Rebranding an organization

Posted by Missy Berggren on February 20, 2012 No comments

A little more than a year ago, I changed positions within my organization – moving from managing the marketing and communications at one of our hospitals to a marketing position in the system office. I wrote about the change in my role  and how I would be focused on marketing the organization as a whole. What I couldn’t share at the time is that I was tasked with managing the process to rebrand the organization.

The first year of my work (January 2011 to January 2012) was focused on planning and a significant amount of research with key stakeholders, both internally and externally. I also manage the relationship with the advertising agency we’ve asked to partner with us on this journey.

There were also some interesting ad campaigns I directed on the side, including TV spots and a handful of print/outdoor campaigns.

The last few months have been dedicated to the new brand approval, which includes a new name, new logo and a number of other deliverables. I’ve kept fairly quiet about my duties the past year, as it’s not exactly ready for public consumption while in the development and planning stages. However, it has been exciting and challenging, and I’ve been grateful to be a part of it.

Earlier this month, news of the rebranding efforts was covered in this Star Tribune article (pictured above with our new logo). Suddenly I’ve gone from not talking about the brand work at all to talking about it all the time – and that’s a very different, but good, place to be.

The work to implement a new name, logo and subsequent branding efforts includes a large team of people and a long timeline. We will begin transitioning to the new name in the spring – I look forward to sharing more as I’m able. 

On a career-related note, friend and co-founder of the MN Blogger Conference Arik Hanson recently interviewed me for his PR Rock Star series on his blog Communications Conversations. And despite the fact I don’t play any instruments and therefore don’t qualify as a REAL rock star, I am incredibly honored to be one of the folks Arik featured. If you enjoy staying on top of the PR/Communications/Social trends, you should definitely be reading Arik’s blog – he’s one of the best.

 

St. Kate’s Panel Discussion Q&A

Posted by Missy Berggren on January 12, 2012 4 comments

Last month I had the honor of speaking on a panel at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. The discussion was focused on marketing and social media. I had a great time sharing my experiences to help the students and learning from the other panelists George Sawyer, Tierney Krienert and  Kelli Ramirez. Special thanks to Beverly Kumar for extending the invitation.

Here are a few of the questions from the evening and my answers:

1. What does your average workday look like?

My days as a marketing/brand manager with Allina Hospitals & Clinics vary, of course. Daily tasks might include participating in a number of meetings, reviewing creative work from our ad agency, writing or editing internal communications, building strategies to address business/brand issues, monitoring health care news and trends, presenting plans and/or creative to executive leaders, competitive and market research…. and fielding calls from more ad sales reps than you can imagine.

2. Does your career fulfill you on a personal level? If so, how? What part of your job do you find most rewarding and challenging?

I’m fulfilled when two things happen – 1) I know my work makes a difference and 2) I’m challenged by the work. This is why I work in health care, and one of the best parts of my job is knowing my work touches patients and helps inform their decisions.

However, it’s getting more difficult to feel challenged the longer I do it. Believe me, I’d be thrilled if I never wrote brochure copy ever again! Doing the “same old” things doesn’t sit well with me. It’s the firsts that I get jazzed about – and my current role has given me some of those. For example last summer I produced a series of television ads, which was my first time working in that space.

3. How did you get to where you are now? (could be education, training, etc.) Has social media/networking affected the evolution of your career? If so, how?

I have a PR degree from Drake University, from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. I was trained as a PR writer and a journalist and, most importantly, required to get some solid internships under my belt before graduation. This made a big difference in my early career.

Of course social media didn’t exist when I first began working in marketing, but I’ve always been attracted to the web and online tools. I began blogging years ago (see my other blog Marketing Mama) as more of a hobby and space for reflection. Once I added Facebook and Twitter to the picture I began to broaden my network professionally in a new and different way. This network is important to me – not only because of the great friendships and business relationships I’ve developed, but also for the ways I’ve been able to use it in, and for, my career.

4. What is the biggest way you’ve seen social media/internet change the way business do business and how has it directly impacted the way you perform at work?

The biggest change I’ve noticed is increased access to our businesses by our communities/patients/customers. I think we all agree how important it is for businesses/brands to participate in social media, especially on Facebook and Twitter. But that presence can’t be one way communications. Many people will use social platforms to get a brand’s attention, ask for help or complain about a problem. This is both an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity is it gives brands a chance to have a (hopefully) positive interaction with that customer and (again, hopefully) resolve any concerns quickly. The challenge is to stay relevant, engage in a meaningful way and provide useful enough content that people want to stay connected with you.

5. Do you have any advice or tips on how to establish a brand for marketing yourself/or career without seemingly “tooting your own horn?”

This can be tricky – we are challenged to be authentic online without appearing boastful. Ultimately all social platforms are a bit narcissistic by nature. Here are a few tactical pieces of advice:

a. Match your online footprint to your professional aspirations. If it doesn’t fit, change it — or develop a second footprint to address your career.

b. Use a blog for thought leadership. Share your opinion on current events and hot topics in your industry. This is a great way to establish yourself without being too boastful. Be careful your posts aren’t rants and focus more on positive content than criticisms.

c. Showcase others. One way to take the focus off yourself is to feature others. These can be peers, businesses whose practice you admire or online and offline resources. Do this on all platforms -  feature others on your blog, re-tweeting/sharing meaningful things from others on Twitter and link to great things on Facebook.

Thanks again to the staff and students at St. Kate’s for the opportunity to connect with you on marketing and social media!

Snapshots of work :: TV commercials

Posted by Missy Berggren on November 23, 2011 3 comments

On the set filming a TV commercial for Allina clinics.

I’ve dedicated much of my time this summer and fall producing a series of TV spots for my employer, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, working with a great team of internal and external folks to pull it all together. 

It’s been a very intense time, sometimes a mad rush to make deadlines, but fun and challenging nonetheless. I’ve always found the best part of video production to be the end – when the pieces all come together and we can witness the final product touch the community in a very real way.

If you follow along here or Twitter much, you know I keep a tight lid on my work when it is in development and production. And I occasionally share items that have launched in the market… such as these! Today I’m featuring three 30-second spots that have been airing this fall/winter:

Allina Clinics

  Virginia Piper Cancer Institute

Allina Heart Services

Each of these shots required a full day of shooting with a crew (lights, sound, etc). Of course each spot had its own production challenges (I’ve never worked with a helicopter before!) but were manageable. We were at the mercy of the weather for all of these, which sometimes tripped us up. 

In addition to airing on TV, these pieces made a nice addition to their corresponding landing pages on the web. We’ve built them into our social strategy as well.

Special thanks to my colleagues: Dave Kodet (and crew), Lauren Hauter, Dawn Tucker, Jen Wild, Liz Shay and Dani Esten for your stellar work on these spots!

 

MN Blogger Conference this weekend

Posted by Missy Berggren on September 7, 2011 5 comments

Minnesota Blogger Conference LogoThe second annual MN Blogger conference is coming up this Saturday. Last year the event sold out in less than 2 hours. This year we decided to spread out the tickets and offer them in three batches over three weeks. They still went like wildfire and we have a long waitlist, even though we doubled our capacity this year (we can accommodate 250)!

My partner Arik Hanson and I felt we had a great event last year, and yet we still poured our energy into planning new, cool things for this year that we think will make the event awesome.

 

Here are a few I’m excited about:

Read Indeed – It’s a personal mission of mine to always include a charity or service opportunity at events I oraganize. Stacy at The Blogunteer pointed us to Read Indeed, a fabulous organization that collects books for children and teens in need. We’ll be collecting books at the conference, and Mandy from Glimpses of Soul Photography will be taking headshots for attendees with donations encouraged to Read Indeed.

“Ask the Expert” Forums – Most of our sessions will be packed with content and solid take-aways for bloggers. But we also planned new casual sessions for bloggers who want to learn more about various platforms and get their questions answered. These “Ask the Expert” sessions will cover WordPress, Posterous, Tumblr and SquareSpace. (full schedule here)

QR Code and Mobile Schedule – Attendees will be able to scan a QR code (or follow a link from twitter) to access the conference schedule from their smart phones. I first experienced this awesome technology at the UnSummit conference in Minneapolis a few months ago and loved how handy and functional it was. When Ian Schwartz stepped forward to make one for us, I jumped at the chance.

Taco Bar – Ok, we had free lunch last year, too, and it was tasty. But this year, well, I’m pretty stoked about having a taco bar. It’s like the best meal ever… tacos… yum. I mean, really, need I say more?

Awesome Sponsors – We couldn’t have asked for more supportive, amazing sponsors this year. Allina Hospitals & Clinics, TopRank Online Marketing and KARE 11 have been fabulous. Because of them, we’ve been able to keep the event free, offer lunch (ahem, taco bar) and hold the event in an amazing space suited for a large conference of our size. We couldn’t have done it without them.

Of course, I could go on and on and on about our amazing planning team, specifically Beth Rubin-Gabor, Bridget Monroe, Suzi Magill and Josh Braatan, among others. Looking forward to spending the day Saturday with these great folks who will truly bring the event to life.

Will you be there Saturday? What are you most excited about?

p.s. are we connected on Facebook and twitter yet? Let’s do that!

 

5 tips to rock your media appearance

Posted by Missy Berggren on July 28, 2011 9 comments

I’ve spent most of my career behind the camera, coaching physicians and execs on successful media appearances. Interestingly, the camera has turned in my direction the last couple of years and I’ve had to literally practice what I preach. 

Whether the media tracks you down for your take on a current story or bites at one of your pitches, here are a few tips I’ve learned to help you prepare:

1. Know your content – This is not the time to “wing it.” Prepare for your interview by jotting down the top three messages you hope to cover. Then rehearse them, out loud, before the interview. The more you practice saying them, the more easily they will roll off your tongue in the interview.

If you’ll be demonstrating products on TV, rehearse with them repeatedly until you feel very comfortable. If you need to recall multiple names or product specs, write notes on individual index cards you can hide behind the items on the set.

2. Look your best - For TV, dress to your topic. When I’m presenting on parenting or lifestyle topics, I change out of my corporate business attire and put on (dressy) jeans and a nice top. If you typically work out of your home and are asked to speak to your industry, dress as if you are meeting a potential client (because you are in fact meeting thousands of them at once).

Have a few days to prepare? Get a haircut and a manicure, especially if you’ll be demonstrating something with your hands. Don’t be afraid to wear bright colors, but avoid patterns – men, that includes your tie (patterns do funky things on camera). Opt for bold, chunky jewelry or a dramatic scarf.

Also, ladies, studio lights can really wash you out, so wear your make up a bit heavier than usual. You’ll want powder or foundation for a base, blush, eye make-up & definitely wear lipstick with some color! Bring your make-up with you and touch up right before your interview.

3. Smile, smile, smile - It’s common for people to freeze up on camera. Unless you are being interviewed by investigative reporters, I promise the reporters and producers want you to succeed – no one is trying to stump you! The best way to look (and sound) comfortable, engaging and friendly in your interview is to smile – this works for both TV and radio. It may sound simple, but most people don’t think to smile when they are nervous. So smile while you talk and while you listen.

4. Make sure they know who you are - Before your interview, write clearly on a blank piece of paper:

  1. your name
  2. your web site (it’s ok to leave off the www)

Don’t just hand them your business card or spell your name for them when they ask. Hand them the piece of paper and say “Here you go, I wrote it down for you” or “Here is how I’d like you to write my name.”

Remember, there are only 2 lines for text and they want it to look clean. If you don’t tell them how to write about you, they’ll come up with something for you (I have stories) and then you’ll be bummed you didn’t get your web site in the spot.

5. Offer bonus content  - Your goal is to provide useful information for the interview, but you’ll be a rock star if you offer additional tips or resources on your blog. Tell the journalist in advance, but don’t be afraid to bring it up if they don’t. This will give people a reason to visit your site. It will also give the news crew a reason to link to you from their web site. Believe me, you’ll see it in your traffic. Then, make sure you have that content ready and at the top of your site before your appearance.

Of course, have fun and don’t be shy about asking for a picture on the set or with the interviewer. They are used to it and usually happy to oblige.

Have you been on TV? What are your favorite tips? What did I miss?

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