22nd Annual Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference - Booth No. 106

LAS VEGAS — Armada will participate in the National Consortium of Breast Centers’ (NCoBC) annual convention March 10-14 in Las Vegas. NCoBC brings health professionals together from all over the world to discuss latest technologies and practices in breast cancer and disease detection. Armada Medical Marketing, exhibiting at booth No. 106, will share its services and expertise in marketing women’s imaging and cancer treatment services.

“A comprehensive and integrated marketing program can help a hospital or breast center effectively demonstrate its expertise and differentiate it from competitors as a way to increase patient volume,” said Jim Koehler, president at Armada Medical Marketing and an attendee at the upcoming conference.

For more than a decade, Armada has provided integrated marketing solutions to health care practitioners and medical device manufacturers. The agency’s unique talents in medical marketing result  in marketing strategies and tactics that cost-effectively achieve clients’ goals, including acquiring new patients, boosting professional referrals, improving patient loyalty and building awareness and preference within the community.

Follow the conference happenings with Armada on Twitter by using #NCoBC in your tweets.

RBMA’s “Building Better Radiology Marketing Programs” – Booth No. 211

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Armada Medical will attend and exhibit at the Radiology Business Management Association’s (RBMA) “Building Better Radiology Marketing Programs” conference March 18-20 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Armada is the 2012 RBMA Brass Level Sponsor for the organization’s three conferences this year. Also a RBMA Corporate Member, Armada joins the most creative and talented radiology marketing professionals in the business at this year’s marketing-focused program. Jim Koehler and Jennifer Crump-Bertram from the Armada team will exhibit in booth No. 211. They will be available to share our agency’s medical marketing expertise in planning and implementing integrated campaigns, including social media, public relations and physician referral marketing.

Armada also entered the RBMA 2012 Quest Awards, which recognize agencies and centers that excel in their marketing efforts. Entries will be judged by experts in the field, and the winners will be announced at the RBMA gathering.

Amanda is a PR Account Manager at Armada and contributor to the Periscope Blog.

What we like:

• It’s very visual: Timeline for brands features a giant 851 x 315 pixel banner photo — real estate made for your latest ad, campaign message or view into the brand’s culture.
• Everyone has to conform: While Coca-Cola, American Express and Wal-Mart were privy to the Timeline template early on, the other 37 million brand pages will all be in the same boat and switch over in the coming weeks.
• T-minus three weeks: Brands will be able to preview the new look and feel before going live.
• Front and center: With the new Timeline view of brand pages, the content a brand creates is front and center. The posts, images and videos that used to appear as a line item on the Wall are now big boxes that can be moved up, down or “pinned” (for seven days at a time) to the top left corner on the Timeline.
• Historical data: Brands now have a place to share their history and point out milestones, backdating all the way to when the company was founded. A Timeline navigation bar on the left lets users jump to different years in a brand’s history.
• Customer service: With the new direct Messaging functionality, fans are able to interact directly with brands by sending them messages. Brands may then respond as the brand, something that was not possible before.
• Administrative dashboard: Facebook brand page managers can more readily access insight data — now in real time — and until March 30, get a tour of the new Timeline features before making the switch permanently.

What we’ll miss:

• Welcome landing pages: Brands can no longer direct non-fans to specific tabs by default. Everyone lands on the Timeline.
• Custom tabs: A menu of pages within the Facebook brand page, we utilized this space for many of our clients’ brochures, highlighted publicity, social media policies and even shared holiday hours. With the new design, you can still have these, but only three are prominently featured on the page.
• Where are the apps: Linking your page to Twitter, YouTube and others via apps was a smart way to connect your social media identities. Now, however, what used to be text links are now thumbnail photos buried under and overshadowed by the massive cover above.
• No more favorite pages: One of our Facebook suggestions has always been to cross-promote and like other organizations, businesses and brand pages on Facebook. The list of these pages is no longer on the main page, but on the Timeline and could be buried pretty far down.

We’re excited for the new layout, and just when we’ve mastered the traditional brand page layout! But that’s the nature of the digital marketing and social media beast: it’s always changing and adapting.

The new Timeline will bring a new way for brands to tell their stories in a more vibrant and engaging way. Take a look for yourself:

Credits from our research! Thanks to those already “figuring” it out:

• prbreakfastclub.com
• socialmediatoday.com
• insidefacebook.com
• techcrunch.com
• kikolani.com
• blueglobalmedia.com
• socialmouths.com

What do you think about the new Timeline for Facebook pages?

Micki is Armada’s Twin Cities Office Manager, Director of Social Media and Senior Account Manager.

Here in the Twin Cities, we’re proud of our northern accent — if you’re thinking of the movie “Fargo” then think again, that’s in North Dakota!

We’re also proud of the innovations in medical technology and top health care facilities located in the state of 10,000 lakes.

We, as in the Armada team, are very excited to announce the expansion of our services outside of our Denver headquarters to the medical mecca of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Armada’s Twin Cities office opened in January and is home to the agency’s social media group, as well as account services serving Minnesota-based companies.

I’m Micki Sievwright, a Stillwater, Minn., native and veteran health care marketer, and I’m leading the charge as our Minnesota office manager, as well as Armada’s Director of Social Media and a Senior Account Manager. I’ve been with Armada since 2008 leading PR and social media campaigns and managing client accounts.

I attended the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul and earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and English. From 2010-2011, I was a member of the Board of Directors for the Colorado Healthcare Communicators professional association through which Armada has earned accolades for marketing excellence.

I’m looking forward to showing health care companies in Minneapolis and Saint Paul what Armada Medical is capable of. The digital age has brought so many new and cost effective marketing and social media tools into play, and it’s my job to help my clients take advantage of them to reach their sales goals.

Armada’s Minnesota office is located at 370 Selby Avenue, Suite 303 in Saint Paul, in the historical Dacotah Building in the Cathedral Hill Business District.

For more information, please call us in Minnesota at 651-228-1220 or, as always, connect with us online: www.armadamedical.com, facebook.com/ArmadaMedicalMarketing, @ArmadaMedical and here on the Periscope blog!

Micki is Armada’s Twin Cities Office Manager, Director of Social Media and Senior Account Manager.

Armada will design a strategic communications campaign to increase product awareness of The Rejuvenator among consumers, health care professionals and key markets. Campaign components will include direct-to-consumer and medical professional marketing in addition to strengthening social media efforts.

The Rejuvenator (at left) is a tent-like, portable barometric therapy device that provides drug-free relief from inflammatory pain and neurological conditions using elevated barometric pressure.

The Rejuvenator works by safely increasing the barometric pressure by about five percent, which is equivalent to the air pressure found at the level of the Dead Sea in the Middle East — about 1,300 feet below sea level.

Unlike hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chambers, The Rejuvenator does not use supplemental oxygen, making it safer, less expensive and easier to use while still delivering the same therapeutic benefits.

Our medical marketing program will be specifically tailored to Baro-Therapies Inc. to raise awareness of their brand and promote their product to a national audience. Their primary product, The Rejuvenator, is an effective alternative therapy that we believe has excellent potential in multiple markets.

For more information about our marketing services:

• Click on over to our website: www.ArmadaMedical.com
• Take a peak at what we’re doing for our other clients on this blog at www.ArmadaMedical.com/blog
• Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArmadaMedicalMarketing
• Connect with us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ArmadaMedical

Jim is Armada’s President.

Baro-Therapies Launches The Rejuvenator

Armada collaborated with Baro-Therapies on a national effort to get the word out about The Rejuvenator, an innovative, portable barometric therapy device that provides drug-free relief from inflammatory pain and neurological conditions using elevated barometric pressure.

The Rejuvenator is a spacious, tent-like enclosure that can be easily assembled anywhere. It works by safely increasing the barometric pressure by about five percent, which is equivalent to the air pressure found at the level of the Dead Sea in the Middle East (about 1,300 feet below sea level).

Baro-Therapies founder and The Rejuvenator inventor Hollis Risley (at right with the device) explained that unlike hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chambers, The Rejuvenator does not use supplemental oxygen, which requires careful monitoring by a qualified medical attendant. This makes The Rejuvenator safer, less expensive and easier to use while still delivering the same therapeutic benefits.

“This has truly been a labor of love for me and my family, and we’re most excited about the chance to help millions who suffer from pain, inflammation and other diseases and disorders that cause so much pain, loss of productivity and diminished quality of life,” Risley said.

Read more: Baro-Therapies Launches The Rejuvenator Barometric Therapy Device

Atherotech Diagnostics Lab on ‘The Doctors’ TV Show

Our PR team worked on the producers at “The Doctors” TV show since its inception in 2008 to feature our client’s patented advanced cholesterol test. Last month the show aired its “10 Ways to Live a Longer Life” episode and aimed the spotlight on the VAP Cholesterol Test and its many benefits.

Dr. Travis Stork of “The Doctors” TV show interviewed Dr. Michael Cobble, chief medical officer at Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, about a the VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) test. The test, which reports 22 components of cholesterol, provides a more accurate, individualized, and comprehensive picture of heart disease and diabetes risk. Watch the video below!

Amanda is a PR Account Manager.

It’s an extremely busy and stressful time of year for everyone, but we would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to reflect on the past year and extend our thanks to those who have made such a difference for our company and its continued success:

We are thankful for our clients, for without them there could be no Armada Medical Marketing. We thank you for entrusting us with your marketing challenges, for listening to our recommendations, and for seeing us as a valued partner in your quest to build a better company.

We are thankful for our staff, for their hard work and dedication, their loyalty to our company and co-workers, their long hours and personal sacrifices, their talents and abilities, their wonderful ideas and excellent senses of humor that make every day a real blessing.

We are thankful for our vendors — partners, really — for their can-do attitude, their willingness to accommodate sometimes ridiculous deadlines, their patience and their flexibility.

We are thankful for the U.S. health care system and the doctors and innovators who have made it the best and most advanced medical care in the world. Despite its problems, we know that our clients are doing their best to make health care safer, more effective and more affordable for every American.

We are thankful to our peers within Colorado Healthcare Communicators, for making us one of the most award-winning agencies for the second year in a row. (Woo Hoo!!!)

And we are thankful to our families and friends, for their love, their patience and the many, many ways they enrich our lives.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

Jim is Armada’s president.

And in this season of giving thanks, we’re thanking you for subscribing to our blog as well as liking Armada Medical Marketing on Facebook and following us on Twitter. Not sure how to do all that? Here’s our first How-To:

Facebook: “Like” Us

Step 1: Visit facebook.com/ArmadaMedicalMarketing

Step 2: Log into your Facebook Account (if you do not have an account setup on Facebook, no worries, we have a step-by-step guide below)

Step 3: Click the “Like” button just to the right of the page’s title, Armada Medical Marketing

Step 4: You will now receive news from Armada’s Facebook page in your personal Facebook newsfeed. You are also encouraged to visit our page and engage with content on the Wall: like a post, comment on a photo, or share relevant health care marketing news.

Facebook: Sign Up

Step 1: Visit facebook.com/ArmadaMedicalMarketing

Step 2: Click on the green button on the left that says “Sign Up”

Step 3: Enter your personal information. Then click “Sign Up”

Step 4: Enter the security code on the screen. Then click “Sign Up”

Step 5: You may find “Friends” through your email database, fill out your profile information, and upload a profile photo of yourself

Step 6: Go to the email you registered with to complete the sign-up process. Look for the email with subject line “Just one more step to get started on Facebook.” You may be asked to enter the confirmation code listed in the email. Click on the green button “Complete Sign-up.”

Step 7: You will be directed to Facebook and see a box that states that you have successfully completed sign-up on Facebook.

Step 8: In your browser, enter facebook.com/ArmadaMedicalMarketing

Step 9: Click the “Like” button just to the right of the page’s title, Armada Medical Marketing

Step 10: You will now receive news from Armada’s Facebook page in your personal Facebook newsfeed. You are also encouraged to visit our page and engage with content on the Wall: like a post, comment on a photo, or share relevant health care marketing news.

Want help managing your Facebook profile? Click here to get tools from Facebook and learn about editing your profile, privacy settings, and more to customize your Facebook profile.

Twitter: Follow Us

Step 1: Visit twitter.com/armadamedical

Step 2: Sign into your Twitter Account (if you do not have an account setup on Twitter, fear not, we have a step-by-step guide below)

Step 3: Click the “Follow” button underneath our logo

Step 4: You will now receive news from Armada’s Twitter page in your personal newsfeed. You are also encouraged to engage with tweets by Armada, by: mentioning @ArmadaMedical in your tweets, retweeting Armada’s posts and suggesting to others to follow @ArmadaMedical.

Twitter: Sign Up

Step 1: Visit twitter.com/armadamedical

Step 2: Sign up by entering your name, email and choose a password in the grey box on the right, titled: “Stay in touch with Armada Medical. Join Twitter right now.” Then click “Sign up.”

Step 3: Twitter will tell you if the username you registered with is available. If it is not, Twitter will suggest alternatives or you can change your username. Click on “Create my account.”

Step 4: You now follow Armada on Twitter.

Step 5: Twitter will launch a brief tutorial on how to successful use the social media platform, as well as suggest others to follow.

Step 6: Confirm your email address to access all of Twitter’s features. A confirmation message will be sent to the email address you registered with. After clicking on the link to confirm in your email, you will be redirected to Twitter and have access to all that Twitter offers.

Want help customizing your Twitter profile? Click here to grab Twitter’s tools telling you how to add an image, bio and more to customize your Twitter profile.

Questions?

You’re welcome to use the good ol’ standard email to further inquire about social media. Email us by clicking here.

Happy Halloween! It’s the last day in October and most of us are putting away the pink and donning our pumpkin orange. Pink has become the international symbol for dedication to Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). And this year we saw more and more efforts drawing upon awareness, support and knowledge.

Months ago, when we were collaborating on radiology marketing strategies for our diagnostic imaging clients, we recommended adding a highly focused on social media component for BCAM in addition to traditional marketing communications.

Our Objective

Reach out to patients on Facebook and arm them with valuable health information.

Our Method

Utilize apps on Facebook to share our October BCAM advertisements and urge visitors to learn more about our clients, their services and early detection via a quiz. Armada developed customized landing pages for each client’s Facebook page and then directed fans to take a Breast Cancer Awareness Month Quiz to test their knowledge. To see some examples of our customized landing pages, click on one of the links below:

• Sound Medical Imaging (Puyallup, Wash.)

• Radiology Associates of Hartford (Enfield, Conn.)

• Northern Arizona Radiology (Flagstaff, Ariz.)

• Concord Imaging Center (Concord, NH)

Facebook apps used (click to learn more about integrating these apps):

• Survey Monkey for quizzes
• fanBUILDer for landing pages

Advertisement for Northern Arizona Radiology:

Our Results

Using analytics provided by Facebook and tracking the Survey Monkey responses allowed us to monitor the success of our campaign. The number of “Likes” grew across the board for these clients. And most importantly, our level of engagement with visitors to these Facebook pages increased to reflect new fans, comments and post likes.

Armada works with diagnostic imaging clients around the nation and uses social media to keep consumers up-to-date on new screening technologies, educated on current news regarding health topics, aware of reminders to schedule mammograms and in-the-know on upcoming wellness events. Contact us to learn more about social media and what it can do for your practice, company or bottom line!

Micki is Armada’s Director of Social Media and Senior Account Manager.

We’re staying true to our word and last Thursday took home four awards for excellence in marketing, public relations, social media and creative design. Armada received three Silver Leaf Awards and one Bronze Leaf Award for its work.

Social media honors

You may have also read on this blog recently about our partnership with a lipidologist, affiliated with our client Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, who has taken the blogosphere by storm. We’re proud to say that Cobble’s Corner blog stood out in the online categories, winning: 

• Silver Leaf Award: Social Media – Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, “Cobble’s Corner Blog: From Lipid Geek to Top Doc”
• Silver Leaf Award: Writing For Online Distribution – “Cobble’s Corner Blog Deconstructs Lipidology” Campaign

Banners that did get noticed

We made a point to highlight these massive banners on our blog, not once, but twice, because of the success our client Sorin Group USA achieved at multiple trade shows (Banners You Just Couldn’t Miss, Part I and Banners You Just Couldn’t Miss, Part II). We’re pleased to say the Gold Leaf Awards judges did more than notice the banners, they choose a Silver Leaf Award to bestow upon it.

• Silver Leaf Award: Multimedia Advertising Campaign – Sorin Heart Valves, “Critics’ Choice” Campaign

Program that is turning heads

Our work with client Affiliates in Imaging directly influenced a positive perception rating that tripled after a communications campaign was launched. Armada’s plan increased physician communication through newsletters, “doc-to-doc” letters and a series of brochures.

• Bronze Leaf Award: Internal Communication Program – Affiliates in Imaging “Affiliates Image Turnaround” Campaign

Our 2011 Gold Leaf Awards are a great testament to the level of expertise and hard work our team puts into each client’s project. Year after year, our advertising and communications programs earn accolades. This year is no different.

We’re also excited to be honored for our work in medical blogging — social media can only grow as a differentiator for Armada.

Did you know

Armada Medical Marketing is the medical marketing division of GD&A Advertising & Public Relations of Denver, Colo. We focus on clients in diagnostic and preventive imaging, retail medicine, medical equipment, supplies and devices, and related products and services. Our parent company GD&A was founded in 1975 and provides marketing, advertising and public relations services for local, national and international clients. GD&A also provides interactive and direct marketing services and specializes in integrated marketing campaigns for consumer, technology, business-to-business and other clients.

Jim is Armada’s president.

The Japanese consider business to be a form of warfare. Some American companies understand this, but medical manufacturers and practices are hesitant to adopt this line of thinking, perhaps due to the scientific or “collaborative” nature of the medical business. Doctors and researchers are collegial; they want to be respected, and an aggressive posture might negatively impact their reputation.

The bottom line, however, is this: You made a better device, test or treatment available because you knew you could make a difference.

For the most noble of reasons, you believed you could save lives or improve the patient’s quality of life. But now, you are being attacked for it. You may have expected your competitors to come after you, but you didn’t think members of the physician community would, too.

No one is playing fair — lies, misinformation, lawsuits, accusations and more lies everywhere you turn. The bigger your competition, the less scrupulous they can be. It seems that so many are conspiring to destroy you.

You are already at war. And the stakes are very, very high.

It’s time to begin practicing business warfare, and the strategies and tactics you must now employ will be more daring and more forceful than anything you’ve done in the past.

To begin, let’s look at an example of some of the most effective marketing in the health care industry.

Although they are demonized by the media and politicians, “Big Pharma” knows how to change physician practice patterns. They use marketing very effectively, and are not afraid to go after their competition when required. If the prescribing physician stands in the way of a new drug being adopted, they take their case directly to the patient in the form of highly effective consumer advertising campaigns.

“Sure,” you say. “But who has that kind of money to spend?”

Well, you do. Whether you’re a mid-sized manufacturer or a small specialized practice, you already earmark a portion of your annual budget for marketing. You simply use the same tactics as the pharmaceutical companies do, just on a smaller and far more efficient scale.

You may need to revisit how much you invest in marketing. Don’t listen to financial “experts” who tell you that marketing should be “X percent” of your budget. Marketing needs to be WHATEVER percent of your budget that is required to get the job done.

Funding for a clinical trial is not your marketing budget. It is a cost of your doing business, and in the beginning, it may be a sizeable chunk of it. But unless you have marketing dollars left over to promote the results of your trial to physicians, you’ll get nowhere. And simply getting your study published isn’t enough when the physicians — by their own admission — don’t even have the time to read their journals.

Marketing is going to be a very powerful ally in the war you’re waging.

Here’s how to do it correctly. To begin, develop a marketing plan that includes:

• overall strategy
• tactics
• measurement metrics
• budget
• list of all market opportunities
• list of what might impede your success

Gather your executive leadership team and agree on a strong market positioning statement and messaging platform that will impact and appeal to your target audiences.

Make business intelligence a priority and do what you can to anticipate the likely next moves of your competition. You didn’t think they were just going to sit idly by while you marched in and took all their market share, did you?

Put in place metrics to measure the ROI of ALL of your marketing tactics. Chances are, you haven’t tracked your progress and successes as well as you may have liked. But now you have a limited budget and you must be sure it is being invested wisely.

Think about that wonderful little restaurant that opened a bit off the beaten path and then closed a year later because it failed to attract enough customers. The owners believed the quality of food and exceptional reviews would be enough to make them successful. But they were doomed from the start.

Marketing is the key. Marketing has always been the key.

If, like the Japanese believe, business is “war,” then marketing is a series of battles designed to penetrate the minds of your customers and influence them to action.

If you are the challenger, you go directly after the current market leader in an aggressive fashion. You do not passively promote your solution … you attack the outdated test or technology and offer a viable, clinically proven alternative. You push the boundaries without breaking them, and you don’t slink away at the first letter you receive from a competitor’s attorney.

You prioritize and concentrate your budget. Just as with an army in war, you do not have the resources to attack on all fronts … so you choose your competitors’ weakest points and exploit them. As you grow, you allocate more of your earnings to your “war chest” and constantly seek to expand your influence and eradicate the remainder of your competitor’s strongholds.

It takes time, but when you set your objectives and systematically deploy your resources to attain them, you can measure the increase of your market share year after year.

Bringing a new and better way to practice medicine is a long, but worthwhile endeavor. Because when you think about it, just like in war, there really are lives at stake.

Jim is Armada’s President.