"Ho! Ho! Ho! Surgery is fun!"

Who else would come up with such a line besides an Interactive Team obsessed with healthcare marketing? OK, maybe a team of surgeons. But when we created Operation Santa this fall we had our clients, family and friends in mind.

It's a simple, fun game that can help anyone – adult, kid, and marketer alike – beat the doldrums leading up to Santa's arrival.

Give it a play and please tell your friends. So far the fastest score at HC&B is :17 seconds.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

One of the many reasons that social media advocates love the medium is speed. Whatever you say, hear or find can be broadcast to an audience in real time. There's never been an easier way to publish so quickly.

When I first heard about the FDA hearings through Twitter a couple months ago, I knew there would be numerous social outlets for opinions. During the hearings I pulled out the Twitter hashtag search from my quiver and watched the action from my cube. It was like I was right there, save for the long flight and endless PowerPoints.

I found it surprising that only a few groups (Google, Ogilvy, JnJ, Yahoo) brought possible solutions to the table. Perhaps it's because the fair balance rules of traditional media are "semi" clear – don't over-promise and be sure to include legal information in your advertising. Or maybe everyone else thought it was best just to educate the government on how important online advertising and social media really are.

Armed with an onslaught of statistics, the FDA now has proof (albeit varying) that online mediums will continue to grow. But not everyone is happy with "one-click" suggestions, and the government will need to make decisions with patients in mind first. After all, our laws are designed to protect us.

Personally, I like the idea of using a certified logo that leads consumers to the correct indications and safety information. We can even go one step further and attach a line (30 characters or so) that describes the main concerns.

In the end, I think we'll find that – like the FDA originally stated – social media and online advertising are merely channels. Like all the other channels, they requires fair balance. For example, if you only have 140 characters to use through your Twitter channel, don't say anything that needs risk information. Instead lead them to a marketing microsite that has points you want to make AND includes the right safety notes.

There are certainly grey areas – what if we advertise our sleeping aid in a Hulu.com commercial? Do we need a link to important safety information, or is this considered broadcast and indications on the screen are enough?

Another example is content about your product that your company didn't create. Do you need to monitor what every one says? The general consensus from most marketers is that we should be responsible for content we create, and not the opinions of people who are not affiliated with the company. (I, by the way, am part of that general concensus.)

The great news is that the FDA will soon give us the guidelines that help shape our outreach. As an online marketer, I think I speak for all when I say "we want to use the web because people love it. Just tell us how and we will comply."

That won't happen until the latter part of 2010. When it does, I hope they release the regulations via the FDA Twitter page.

In the meantime, we're telling our clients to follow the leaders – disable comments on social media and use fair balance online. When people talk about your company, engage them in conversation. It's going to happen, just be sure to keep your claims in check.

Additional FDA hearing Information:
Transcripts
Webcast
FDAsm aggregate page

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How many emails do you think you’ve deleted in your life? Hundreds of thousands? More?

It turns out that most people get a sense of satisfaction by deleting messages that don’t meet their needs. Many take it further – up to 58% of people will leave an email list because the content isn’t relevant to them.

Some companies are OK with a paltry return on an email campaign – at least someone is reading their spiel. But you can show your expert email status with simple strategic tweaks that instill trust and build credibility in the eyes of your recipients.

Allow customers to define what they want from you
Many marketers feel that more is better – cast a wide net to get more fish. That’s not the case in email. Relevant, segmented messaging can help you achieve conversion rates that are up to five times higher than mass messages. While behind-the-scenes segmentation is common in marketing organizations, you can also give your recipients a say in it providing options when they opt in.

In the example shown here, Cleveland Clinic offers 15 different types of enewsletters. They empower their patients and advocates by giving them the option to choose what they want.

   Interested in sports health news? Sign up here.
   Women’s health news? Then this one is for you.

It’s an extra step, but one that always works.

If you’ve already started your campaigns, you can always email a series of opt-in messages that push people to sign up for the emails of their choice. Your list will be fresh, and your clients will be more inclined to read.

Match your online efforts to your customer’s day-to-day life
If your email list is up-to-date, consider adding email to the customer lifecycle, reaching out with content that is not only relevant, but also timely. For example, if a patient visits a medical center for a procedure, email the home care instructions to her inbox. If the patient needs a recurring prescription, a co-op coupon from a drug store chain is timely and valuable, especially when repeated just before his prescription is due for a refill. Touchpoints along the lifecycle will keep your content valuable and make your organization appear as the smart option.

Use subject lines that promote a benefit
Everyone subconsciously thinks “What's in it for me?” before they open an email. If your email content is about staying healthy as an amateur athlete, for example, a relevant subject line like “Five tips for training at home” will likely be opened. You only have 45 characters to craft your message and you might consider adding your company name in the subject line (along with a benefit). Studies show open rates could jump as high as 60% with the business name in the subject line.

Relevance is the easiest part of email creative
To make sure you are on the right track, simply ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this email offer value to the recipient?
• Is the content timely for the recipient?
• Is the content focused on the benefits for the recipient (and not our company features)?

Simple adjustments will keep your company top-of-mind as the credible option in your industry and keep customers coming back for your content. So be relevant, and get relevant returns on your investment.

The first two installments of our Blogging 101 series covered tips for creating a blog post and how to create a relevant post. But once you get decent content up on the web, how do you get people to read it?

There are several simple rules to follow, but overall you should think of your blog as an extension of your main site. And since you use the old fashioned personal communications (business cards, email signature lines, brochures, etc.,) to share your website URL, you should do the same with your blog URL.

Here are a few modern ways to promote your blog:

1. Tell your clients. Instead of a blanket statement, like “we have a blog. You should read it,” consider a more friendly approach. For instance, “we wrote an article that you might find interesting. Here’s the link.”

2. Add your blog to all search engines. Go to the most popular search engines, like Google, Bing and Yahoo and search for “Submit URL”. (Or just follow those links – we found them for you).

3. Claim your blog with Technorati, and submit it with Alltop.

4. Follow people who comment on your blog, explore their sites and be a part of the conversation with them. They’ll likely continue to read your offerings if you do.

5. PING it! Every time you post you should PING it, so your content gets updated on all search engines.

6. Offer an RSS feed. All blogs have RSS. Make it super easy for the visitors who enjoy your content to read your subsequent posts.

7. Tweet it. Do you have followers who like what you have to say in 140 characters? Show them you have something more to talk about.

8. Social bookmark it. Digg, Delicious – whatever service you use, be sure to mark your blog entries as your favorite.

9. Cross-link social bookmarks. Consider using your social bookmarking to show up on Facebook pages, your LinkedIn groups, Twitter and other places.

Remember, the more people interact within your community (through your conversation starters), the more likely they are to consider you as a person who understands their needs. Just keep your blog top of mind and it’s more likely to come up in conversations.

Now that you've set up your blog, but what do you say?

The tip to creating content is to first discover how your fit in your community, then to use your discovery to offer value. Are you the most well-known advocate? Or, do you crusade a topic like wellness? How are you percieved? How do you want to be perceived? Answering these questions with 100% honesty is just the start.

Once you determine your sweetspot, get to know your audience and write to them. Follow other blogs and see how people comment. Search on social media – are people talking about specific issues? What do people write about that brings the largest conversations? We're not suggesting you only write to those issues, but it's a good start.

Our reputation shines in the healthcare advertising field, and we love to share content. So we try to write posts that are helpful and thoughtful to healthcare folk at the same time. Some topics we've been kicking around:

• Review of the best social media listening tools for Healthcare
• Technology that we really like
• Get more from your next Healthcare Conference
• Check out this excellent marketing idea
• Did you see this ad?
• How to find advocates for your business
• How (med device / pharma / insurance) healthcare professionals use Social Media
• How social media differs from traditional marketing
• How we use our website
• Did you see this video?
• How to keep the blog fresh
• Show and tell
• Tools that help us blog
• How we drive traffic to our site
• Interview with a healthcare veteran
• Interview with a healthcare newbie

One last tip – consider a series of articles (like this one). It's a great way to promote cross-referencing clicks.