Driving In Traffic

As many of you know, I started blogging in 2005 for business at the encouragement of a close friend. The blogging bug bit me and bit me hard. What started as an academic experiment to boost the company’s google juice, eventually took me to places I never expected and led me to a wonderful set of friends and colleagues.

My enthusiasm over the potentials of this relatively new technology morphed me into an evangelist that had me trying to convince those I met that they, too, could use the technology. Subsequently, over time I began working with people and organizations to help them set up a blog and a successful strategy for meeting their goals.

In the past, I have been hesitant about soliciting for business, given that I had so much on my plate already. Honestly, in hindsight, it just wasn’t the time. However, now the journey that began with me starting the business blog, launching my personal blog (here), then launching my do-good blog, and now being invited to participate in the iVillage social network issues related to philanthropy and giving back, has led me to a place where my confidence that I can help is getting close to being equal with my desire to help.
For a while now, I’ve known that I was on a path toward doing something new. Being one that loves structure and routine I’ve struggled against it. However, the recent technology trials and tribulations with my domain name and blog hosting- gave me the cosmic kick in the pants to get off my duff and try to do what I really want to do— help healthcare and nonprofit organizations use social media strategies to boost their communications internally and externally, with the goal of building stronger relationships.

So with that said and the emotional support of my family (Jump in the water is fine.)— I’m taking the leap. www.drivingintraffic.com will be the online homebase for my services and consulting. Subsequently, with the change in URL of this blog, comes a change in focus.

Drivingintrafficblog.com will now really focus on supporting the efforts of my consulting. As much as I hate to say it– it will likely become more wonky but hopefully not too boring. However being more of a woman of action rather than musing about what can be done, I will still have the business blog and the do-good blog to give me real and genuine experience of the spaces I want to help others join.

I look forward to the new opportunities and meeting new folks on the path ahead.

This weekend the TV has been tuned to the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction. You see the Hubby and friends are quite the car enthusiasts but I must admit that watching the auction proceedings was a bit addictive. I suppose it is just my age, but I was a bit aghast at the crazy money that was paid for cars I distincly remember double dating in.

Anyway– for those of you who did not tune in or who are not regularly subjugated to its proceedings– there was an interesting sponsor of the events— Ford Motor Company.

Yes… here in the Southern US there is much debate over the best domestic car maker among some. In fact, Ford Motor Company has been the butt of many jokes… FORD= “Found On Road Dead” or :Fix Or Repair Daily.”

However the sponsorship of the Barrett Jackson was a brilliant piece of branding. There were banners with the logo, large block of FORD only commercials, a charity auction of a 2007 Shelby GT Fastback Serial number 001 to benefit Carroll Shelby’s Children’s Foundation, workers with the Ford Emblem on their shirts, an appearance of Edsel Ford, and extra time spent on the TV coverage of any vintage Ford. It was simply a brilliant branding effort. Afterall what could be better than extended TV coverage of insane money being spent on vintage Fords to emphasize the quality, staying power and completely ‘cool factor’ of Fords.

After having to tip my hat to the brilliance of the corporate marketers and branders at Ford, I got to thinking about what lessons could be taken away from this in regards to healthcare marketing. Well….

If you use the auction as an example, many of the cars that rolled across the auction block had been salvaged from ruin. With some love and attention, these vehicles were made beautiful again. Then their beauty was celebrated in front of a huge crowd and the restorers hard work was lauded. If you think about it, the restoration process for a car is very similar to that of restoring someone to health. The one big difference is that in healthcare, short of the patient and their families, there is no one out there to really laud the healthcare professional’s or facilities knowledge, expertise and hard work.

Stories and anecdotes are key ways of conveying the path to recovery, wellness and restoration. They grab attention, create connection and provide inspiration. Healthcare marketers can use these stories to weave a connection with the community as well as create an emotional response that can morph into increased brand recognition, brand value and loyalty.

So what stories are you telling? What stories are being told by others about you? How does this reflect on your brand?

Tags: healthcare , branding, Barrett-Jackson, healthcare marketing, Ford Motor Company

The blogosphere is all a-buzz about an end of the year major magazine publishing tradition. Apparently, I have won the award this year. Read about it from my fellow bloggers: here, here, here, here, here, here .

My response:

Thank you for the thought, but I must respectfully decline.

OK– social media is giving us all new tools to connect with one another and is having an impact business and media. I don’t argue that. However, in the whole scheme of things, I think the selection is a little rediculous. (However, I must respect the magazine’s savvy use of the social media to to generate a buzz and hopefully newsstand purchases). In the magazine’s defense, at least they did not pick some celebrity disgrace— imagine the sales if they had used that picture of Britney Spears on the day she obviously should have been at home doing the laundry.

Since I’m turning down the award, I’d like to propose someone to stand in my stead. I think these types of things should be given to people who make a difference for the better and give me hope that humankind isn’t going to Hell in a handbasket.

I think I’d like to give my award to:

Matt and Jessica Flannery, founders of Kiva. Kiva is an online microfinance portal. The philosophy behind microfinancing is that you loan small amounts of money to people in third world countries or to people with little or no ability to borrow money to start a self-sustaining business. These types of loans are ones that can eventually lift people out of poverty and allow them to feed and clothe their family.

More on the nominees can be found here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

The Kiva Blog can be found here.

I’ve always loved the idea of microfinance and now Kiva makes it easy to have a trusted way to help people whose stories tug at your heart.

OK– now it is your turn. Please chime in with a comment or a trackback. Let this be a meaningful meme that outgrows the buzz of the clearly empty, attention-seeking actions taken by this publication (which I refuse to name or link to –afterall, they do not need any more buzz). Also please tell your friends about this as I have chosen not to tag this post in any way that would garner more attention for ‘you know who.’

Thanks to Mack Collier over at The Viral Garden for his post on Monday, 11/28 that discusses things to consider before starting a company blog. It is actually a summary of a 10 step article he has written for Marketingprofs.com (paid subscription required).

He emphasizes the following:

1. Understand up-front that a blog is a LONG-TERM investment.
2. Write the blog from the READER’S point of view.
3. Have a comment policy in place before you start blogging.

As I prepare for the Healthcare Blogging Summit, I think this is excellent advice for anyone considering starting a blog— not just company blogs. These actually have been lessons I’ve learned through trial and error. Like many other bloggers, I find the hardest thing is to be diligent about posting. Life gets busy and I get distracted. Just like cheating on a diet, it is important to recognize the error and then pick up and start again. Don’t judge yourself and don’t quit– just get back to doing what you need to do.

tags: Business Blogging, Healthcare blogging, Healthcare Blogging Summit

Nedra over at Spare Change posted that she has been e-mailed by David Schatsky, the President of JupiterKagan. As I suspected, Jupiter does monitor the blogophere and is willing to participate in a public discussion. I look forward to hearing their response and participating in the conversation.

Thanks Nedra for keeping us up to date.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article over at the Medical Blog Network titled What Your Internet Presence Says About You.  Now I have found a cute but “spot-on” advertisement by Microsoft.  I can’t find a viral download of the advertisement so I’ll summarize it.

It starts with this older man in his office looking at the clock.  He seems sad and he seems like he is waiting for something.  Then a woman and her dog approach his store front window.  The dog begins to bark furiously at the man.  The man gets up and walks to the window to look out. 

Then the shot changes.  It show the woman and the dog.  She is standing on the sidewalk in front of a row of small town shops. The dog is barking at an empty lot.   

The shot comes back to the man and then the words fightinvisibusiness.com pop up.

If you follow the link, it goes to the beta download of Microsoft’s OfficeLive product which is designed to help businesses set up a website. 

Now, I’m not promoting this product here.  However, I think this advertisement is a wonderful illustration of what I was talking about over at the Medical Blog Network.  If you don’t have some sort of online presence, then you are invisible to your potential customers. You just don’t exist as an option.

I realize that some will hotly and vigorously refute this notion.  However, those few won’t be the one’s reading this post.

Technorati tags:business, Web, marketing, OfficeLive