Streaming media has been in use on the internet for over 10 years.  Intially the technology bar to edit, digitize and strem video was high.  Individuals and companies who wanted their video or movie viewable online had to purchase expensive software or outsource the production of the file and then employ the services of a streaming media hosting companies. 

Nowadays it is much easier thanks to the YouTube and the makers of video cameras.  With a camera costing around $500, an external microphone and good lighting, anyone can make a video of their product or service.  The simplest approach is to limit editing by shooting a demonstration of your product or conversation about your service.  As long as the content is meaningful, your customer will not care if you make a mistake or two in delivery.

Once the video is complete and digitally saved, simply upload it to YouTube.  Their site accepts many formats of video files and converts it to their FLV format, so don’t worry too much about the file type until a problem arises.  YouTube has many features including indexing the video (i.e. separating it in chapters) to make it easier for the viewers.  Within YouTube, it is important to add a title and description that includes keywords that will online searchers find the video.  A link from your company’s website can also be added to the video on YouTube.  Since it is becoming quite common for companies to make use of YouTube to host video content, online viewers of your website will be quite used to be redirected to YouTube.

I followed the above steps and was able to post multiple videos in the same day.  Already clients have responded that is much easier to understand how we conduct testing after watching our testing demonstrations posted on YouTube.  It also has increased our visibility on line for search engines.  What have your experiences been like with online video?

Jim Verzuh, Director of Marketing

The American Medical Association (AMA) will be considering a resolution at their House of Delegates meeting in Chicago on June 13-17 to address the role of clothing and accessories (neckties, jewelry, wrist watches, etc.) in the spread of pathogens in hospitals. Resolution 720 advises that hospitals adopt dress codes that “minimize transmission of nosocomial infections, particularly in critical and intensive care units.”

The resolution also specifically refers to the United Kingdom’s “bare below the elbows” policy.  If passed, such a resolution would cause a major fashion change in hospitals — no more long sleeve white lab coats. The proposed resolution is expected to help healthcare workers be more compliant with hand washing guidelines, as there will be less concerns about getting jewelry, wrist watches and long sleeves wet.  Avoiding wet shirt sleeves and wrist jewelry is one of the driving forces behind using alcohol-based gels. What have you heard from your customers reagarding this resolution?  If passed, do you think this will change the demand for alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

There has been a tremendous buzz in the first four months of 2009 about using social media to drive business.  For sales and marketing professionals, the question is “with so many social media recommendations, how does one know where to spend their time effectively?”  It seems like social media can easily overwhelm us.

After reading several articles on the topic, there does seem to be a collective opinion on how to develop a social media strategy.  First, start small and put your effort where it will get the most results.  Look at the social media sites where your customers are spending their time.  Is it Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter or something else?  Second, test one social media site/tool at a time and track results.  Just like conducting a scientific experiment, develop purpose, approach and key metrics.  Third, make the social media strategy compliment the search strategy.  Choose social media sites and tools that give search results for keywords related to your products or services.  This can be tested for each site as you add content to it.  Finally, position yourself as the “expert authority” in the market niche you serve.  Pass along helpful news and tips from industry organizations.  Create a question that is currently relevant, answer it, and encourage others to respond.

There is much to learn about the power of social media.  The strategies and tips undoubtedly go beyond these.   How are you using social media at your company?

Jim Verzuh, Director of Marketing.

I will be the first to admit that I did not have the scientific background to understand the vast majority of the posters.  Also, as a marketing professional at first glance I could not see the focused, clear message that any poster was trying to deliver.  While some posters were created more professionally with better graphics, they all blended together for me.  It was not until I spent the time observing the poster viewing area that I was able to see how these posters are not only presenting relevant scientific data, they are also a valuable tool for collaboration, marketing, recruiting and sales.  I watched as scientists from leading industry companies and universities stopped in front of a poster, read every word and data table, reviewed every graph, and took notes on the methodology and results.  These posters provided insight to the scientist on a topic they were studying or wished they had the funding to study.  For some it even provided a leap forward in their research.

For the companies who sponsored the poster, conducted the research or testing, or supplied the testing material, it provided credibility to their scientific capabilities and data to set them apart.  And remarkably to me, it even provided leads, as scientists who were interested in the study dropped off the card.  For a company like ours, this could be a key product development contact and thus a sales lead.  For a products company this could be the lead for finding a new scientist interested sharing their research on a similar topic or maybe in working in their laboratory in the future.

I am sure that there is even more to be gained from displaying scientific posters than I saw at these two shows.  What value does your organization get from scientific posters displayed at industry events?

Jim Verzuh
Director of Marketing and Special Projects