Archive for the ‘Pop Culture’ Category
Friday, August 27th, 2010
::Cue ESPN MNF Fanfare Theme Song::
It’s that time of year again, folks. Time to begin spending a countless number of hours parked in front of the television donning your [insert your favorite team here] jersey with a cold beer beverage in hand and bowl of pretzels within reach, watching Sunday, Monday night and (sometimes) Thursday night football games. Hopefully all the mass number of hours you researched (off on your company’s time) in choosing your top fantasy football draft picks will pay off for your league’s team.
 Are YOU ready for some Fantasy Football! This year, AVID Design invites you—our readers and hospital marketing colleagues—to join our faux Fantasy Football League on espn.com. We’re not really putting a lot of effort into this, so we’ve decided to just do a fun Pigskin Pick’em League where you select the winner of each game (and to make it even easier, the spread will not be taken into account).
So, there will be no need to check out who is on the IR this week, or if that trade is going to happen between you and your commissioner, or what tight end you’ll need to pick up on waivers. This is easy, fun stuff, man. If interested in joining our league, here’s the info:
Group: AVID Design and Friends
Password: snuggy
But we DO have a few rules and regulations: To be eligible for our GRANDE prize (which is a $50 iTunes giftcard), you must be a hospital marketing or hospital IT employee. Also, we must have at least 10 people (teams) participate, not including AVID Design employees—who are ineligible for the prize (sorry, AVID employees only get to win bragging rights).
It’s free (just like our 10-point SEO Website Assessment) to play and the season kicks off September 9th, so hurry and sign-up today!
Lisa M. Federico | Content Specialist and NY Football Giants Fan Enthusiast | AVID Design
When we’re not dropping all our football knowledge on who is going to win the Super Bowl this year (Go Giants!), we’re designing and developing dynamic hospital Websites, rich media and optimized content. Contact one of our hospital and healthcare Website consultants to learn more about creating an effective integrated marketing strategy for your hospital’s Website.
 Tweet This Post
Posted in AVID Design, Pop Culture, Things 'n' Stuff | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Although I have a few phobias, like my alarming fear of heights and flying in airplanes, Friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) is not one of them. We all hear about myths and superstitions associated with this particular date, so with that day being today, I thought I’d compile a short list of myths relating to hospital Website design, SEO and the like.
 Happy Friday the 13th from Jason Voorhees and AVID Design. Since a list of 13 myths would be more apropos for this date, I thought I’d spare the folks out there who too suffer from phobias, like triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13).
1.) Website Design – A hospital (or any) Website redesign will solve all my Web problems.
Many hospital marketers believe that a redesign is simply the “cure” for solving any and all Website problems because a fresh design is all that is needed. This is untrue. These same people don’t take into consideration that the strategy that goes into a redesign can sometimes be as important, if not more important, than the actual design itself.
2.) Content— If users are going to be guided to my hospital’s Website to read up on procedures and services offered, then posting every bit of information I have online is the only way to go.
First things first…users don’t read on the Web, they simply scan, so it’s best to write relevant, bite-sized chunks of optimized copy that are easier to read (e.g. bulleted lists). Secondly, content is not just written text, it is also images, videos, etc. And don’t be fooled about trying to fit all information on one page, it is okay to have a few pages as long as the copy is relevant and includes at least one call-to-action and effective anchor text to navigate through the pages.
3.) Social Media and Web 2.0 – If I build a Facebook fan page for my hospital or I start a hospital CEO blog, it will accumulate numerous fans and page hits overnight.
This doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and effort to cultivate an audience, and a good social media and Web 2.0 strategy should be put into place before embarking on this trip.
4.) Website Design – I have to do my hospital’s Website redesign all at once.
Truth be told, redesigns take an extended period of time to fully complete, so it’s best to break down the redesign process into phases where each phase allows you to concentrate in a particular area, like focusing one phase on your hospital’s specialties and content and another phase on examining rich media. Also, change is received better with your employees and users when made in increments rather than all at once.
5.) Search Engine Optimization—Once you optimize your hosptial’s Website, then you are good to go and should be ranking well in the major search engines from here on out.
SEO is an ongoing process and is never finished (much like that of your hospital Website). What your hospital ranks today for pediatric cancer quite possibly not be the same three months from now. It’s best to have a professional (like AVID Design) provide you with an SEO assessment (that’s FREE) of your hospital’s Website to get the ball rolling on developing a proper search engine marketing (SEM) campaign.
Lisa M. Federico | Content Specialist | AVID Design
Don’t let your hospital’s Website fall under a spell of bad luck, make sure your hospital Website design and optimized content doesn’t suck! Call AVID Design today to speak with our hospital marketing strategy consultants to get you on the right path(without that black cat crossing it) toward achieving your online marketing goals.
Add to Technorati Favorites
Tweet This Post
Posted in Best Practices, Blogs + Blogging, Online Video / Rich Media, Pop Culture, SEO, SEO Tips, Tricks and Advice, Social Media, Things 'n' Stuff, Web 2.0, Web Design | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
I admit it, I’m not much of a basketball fan…anymore. But there was a time that I was a huge fan of the NBA and looked forward to all those Knicks-Pacers playoff games in the mid-90’s and the return of Jordan (even though I cried when he scored 55 points against my boys at the Garden in only his fifth game back).
 All hail King James. After meeting with various organizations he chose his team. So how do you choose your team (company) to design your hospital's Website? It wasn’t until recently that the NBA (or LeBron James, rather) sparked my interest, but not for reasons one would think, but more for work related reasons, mainly hospital Website design and choosing an appropriate hospital Website design company to do it.
The Ultimate All-Star
Your hospital is perceived to you (and hopefully to those in your community) as an all-star, exactly how LeBron James is perceived by the masses. Your hospital has all these Website design companies vying for your attention, much like King James had with all the NBA teams throwing him offers of extravagant salaries and promises of championships.
Choosing a hospital Website design company can be a stressful and arduous task. If you are looking to score a newly designed Website or just redesign what you currently have, it’s important to know a few things about your hospital’s marketing strategy and potential design companies. Even LeBron James would agree…I think.
1. Identify your hospital’s marketing and communication goals and evaluate your hospital’s Website needs.
2. Research hospital Website design companies that have the experience and expertise you are looking for.
3. Check out their services online. Are you also wanting content services or video and rich media applications for you Website?
4. View their portfolio of work and any accolades they have received for Web design.
5. Schedule a time to meet with them to discuss how they can assist your needs.
Fit For A King
But in the end, the main thing to remember is that choosing your hospital’s Website design company is not something to decide overnight. Take your time and review all your options. I mean, even King James took a few nights to sleep on his final decision to sign with Miami…and that was for a six year $110 million contract. Slam dunk!
Need the tools to plan, design, develop and deploy your hospital’s Website? AVID Design does all that and more! We are a full-service healthcare marketing agency that builds award-winning, cutting-edge hospital Websites, rich media applications, physician videos and develops Website content and successful healthcare marketing strategies. We can be your hospital’s championship MVP! Contact us today!
Lisa M. Federico | Content Specialist | AVID Design
Add to Technorati Favorites
Tweet This Post
Posted in AVID Design, Pop Culture, Things 'n' Stuff, Web Design | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
I hate to sound cynical, as I am a hardcore baseball fan and a lifelong Yankees fan, but tonight’s first game of the 2009 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies is not just about baseball, but also multimillion dollar advertising and marketing campaigns.
 From the TV commercials to the green-screened ads on the backstop to the players’ uniforms and equipment, the entire event is being delivered to you on the behalf of the world’s leading companies—and thus, by the world’s leading advertisers and marketers.
Again, I hate to sound cynical, but without the support of the game’s sponsors, there would be no motivation for the networks to spend what it costs to deliver the action to you (in high-definition, no less!).
Hopefully, you won’t dwell too much on this notion and will enjoy what should be an exciting World Series. But even if you aren’t a fan of either team or aren’t all that interested in baseball, as a healthcare marketing—which you most likely are if you are reading this blog—there is a lot that can be gleaned from tonight’s telecast.
Major League Baseball—and most other professional sporting organizations, such as the National Football League and the National Basketball Association—is a master of integrated marketing, which is something we’ve been advocating all year in this blog.
For example, when you see an advertisement that says the product or service is the “official this” or “official that” of Major League Baseball, you are witnessing an expertly crafted integrated marketing campaign.
When you put on your favorite team’s baseball jersey, hat or any other officially licensed merchandise, again, you are participating in world-class integrated marketing.
Then, of course, there are the commercials. Although perhaps not quite as spectacular—or expensive—as Super Bowl ads, pay close attention to how they will attempt to encourage viewers to engage with the brand—especially online at their Website, with social media, etc.
When you return to your office tomorrow, reflect on what you saw tonight. Do you use any similar techniques or strategies? Would you do things different if you were in charge of marketing that brand? What might you do different in marketing your hospital?
And one more thing: Yankees in six.
Derek Rudnak | Communications Specialist | AVID Design
Add to Technorati Favorites
Tweet This Post
Posted in Industry Trends, Marketing, Pop Culture, Social Media, Things 'n' Stuff | No Comments »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
My AVID Design colleague Andy Darnell (who also contributes to this blog) recently sent me a compelling blog by Seth Godin: “The Platform vs. the Eyeballs.”
Godin offers a very interesting perspective on something that most healthcare marketers probably already realize: With the radical shifts in marketing (especially with online media), marketers no longer temporarily rent audiences, but they build them for long-term relationships—primarily because they can now control and own the platforms on which their audiences are assembled.
OK, that’s a very concise and accurate perspective, as are some of the other ideas that he presents in the blog.
However, where Godin misses the mark is by making an implied assertion that seriously conflicts with our philosophy about interactive marketing, and it rings true whether you are in healthcare or not: Do not abandon traditional marketing techniques. For example, Godin suggests transferring one’s budget for a Yellow Pages ad into a budget for an online platform.
As a company that relies on Website design, SEO and other online services to make its bread and butter, we are certainly not going to disagree with anybody that makes a case for embracing online marketing.
However, we also believe that having a diverse and integrated marketing strategy—which yes, includes old school techniques like billboards, print, radio and TV, etc.—still has utility in contemporary marketing.
When used in conjunction online marketing techniques, not only can a marketer access audiences that are not on a “platform” that they can control, but they can possibly encourage that audience to explore the new media platform that a marketer can control.
Does your hospital have a trusted and reliable partner to build, manage and plan your online marketing strategies? AVID Design offers free assessments for Websites, content, strategy and more.
My AVID Design colleague Andy Darnell (who also contributes to this blog) recently sent me a compelling blog by Seth Godin: “The Platform vs. the Eyeballs.”
 Godin offers a very interesting perspective on something that most healthcare marketers probably already realize: With the radical shifts in marketing (especially with online media), marketers no longer temporarily rent audiences, but they build them for long-term relationships—primarily because they can now control and own the platforms on which their audiences are assembled.
OK, that’s a very concise and accurate perspective, as are some of the other ideas that he presents in the blog.
However, where Godin misses the mark is by making an implied assertion that seriously conflicts with our philosophy about interactive marketing, and it rings true whether you are in healthcare or not: Do not abandon traditional marketing techniques. For example, Godin suggests transferring one’s budget for a Yellow Pages ad into a budget for an online platform.
As a company that relies on Website design, SEO and other online services to make its bread and butter, we are certainly not going to disagree with anybody that makes a case for embracing online marketing.
However, we also believe that having a diverse and integrated marketing strategy—which yes, includes old school techniques like billboards, print, radio and TV, etc.—still has utility in contemporary marketing.
When used in conjunction online marketing techniques, not only can a marketer access audiences that are not on a “platform” that they can control, but they can possibly encourage that audience to explore the new media platform that a marketer can control.
Does your hospital have a trusted and reliable partner to build, manage and plan your online marketing strategies? AVID Design offers free assessments for Websites, content, strategy and more.
Derek Rudnak | Communications Specialist | AVID Design
Add to Technorati Favorites
Tweet This Post
Posted in Computers & Technology, Industry Trends, Marketing, Pop Culture, Things 'n' Stuff | No Comments »
|
|
