A WORKSHOP FOR EMERGING HEALTHCARE COMPANIES

It’s incredibly challenging to effectively tell your story in the modern healthcare environment. We’re here to help you break through.

HealthComms U is a workshop built to help the Midwest’s most promising healthcare companies build more thoughtful and strategic communications plans.

Through a series of breakout sessions, hands-on working periods, networking opportunities and a panel discussion, the creators and strategists of Weber Shandwick Minneapolis will show attendees how even the newest of brands can differentiate themselves in today’s crowded media landscape.

Register for HealthComms U today by completing the form below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ryan Baird at rbaird@webershandwick.com.

DAY ONE SESSIONS

BUILDING A CHALLENGER BRAND: HOW UNDERDOGS WIN

Does it feel as though healthcare marketing rules are written to help the big companies? Well, they are, because the big companies are able to write the rules to their advantage. But there are ways small and mid-sized players can level the playing field by turning the rules on their head—and that’s what challenger brands are all about. Think David v Goliath. Mac v PC. Avis v Hertz. Oscar vs. Cigna. Who’s your Goliath?

Understand how challenger brands position themselves for success
Know the conditions that help a challenger brand thrive
Evaluate whether a challenger brand position is right for you
Apply the challenger operating principles to your situation
Learn from case studies of thriving challenger brands

DEFINING YOUR NICHE: HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION & KEY MESSAGES

It’s critical your target audiences understand the value your product or service delivers, especially when you are looking to create a new niche or break into a crowded market. Cutting through the noise is no easy feat, particularly when teams and resources are stretched. No longer can business be won focusing on product features, attributes and functionality alone. Your message—whether it’s delivered at an industry conference, in your sales materials or online—must be relevant, attention-grabbing and resonate with your varying stakeholders, from the media to investors, patients and doctors to the FDA.

Work through exercises to help you understand how your value proposition is unique in the market
Show you how to distill your company’s many differentiators and benefits into clear and concise messages
Position your messages from your audience’s perspective

HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORYTELLING TO DRIVE ENGAGEMENT

Storytelling is not just for novelists and playwrights. Everyone in a growing company needs to be a storyteller—whether you’re the company founder telling the corporate story or pitching new investors, a marketer launching a new product or a chief medical officer sharing how your product or service benefits patients. Good stories are how we get audiences to pay attention and care about what you have to say.

Outline what makes a good story
Provide a simple methodology for building stories
Share steps for turning a core story into a full campaign
Elements of an “always on” content engine

DAY TWO SESSIONS

UNPACKING THE MODERN MEDIA LANDSCAPE: MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF OWNED, EARNED AND PAID

In this digital age, the lines for earned, owned and paid media are increasingly blurred. An organization’s own content now serves as the launching point for news coverage and audience engagement, and successful social marketing can win a reporter’s favor for future news stories. Companies disrupting a space or creating a new category have an even bigger opportunity to establish themselves with media.

Understand the changing media landscape
Outline steps to create a plan that crosses digital channels and connects with both the news media and your audience
Identify opportunities to use paid tactics and amplification tools to make your storytelling work harder for you

BLINDING THEM WITH SCIENCE: NAVIGATING HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS

In the business of healthcare, you have to make complicated topics easy to understand for diverse audiences that may include physicians, insurers, patients and administrators. At the same time, you must prove your value in an increasingly cost-conscious environment while ensuring you don’t run afoul of regulatory guidelines.

Understand how to reach key healthcare stakeholders
Get a behind-the-scenes look at industry and medical meetings
Prepare for marketing clearance and potential challenges poised by regulatory guidelines
Outline ways to communicate value and position your product for reimbursement
Identify ways to build and sustain a content marketing plan, including patient storytelling

CRISIS & ISSUES COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING: BE READY TO FACE BAD NEWS

It’s only a matter of time before your company will confront challenging internal developments or external pressures, and the need to manage communications about them to customers, prospects, patients, regulators, investors, media, the general public and—far from least—employees. Making the crisis a one- or two-day story vs. a long-running “ooze” that saps the brand, morale and market value depends on having a clear-eyed perspective in advance of a worst-case scenario.

Learn best practices for writing a crisis communications plan, including the importance of scenario planning, messaging, internal Q&As and holding statements
Gain an understanding of long-term “media forensics,” or understanding the traditional and social media ecosystem most important to your firm, and how it’s likely to respond to a developing crisis or issue
Discuss the best ways to prepare your teams to face situations which can arise and shift strategy (i.e. new market entrants) and help executives anticipate and respond to tough questions and difficult media interviews

MEET THE PRESENTERS

DAVE TJADEN

Dave is a healthcare marketing and business consultant with more than three decades of experience helping companies drive growth, retention and market share. He currently consults with organizations to provide brand advancement, business launch, sales execution and growth expertise. His areas of focus include driving healthcare efficiency and long-term business-to-business and business-to-consumer satisfaction.

WALT PARKER

Walt is a senior vice president and editor-in-chief for the content team at Weber Shandwick. In his current role, Walt consults a variety of clients on crisis communications and management, key message development, and editing assignments. He has conducted executive media and presentation training for everything from Fortune 500 CEOs to regional sales teams, scientists and medical experts.

LIZ MIKLYA

Liz is senior vice president of corporate issues at Weber Shandwick. She helps clients across the country prepare for interviews related to product or campaign launches, crises and other developments. Liz has provided media training and key message strategy for dozens of clients in a variety of industries including, healthcare, retail, government and technology.

CHRIS BEARG

As head of strategy for Weber Shandwick Minneapolis, Chris helps turn insights into results-driven strategies for the agency and its clients. His background ranges from Porsche to Pillsbury, Aveda to Bank of America, Escalades to windpower, traditional to digital, entrepreneur to head of strategic planning at several integrated agencies.

RYAN BAIRD

Ryan is a vice president at Weber Shandwick. As co-lead of Minneapolis’ healthcare practice, Ryan brings extensive knowledge and experience in regulated medical industries. His current work encompasses product and issues-related communications support for publicly traded biotechnology and medical device clients, in addition to hospital systems.

ELIZABETH ANDERSON

Elizabeth is a vice president of integrated media strategy at Weber Shandwick. Elizabeth has worked with clients in consumer healthcare and pharma, as well as financial services and consumer brands to develop campaigns grounded in consumer insights. Her passion is choreographing integrated communications plans that helped turn niche brands into category disrupters and sales leaders.

MICHAEL CARROLL

Michael is the Chief Marketing Officer at TripleTree and TT Capital Partners, focused on marketing strategy, brand management, pipeline expansion and portfolio company engagement. He is also responsible for advancing the firm’s research and thought leadership agenda. He brings 25+ years of diverse marketing and partnership experience in the healthcare, financial services and retail sectors to his role at the firm.