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Sprockets
Think of our blog as a window where you can see what's new with us, our clients and the demand creation world we operate in. To close the loop between advertising and sales, we find ourselves in interesting places: cornfields, laboratories, retail stores, bank lobbies and more. Enjoy our tales. Be sure to share yours.
May 11, 2012

Healthcare In The Palm Of Your Hand

Erin Foster, Account Manager, Healthcare Practice Group
I don’t know what I’d do without my phone.  It keeps me connected – with work, with family, with my toddler’s babysitter.  It reminds me of appointments.  It keeps me informed.  It holds my schedules, my contacts, my emails, my pictures, my newsfeed, my calendar.  And maybe, a game or two  — just for fun.

But I could not have predicted a day when a smartphone like mine would become instrumental in the medical care of patients.  A recent article published in InformationWeek, (“Pick Up Your Smartphone: The Doctor’s Calling“) reports that healthcare providers are increasingly using this new technology to reach out to patients – including underserved populations who may not have traditional desktop computers, but do have mobile phones.

Here at Technekes, we incorporate the same technology in our Patient Assistance Program platform, giving drug manufacturers a tool for reminding patients to re-apply for the program.

And that, I believe, is only the beginning.  At Technekes, we can verify PAP eligibility, inform patients of their status, and confirm shipping via phone, text or email.

The opportunity and technology is there – allowing us to reach patients in need in a way never before possible.

If only it could have dinner ready when I get home at night.

Author admin
0
April 18, 2012

No Samples?
No Office Visits?
No Problem.

Liz Reese, Sales Trainer, Healthcare Practice Group

For years, a pharma rep could predict, with nearly 100% accuracy, the first question a doctor would ask following a product presentation:  “Do you have any samples?”

Increasingly, the answer is “no.”  According to a recent article in Medical Marketing & Media, industry support for samples dropped 25% from 2007 to 2011.

From a rep’s perspective, that’s a landshift if not a downright earthquake.  Still, I’d contend that answering “no” to a sample request is not a bad thing.  Smart pharma marketers still have plenty of options – options that are more affordable, more manageable and result in measurable results.

Co-pay cards or coupons, for example, can be great alternatives.  Not only are they are cost-effective to print and ship (no worries about packaging or inventory maintenance, either) but they are 100% trackable.  Manufacturers can see exactly when and where coupons are redeemed.

That isn’t to say that there won’t be occasions for sampling.  With our RepOnCall programs, we’ve found we can still offer samples – but can do so more affordably and intelligently by extending the offer only at the end of the conversation – and to healthcare professionals who have a genuine need and desire for samples.   And isn’t that a smarter solution for patients, manufacturers and healthcare providers alike?

If you’d like to know more about Technekes RepOnCall, visit our website or call Bobbie Montgomery, vice president, Healthcare Practice Group at 704.817.5682.

Author Cheri
0
February 29, 2012

Technekes’ Team To Show
“True Colors”

Technekes is proud to support four teammates from the Raleigh office who will carry on our corporate tradition of “giving back” by participating in Relay For Life this spring.

Relay For Life celebrates and remembers individuals who have fought cancer.  To raise funds, Michelle Palatine, Liz Montgomery, Kelly Gilliam, and Luke Williams are putting together a team of Technekes’ employees to circle the track at NC State University with other Relay For Life teams, April 13.

The Technekes team, named “Cancer Never Sleeps,” will take turns walking the track all night long during the event.  “Cancer Never Sleeps” also plans a few fundraisers in advance of Relay For Life, and has designated teal, orange, and blue* as their team colors.  What we can do is show our support by “liking” the team on Facebook, making a donation on their website, or even better— doing a few laps with them on the 13th.

It’s a terrific cause – and by supporting our team, perhaps we can all get a better night’s sleep.

* Teal represents ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer awareness.  Orange represents leukemia awareness.  Blue represents colon and prostate cancer awareness.

 

Author Cheri
0
February 16, 2012

The Most-Read Part Of Every Email

Preston Fay, Chief Marketing Officer, Founder

What is the one line of your email that virtually everyone on the distribution list will read?

Here’s a clue:  It’s not the personalized greeting.  Not the elegant logo and tagline.  Not the compelling offer.   Not even the urgent “P.S.”

It’s the subject line.

Yes, a subject line is short (hopefully) and disposable (sadly), but it’s also an essential tipping point, determining whether the reader even opens your message.  That’s a lot of responsibility in a few dozen characters.

According to Badin, maker of the email plugin Boomerang, the average email user receives 146 messages a day, of which 71 (nearly half!) are deleted.   All the more reason, then, that your subject line should be the hardest-working part of your communication.

I see subject lines like the blurbs on magazine covers in the grocery store checkout line.  Those blurbs aren’t written to summarize the article or tout the publisher’s mission statement or uphold the magazine’s brand.  They’re written to be irresistible.  They’re written to snag a shopper’s attention, prompt him or her to pick up the magazine, flip to a specific article, and quickly decide to make the purchase – all before the last bottle of shampoo slides across the scanner.

That’s why, instead of blurbs like “Our experienced and dedicated editorial staff has worked diligently to leverage expansive and innovative educational content regarding satisfying your stakeholders,” we see blurbs like, “Seven ways to drive your partner wild.”

There are, of course, guidelines to consider when drafting email subject lines.  A subject line should be relevant, accurately reflecting the message of the email itself.  A subject line should be concise.  Study after study indicates that the shorter the subject line, the higher the open rate.  We also know that even when a longer subject line is “clicked open,” the reader likely does not read the subject line in its entirety.  The writer should also bear in mind that longer subject lines may be truncated.  Depending upon the mail server, a subject line may be automatically “shortened” to fit.  (AOL’s character limit, for example, is 60.  Yahoo’s is 47.)

These constraints; however, should only make us work harder, giving subject lines the respect they deserve – and empowering them to do their singular, short-lived job – get your email opened.

Author Preston
0
February 7, 2012

Cash? What kind of a “gift” is that?

by Alex Dowlin, Vice President, Healthcare Practice

Years ago, in an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry gives Elaine a stack of bills — $182 altogether — for her birthday.  Her incredulous response went along these lines, “Cash?  Cash?  You gave me cash?”  Kramer, also disbelieving, chimes in, “Cash?  You gotta be kidding.  What kind of a gift is that?  That’s like something her uncle would get her.”

I think of that episode every time a company asks why they should offer incentives over cold, hard cash.

For starters, incentive items have longevity — or to use an industry term, they are “sticky.”  Cash bonuses are fleeting – usually spent quickly and spent entirely.  An incentive, i.e., “gift” is different.  It has a shelf-life.  Whether an iPod listened to every day or a set of golf clubs used occasionally, a gift stays around.

Because they are tangible, incentive items also lend themselves to emotional memories.  Cash, on the other hand, is seen as more utilitarian.  Bonuses are often spent in mundane ways like paying down bills or are simply absorbed into everyday purchases.  An incentive, i.e., a “gift” is different.  It has staying power.  When a sales associate listens to her new iPod or prepares dinner on his new Weber gas grill, they remember how they chose and received the gift.  And while it stays around, the “gift” reminds the recipient of the “giver” – the company that provided the reward.

And finally, cold, hard cash is well, cold and hard.  Studies have found that employees come to regard cash bonuses as “expected,” rather than something special.  The recipients don’t feel any lasting warmth as a result of receiving a cash bonus.   Furthermore, it’s hard to talk about cash, depriving the recipient of “bragging rights.”  Few people want to – or in some cases, are even allowed to – tell friends and extended family about a bonus received.  On the other hand, they’ll speak freely, openly and kindly about the appliances, boats or trips receive.

Bottom line, I think Kramer got it right, “Cash?  What kind of a gift is that?”

 

 

Author admin
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