Zeno Group Blog

I’m in Orlando this week with our client, Evenflo, at the annual ILCA Conference (International Lactation Consultants Association). More than 1,000 experts in the field of breastfeeding have come together to share information, hear from others in their industry, and connect with companies to learn about products and services that can help them better serve their clients: breastfeeding moms.

Being here, I’m reminded of the importance of and value in engaging influencers when trying to connect with moms. In the virtual world of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, it’s sometimes easy to forget that these “real life” influencers still play an important role in mom’s world. The lactation consultants attending this conference have a huge impact on a new mother’s behavior patterns and purchasing decisions. Moms turn to these trusted experts to supply helpful, credible information that will improve their mothering experience. The same holds true for nutritionists, child passenger safety technicians, and any other knowledgeable, expert figure in a mom’s life.

The question is, how do you engage these influential experts to develop a meaningful relationship with your brand? Like any worthwhile relationship, it needs to be a two-way street. What can you offer them of real value?

We’ve been entertaining the ILCA attendees (and ourselves) with, “Give it your Breast Guess,” a Jeopardy-style trivia game about all things breastfeeding. Apart from it being a ton of fun and a great way to attract visitors to the booth, it’s generated a lot of attention from lactation consultants interested in using the game to educate their clients.

The next time you look to engage an expert audience with your brand, think beyond your product line to what you can offer them that will make their lives, and their clients’ lives, easier, better, happier or more efficient. It will go a long way in building a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship.

Last night, Chicago’s most savvy marketers turned out at Lux Bar where Zeno Group co-hosted a party with Chicago’s Michigan Avenue magazine, in honor of author Bridget Brennan’s new book on marketing to women, “Why She Buys.” The book helps brands, marketers and communications professionals put information, research, insights and resources to work for their businesses and brands. Prior to her current position as CEO of Female Factor, Bridget was a member of the Zeno Group family. During this time, she had a vision to start the first public relations practice area dedicated to the pursuit of marketing to women, Speaking Female at PR21, now Zeno Group.

Since then, her “baby” continues to grow. The Speaking Female practice at Zeno Group is thriving and continues to develop smart and effective strategies for our clients that reach that critical decision maker in the household – women. During the evening, Bridget shined a spotlight on how emerging societal trends, such as rising divorce rates and the shrinking size of the American household, impacts women…and more specifically, marketing to women. But, first and foremost she advised that no matter what trend you’re trying to keep up with it all goes back to gender. So, do you Speak Female? She’s listening. Are you? To learn more about the book, check out a recent review from the Wall Street Journal.

I was reminded this morning of how quickly a seemingly non-related story can be turned into a case study in the healthcare debate.

With Michael Jackson everywhere in the news since his death, I guess it should come as no surprise. However, it was a surprise for me when I turned on the news this morning and they were discussing the whole notion of concierge medicine. The question? Whether what Michael Jackson had, a personal doctor, is really the best care a patient can get. I always thought that the more personal care you could get from a doctor, the better your healthcare would be. But after listening to the debate, it appears there is a fine line.

Personal doctors’ whole source of income comes from one to a few patients, and because of this, they may want to do everything they can to make their patients happy. That may include prescribing drugs or tests that patients want but may not absolutely need. Physicians, who have the confidence of the American people on issues of healthcare reform, are speaking out more and more frequently about the business aspect of private practice.

Patient access to information and resources varies. Those of us involved in health communications know that sharing health information across different media channels and through different voices remains critical. We need to be vigilant about staying on top of the moving pieces in the healthcare debate and how they can influence consumer health coverage. It’s no longer a question of whether there is a health policy connection to a consumer story – it’s a question of what is the connection, and what should we do to prepare for it.

Ever since Nielsen released its latest study on Moms and social networking, I have been mulling over the dramatic inflection point of motherhood. Motherhood, more than any other time in our lives, allows us to share the most intimate parts of our lives with total strangers. From walking in malls, to online communities, we solicit and provide advice like experts. A mother of a newborn with colic can suddenly become a support system for moms just beginning the process of, “why won’t she stop crying?” Social media, more than mommy groups, enables moms to hyper target communication with other moms at the exact ages and stages.

From breast feeding to the introduction of solids, to meals and playtimes, advice and laments hurtle through the web. I recently tweeted about my teenage daughters and babysitting, and received numerous, thoughtful comments on how to advice kids on what to charge, as well as a quick snapshot of acceptable rates across the country. We moms connect online, not only to seek advice and bridge the loneliness and often insanity that comes with motherhood, we connect because we trust one another. We value advice from strangers because motherhood takes away the unfamiliar and makes us a wonderful collective of aunts, sisters, mothers and friends. So when I tweet or blog about my latest travails of curfews and teen driving, I am not alone. I have the support and comfort of the collective Borg that is motherhood and I may be going crazy, but I am hardly alone.

Fortune 100 CEO’s have not embraced social media.  Let me rephrase that.  They’re not even participating in social media.  According to a report from UberCEO, only two of the top 100 have Twitter profiles and all 100 are ghosts in the blogosphere.

In addition, a Forbes Insights study (sponsored by Google) titled “The Rise of the Digital C-Suite” revealed that only 1 percent of those over the age of 50 provide daily contributions to a work-related blog. So what does this mean?  If you’re old and powerful, you’ll likely not be active in social media?  No.  It just demonstrates the gap between those who entered the work force with a reliance on fax machines, phones and letters vs. those who live in an environment where Facebook, blog posts and tweets dominate the communications.

So what’s a newbie social media user who happens to run one of the world’s largest companies supposed to do?  For starters, let’s take a closer look at seven CEO’s who are doing it right – regardless of fame or Fortune status.  Follow them.  Better yet, ask them a question.  They know what social media is about so don’t be surprised when they respond to you.

Full article with the 7 CEO’s at The Social 7, blog authored by the Digital Lifestyle team at Zeno Group. Follow The Social 7 on Twitter: @thesocial7