drawing or acting. At the end of every month from April through September 2009, the top three videos were posted on the contest page and the public could then vote for the best one. Each monthly winner received a gift and a shot at the grand prize. In October, a group of judges chose the top three videos and those winners met Nick in person.

How did this contest leverage Bayer’s visibility?

Online contests can be an exciting and creative way to inform consumers of new products and services, build brand awareness and further the preference for Bayer’s monitoring systems among young people. In addition, these types of strategies provide companies a channel to engage with consumers and create goodwill and loyalty with everyone who enters. In fact, in many cases online contests will be the first time people interact with your brand–so make it count.

For more healthcare public relations insights…

During this time of record-breaking unemployment and with the number of uninsured people rising daily—it’s noteworthy that there are companies which are opting to do the “right” thing. They are helping ease the health care burden of many Americans who are unemployed and uninsured.

Walgreens and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Take Care Health Systems, are a prime example. On March 31, Walgreens announced that, for the remainder of 2009, it was offering free health care through Take Care Clinics located inside its drugstores to the unemployed and uninsured.

Open seven days a week, the walk-in clinics can treat acute conditions, typical illnesses and injuries. Generally, visits at Take Care Clinics can cost a patient anywhere from $59 and $74—a sum that may not be affordable for many unemployed Americans who have given up their health care insurance in order to afford basic necessities, such as food and housing.

Businesses are not immune to today’s difficult economic times. Nevertheless, Walgreens is taking a bold step and doing something positive for their customers and society. But are they getting good PR, too?

Absolutely! Walgreens has successfully established a reputation as a company that not only cares, but is acting upon its compassion and being a good corporate citizen. As it helps its customers in their time of need, it is gaining loyal customers.

And, that is not all Walgreens is gaining. There is a huge value in the additional “foot traffic” the Take Care Clinics provide to Walgreens drugstores. Picture this: a patient takes advantage of the free health care service offered by the clinic. They get a prescription—which they can conveniently have filled at the onsite pharmacy—and while they wait, can pick-up other necessities, such as milk or toothpaste. Its one-stop for customers and for Walgreens, which gets two-thirds of its annual revenue from its pharmacies, it helps keep customers in their stores.

Other companies are adapting the Walgreens concept. Flairs Cleaners is offering complimentary dry cleaning to the unemployed and several Gold’s Gym’s have made their facilities available for unemployed individuals to work out for free during off-peak hours.

It’s a true win-win situation: the companies’ altruism helps people in need, while providing the company with the opportunity to get a customer for life. And, they can leverage their corporate generosity and turn it into an excellent PR opportunity!!!

For more information, check out Fast Company, “Why Walgreens Is Building Its Own Universal Health-Care System.”

For more healthcare public relations insight…

As social media continues to boom, all parties in every industry are trying to figure out how to take advantage of the opportunity to be “connected” in a positive way. Not surprisingly physicians also want to get involved.

One evolving trend in social media is a growing number of physicians are using Twitter and Facebook to connect with their patients in order to provide information, consultation and updates during medical procedures. This platform has grown very popular because physicians today are overwhelmed by high patient volumes and have less time to spend caring for patients during an average appointment. Still, many physicians are concerned about the ethics and the risks of “friending” patients on these social networking sites.

Good or bad for the medical profession?

It is still unclear if these platforms will help or harm the physician-patient relationship, or if social media establishes good standards and a physician’s responsibility to ensure a patient’s privacy, as required by HIPAA. Twitter and Facebook can have a tremendous influence on a physician’s personal “brand.” Therefore, physicians should not post anything relating to a patient, as stated by Dr. Bryan Vartabedian on KevinMD Blog “Tips for doctors who use Twitter.” Dr. Vartabedian also advises that anything posted on Twitter (and Facebook) is permanent and can be recovered by future employers and partners.

Similarly, JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) published a recent article on social networking sites and the growing challenges for the health care industry. The concern is primarily with medical students who have grown up with this platform. The article found a growing number of medical students abusing social media, by posting unprofessional content such as pictures of alcohol, use of profanity, and sexually-suggestive material. In fact, in an effort to help students not jeopardize their future residencies or careers, more and more medical universities are implementing policies and warning students of the potential dangers of maintaining a social networking site.

Although there are many benefits when using social media, every medical professional should be cautious and avoid posting anything relating to their patients. One click of the button can bring about lawsuits and demean a physician’s reputation and their affiliated organization(s).

As always, for more insights into Healthcare Public Relations …

It’s not about fine dining (apologies to the disappointed “foodies” out there), but about your message – that unique, compelling shorthand that perfectly communicates why your company is special and desirable.

In our client relations, I’ve seen more interest in the last four years in creating compelling messaging, and the recognition that this exercise is the foundation for all communications tactics going forward. Yet, few subjects are as difficult to tackle as defining who we are.

Fortunately, I found a very “user friendly” messaging process several years ago in “The Marketing Playbook,” by John Zagula and Richard Tong, former leaders of Microsoft Windows and Office Marketing, the folks who won the marketing wars that determined which programs we see on our desktops each morning. I was introduced to this “Yes But So” messaging scenario in a session with John Zagula for a new company funded by his venture capital firm, Ignition Partners. It worked so well in making a complicated, intensive process simple, we now use it with all our new clients.

So what is the “Yes But So?” Simply put, it’s the “current reality,” the gap that exists between the situation now and the desired situation in the future, and how you and your company/product fill that gap – and the call to action. For example, “The Marketing Playbook” takes the classic story of Henry Ford and the Model T 100 years ago, which looks like:

Yes, cars remain the domain of elites and aficionados, not regular people.
But, the underlying auto technology and manufacturing techniques are becoming more efficient.
So, we should now be able to make a reliable car that the mass market can afford.

Fast forward 60 years, and you have the Volkswagen approach:

Yes, there are terrific, German-engineered cars available on the market for driving enthusiasts.
But, they are very expensive and appeal only to those who can afford them.
So, let’s offer a high performance German car for average enthusiasts.

There’s more, of course, which I can explain to you if you’re interested (email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), as well as speak with you about your own “Yes-but-so” story, or you can get the book, (available on Amazon.com) a highly readable, fast-moving and practical odyssey through the game plan behind one of the most successful marketing sagas of our time. For more insights, check out John Zagula’s blog.

As always you can find this and other interesting PR News at our Scott Public Relations website.

Anyone who works in a business environment these days has no doubt had his or her fill of trendy buzzwords and overused corporate jargon. This annoying “Business Speak” attempts to transform simple language into words designed to impart vast knowledge and business acumen. As we’ve all seen for ourselves, unfortunately, such mumbo jumbo fails to communicate on any meaningful level. True leaders seek to form fresh, new ideas - not simply regurgitate popular phrases.

There’s a new year ahead. Let’s resolve to nix corporate clichés like these* in 2010!

110 percent
360-degree thinking
A high-altitude view
At the end of the day
Big picture
Challenge (the new “problem”)
Circle back
Feedback
From the get-go
Going forward
Incentivize
It is what it is
Leverage
Low-hanging fruit
Not enough bandwidth
On the radar
Out of the loop
Phoning it in
Pushback
Reach out
Think outside the box
Tipping point
Touch base about that offline
Value-added
Vast majority

*Adapted from “20 Annoying Corporate Buzzwords and Clichés” by Dave Caruso (www.ezinearticles.com), with additional contributions from SPR staff.

Visit us at Scott Public Relations for additional insight on this and other PR related topics.

For the first time in our nation’s history, one in three Americans are over the age of 50. Moreover, by 2010, the 50+ population will grow by 41 percent while the -50 population will grow by a mere 1 percent. This presents new challenges for companies that want to target this market.

This recent shift in demographics forces companies to promote the awareness, development and deployment of innovative, consumer-friendly products and technology-leveraged services which cater to the unique needs of our expanding senior population. They must also provide independence, mobility and quality of lifestyle within safe, comfortable and familiar home environments.

A recent presentation by Don Marsh (www.MatureMarketplace.com) for the Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Association (HPRMA), addresses the search of products and services – especially in health care, financial planning, retirement living and leisure time by the senior population - that can enhance their lives. To capture and retain the loyalty of those in search, Don observes four fundamental rules of relationship marketing:

Requires individual knowledge of your consumer
Must be interactive
Does not need to be high-tech
Must be based on perceived value and personal service

While he briefly addresses some of the physical challenges for this population such as deteriorating eyesight, hearing and cognitive changes which force companies to consider elements such as glare sensitivity, clarity and volume of speech, and use of photos vs. testimonial letters, respectively, in their marketing strategy, the most effective way to reach this base, by far, is by appealing to their values. When observing such rules of relationship marketing, consumer perception of your products and services will improve and consumers will focus on value rather than price.

According to Marsh, three ways to influence human behavior are by addressing human needs, addressing human wants and addressing human values. Addressing human values remains the most important of all. Why are values most important? The exchange of “values” creates an environment of trust and confidence. When consumers talk about their values, it leads to understanding what makes their lives unique.

So for companies out there who are trying to wrap their arms around what the senior population “needs” or “wants” – it’s about getting a grasp of who they are and how they live. Scott Public Relations agrees and has offered our unique insights and perspectives to business professionals and companies in this space. Our experience teaches us that the longevity of a company’s services and products are dependent upon their ability to know and understand the way their consumers live and how they think. The appropriate “ground up” approach ensures that seniors and consumers alike can easily incorporate such products/services into their lives - which is highly considered as a value add.

Visit us at Scott Public Relations for more insight on related topics.

Recently, I attended a PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Media Breakfast, where healthcare public relations professionals in the Los Angeles area “skipped out” of the daily office grind to meet with a panel of healthcare reporters and producers from both print and broadcast media: Los Angeles Daily News, KNBC-TV Channel 4 and California Broker.

For 90 minutes, the PR professionals in the room sat with pens (and Blackberries) poised to hear these healthcare journalists answer the million dollar questions: what types of healthcare stories are they looking for? How do they decide what healthcare issues take priority during an epidemic of national healthcare coverage?

So what did we find out?

To everyone’s surprise, the entire panel agreed on one subject: no more healthcare reform and universal coverage stories. These topics are over-exposed; people just want something to be done about them - now. Instead, the panel wanted to hear about what people and/or companies are doing to prepare for healthcare reform and how businesses plan to survive in the new environment.

So what gets these journalists’ attention?

Here is the magic formula:

Universal impact. The story MUST impact the public. It can’t just affect a small exclusive group. Instead, the issue or trend must apply to a broad segment of the population, and ideally – to everyone.
Promotes action. Readers not only learn about an issue but they can immediately put this information to use in their lives.
A complete story package. Stories need to have the full “package” where every pitch and news release should pertain to each publication’s target audience. And it must, of course, be newsworthy and timely, including trends, statistics and the human element.
Do your research. Make sure the reporter is still covering healthcare and find out what types of healthcare stories they cover.

What changes in the media can PR professionals foresee in the next few years?

It is even more important now for PR professionals to recognize how the economy, the growing healthcare issues and the many potential budget proposals for healthcare reform are reflecting the type of news journalists choose to cover. Healthcare reporters are scrambling to cover stories on short deadlines as well as report on several different beats not associated with healthcare. This will only get worse with the growing number of cutbacks on staff in newsrooms. More than ever before, media outlets are depending on more “wire” stories and less original reporting.

Consequently, PR staff need to do their research to confirm which reporters are still writing on healthcare. Second, in order to stand out to journalists, it is beneficial to create a relationship. Find out what reporters cover and what they’re currently writing about, and offer information and access that will help them. Finally, there are more opportunities at understaffed newsrooms, especially at magazines, to contribute content such as company and/or expert authored articles.

Visit us at Scott Public Relations for additional insight on related topics.

The news media has taken a hard hit in today’s faltering economy. For almost a decade, traditional print media has been losing readership to online news sources that can provide up-to-the-minute information, often at no charge. Those of us who work closely with the media see first-hand the impact of fewer and fewer reporters struggling to cover the news. More than ever, they rely on wire sources and focus only on breaking news and the most mainstream stories of the day. This is especially true for “niche” journalists, such as those covering the healthcare industry.

But there’s a new game in town. One that could be the next breakthrough concept in healthcare journalism, a development as potentially disruptive as CNN’s audacious debut as the first all-news TV channel.

It’s called “foundation-supported journalism,” and its mission is to provide quality, in-depth coverage of important health policy issues. Consider Kaiser Health News, an independent news service funded by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Stories produced by KHN will be provided free to newspapers around the country and will also be posted on a KHN website, which is scheduled to go live later this spring. Services such as KHN are becoming increasingly attractive to top tier journalists, many of whom are leaving their print media careers to embark upon this new media venture.

The California HealthCare Foundation also funded a six-month pilot news service covering healthcare in California. The Center for California Health Care Journalism, as it’s known, is currently overseen by Michael Parks, a journalism professor at the University of Southern California and a former editor of The Los Angeles Times. There’s also a venture funded by the Sandler Foundation, ProPublica, which was established in 2007 and is dedicated to quality investigative journalism of stories with moral force.

For more information about foundation-supported journalism, follow this link.

Will foundations be the vehicle to preserve quality journalism in the future? It appears that they will be a welcome addition to the evolving news environment.

Visit us at Scott Public Relations for additional insight on related topics.

An interesting post from blogger Danny Brown at Press Release PR makes the case for the boutique agency.

In today’s volatile economic climate, companies weigh every expenditure against the value they receive. Here’s where a value of the boutique public relations agency comes into play. Boutiques are coming into their own as companies are more interested in value and results than the image factor and “big budgets” of choosing larger companies. Most boutiques are started by people with outstanding corporate and/or large agency experience who prefer the smaller operational model and the ability to really deliver on their promises to clients in terms of outstanding work, leadership from truly senior people, and personalized attention and focus. Consequently, the boutique model gives clients the extraordinary value of senior counselors and strategists without the high prices of larger firms.

Technology capabilities are a major win for boutique agencies. In the climate of Web 2.0, the boutique agency’s strength lies in the fact that they are lean and dynamic and have the ability to craft a campaign to leverage the power of digital communications. They can keep up with the continuously fragmented media market that calls for increasingly tailored expertise and outreach.

Early adaptors of the boutique model are at an advantage because – like SPR – they have worked out the systems that are most effective and gained the benefits of efficiency and experience. Thus, they are in a position to offer a welcome solution to firms that want the true value of innovative PR services.

For more interesting insights on Healthcare and Public Relations, visit us at Scott Public Relations.