Views From the Cove
It’s inescapable. Someone on your social media feeds is looking for a recommendation. Everyone has an opinion or a favorite to share. No, we’re not referring to the latest fad diet, but rather podcasts. Podcasts continue to pop-up regularly and there are a ton to choose from. One recent survey estimates that there are around 700,000 podcasts in circulation with about 30 million individual episodes floating out there.
“What’s your story?”
Here at Hencove we’re storytellers; we help brands find their own voice, craft their story, and engage audiences. Of course, as storytellers, we always enjoy and seek out a good story – which got us thinking. So, we decided to compile our recent favorite books into a list in our newest edition of “Hencove Recommends.”
“We don’t do PowerPoint (or any other slide-oriented) presentations at Amazon,” said Bezos. In fact, Amazon traded presentations for employee written memos long ago. The reason? Bezos believes that not only is it harder to write a six-page memo versus a 20-page presentation, he thinks memos do a better job of delineating what’s important.
While we wouldn’t necessarily suggest ditching PowerPoint entirely, we do encourage Amazon’s way of thinking. By challenging conventions and finding new ways to work and think, we can open our minds to new possibilities, opportunities, and solutions. So, the next time you’re feeling stuck with your presentation, consider the following ideas…
Congratulations; it’s a brand! The birth of brands, much like babies, brings excitement, new challenges, and constant responsibility.
That’s why we call ourselves brand caretakers. And, we’re here to suggest a few ways to take better care of yours. Much like one’s own children, your brand is both a part of you and a reflection of you. Make sure you care for it every step of the way.
Hint: It doesn’t.
In our digital, post-microwave, post-dialup internet age, we expect ideas to come fast and solutions to come faster. After all, just one search of “going viral” in Google yields a mere 11,600,000 results in just 0.55 seconds.
In many ways, this mindset has carried over into the business world. We put up billboards and expect customers to roll in. One whitepaper will rock the industry. Hockey-stick growth, people.
Everyone’s innovating and everyone wants to go viral.
This phenomenon of the lightning-fast spread of information is beautiful. But, age-old marketing theories and principles still work in 2018. They serve to realign our expectations with reality, while teaching us to appreciate the milestones along the way.
For many businesses, a surefire way to build thought leadership and brand awareness among target audiences is through coverage in key media outlets. Landing a hit in an article is an effective, organic way to reach audiences by having them ‘stumble upon’ your ideas in their normal news consumption, rather than forced upon them in an advertisement.
But, like growing produce, organic does not mean easy; it takes hard work. Convincing a reporter of your expertise is only half the battle. The winning formula comes when a skilled spokesperson delivers meaningful messages at the right time, in the right manner.
Here at Hencove, we are fortunate to work with many businesses in the healthcare industry craft and share their brand stories. To be effective, we rely on a deep understanding of the industry and competitive landscape. And to stay sharp we’re constantly reading, listening, and asking questions.
Recently, we sat down with Chi Huang, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Lahey Hospital – Burlington in Massachusetts to get his thoughts on the healthcare industry.
