http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan Latest blog entries from Health Scan en-us Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:49:57 PDT Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:49:57 PDT JayRay http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/to-engage-or-engage-really/ (Debra Carnes is a senior advisor at JayRay Ads & PR) If hospitals are still determining whether to play in the social media sandbox, my suggestion would be to get your bucket and shovel, and join in. ... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:19:00 PST http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/scannable/ As much as I hate to admit it, I’m part of the majority of on-screen readers who don’t read but scan. Jakob Nielsen found “only 16 percent read word-by-word.” The barrage of e-newsletters and announcements in my e-mail inbox provides an opportunity to observe what gets my attention. A couple recent examples: ... Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:05:00 PST http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/go-ahead-spend-ad-budget/ As 2009 drew to a close, the phones were ringing and our email inboxes pinging. What was all the commotion about? Advertising! While many of our health care clients faced budget cuts in 2009 and 2010 looks flat or only slightly better than 2009, there are still a lot of questions out how much to spend on advertising this year. ... Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:13:00 PST http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/people-search-on-google-maps-1/ Chances are that you are already listed on Google Maps. But you may not know that you have the opportunity to add more to your listing (and it’s free!). ... Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:55:00 PST http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/do-want-to-feel/ “Don’t start with what you want to tell people; start with how you want them to feel!” ... Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:35:00 PST http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/dont-do-just-says-to/ You should blog! Everyone says our hospital should have a Facebook page. I’ll never convince the docs to Twitter! ... Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:16:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/senior-look/ I just came back from a Sunday brunch at IHOP with my family. There were four seniors in our party of seven. By looking at us, I’m not sure you could tell who the seniors were. Being a senior depends on your definition of senior. And at least one of our senior diners is denying he is one. You see, IHOP considers you to be a senior at 55 years old. ... Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:28:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/real-readable-writing/ I dropped my husband off at the airport this morning at 3:30 a.m., and all the caffeine in the world won’t keep me buzzing. ... Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:11:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/be-clear-reviewers-or-beware/ Divining what a writer wants from a reviewer can be as difficult as making sense of dolphin speak. Reviewers of draft copy provide the evidence. ... Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:37:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/done-right-done-cheap-good/ How can you stretch your marketing dollars amid the current economic challenges? Here are some inexpensive ideas that will grab the attention of your audience. ... Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:13:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/left-seen-happening-in-places/ LWBS stands for “left without being seen.” And while it has generally been a term applied to patients who get tired of waiting in hospital emergency departments, it’s what a good friend of mine did last Friday after waiting for nearly an hour in a nearly empty waiting room at a doctor’s office. ... Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:51:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/fresh-eyes-brand-blight/ “The map on the Web site routes visitors along a rundown block of houses rather than the grand tree-lined street to the campus entrance." “Signage at the entrance leaves visitors confused about where to turn." These are the first impressions of the new marketing director for a health care campus. How many prospects were similarly turned off? ... Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:57:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/if-hospitals-starbucks/ I dropped by Starbucks recently to pick up a couple coffee cards—gifts for some patients who appeared in cardiac ads for one of our clients. In a hurry, I sprinted to the counter, grabbed two cards and gave them to the barista. After up-selling me a latte, she promptly gave me the receipt and encouraged me to go online (Web site is on the receipt) and complete a customer survey. “It only takes a few minutes, it helps us improve our products and services” she pleaded, “and you’ll get a free beverage!” ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:09:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/smart-marketers-arent-tweeting/ In a room of 30 smart hospital marketers last month, not one could think of good reason to take up Twitter personally. They’re already struggling to keep up with a crushing workload. I think they were hoping our Think Lab speaker, Andrew Fry, would let them off the hook. He didn’t—at least not completely. ... Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:49:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/rx-recessionista/ “I'm not home, but my shoes are. Leave them a message.” Beep. So goes the greeting on the answering machine of one Carrie Bradshaw, the shopaholic protagonist on TV’s “Sex and the City.” Like Carrie, I love shoes. Unlike her, I’m into bargains. And I’m talking more than shoes—clothing, groceries, appliances, you name it. But there’s one notable exception: Health care. Navigating clearance sales? Easy. Selecting insurance plans and buying prescriptions? Forget it. ... Thu, 14 May 2009 16:44:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/piggyback-way-to-results/ “Someone pushed it. We’re on our way.” Brilliant. And a timely lesson on my commute earlier today. I was looking at the back end of a Staples delivery truck featuring a large, red “Easy” button. The truck graphics show two tried and true techniques for stretching a budget in good times and bad. ... Wed, 06 May 2009 12:03:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/thanks-mr-blue/ Recently I posted an account of my frustrating experience with my insurance company’s patient access Web site (Singing The Blues: Delivering on your promise). The initial problem was the customer-unfriendly login. ... Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:40:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/dont-keep-me-waiting/ Just returned from my annual mammogram appointment. I sat in the second waiting area for 15 minutes after I’d arrived on time for a 7 a.m. appointment. ... Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:09:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/making-changes-fakinagel-at-time/ My favoite lunch is a fakinagel. A few years ago, when my cholesterol crept over 200 despite my mostly healthy diet and mostly regular exercise, I realized I needed to make more changes. ... Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:58:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/employees-ready-wellness-at-work/ “Walk your way to a size 6!” teases a magazine headline. But by now you’re already salivating over the photo of the four-layer chocolate cake also featured on the cover. Healthy lifestyle information is so common, it has become easy to ignore. Recent research confirms that health care industry employees are tired of just reading about making healthy choices. They are ready to take action, and they would appreciate a nudge from their employers. ... Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:41:00 PDT http://www.jayray.com/blog/health-scan/march-madness-marketing/ March Madness is upon us – and even if you’re not a sports fan, you’re probably vaguely aware that something significant is happening in the world of college basketball. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament  is in full swing as I write this, with only 16 teams out of 64 still standing, hoping their national title dreams will come true. ... Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:25:00 PDT