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Some observations about how storytelling is fundamental to creating healthcare-related content.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a seminar on Content Marketing for Healthcare, convened by the trade publication Medical Marketing & Media. The keynote speaker, Alison Woo, director of Social Media at Bristol-Myers Squibb, opened the seminar by describing storytelling as the essence of content marketing, the origins of which can be traced back to the Stone Age, when men would gather around the fire to share details of the hunt. As storytelling evolved, we created heroes and heroines to play the leading parts in our stories, which typically centered on the hero’s […]

Is this a new trend in marketing-speak?

Twice in the last month I’ve opened documents from clients asking me to think about what they call their “pain points.” Having worked extensively in the rheumatology and pain management areas, my first thought was that they were asking me about physical pain, as in “Ow, my shoulder hurts!”, or “I have a headache.” But that didn’t seem right; I was confused.

No, I was told, the term “pain points” is meant to raise the question, “What keeps our customers up at night? What do they worry about?” Although that is certainly an important question, one that goes to the heart of serving […]

It’s not a new Olympic sport, but an approach to maintaining professional relationships in challenging times.

We’re having another New England snowstorm, and I’m safe and warm in my house while my car sits at the base of my driveway, sticking out into the road. About an hour ago I ventured out to pick up my eldest son from school (he attends a private school that rarely cancels classes) and bring him home. We made it to our driveway, where my car couldn’t get enough traction to make it over the slight incline at the base of the driveway. It’s the latest episode in a long and enduring partnership […]

Why it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure the accuracy and integrity of medical content on Wikipedia.

Like it or not, Wikipedia has emerged as a leading source of medical content. Now the fifth most-trafficked website, Wikipedia is visited by 50% of U.S. physicians – and untold millions of consumers – for medical information. While many knowledgeable experts are wary of anything posted on Wikipedia, the fact remains that Wikipedia entries frequently appear at or near the top of results pages on Google and other search engines. Many savvy communications practitioners therefore view Wikipedia’s growing popularity as a business opportunity, and offer Wikipedia updates as a service to their clients. […]

Attention to detail is an important component of effective communications. However, amid the clamor for share of voice, attention to detail seems on its way to becoming a lost art.

Over the course of my career in healthcare communications, I’ve been involved in dozens of new business pitches, whether as an agency employee or as a freelance consultant. Invariably, these efforts have focused on “selling” our prospects on the pitch team’s vast experience, expansive wisdom, communications savvy, and unsurpassed expertise in a specific product or therapeutic category. While these are all important attributes, and indeed have often been decisive in terms of landing (or not landing) the business, there […]

Whether you want a plowed driveway after a snowstorm or a well-developed medical manuscript, you need a seasoned professional to make sure the job’s done right.

When I awoke this past Saturday morning to find two feet of snow, my first thought was to grab a shovel so we could get Susana’s car out of the garage. Two hours later, and with some help from my two youngest sons (who reluctantly agreed to help after they realized they wouldn’t get to eat breakfast otherwise), I had succeeded in clearing a path from the garage to the end of the driveway. Our […]