touch point podcast

While digital tools and technologies has become an essential part of our lives in society, do different generations use and value them equally? In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith attempt to define the generational gap between Baby Boomers, GenX and Millennials and discuss the digital methods in which they access care. They are joined by Rob Rosenberg, president of SpringBoard Creati...

We often hear that healthcare is local. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how this concept extends into the digital space. From hyper-local marketing to geo-fencing and geo-targeting, they discuss the origination of “local marketing” and how health systems can embrace a localized approach to their digital efforts. They are joined by expert Mike Vujovich, Director of Digital...

Just what does it mean to “nurture” digital customers? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss lead nurturing and how digital marketers in health systems can use marketing automation, email and other digital touchpoints to develop effective ways to nurture customers on their journey. They are joined by Greg Gossett, CEO of HealthAware, in which he discusses how online health risk...

When it comes to brand differentiation, most hospitals and health systems struggle to define their uniqueness in the market. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer explore how organizations and brands can understand their unique differentiators, how to infuse differentiation into their organization’s DNA and what we can learn from orange juice. They are joined by Cassie Benowitz, princi...

The concept of marketing campaigns is slowly becoming a thing of the past. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss a newer approach to marketing that hospitals and health systems are embracing - “always on” marketing. From key activities, important features to describing the three phases, they attempt to define always-on and how organizations can evolve their efforts to embrace t...

Consumerism is driving significant changes within health systems, so much so that organizations are rethinking their business models to ensure they are meeting the needs of the communities they serve. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss four types of business models found in provider systems and unique digital strategies that can support each model. They are joined by Jeff Ca...

As digital channels evolve, more and more online users are turning to video as a medium in which to research, learn and make decisions. But how do hospitals and health systems develop videos that are both aligned with their strategies and also unique to social media and websites? In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith share various tips on how to develop videos, including choosing the r...

We live in a data-rich world, and any of us that spend time online already know that our data footprint is being tracked and analyzed for a multiple of reasons...including marketing. But what is the ultimate value of health records that are being kept within health systems? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss why health records command such a high price on the dark web, how d...

In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer review three digital studies - the 2019 Mary Meeker Internet Trends Study, The 2019 Social Habit Study (by Edison) and the 2019 Healthcare Digital Marketing Study. From the rise of mobile, the on-demand economy, trends in social media usage and health system and agency digital marketing team size and structure, the hosts share their takeaways on ho...

As healthcare marketers, we’re often asked to rely on our expertise to help develop effective strategies. However, this knowledge can also lead us down a path to bias that can influence how we think, measure and determine success. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss common bias “traps” that health system marketers commonly fall into. They are then joined by Christopher Penn,...

For all organizations, an effective digital marketing strategy is important. For those of us practicing digital marketing for hospitals and health systems, the stakes are much higher. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the important role digital marketing has in a purpose-driven industry, and digital tools are not only smart for business but also help us better understand ou...

When adopting a digital-first approach to your marketing and communications, creating content consistently and effectively is critical. So why do the majority of health systems struggle with assembling an effective content team? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the real reason why it’s hard to do content marketing (hint: it’s NOT lack of resources) and share the roles that...

Broadcasting live from the 2019 Healthcare Marketing and Physician Strategies Summit in Chicago, IL, this week’s episode brings together a panel of experts across the healthcare marketing industry discussing some of the latest topics in the healthcare space including the rise of consumerism, regarding physicians as part of your audience strategy, the role of data and data-driven systems in healthc...

For health systems, artificial intelligence is more than a buzz-term spoken at conferences: there are numerous  opportunities for machine learning systems to support clinical efforts, marketing and operations. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how AI can play an important role in healthcare and how to build a business case for AI. They are joined by Julia Steed, VP of Marke...

In hospitals and health systems, as digital tools, content and strategies continue to expand, the need to structure and relate information together becomes increasingly important. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the importance of taxonomy and hashtags, and how developing a consistent, prioritized approach will help define the semantics of our digital ecosystem. They are j...

In healthcare, the consumer journey in pursuing care is far from a linear funnel. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the factors modern hospital and health system professionals need to consider when mapping out customer journeys. They share essential components to consider when evaluating a customer’s journey and are joined by Tom Hileman, president of The Hileman Group, in...

Within a health system, the application of digital strategies not only support marketing and patient experience efforts, they also extend to supporting internal communication efforts. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss the way internal communications can extend past emails and the intranet to embrace mobile, video, persona development and KPI/measurement strategies. They are...

Hospitals and health systems realize that their website is the most important touchpoint in their digital tech stack - but many elements of the modern website are changing and shifting. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss a number of factors that are changing the modern website, including how search engines, personalization and the Internet of Things. They are joined by Carri...

For health systems, adopting a content strategy involves understanding their audiences and aligning content to a specific business purpose. With the advancement of digital tools and strategies, many organizations are adopting advanced ways to measure and determine the effectiveness of their content marketing. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss ways to measure content efforts...

For many health systems, managing social media can be a challenging task - and the need for a social media management system (SMMS) is critical. However for many professionals, they see SMMS as a technology solution and not a shift in the overall social media process. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the different types of social media software, the elements of a social me...

This second part of the series on measurement and KPIs explores how organizations can measure financial ROI of their efforts. Hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss the two ways to measure ROI, and the essential pillars need to build an ROI measurement strategy (hint: it’s not necessarily a CRM...but it helps). They are joined by Jackie Martin, principal of Branch Strategy, in which she shares h...

In the first of two shows focusing on how our industry measures their efforts, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer share tips on how to understand the differences between metrics and KPIs, how healthcare marketers compare to other industries in proving the value of their digital marketing and the right types of KPIs we should use to align with our strategies. Mentions from the Show: Xasis Survey: Mea...

This week, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer share, via a series of interviews, experiences and ideas from this year’s SXSW. From the history of how the health track was formed, to thoughtful insights on data privacy, AI, ethics, healthcare equality and data, this episode features interviews with other Touchpoint Media co-hosts and friends of the show: Aaron Clifford, Dr. Byan Vartabedian, John Ber...

Email marketing is one of the oldest tactics in a digital marketer’s toolkit - but is it still relevant and effective? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the state of email marketing and illustrate some important statistics that highlight how important emails are to a health systems’ communications and marketing efforts. They are joined by Jessica Troccoli, former email stra...

It’s commonly understood that online reviews are an important component of hospitals’ and health systems’ online reputation management efforts. But are all online reviews the same? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer explore the various elements of an online review - from open vs. closed review systems, the benefits of a five star rating system to how organizations can benchmark thei...