Differentiating your products and services at the HIMSS 2013 Conference

Provide actionable advice on how to make the HIMSS Conference experience more effective and learn how to have your marketing and sales messages rise above all the noise. We covered the following major subjects:

* Describe the expectations of attendees and why they attend
* Provide suggestions for how to clearly differentiate your products and services
* Explain some of the common mistakes exhibitors make
* Plan what to do before, during, and after the conference

If you'd like to hear it with audio, please visit www.influentialnetworks.com/himss-2013-conference-services/

Transcript

1. Differentiating your products and services at the HIMSS 2013 Conference John Lynn & Shahid N. Shah
2. 2 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com About the Presenters John Lynn, Managing Partner Shahid N. Shah, Managing Partner Shahid Shah is a Gov’t 2.0, Health IT, and Medical Devices software expert with over 22 years of technology strategy, software engineering, entrepreneurship, speaking, and writing experience. He’s an advisor to the Federal Government SBIR programs where he mentors companies on commercialization, marketing & sales He runs several blogs including the healthcareguy.com and HITSphere.com. John Lynn is the Founder of the nationally renowned blog network Healthcare Scene. The HealthcareScene.com blog network currently consists of 15 blogs containing 5000 articles with John having written over 2000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 10 million times. John can be found @techguy and @ehrandhit on Twitter.
3. 3 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com About Influential Networks 30+ Influential Websites and growing InfluentialNetworks.com represents a broad assortment of influencers and is a one-stop shop for delivering your messages across all of them.
4. www.influentialnetworks.com 4 Influential Networks What we’ll cover • Communications strategy • What to do before the HIMSS Conference • What to do at the conference • What to do after the conference
5. 5 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Why do people go to HIMSS? Discover health IT products and services Meetings Education How does your social media and marketing strategy match your audiences expectations for the conference?
6. 6 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com It’s hard to notice you at HIMSS How you hope customers perceive you How customers actually perceive you Source: The Matrix (1999)
7. 7 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com The reason it’s hard to notice you What you think you’re saying What your customers are thinking
8. 8 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Nobody cares about you Other than your mom, nobody cares about you until you explain why you matter to them. Put the needs of your customers first and give them a reason to care.
9. 9 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Buyer vs. User vs. Benefiter Do you know who’s buying vs. using vs. benefiting from your solution? Your customer does. Buyer Benefiter User
10. 10 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Solve real, not perceived problems Problems you’re solving • Meaningful Use EHR • Better electronic documentation • Patient access to records (PHR) • Medical device for vitals tracking Customer’s real problems • Money from the government • Get paid for outstanding AR • Declining reimbursements • Increasing payroll costs • Inability to hire a medical tech
11. 11 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com • If most of your potential customers have never heard of you, you’re not a leader • Show examples of how you’ve solved the problem(s) Be not a “leader” but a “solver” Your customer doesn’t care if you’re the leader in your field if you don’t solve their problems
12. 12 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Educate before you sell • Teach users what they should be using • Teach buyers why they should be buying • Map your solutions to customer problems
13. 13 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Customers Anytime you can use a customer to speak for you, do so. It will be more impressive. Influencers Use spokespeople Instead of your own company personnel If you can’t find a customer to speak for you, find or hire an influencer to speak for you. If you’re exhibiting, have a customer or influencer nearby. If you’re just attending take a customer or influencer with you to meetings.
14. 14 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Figure out your message
15. Influential Networks 15 www.influentialnetworks.com Focus on your image and value to customer Myth Reality I need to tweet a lot so that people will follow me I need to tweet something that will get retweeted I need to keep blogging and reminding people about me so one day they’ll finally buy from me I need to blog so that I can help my customers see patients, get them paid faster, understand regulatory challenges, etc. I need to quote other smart people all the time I shouldn’t quote others, I need to come up with my own valuable quotes Aggregating content is enough to show value Aggregating and curating some content is good for SEO, not brand Create content so valuable that they will want to share it with others
16. Influential Networks 16 www.influentialnetworks.com Tips for reaching bloggers and influencers Myth Reality All press releases matter Targeted press releases matter The super cool CEO or SVP you just hired matters Unless they just landed on earth from a successful moonwalk, we don’t care The fact that you just signed a brand new client matters Unless that client you just signed is part of our audience we don’t care Bloggers aren’t people, just conduits for my messaging Relationships matter Influencers always need content Influencers are overloaded with content We don’t care about the same things as “traditional media”
17. To Create Content and Conversation! The best way to reach your audience and boost the visibility of your products and solutions is…
18. www.influentialnetworks.com 18 Influential Networks Long Term Strategy • Influencing People Takes Multiple Touchpoints – What to do Before HIMSS – What to do At HIMSS – What to do After HIMSS • Integrated Strategy
19. www.influentialnetworks.com 19 Influential Networks Marketing Options • Blog Posts – On Company Blog – On Influential Blog
20. www.influentialnetworks.com 20 Influential Networks Marketing Options • Twitter Chats • Tweetups – In Booth – Sponsor Existing Tweetups
21. www.influentialnetworks.com 21 Influential Networks Marketing Options • Webinars • In Booth Talks • Video Interviews – G+ Hangout – YouTube
22. www.influentialnetworks.com 22 Influential Networks Marketing Options
23. Influential Networks 23 www.influentialnetworks.com Content strategy • Prepare Content before the Conference – Blog Posts to Share – Tweets with Good Customer Data – Create or Repurpose Content – Highlight Other Tweets • Have Someone at the Office Manage Your Social Media – Give them Direct Access to Top Execs and Company Resources • Capture Content for Post-HIMSS • Be a Good Member of the Social Media Community Social media should push to some content
24. www.influentialnetworks.com 24 Influential Networks Content Strategy • Bad Tweet: – “Come to our booth and learn more about our EHR. We’re at booth #1000. #HIMSS13” • Better Tweet: – “Holy Cross Hospital just spoke at our booth and said that their EHR saved them $3 million. #HIMSS13” • Best Tweet: – “@drsmith I see that you’re at #HIMSS13 and have been looking at EHRs. What are you looking for in an EHR?”
25. www.influentialnetworks.com 25 Influential Networks Social Media Effect • Influencer Tweetup – Announcement Post – Tweet – Tweetup – Wrap Up Post Tweetup Attendees HIMSS Attendees Non-HIMSS Attendees Exhibit Hall Visitors Social Media Followers Post HIMSS Connection Influence
26. 26 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Integrate social media into booth • Tweet for Swag • Targeted Promotions – Press Only – Doctor Only – CIO Only
27. 27 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Leverage Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter Chats Create online events before, during, and after HIMSS
28. www.influentialnetworks.com 28 Influential Networks Sponsor customer / prospect mixers
29. 29 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Make content visual Don’t just show photos of your booth Consider using videos, infographics, cartoons, and other visual content. Reduce the text in your content and increase screen shots, demos, etc.
30. 30 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Be provocative
31. 31 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Make fun of the industry In 2011 Extormity stole the social media spotlight
32. 32 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Explain your product in a fun way Cartoons below from simplifyMD.com
33. 33 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Explain your product in a fun way Cartoons below from imprivata.com
34. 34 Influential Networks www.influentialnetworks.com Create Engaging, Shareable Microsite Microsite from CDW Healthcare www.cdwcommunit.com/#home/solution.himss
35. Influencing not Advertising HIMSS-webinar@influentialnetworks.com
36. www.influentialnetworks.com 36 Influential Networks Advantages of Influencers • Existing Relationships with Readers • Second Level of Search Marketing • Cost Effective • Rise Above the Noise What’s the solution?
37. www.influentialnetworks.com 37 Influential Networks Problems with Influential Websites • Small Scale – Not Enough Traffic – Pain to Manage – No Standards • No Editorial Oversight
38. www.influentialnetworks.com 38 Influential Networks Don’t focus on Advertising • Premium Ad Network is One Component • Email Newsletters • Sponsored Content • Webinars and Events • Sponsored Tweets • Product Reviews – Product Promotion – Customer/User Feedback
39. Thank You HIMSS-webinar@influentialnetworks.com