Innovation, Inspiration, Champions, & The Importance of Focus in Healthcare Marketing

Summary: This post shares 70+ ideas, tips, opinions and other resources about the value of innovation, inspiration, 'champions,' and importance of focus for marketing healthcare information technology products and services. 

As noted in my original post and previous posts, I've sifted through hundreds of tweets shared by attendees at last week’s Healthcare IT Marketing Conference event in Las Vegas.  This is the 4th post presenting what I believe are useful bits of information for those charged with promoting healthcare IT products and services.

Note: A lot of the information, ideas, resources and opinions presented below will be discussed during the #HITsm chat this Friday, April 14th, 2017 at 9:00 am PST where the theme will be Healthcare Content Creation for Audience Economy.

Importance of Innovation in Marketing

Handle	Tweet
@ssfraser	Key to innovation in marketing? Stop sounding like everyone else
@amyinmaine	What is NOT going to change in the next 10 years. #innovate around there. @JeffBezos
@rn_solutions	Explain how innovation works, set up the business case. Don’t make their world more complex. "Do not automate stupidity" @ShahidNShah
@colin_hung	Don't automate stupidity. Get rid of it. THAT's true innovation. @ShahidNShah at #HITMC Love it
@mdeiner	"doing something stupid faster is NOT innovation."
@mmorris135	Q: Is your product ACTUALLY innovative? A: Ask your customers if THEY are able to be more innovative with your product. @ShahidNShah
@amyinmaine	Reflexive #Innovation is habitual or reactionary while inflective innovation is strategic and impactful.
@healthitmktg	Great reminder when meetings are 24/7! "Give yourself space to innovate and be creative" -- @stacygoebel

Marketers Are in The Inspiration Business

Handle	Tweet
@amyinmaine	Find a higher purpose for everything we do. Emotionally connect.
@bumblepr	Great keynote by Dr. Gary Rhodes..."You're not into doing. You need to inspire your customers because that's the future."
@ksucich	You're not just marketing to customers, you're inspiring customers. -Gary Rhodes at
@mi_turnaround	Being exposed to people who get it & feeling less like I work on an island & more like I have access to a really awesome empire.
@mssoftware	Keynote #hitmc @professortalk Gary Rhoads - "You are in the inspiration business".
@dodgecomm	Great leaders are in the inspiration business. - Dr. Gary Rhodes, BYU #leadership
@cristinadafonte	Inspire people instead of compelling them. Great advice.
@stacygoebel	Defining engagement: I believe. I'm inspired. I do extra. (Mind. Heart. Behavior.)
@nburdette	Engaged customers and employees believe in the org, are inspired, and contribute
@mssoftware	The heart of every good story is emotion. @jpyjr Tell an interesting story.
@sarahbennight	You need to inspire your customers, not just market to them. Dr. Covey
@mdeiner	"We're in the inspire business." Gary Roads
@colin_hung	Great slide on Engagement in the workplace...and specifically Marketing via Stephen Mack Covey - Believe, Inspire, Do Extra cc
@stacygoebel	Inspired workers/customers help make the ORGANIZATION successful (not themselves) https://t.co/BqSz0kBwTA
@colleenkbarry	I was skeptical of value in FB Live before @mdeiner's session this morning - consider me now impressed and inspired. Thanks!
@dodgecomm	Interactions with brands that leave customers feeling smarter inspires passion. How can you make sure this is true for your brand?
@marsinthestars	Love that @jacirusso reminds us to forget demographics in favor of behaviors/emotions. What keeps your audience up at night?

Inspiring Your ‘Champions’

Handle	Tweet
@marsinthestars	Let employee brand champions have a role in helping improve user capability/autonomy.
@stacygoebel	Brand champions have PASSION. mojo
@mmorris135	Brand champions need to believe in your products and services, be inspired and contribute to your organizations success
@stacygoebel	Brand champions: no difference between employees and customers.
@mi_turnaround	From Gary Rhoads: employees and customers are your brand champions. Engaged ones are passionate, happy, co-creators.
@stacygoebel	Give your brand champions a BETTER reason to love us.
@nxtlvlbranding	How to create customer engagement: Focus on passion. Never take your eye off brand champions. (Gary Rhodes at #HITMC)
@stacygoebel	How to make brand champions? Lookee here. https://t.co/Yc1H8L2svA
@mmorris135	Needs for high employee/customer brand champions: culture/job fit, social fit, value & support, engagement
@bumblepr	Spend time listening to your brand champions to identify and understand the feelings and emotions of highly engaged members
@sarahdavelaar	We should inspire brand champions (inside & outside of the org), rather than trying to influence them. @professortalk

Inspiring Your Employees

Handle	Tweet
@dodgecomm	To deliver a great customer experience, need to create a great employee experience - Dr. Gary Rhodes
@bumblepr	Find a higher calling for employees and customers
@sarahdavelaar	Cool integration of stories (published on website) into employee intranet, @jpyjr! Great way to do employee advocacy
@wynn_atwork	Employers are in the inspiration biz. When we see momentum, we follow it.
@bfmack	How do we make customer experiences REMARKABLE? - Make EMPLOYEE experiences remarkable! @professortalk
@burtrosen	I believe, I'm inspired, I do extra. The 3 signs of an engaged employee
@bumblepr	Instead of focusing on why people hate us, why not give customers and employees a better reason to love us! #shiftinperspective
@stacygoebel	The future of management: INSPIRATION. Lead with passion if you want passionate employees who create great customer experiences.

Inspiration Creates Passion

Handle	Tweet
@marsinthestars	Through inspiration, we create passion.
@mmorris135	Are your #employees engaged & passionate? Ride the wave!! Follow the momentum & passion to define the future of your brand.
@dodgecomm	Ask: Why are people passionate about your products and services? This will help improve engagement.
@amyinmaine	Don't focus on the negatives, focus on the passion. Sounds like my parenting books.
@bfmack	Engagement is about passion and finding a COMMON higher purpose for employees AND customers! - @professortalk https://t.co/413mPU7JPo
@bfmack	Where does inspiration for passionate engagement come from? The LOVE group! - @professortalk
@wynn_atwork	Where does passionate performance come from? "Communicate to the swing group through the eyes and heart of the love group."
@david_c_clifton	#CorporateAmerica needs to invest more in the education and passion of employees
@david_c_clifton	#Passion is how to get people excited about what you're offering
@sarahbennight	Instead of asking what keeps you up at night, what gets you out of bed in the am. Understand passion for what they do. #personas
@ksucich	It's ok to go with suboptimal solutions if people are passionate about it.
@colin_hung	Less expensive to do more with the ppl who are passionate about company vs do less of things the detractors hate about you @professortalk
@amyinmaine	Let employees give workshops on their passions. Umm...anyone want to practice #triathlon transitions with me?
@mi_turnaround	Momentum is best understood through the eyes & heart of your love group. Focus on the ppl who are passionate. https://t.co/BxjvH8zvHU
@galenhealthcare	Put the microphone in front of your clients @tjustincampbell understand their passion to better engage & educate
@amyinmaine	Successful products solve a specific PASSION in the market? #entrepreneur #increasethefun @professortalk
@mmorris135	To improve employee/customer engagement, find out how you can enhance passion by focusing on most engaged - & improve w/ disengaged.

Focus, Focus, & Focus Again

Handle	Tweet
@cslocumb	Creativity is best when we narrow our focus. I think everything is better when we focus.
@amyinmaine	Focus on the engaged. Disengaged not worth your time/money #marketingtips
@chints2	Focus marketing & strategic innovation on small aspects of healthcare ecosystem-space is too large to fix it all at once @ShahidNShah https://t.co/ADEp7FLDuD
@paulberthiaume	A focus on sales alone inevitably leads to fewer sales. When a company loses its soul, it inevitably loses its brand.
@colin_hung	Don't waste time on Disengaged, they will never buy into your msg. Focus on those u can Swing & who Love u already https://t.co/hqoknxIERk
@bfmack	Let's stop beating ourselves up on why people hate us and wasting our time and energy on those who are disengaged! - @professortalk https://t.co/YYUKMteLvT
@nxtlvlbranding	Simplified design returns more effective marketing! Focus on this: what you are trying to communicate? #designthinking https://t.co/ER5yRnJMdw
@stacygoebel	Spend your time and energy learning from the people who love you. (Not 80% on those who are disengaged.)
@beccamcurtis	Want to create momentum? Focus on those engaged already. #notthehaters #Solutionreach #focusonlove
@burtrosen	Why are we spending all of our time focused on those who don't like us and none of our time understanding those who love us
@paulberthiaume	Why do companies spend 80% time on things On Fire and negative? Success comes from spending 80% of time on POSITIVE experience

Share Your Insight About Healthcare Marketing

Come join the #HITsm chat this Friday, April 14th, 2017 at 9:00am PST and share your insight.