A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organizations use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching targets. In healthcare we have several options, harder KPI’s mean we have something we want consumers to complete or do as a direct result of the campaign.

• Classes & Events Page
• Consult-a-Nurse Page
• Find a Doctor/Physician Page
• Form Completion
• Health Library/ iTriage Symptom Checker
• Heart Risk Assessment
• Stroke Risk Assessment
• Online Scheduling/Online Appointment Scheduler
• Phone Calls
• Visit a Location

There are also softer KPI’s that can be monitored, for campaigns that are more awareness based or for branding purposes.

• Page Views 3+
• Time on Site 2 min+
• Unique visitors
• Site Traffic

Insights and Analytics

In general, we group performance metrics into three categories – performance metrics, optimization metrics and success metrics.

Performance Metrics: These are metrics that have been identified as key indicators of campaign performance and that can be affected through campaign optimization.

Optimization Metrics: We monitor these metrics closely and adjust media placements to meet performance metric goals accordingly. It is very common for some optimization metrics to be viewed as performance metrics but doing so can negatively affect progress toward reaching the objectives of a campaign. 

Success Metrics: Success metrics are established by the client, are specific and measurable. These are the objectives, that when reached, allow us an agency to help make our client’s marketing teams heroes to their executive boards. Honest and close communication between True Media and the client marketing team is necessary to set realistic and attainable business objectives.

Our insights and analytics software provides True Media with a full suite of APIs and file import processes to aggregate marketing performance data, CRM systems, e-commerce activity, and web results into easy to ready workbooks that allow both our team and client to easily visualize campaign performance. These systems allow us to aggregate sales and marketing data in order to better communicate a true return on investment.

When reporting on our campaigns, these are the questions that will be answered.

What worked well and why?

Based on the KPIs the client gave or we assigned to the campaign

What didn’t work as well and what are we doing about it?

Why didn’t it?
If ongoing, is there anything we can do to make it better?

What were some optimizations made during campaign to improve performance?

What did we learn?

Can this knowledge be applied anywhere else/future campaigns?

Dimensions to Consider:

Who are we reaching and where/how are we reaching them
Reach and frequency
Site traffic
Unique impressions
Conversions
Site lists
Optimizations
Social engagement

As part of a new series of original content, we welcome this post, written by Candice Rotter, Associate Media Director and our Healthcare Marketing expert.
We handle a large amount of healthcare marketing here at True Media. When working with healthcare providers, one of the most frequent questions I hear is: “My target is older; are they even online?”
The answer to this question is YES. And that’s an emphatic “yes,” because they’re not only online, they’re using digital media at rates that shatter our previous conceptions of the demographic.
The way everyone spends their time with media has shifted dramatically in the past few years. According to eMarketer, time spent within digital media has increased 18% since 2010 for all Americans over 18 (fig 1). What’s even more surprising is the percentage of that growth attributed to seniors. In a second graphic, we can see that seniors are not only online, but the hours they spend with digital media are close behind the hours spent by younger, traditionally media-savvy demographic groups (fig 2).

American adults are spending twelve hours a day with some form of media. TWELVE hours! The real game changer for healthcare marketing is realizing that of that media usage, not only are seniors accessing a large portion of that media via digital sources, but almost half of that digital usage is on a mobile platform.
A few years ago, the primary ways we targeted older audiences was via the evening news, The Andy Griffith Show (which, by the way, still pulls a 12 rating in Florida,) and newspaper. Now that audience has changed; they are playing mobile games, posting pictures on Instagram, and pinning wedding ideas on Pinterest for their nieces and nephews. These people are now watching television, reading a book on their iPad, and shopping for a new pair of boots on their phone, all at the same time.
So, this brings us back to the original point. Older audiences are clearly a part of this digital savvy world, but are they looking online for healthcare information? Again, the answer is YES (fig 3). 43% of 65+ internet users have looked online for a specific disease or medical problem, while 36% have looked up a certain medical treatment of procedure. And not only are they performing searches to get this information, they’re using social networks to get the information they need (fig 4). Year-over-year growth in social networking is the greatest among people 55+, and the percentage of older Americans using popular platforms such as YouTube continues to increase. In fact, in one of our recent promoted YouTube campaigns for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Google TrueView saw our highest view rates coming from Adults 65+!


We need to be looking forward as we address meeting seniors in the marketplace. Soon, it will no longer be valid to pour our resources into traditional media, or even desktop internet usage. The future of the American Senior is on the Smartphone. This target no longer simply spends time online, they spend more time in mobile than they do on desktop. Smartphones are quickly becoming the key piece of technology linking seniors to the services they need. As the penetration of smartphones is expected to double for seniors 55-64 by 2018 (fig 5,) we need to be prepared for a world in which reaching seniors means targeting on-trend media. Now, they’re mastering YouTube- before long, they will be adapting to the six second video with Vine.

The journey of healthcare is changing every day. With the ability to research and find out information about symptoms or diseases prior to visiting a doctor, the marketing landscape changes immensely. It’s important that your brand has a voice in all segments of the market, in order to influence older Americans in the research phase of the consumer decision journey. Advertising through paid search, video, mobile, display, and social media are all keys to crafting the conversation about what you offer, what sets you apart, what makes you human, and what you can do for your patient.
Ultimately, when you’re creating your marketing strategy, digital can’t be ignored. Everyone is using digital media, and cross-platform delivery, at that. Gone are the days of grandparents glued to Matlock and getting their information from the evening news. This is an age in which the technology gap is closing, and youthful habits are lasting longer into adulthood. Believe it or not, Grandma is quite trendy. It’s important that your strategies are, too.

Pinterest is much more than, “What should I cook for dinner?”, “Oh I need that purse!” or “I think I need to redo my bathroom for the fifteenth time.” Don’t get me wrong, my husband loves that I have a Pinterest account. It makes me try new recipes, the house is organized, and I buy him things I find on there, but there are other ways to use Pinterest.

I am an Associate Media Director and I use Pinterest to help improve my professional life as well.  Not everyone can listen to analytics, indices, and media lingo all day, so I created a board called “World I work in.”  I look up infographics that are relevant and help visually show my clients, what words can’t always do. You can find a variety of infographics on there from Social Media Explained With Coffee to The Future of Health is Your Smart Phone and so much more.
If you are a business owner, work in marketing, or are just interested in learning more about social and online/mobile activity you should follow my board, World I Work In.  When my Account Planners come to me with questions or are doing a run through of their media plan, I frequently find myself sending them to my board to see if there is an infographic that is a good fit for their presentation. Having visuals strengthens not only the presentation but the ability to show how you came up with your recommendations, especially if it’s a new strategy involving social media or mobile advertising.
Not only do I have my own Pinterest board dedicated to the world I work in, but I have also been invited to join other group boards such as The Business of Healthcare, and Infographics. When you’re looking around on Pinterest don’t forget it has so much more to offer than just recipes and cute clothes.  Keep an eye out for other things that interest you professionally like infographics, time management tips or conferences. I promise you will find something that is relevant to you and the world you work in.”
Here’s six other business related boards that may interest you:

1. Businessweek Graphics by Bloomberg Businessweek
2. Charts and Maps by The Economist
3. Women of Tech by Mashable
4. Gadgets by TechCrunch
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by Search Engine Land
6. Best Books About Marketing by Ad Age

Jake and the Never Land Pirates
Climb aboard, Me Hearties, and be a pirate true.
Let’s go! With Jake and the Never Land Pirates
We’ll set the course together – Come on and join the crew!
Yo ho let’s go!
Anyone that knows what this is needs to continue reading, for the rest of you it’s your choice to continue. 🙂
These days things are a little different than they were a year ago – the apps I used to download were shopping apps, games, and recipes. Now who has time for shopping, playing games or even cooking when you have a one year old? Not this girl, but I love every minute of my crazy working mom life. So what I have decided to do is start a series of blogs with recommended apps for children.
Technology has changed since I was a kid, so with everything else I do in my job to stay up with the times, I do at home as well. Meaning my one year old knows how to work an iPad and the iPhone. This could be very bad or very good depending on how you look at it. There are a lot of educational apps out there, and as he gets older I plan on utilizing them. This first app recommendation isn’t as much educational as it is entertaining, but it’s a must-have.
Disney Channel has produced an app for each of its channels, where you can watch full episodes of the shows they offer. Our favorite is Watch Disney Junior, featuring some of their most popular shows like Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Doc McStuffins, and Special Agent OSO.  They all have lessons to learn and positive messages, and best of all MY baby loves it! It even helped teach him how to wave! He waves at the beginning and end at Mickey in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As any parent knows, anything that can help pass the time at the doctor’s office, on a car ride or when you’re out and about is GOLD!

So my advice, go to your app store and download Watch Disney Junior. Stay tuned for my next app recommendation.

ABC has four new shows on the fall lineup and one of them might have the worst chance of survival out of all of the upfronts we saw today. I’m worried about the new show added to the comedy mix, The Neighbors. Even with one of the strongest lead ins you can get from any net (the ever-loveable Modern Family), I don’t think it’s going to last. The premise reminded me of a few seasons ago when they tried to use the Cavemen characters from an insurance commercial as anchors for a sitcom. That lasted for a couple shows before the end came swiftly and suddenly. I think The Neighbors has the same future. The story is about the fairly normal Weaver family who buys a new home only to discover that the neighbors who are all named after professional athletes,  are aliens whom apparently cry from their ears. The promo was not promising.
On the other hand I also felt they had one of the most promising shows on the docket for fall as well. Nashville is a story about a country singer that had a successful career that over time started to unravel. She struggles to get back to the top, staying true to who she is while competing with young rising pop country divas.  It was well written and shouldn’t have a problem reaching it’s demo. I think it will win the time slot, it’s up against CSI and a new show on NBC called Chicago Fire. It also boasts a cast with great chemistry, including Hayden Panatierre and Connie Britton.
Last Resort is another ABC show I think I will give a try. The writers of The Shield bring a dramatic new action-thriller that is a mix between U-571, Lost and any government cover-up conspiracy. Normally I’m not into dramas but this had a unique and interesting storyline. I think it will do well, in the time slot – it’s competition are all comedies so it will have the chance to attract its own viewers.
The last one could go either way, I’m interested to see how the viewers digest this one. 666 Park Avenue is a dark drama, pretty intense and creepy. The show is set in The Drake, Park Avenue’s “most devilish address.” People lucky enough to be one of the 80 residents who inhabit the building can get everything they want – but it comes at a very high price. Some members of our watch party said it was reminiscent of the FX show American Horror Story.  Promoting heavily at Comic-Con this summer and starring the incredible Terry O’Quinn as the secretive apartment building’s puppet master could be a big draw for this audience. I don’t think I will be watching it but I am interested to hear thoughts from those that do.
For ABC I was torn down the middle. I think two shows will be a hit, one I think will be a total flop, and one I’m still unsure about. The results could be better but also could be worse, as we’ve seen much worse offerings from individual nets in seasons past. Overall after what I saw today I’m looking forward to the fall season!
All photos courtesy of ABC.com
Editor’s  note: Last year we did pretty well with our predictions. We predicted that Pan Am, Missing would get cancelled, and Revenge and Apartment 23 would be a hit. Unfortunately for them we predicted that the River and Once Upon a Time would be a hit and cancelled, respectably. The River is gone and OUAT is still going strong. So we were split with our predictions. However we all agreed that this year’s offerings were fewer, yet of far better overall quality.

Pinterest- How to use it and what to use it for? This question is being asked all over the place. This new social channel has taken off like crazy lately and is considered the next big thing in social media. Pinterest hit 10 million U.S. monthly unique visitors faster than any independent site in history, with nearly 12 million monthly unique visitors and over 10.4 million registered users. Some brands you are familiar with have already jumped on board such as Toms, Gap, HGTV, Lowe’s, and Etsy. Pinterest in generating more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+ and Linkedin combined.

Top five things I love about Pinterest for both marketers and consumers:
1. Encourages my champagne taste – For the marketing side one of the most popular things pinned are pictures of homes, kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms. If you live in this world start pinning! You can post a picture of a beautiful kitchen that links back to your site where the individual components can be purchased. You can help make these beautiful rooms people dream about and spend hours pinning become a reality. If you’re a contractor or interior designer, post your work on your pinboards. On a personal note, I’m always looking for new decorating ideas! My family is getting ready to move into a new home and each of those pins is something I want to see in that next house. By having the ability to keep all of these ideas in one place, when I get to that point it will be right at my finger tips to get started. Can’t wait!
2. My desire to be Paula Dean – I love to cook, and I especially love to try new recipes. Pinterest is full of them, and so far I have had amazing luck with all of them I have tried. If you have a business that is in the food industry either being a producer or distributor, this is a place you need to be. If there’s a recipe that calls for a certain type of cheese, meat, or sauce don’t you want your name to be in front of that?
3. Craftiness- OK, this one I need some help with. I’ve pinned a lot of crafty ideas that I would LOVE to make happen; I just haven’t had the opportunity to do so. There are so many great ideas out there for things to do with your children, things for the home, or ways to become more organized in your life. Pinterest has them all in one pretty little place for you so that when you are ready and have the time to pursue it, it’s not far away. Some of the brands benefiting from this category with several links back to their sites are Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Etsy.
4. Fashion forward – Everyone is always shopping, whether they want to admit it or not. This category has many aspects to it. This can be used to introduce new products, for example, search Toms in Pinterest. They introduced a new ballet flat to their shoe collection; it was pinned over and over again to the point where the website is on back order for the majority of the colors available. When you have 10.4 million registered users, this can happen quickly! Another thing I love about this category is the fact full outfits are being pinned, what I mean by this is I can already see what it would all look like together. So instead of just purchasing the shirt you like, the odds of someone purchasing the whole outfit go up quite a bit. A way for the advertising to have a higher average sale and the consumer to get it all done in one place with less shopping around!
5. Planning your most important day- Weddings! Weddings! Weddings! I wish more than anything this would have been around when I got married; you can see everything in one place. Ideas on centerpieces, bridesmaids dresses, wedding bands, and of course wedding dresses, if you have anything that a girl could possible need for her wedding day start pinning now! The ladies love Pinterest, 97% of Pinterests’ Facebook fans are women. You better get to talking to these ladies because planning one of the most important days of their lives is worth a lot of money.
That’s my top 5 list for Pinterest. Highly addictive and time consuming, I could get lost in Pinterest for days. How’s that for an engaged audience! There are so many great opportunities for brands to connect with their potential customers.
You can follow me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/crotter/