Aloft Group Blog

Never Fear ICD-10 Man is Here!

Faster than a speeding deadline! More powerful than government regulations! Able to leap complex implementation issues in a single bound! "Look out in the lobby! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ICD-10 man!"

ICD-10 Man, strange visitor from another planet, who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal ICD-10 consultants. ICD-10 Man, who can change the course of tight deadlines, bend ICD-10 codes in his bare hands; and who, disguised as a mild-mannered HIT Consultant for a great ICD-10 vendor, fights a never ending battle for on time, on budget ICD-10 implementations. And now, another episode in the exciting Adventures of ICD-10 Man…

The 3 Common Digital Archetypes

I recently read a great article titled “Brand Strategy and Jung’s Archetypes,” which talked about Carl Jung’s concept of 12 Common Archetypes and how Jungian theory has been applied to post World War II branding and advertising. In Jung’s concept, there are twelve basic types that symbolize basic human motivations. Most of us are made up of several with one being the more dominant. I apologize to all of you Jungian’s out there for the brief description of such a complex topic but I’m trying to keep this post to fewer than 1000 words. Anyway the article and 4 espressos got me thinking of a theory I

5 Simple Tips for Better Video

We’re living in the age of online video. From corporate videos to viral videos, product demos to the Harlem shake, video is everywhere and it’s growing. In the past, it’s been expensive to produce quality video and distribution could be difficult. Today, easy access to large amounts of bandwidth has made video accessible to everyone with a computer, tablet, or phone. Not only is video accessible but it works, consider the following statistics:

People are 75% more likely to watch video than read print. –Forrester Research

Buyers are 98% more likely to watch a presentation on video than to listen to a sales rep. –Forrester Research

The human brain absorbs 50% more information through moving pictures and sound than the next best medium. –Forrester Research

So now you’re thinking, “Wow, we need to go make some videos!” and that’s great but, before you run and grab your iPhone or other device, please remember the following. As great and engaging as video can be, it isn’t as simple as just shooting some video. The above statistics apply to well-done video, no matter how engaging video can be, bad video is still bad video and it will not engage your visitors, unless of course it’s really, really bad then you may go viral but for all the wrong reasons. Here are a few tips to help you produce an engaging video you can be proud of and your visitors will want to watch.

Agencies need to find ways not to be cut out by brands!

I read an interesting article entitled '5 Ways Brands Are Cutting Out Agencies' and it got me thinking. All 5 Ways were compelling, and certainly relevant, however, one got my attention more than the others.

The notion of 'Service-driven content creators' - or 3rd party media platforms that are now creating content for their advertisers/brands, as opposed to their agencies. Why aren't more agencies doing this for their clients?

We've been developing international brand strategies for years that deliver 'thought leader' content for our clients in healthcare, publishing, technology, etc. Then we help them pump it out through a variety of marketing channels. This content acts as lead generation tools for their sales teams and drives value for their entire business organization.

Bring business/sales value to your brand clients and they won't want to cut you out!

Dustin

Another reason to clean up your brand strategy - M&A up 21%

According to an article in FierceHealthFinance, healthcare industry mergers & acquisitions were up 21% in 2012. The healthcare IT sector is showing particular promise for growth due to various business, financial and strategic factors.

With these numbers in mind, clarifying your brand strategy and positioning is a necessity to assure not getting left behind. Is your brand strategy aligned with business strategy, particularly in the areas of operations, business development and sales?

Healthcare provider brands - physician groups and hospitals/ health systems - are consolidating at a quicker pace, now more than ever, to achieve better financial and business efficiencies. They need to make their sure their newly 'consolidated' brands are focused in order to compete.

Similarly healthcare vendors selling IT, equipment and consulting into the these providers need to differentiate themselves from the fierce competition as a result of everyone jumping into this growing space. By necessity, providers are rethinking their technology strategies - if your brand provides solutions to them, you better position your brand to take advantage of the opportunity!

Dustin