How many nail clippers does an attendee really need?

At a recent conference a marketing director of a drug testing company watched in dismay as an attendee grabbed a handful of her complimentary nail clippers without asking to speak with her or taking any literature. She politely requested the attendee take only one, and later wondered how many nail clippers someone can possibly need. Unfortunately, such attendees are all too common at any conference, and avoiding them is impossible.

Yet marketing directors can take measures to ensure that certain attendees don’t exploit their goodwill—and that giveaways serve as a meaningful source of lead nurturing.

Display only a few items at a time. By displaying all of your mugs, pens, and doodads at once, you’re a tempting target for someone who is shopping for office supplies. Instead, display only a few items at a time, inviting attendees who stop by to take one. Although fanning out all of your pens looks attractive, it invites people to take multiple.

Keep the best items under the booth. Your premium giveaways, such as an attractive tote bag or travel mouse, are best kept out of site. For those attendees who stop by and engage in a meaningful conversation, a memorable takeaway for a memorable dialogue is a fair exchange. 

Provide giveaways that reflect your mission. I’m continually amazed how many treatment centers tout their programs' emphasis on nutrition yet unashamedly display a bowl of candy.

Don’t forget about post-show mementos. Attendees’ bags are weighed down by brochures, pens, and other tchotchkes. To stand out from the crowd, why not send a reminder of a conversation or the venue after the show. One idea would be to send a branded item from the venue’s gift shop to highly valued leads/prospects.

It’s OK to say no. I think it’s bad form for a vendor to take another exhibitor’s giveaway, unless there is a potential business relationship. I wouldn’t hesitate telling another exhibitor that the items are for attendees only—they should understand! Similarly, it’s OK to tell venue staff that your items are for the conference attendees. After all, anything you leave behind at the end of the show is fair game.

For assistance in choosing a marketing tchotchke, here’s a link to a humorous infographic on the subject.  

Why brands matter

Addiction treatment marketing is heavily focused on leads. How many people did you meet at a conference? How many calls is our Web site generating? How many referrals do business development professionals generate every month?

Often lost within this constant focus on “heads in beds” is the power of a treatment center’s brand. Executives dismiss branding as a "costly" exercise, focusing on just "leads," as if these concepts are somehow separate.

At last month’s Admissions and Marketing Symposium in Delray Beach, Florida, opening keynoter Andy Dischmann reminded attendees that brands foster emotional connections with customers, referral sources, consumers, and communities. Brands have power and build expectations, and strong brands carry their emotional connection throughout the entire consumer experience.

As an example, Dischmann asked the audience members who had an Apple product what they remember about the packaging in which they received their iPhone or iPad. Most recalled it was white, and of high quality. Unwrapping that device is exciting, made more powerful through the high quality of the box itself. In contrast, I wonder if Android owners readily recall what the box their phones came in looked like.

Of course, addiction treatment is not about gizmos in boxes, but Dischmann’s comments still ring true. A solid brand is so much more than a logo and a color palette. A brand is a marketing tool and a lived experience. It’s a passion that needs to be conveyed by everyone working for an organization, from the driver, to the front-line clinician, night tech, and medical director. It's a philosophy that needs to be carried through marketing brochures, the color of the paint on the walls, and the way someone answers the phone. You can generate all the leads you want, but if you don't have a solid brand behind that effort, ready to shepherd a family and consumer through the brand's desired experience, the lead-generation efforts will ultimately be unsuccessful.

To test your own brand’s depth in your organization, ask yourself and colleagues what four adjectives best describe your company. Dischmann says everyone in an organization with a healthy brand will be able to answer that question quickly and with the same answers. If you’re like me, the answers were not immediately forthcoming from me or my co-workers.

Marketers often share with me that their executives don’t understand the importance of branding, but perhaps that’s because branding has often been positioned as a static, non-ROI-generating, graphic-design-focused exercise. Yet branding can and will generate ROI, if implemented strategically and methodically. Brands that are nurtured and promoted do breed loyalty, trust and, in the case of referrals, return business.

Dischmann’s presentation reinvigorated my passion and interest in building a strong brand. I would encourage all marketers to consider undertaking similar efforts, as having a strongly shared brand that inspires loyalty and trust certainly will make anyone’s company stronger and ultimately more profitable. 

And when everyone is sharing a brand experience, on the same page and living and breathing the mission, with common identifiers such as logos and images serving as visual cues, going to work everyday is simply so much more rewarding. 

Dos and Don’ts for Conference Season

The spring conference season is almost upon us, and it’s a good time of year to consider some dos and don’ts when preparing for this year’s events.

Do insist on booth etiquette. Marketing directors should insist on proper booth behavior when attendees are in the hall, such as no eating at the booth, limiting time on devices, avoiding sitting, and so on. It’s easy to revert to these behaviors, particularly when hall traffic is slow, but attendees certainly will not engage with a rep when his attention is on appetizers or his iPhone.

Don’t display your best giveaways. Most exhibitors have some sort of trinket at their booth to grab attention. Unfortunately, sometimes a vendor will display a high-priced item (relatively speaking) that attendees will often take when their representatives are engaged in conversations or not at the booth. Instead, I recommend placing higher-priced giveaways under the booth and presenting them to attendees who have a meaningful conversation with a rep. For example, an insurance company might have branded umbrellas at the booth as a nod to their coverage, but such relatively higher-priced giveaways should be reserved for attendees who take time to learn about the company’s policies.

Do attend sessions. If your reps have time, it’s always advisable to attend a session or two, particularly a keynote. Attendees are engaged in content, and to be able to reference their main reason for attending the conference helps build dialogue. For example, consider this conversation starter: “I saw you in this morning’s keynote. Wasn’t that comment on the babies in the river startling?” (This is in reference to an actual panelist’s comment during an addiction treatment conference last week.)

Don’t focus only on friends. For reps on the road frequently, it can be comforting to fall into a habit of hanging out with friends in an exhibit hall, having dinner together, etc. Networking and relationship nurturing is certainly good business, but it’s always important to be finding “new friends” at conferences. A rep’s time might be better spent answering e-mails over takeout in the evening in his hotel room rather than hanging out with peers for the fourth time this year, if dinner with “new friends” isn’t an option.

Do use social media. Many conferences do not release a pre-event attendee list, but that doesn’t mean prospecting can’t begin until a rep is onsite. If a conference has a Twitter hash tag, keeping an eye on who is attending and who is “making noise” can lead to onsite meetings. Many larger conferences have Twitter display boards, and a few quick tweets can provide you free advertising at the show.  Outreach through LinkedIn to prospects in the area provides a rep a “good excuse” for stopping by while in the area—and hopefully the targets will be at the show. If not, why not offer them a pass on you?

These are just a few dos and don’ts I’ve noticed over the years. I’d be delighted to read your own in the comments section.

'Reciprocal referral relationships': Why this term raises red flags

Every so often I will see a LinkedIn post from a treatment marketer seeking to build “reciprocal referral relationships.” Such language, although usually well meaning, makes me cringe.

Treatment marketing is a business—but it is a business involving health, wellness, and matters of life and death. “Reciprocal” has an “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine” undertone, which might be fine in other industries but is jarringly out of place in a discipline that prides itself on individualized care. Of course, treatment marketers will develop referral relationships with professionals and centers they trust, which have demonstrated an outstanding level of care and impressive outcomes. Yet at the end of the day, the decision to refer should be based on a client’s individual needs, not on fulfilling a “reciprocal referral relationship.” 

Imagine the uproar, and subsequent investigations, if a primary care provider shared on social media that he was looking for “reciprocal referral relationships” with hospitals or specialists.

Similarly, if I were a family member investigating treatment options, claims of “reciprocal referral relationships” would likely give me pause. And if I were in South Florida, where government officials are increasing their scrutiny of treatment operators, I definitely would remove it from my vocabulary.

Some might argue that there is no inherent problem with seeking such "reciprocal" relationships if no money is exchanged, but from a public relations perspective announcing an intention to form such alliances could likely create headaches--legal and otherwise--down the road.

Treatment marketing involves relationship building, as an ethical organization recognizes it cannot serve the needs of all clients and refers those who are inappropriate to others. Yet the decision needs to be based on the client’s own needs, not “reciprocal” relationships. Treatment marketers definitely should build networks of trusted professionals for clients, but announcing the intention to build “reciprocal” relationships immediately raises red flags.

'Tis the season of meaningless e-blasts

'Tis the season of meaningless e-blasts.

Last week treatment center after treatment center deployed e-blasts with just one message: Happy Thanksgiving. While I certainly appreciate the sentiment, these organizations are actually doing themselves a disservice. I’m a firm believer that whenever you engage your list, you should provide meaningful content and messaging. “Happy holidays” and similar messages clutter in-boxes and lead to quick deletes, no matter how cute or clever the graphic. They can irritate e-mail oversaturated list subscribers, increasing the possibility of a higher unsubscribe rate or the risk that recipients will ignore your message next time when you have something truly meaningful to say.

This does not mean, however, that you shouldn’t wish your valued referral sources, customers, etc., holiday warm wishes. If you truly want to stand out, send a card the old-fashioned way—through the mail. Sending a generic card with no signature or personal message, however, is a no-no. At a minimum, the card should have a signature from a team member that closely works with the recipient, and a brief “Wishing you a warm holiday season” or similar language demonstrates you actually do care. Everyone knows that sending holiday cards is time consuming and a lost art—which makes receiving personalized cards all the more memorable and important.

Remember the holiday spirit—it’s not the packaging or gift that matters, but the thought behind it that truly counts. Honor and acknowledge your best relationships with an authentic message, not a meaningless e-blast.  

Crowdsourcing logo selection

Logo design can be a painstakingly slow process. Graphic designers and branding consultants might kick off the process, followed by weeks of internal debate. At least in my experience, oftentimes the community to which the logo is supposed to appeal, whether that be consumers, businesses, the media, etc., is left out of the process. The result is that a company’s most recognizable branding element is created in a vacuum, which is hardly ideal considering the investments in treasure and time these decisions require.

With that in mind, I was absolutely delighted to come across the booth for LaVia Detox and Treatment Center at the Moments of Change conference this past week. CEO Sarah Sacks had solicited online a new logo design, but wanted insight on which of the finalists she should select. She produced a sign featuring her top five logo choices, inviting attendees to drop their business cards in numbered cups corresponding to their favorite. Post-show she will e-mail participants the results.

Sacks’ strategy is brilliant on several levels. First, her crowdsourcing strategy provides valuable input into this important branding decision. By inviting community feedback, she also provided attendees with a reason to linger at her booth, talk with her, and learn more about LaVia. Inviting attendees to submit their business cards to vote for their favorite design was a savvy lead-generation technique as well. 

In the past 14 years I have attended many conferences (My tally at the end of next week will be 4 in 14 days), and this is the first time I have come across such an amazingly simple yet effective marketing strategy. For those struggling with new logo selection I would encourage you to emulate Sacks' method.

PS UPDATE, OCTOBER 15
Here is the winning logo.

Smoking in treatment settings--the marketer's dilemma

Smoking is often called one of the most difficult addictions to overcome. Permitting the use of nicotine at treatment centers has been controversial—made even more so now by the proliferation of e-cigarettes. I have been particularly intrigued by treatment centers’ marketing around nicotine use.

For example, a prominent sober home for men in New England features clients smoking cigars on the front of its brochure. Executives at a residential setting in the Southwest I recently visited mentioned that they are lucky to be able to still offer designated smoking areas on campus—after all, marketing a tobacco-free campus to a prospective client can be a tough sell. A consumer-oriented magazine for people in recovery has an ad for an e-cigarette establishment on its back cover. Industry conferences have featured e-cigarette exhibitors, with seemingly enthusiastic attendee responses. In fact, one event actually offers a cigar-rolling sponsorship. On the other hand, a well-known New Jersey facility decided to publicize its decision to go smoke-free months before a state law required it to do so.

Nicotine use is generally frowned upon by society these days, with regulations restricting its advertising and most healthcare organizations adopting smoke-free campuses—and even zero-tolerance policies for employee tobacco use. Thus, it is surprising that as addiction treatment attempts to integrate into overall healthcare that marketers use smoking, overtly and subtly, to market their services. I’m no expert on whether smoking should be permitted in rehab settings, but one has to wonder how the public perceives treatment environments and affiliated field resources that permit smoking and even actively promote it.

Yet it is important to acknowledge that for a family in crisis looking to place a treatment-resistant loved one, a center permitting smoking may be desirable, given that nicotine seems to be the substance many are most reluctant to quit and, I suspect, an excuse for not going to treatment. If permitting smoking encourages more "hard-core" drug users to enter treatment, then one can argue that nicotine use, while not desirable, should be permissible.

I am not taking a position on one side or the other, as I can certainly understand the arguments for smoke-free campuses as well as empathize with the marketer who finds that a nonsmoking environment immediately turns off prospective clients who, many clinicians and marketers note, have "bigger" issues to tackle while in treatment. I suspect that overall societal headwinds will eventually snuff out smoking at all addiction settings, but in the meantime some facilities will find a competitive advantage to permitting smoking—and perhaps even promote this “benefit.” Whether there is value in promoting a smoke-free or smoke-friendly environment is certainly an interesting discussion that marketers should be having with clinical and executive staff, particularly as e-cigarette use becomes more pervasive.