New Year’s Resolutions Forgotten? Keep Your Resolve to Adapt and Drive Change

January 31, 2012 Leave a Comment

With the confetti, champagne and parades of a month-ago a seemingly distant memory – and with the nation’s attention squarely on things financial and political – 2012 is shaping up in real terms. 30 days in, what are the resonant themes and areas of focus for marketers this year?

  1. Customer churn reduction: In plain English—keeping the customers you’ve got. When they are lost, it’s $$$$ gone and you’ll need to spend more $$$$ to attract new ones.
  2. Blue-ocean strategies: With all the sharks scrapping over the same old whales in the nearer depths, it is time to head farther out, where the fishing is less competitive. Who are the new audiences for your products and services?
  3. Technology innovations (or new uses for existing technology): What else can you do with the proprietary IT and data tools you’ve invested in? Where else can you leverage those investments?
  4. Efficiencies that enhance brands (without loss of value): Discover a better, faster or—sorry for this ugly word—cheaper way to do something and it can pay dividends.
  5. Lighten up: Go leaner, springy, more nimble, and better able to hit the muddy road of today’s marketplace. From a business perspective, are you hauling a big rig, or a fuel-efficient, pound-for-pound power ride?
  6. Refresh yourself: Is your message right for right now? Does your brand still have impact, or is it looking a little 2007-ish?
  7. Value-add: In the words of the guy at the buffet, “What else you got?” Do you bring more than just the minimum to the table? Minimalism is one of the biggest enemies of excellence. What services or consulting can you appropriately package as a deliverable?
  8. Innovation: It is still possible in the year of lean and less to think big. Innovation pushes everything forward, including your business. Where can your team deliver innovation, even in small ways?

Will these ideas still be relevant in a month from now? Subscribe to our blog to keep tabs on which have gained more traction than others.

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Direct Choice Inc. is a full-service direct marketing agency that has worked with national and regional brands in a wide variety of vertical markets. In addition to this blog, you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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Diabetes Awareness Month: The Plight of the Diabetic

November 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and while healthcare marketing professionals like us think about patients with this disease year round, we think it is extremely beneficial to have outreach like this that allows for greater saturation of the facts and symptoms.

Diabetes is a disease that is known about, but not truly feared the way it should be. At present, more than 8% of the United States population has diabetes, which equals out to be nearly 26 million people. 10.9 million of them are over 65 years old. While this number is a bit staggering, what is more shocking is that 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes, meaning they are at severe risk of becoming a diabetic.

Earlier this year, we published Part 1 and Part 2 of a series on Understanding the Chronic Disease Sufferer Mindset. We wanted to share some excerpts from those posts and ask you to keep them in mind throughout the month to better understand how some diabetics can feel at their worst:

“Among all the types of customer / patients that exist in the healthcare marketing world, perhaps the most difficult demographic to market products and services to are those who suffer from chronic diseases. Being diagnosed with a disease that may never be cured can be a life altering event for anyone, and those that suffer from ailments can act and react differently…”

“Chronic disease, unlike other disease states, brings with it a myriad of feelings, reactions and concerns, all of which contribute to the emotional tipping points that can lead toward or away from successful treatment outcomes…”

“Imagine knowing you will have a certain condition, such as diabetes, for the rest of your life. Knowing there is no cure. Knowing you may experience all manner of opportunistic infections or complications. It’s no wonder many chronic disease sufferers go into denial and other, more dangerous reactions.”

“What may be missing from their care, from a variety of support provider’s touch points, is the understanding of these tipping points and how they can be addressed for the betterment of patient compliance and engagement:

1. Are they depressed?
2. Do they feel their disease is “no big deal?”
3. Do they suffer from feelings of inevitability?
4. Are they skeptical about their treatment success?
5. Do they have unrealistic plans for action?
6. Is poor social support an issue?
7. Is their environment conducive to a positive approach to their disease?

These are just some thoughts to keep in mind, and throughout the month, we will be sharing additional  thoughts on diabetes and the people it affects (patients and loved ones of patients) on our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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Direct Choice Inc. is a full-service direct marketing agency that has worked with national and regional brands in a wide variety of vertical markets. In addition to this blog, you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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Is Halloween the Christmas for Brand Marketers?

October 31, 2011 Leave a Comment

What is the second most common question asked on Halloween?

“Oh, that’s a great costume. WHO / WHAT ARE YOU?”

In truth, it is typically a loaded question because unless the costume is poorly put together or the character is esoteric, we generally know what the costume is supposed to because of one word: Branding. Whether it is superheroes, athletes, entertainers or pop culture icons, a Halloween costume accentuates the identifiable characteristics that the general public immediately notices. From a marketing perspective, simply put, this is brand recognition.

Our colleagues at Make Me Social recently published a blog discussing the correlation between brand and the most candy-coated holidays:

“If you can get people excited about your brand, using your brand as a resource for a costume, and tagging your brand online, you win. Your brand will forever be tied to a story in their life and will always be a part of their memories – especially the digital, easily shareable ones.”

So tonight, when you are answering the door to trick-or-treaters of all shapes and sizes, think about the costumes the kids are wearing and what makes them recognizable. Then, while enjoying the leftover candy think, about what your brand could be doing to be on par with these juggernauts that are Halloween costumes.

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Direct Choice Inc. is a full-service direct marketing agency that has worked with national and regional brands in a wide variety of vertical markets. In addition to this blog, you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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