OMS Mega Man
Fun and Funny
July 2009
In This Issue
Marketing Gold Star (Part One)
Marketing Gold Star (Part Two)
Marketing Magic
AskElizabeth Links
Newsletter_archives

Twitter

Linked In

Facebook_logo
Marketing Minutes

My Calendar

August 14-15, 2009
TCAAOP
Austin, TX

August 16-22, 2009
VACATION :)

September 20-23, 2009
AOPA
"TOP TEN Customer Retention Tools"
Seattle, WA

**NOTE - I'm also doing a talk on Social Media Marketing on September 21st for the Mastectomy Track at the AOPA meeting.

October 8-10, 2009
GSOP
Atlanta, GA

October 14-16, 2009
"Extreme Makeover: O&P Edition"
NEAAOP
Manchester, NH

October 22-24, 2009
"Marketing in the Age of Computers"
APOA Business Meeting
Panama City, FL

October 23-24, 2009
OOPA/OCAAOP
Doubletree Hotel
Columbus, OH

November 7, 2009
Lizzypalooza

January 24-27, 2010
PacRim
Sheraton Maui
Maui, Hawaii

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
CLICK HERE TO COME TO MAUI IN JANUARY

March 24-27, 2010
AAOP
Chicago

May 9-15, 2010
ISPO
Leipzig, Germany

June 2-5, 2010
ACPOC
Clearwater, FL

O&P Facebookers
Heritage Medical

Lyons P&O
Greetings!
 
Dad_fire

So my dad, Ronald F. Altman, CPO(e), turned 70 this past weekend and my daughter Eloise and her uncles Ted and Jim wrote a song about him for us to serenade him with after he blew out all (yes, there were 70) candles on his cake.

"Ronnie's Song" sung to the tune of "Annie's Song" by John Denver, it began with....

"You fill up my wine glass with a Cab-Merlot blend..."

You will NOT see it on YouTube. Unfortunately.  (Not because there isn't video but because some people refused to sign the release.)

But you can take my word for it. 
It was FUNNY!! REALLY, REALLY funny!
AND memorable.

No one who was there (or within earshot) will ever be able to hear Annie's Song again and not start singing "You fill up my wine glass with a Cab-Merlot blend..."

Which brings me to my both of my Marketing Gold Star winners this week. FUNNY stuff!!

People remember funny stuff - and they TALK (real talk or virtual/viral talk) about funny stuff.

And if your objective is to create a buzz with your marketing, you need people to talk. So, when you're thinking of your next marketing effort - THINK FUNNY!

So, did you hear the one about the entrepreneur who walked into a bar....


Sincerely,
 


Elizabeth Mansfield
860-967-4184

PS - Need marketing magic? Email me now, because you should be using humor and fun in your Horn Tooter. Why? Because it works.

 Gold_starsMarketing Gold Stars
(Part One)

Jacqueline Martin of BMS's Pink Promises Post-Mastectomy Boutique organized a (Cleveland, OH) "Scrappers" Baseball Game July 25 @ to benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation.

Fans wore PINK as "Scrappers" battled Williamsport! Breast Cancer Awareness pink gummy bracelets were given out at the front door!Second base pics

AND last but not least, the "Scrappers" wore pink jerseys with BMS Pink Promises Boutique logo in support of BREAST CANCER AWARENESS and the proceeds benefitted Susan G. Komen NE Ohio Affiliate!

I love, love, love the Save 2nd Base t-shirts AND the "Pink with a Wink" tagline - "Breast Cancer is no laughing matter but we can fight it with HUMOR!"

Humor and marketing.
GREAT combination!

MarketingProfs has this to say about using humor....

"Humor also inspires-and gets talked about later. How often do your company's marketing communications have employees and customers quoting from them for weeks, months, or even years after they first appear?"

READ Humor in Marketing: Six Serious Tips

Check out the photos on Jacqueline's facebook page.

Click here.

Are you using humor in your marketing? Email me and let me know!


 Gold_starsMarketing Gold Stars (Part Two)

American Association of Breast Care Professionals (AABCP) gets cheeky (AND HUMOROUS) with their marketing (and gets a gold star from me!)

AABCP has partnered with the amazing wine makers of Crushpad to develop CHEEKY MONKEY Wines. 

Proceeds from the sales of Cheeky Monkey Wines will be used for education and advocacy for Breast Cancer, the Breast Care Industry and the Mastectomy Profession.  
 
Produced in four varietals, Split Rock Chardonnay, Grist Zinfandel, Stags Leep Merlot and Doctor's Pinot Noir...these wines are the talk of the town!  
 
Cheeky Monkey is a celebration of "Life"!
So join us and enjoy...reveling in the knowledge of a wine and a cause, well served.
Megaman_small Marketing Magic!

"Horn Tooter" for Patient Care Facilities
Customer Acquisition and Retention Program


Are you looking for some marketing magic?

Are you looking for a powerful marketing tool that you can implement immediately?

Are you looking for something where you don't have to do any of the work?

If your answer to any of these questions is YES, then pay close attention.

Monthly newsletters help develop customer (patient, client, referral source) loyalty and solidify long-term relationships by building trust and confidence in you, your staff and your practice.  Mailing direct response, print newsletters are not new.  The concept is right on but their cost and the effort can VERY quickly outweigh their effectiveness.

O&P is a business.
You've got all kinds of economic pressures.  HIPAA compliance.  Medicare regulations.  OSHA regulations, facility accreditation....the list goes on.  You need to run your practice like a business
You need to use basic marketing principles to retain existing patients, referral sources and influencers (customers) and to prospect for new ones.  The Internet is redefining how an O&P practice is run and how you communicate with and market. 

You are an expert.  Shouldn't you be seen that way?
Perception is everything in the eyes of potential customers. 
Do they see you as the practitioner who will do the best job, kept up with all the new technology, components and techniques? Have you them about all the continuing education courses you've taken? Meetings you've attended?

The best way to communicate this and to position your practice - to make your business look the way you think it should -  is to communicate regularly and consistently with your target markets.  Pictures.  Articles.  Office news.  Staff changes.  Insurance updates.  Industry news. 
Even your most loyal patients need to be reminded about who you are, what services you provide, what charitable organizations and activities you support.  People are busy.  They forget unless they are reminded - often.  Stay in front of people and you'll stay top of mind.
You can communicate with all your patients, referral sources, potential patients and referral sources, colleagues, media AND track how successful and cost-effective your efforts are.

If you wanted to keep in touch the old-fashioned way, you could send a color newsletter to your mailing list every month.  Who's going to write it? Who's going to print it? How much is it going to cost if you print it out yourself versus sending it to the printer? How will you get it to patients? Will you mail it out? Who's going to address them and put the postage on? How large is your list? Is everyone going to get one? Once it's mailed, how do you know who's received it and who's read it?
Lots of work for you (or someone on your staff) and LOTS of money and - unless someone calls to tell you they read it - NO quantifiable results.    Wow, bummer!

The answer?

The answer is a program is called "Horn Tooter" - Customer Relationship Builder.
We design and format your email newsletter for you.  We provide your web developer with the code for your sign up box for your website.  We develop all the content. Remember, all web sites are reactive in that you have to rely on people to consciously make a decision to search for and visit your site.  Your email newsletter is proactive.  It is sent out to your list and it brings people back to your site.  Talk about proactively driving traffic to your site! Every month your professionally designed, full-color email newsletter will be sent out with informative articles, eye-catching images and links. 

POWERFUL, REPETITIVE MARKETING

And you don't have to do any of the work.


The "Horn Tooter" allows you to target specific categories - as simple as orthotics or prosthetics - or more specific - such as upper extremity prosthetics or pediatrics.  They can be forwarded easily so customers who forward your newsletter to their friends and family become part of your marketing team.  Nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation

How will you know if it works? As part of your "Horn Tooter" program, you'll receive tracking reports.  You'll be notified every time someone signs up to receive your newsletter.  Whenever an issue goes out, you'll receive statistics on who opened the email newsletter - right down to the date and time they opened it, what links they clicked on and who they forwarded it to.  In addition, as part of the program, everyone who signs up for your newsletter will receive a custom email thank you letter from you, thanking them for signing up and becoming part of your online community.
They'll love it.  Every time an issue goes out, people will respond.  You'll see - they love being kept up to date on what's new in orthotics and prosthetics, what's new with your staff and they love to read stories and testimonials

By now, you should be emotionally involved in the belief that using an email newsletter as part of your overall marketing plan can be fun, effective and can instantly set you apart from your competition.  You might still have some concerns.

"We don't have very many email addresses so it wouldn't be cost-effective."  It doesn't matter.  Just get started and everything will quickly fall into place.  Unlike print newsletters, the cost doesn't fluctuate and once you start informing people - on your website and using word of mouth - they'll sign up.  Just think about how many patients you see in a month. 

"I don't have time for marketing" OR "I hate 'marketing"." You don't have to do anything.  We do it for you.  You don't have to like "marketing." We do it for you.  (You'll love the results, though!)

"My patients don't all have email addresses.  Not everybody will get the email newsletter."
You're right.  BUT, a lot of them do have email addresses and more and more people are online every single day (there are over 1.7 billion internet users worldwide) AND unlike sending them something in the mail and never, ever knowing if they got it or opened it up, you'll know right away!

Marketing Magic. Get It. TODAY.