Everyone's doing it... integrated marketing

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Direct Marketing News published a great article about non-profit higher education competing in the online marketing tactics.

The article makes reference to for-profit universities previously dominating this space. However, aside from increasing competition for students and tuition, university marketing staffs should be looking at the bigger picture.

All of the top target publics that universities need to communicate with are online.  A large majority of them are also very active on social media.   Potential students, current students, their parents and recent graduate alumni are very important influencers.  Two things in higher education marketing are going to continue to grow in importance:

1) Targeted, personalized communications.  Colleges and universities need to be where their targets are with relevant messages to offer.  As competition for tuition and funding grows, schools need to have the insight to know as much information as possible about their most key targets and get in front of them. Location still plays a big role in choosing and staying connected to a college, as do personal referrals. Digital marketing and online social networking will greatly enhance university marketing efforts.

2) Online search. Having a strong, engaging and interactive online presence will keep schools at the top of prospective students and donors lists.  Marketing departments should make a very strategic effort to keep online content fresh to keep them at the top of searches.  Competing both geographically and by special interest is key.  Additionally, quickly communicate what the [insert college/university] experience is like to get browsers into your sites.

Higher education institutions have it easy when is comes to content: interesting people, cutting-edge programs, expert resources and sports and entertainment.  Maximizing the use of that content with the best mix of marketing channels is where this field's focus should be.

Manufacturing and Healthcare Finally Showing Social Media Adoption

A recent study by International Data Corporation, featured in Bulldog Reporter identified the latest social media trends across industry verticals.  manufacturing and healthcare marketing have notoriously been on the list of the industries lagging on the social media front.  This study shows that some of these slow adopters are finally coming around.

However, there is still a lot of work to be done.  These verticals are not fully utilizing social media tools for highly effective engagement and, most importantly, interactive communications.  Social media is a great platform for increasing brand, product and service awareness, but that is just one facet of the channel and if companies ignore the other interests of their targets they are doing themselves and their potential customers a disservice.

Many organizations across industries are still facing some of the basic challenges of lack of time or resources to dedicate to social media and skeptical c-suites, but manufacturing and healthcare are both particularly unique candidates due to some of the following commonly cited challenges.

Manufacturing:

1. We're a B2B company. 
• Social media is not always about quantity, but should be about quality.  A smaller or midsize B2B manufacturer might not have the same appeal to the masses as a large direct-to-market product manufacturer but, social media can give those companies access to key influencers through highly targeted groups and discussions that might prove to be leads or at least a great resource for knowledge and expertise.
2. Our processes are highly complex (i.e. we don't have anything to share).
• Do beware of jargon-heavy content, unless it is in the context of a discussion with other in-the-know industry folks.  In general, focus on the business lessons surrounding processes or product more so than the technical details.  What did you learn during a certain project or in the face of a challenge?  What was the end result?  How are you helping your clients or growing your business? This is what people find interesting and shareable.
3. Even our industry audience is a narrow one.
• Consider the contacts to be made with organizations or persons outside of your customer base.  Other industry experts across the world, innovation experts, potential employees, current employees. Ultimately, online social networking follows the same principle of traditional networking: You can never know too many people and you never know where your next lead might come from.

Healthcare:

1. Policy is a big concern. 
• Healthcare facilities deal with sensitive information and complicated protection policies when it involves sharing patient information. Understood.  Work with the appropriate experts to ensure the organization and patients are legally protected. There is also plenty of information to be shared regarding new procedures available, widespread health concerns, tips for healthy living, etc.  Most healthcare facilities are likely already incorporating an informative sharing approach in much of their traditional media tactics, why not social media?
2. Conflicting interests and politics.
• This is a common concern for larger healthcare facilities that have many departments, varying teams of physicians and other staffers all with a different agenda.  There is no reason everyone can't or shouldn't get their fair share of the social media pie.  Create a formalized process for submitting content through your agency and marketing dept.  If appropriate, have multiple pages, groups and channels for communicating the various subject matter important to all parts of your organization and publics.
3. What about reputation management?
• Like any other company with a "customer service" component, you are going to have dissatisfied patients and critics.  This is somewhat elevated in the healthcare industry because the consequences of a bad patient experience or complaint about a prescription drug can rise above an annoyance.  We are dealing with the well-being of people.  That said, those patients with very few exceptions, are all online.  Many of them are going online to talk about their experience regardless of whether your organization is online or not.  At this stage in the game, it only makes sense to have a presence to both manage and defend against the bad and leverage the good.  Not to mention, to learn from customer feedback more efficiently and comprehensively than ever before.

As for my last tidbit of advice on this front.  Social media was a totally new, foreign territory to everyone not so long ago. Your organization, leaders and marketing department have been busy doing the jobs they are meant to do.  Have questions? Feel overwhelmed by the concerns and challenges?  Concerned about time and budgetary resources?  Meet with a professional marketing firm to discuss your options in social media strategy. Healthcare and manufacturing professionals understand more than some other industries that there are just some instances that require a truly specified expert.