And then your account gets hacked.

Regardless of the content – a disgruntled former employee’s rant, unsavory spam or bogus information about your company – your followers and friends will be annoyed at best, offended at worst, and it may tough to get back in their good graces.

In other words, one erroneous Tweet and your company’s reputation could take a hit.

To prevent hackers from taking over your online profiles make sure each account is protected with a unique, strong password. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when creating passwords:

•Use a minimum of seven characters – longer is better.
 
•Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters such as the pound sign.
 
•Don’t use a common word or phrase.
 
•Don’t use your own name, company name or other personal information that is common knowledge, for example, CardinalsFan.
 
•Change passwords at least every six months.

Even the strongest passwords are no good if they’re not kept secure. Only give access to people for which it is absolutely necessary. And, perhaps most importantly, if you create a document listing your passwords, don’t save that document under the name “Passwords.”

Building a social media following takes time and effort. Don’t risk letting few keystrokes of a hacker undo your work. The time it takes to create new strong passwords every few months is well worth it.

That’s The Marketing Dilemma.

Here’s a secret, you have to go get the leads. Branding is a fairly passive form of marketing. Basically, you put your company out there and hope to get noticed. To create a solid sales pipeline, you have to actively generate leads.

The first step is to determine how many leads it takes to close a sale. Then figure out how much it costs to generate each lead. From there you can set your lead generation goals and work to reduce the costs to acquire those leads.

But keep in mind, not all leads are created equal. Some can be a gold mine, others a wild goose chase. That’s why it is so important to define your target market as narrowly as possible. Develop your target list, then, qualify those leads even further to prioritize to whom you should devote most of your attention.

And, once you get those qualified leads, you have to manage them correctly so you can eventually close the deal. Developing and maintaining a customer relationship management system is essential. However, the key to a successful lead generation program is your follow through. In other words, are you calling the leads and setting up appointments in a timely manner?

A lot of people think marketing is a waste of money – usually those who don’t go beyond basic branding. But including strategic lead generation and channel partnerships, which we’ll discuss in our next blog, in your marketing plan will significantly boost your sales and help you meet your revenue goals.

The 2012 Global Outsourcing 100 recognizes the world’s best outsourcing service providers, according to a release. NMBS was ranked as one of 25 “rising stars” on the list. Rankings will be unveiled when the list appears in the July 23 Global 500 issue of FORTUNE magazine.

“We are extremely pleased to be honored among a list of internationally recognized outsourcing companies such as Accenture, ADP, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, Unisys and Capgemini,” says Nader Samii, CEO of NMBS. “Our goal is to give our clients the most sophisticated operational delivery system and client service in the ASC industry. As a result, we have earned the reputation as a trusted business advisor.”

The 2012 Global Outsourcing 100 rankings are based on applications received and evaluated by an independent judging panel organized by IAOP.

Learn more about National Medical Billing Services.

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Chicago, Illinois– CCO Healthcare Partners (CCO), a specialized marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide, announced today the launch of a new company, CORE Medical Marketing (CORE). CORE focuses on patient acquisition marketing services for healthcare providers.

“CCO has built a reputation for helping B2B healthcare companies achieve their growth goals efficiently and effectively,” says Scott Christiansen, who is leading the CORE initiative. “Several of our clients encouraged us to adapt our unique methodologies for their provider customers. They wanted to work with a company that understands the business of healthcare and the business of marketing.”

As CORE launches, it is already working with hospital, clinic, physician practice and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) clients throughout the country.

“Competition for patients is fierce and many facilities are unprepared for the fight. Unfortunately, healthcare providers can no longer rely only on word-of-mouth referrals that result from providing high-quality care and patient satisfaction,” adds Christiansen. “CORE’s mission is to help providers uncover their competitive advantage, then execute a focused marketing strategy to educate the community and win patients.”

Healthcare reform and other industry challenges have forced small hospitals and other independent facilities to aggressively compete for patients. Large hospitals and health systems have began buying physician practices and launching new services in an effort to keep patients inside their continuum of care. In addition, patients now have access to conduct research and make their own choices about healthcare providers. CORE’s services are designed to help healthcare facilities be successful even as they face these industry challenges.

About CCO Healthcare Partners
CCO Healthcare Partners is a specialized marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide to help them grow their revenue predictably and profitably. Founded in 2009, the firm has offices in Chicago, Ill. and Nashville, Tenn. CCO’s team of specialists has in-depth industry knowledge and experience successfully marketing in the healthcare environment. By utilizing multi-channel strategies and consistently measuring the ROI on each tactic, CCO helps clients reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively. For more information visit www.CCOpartners.com.

About CORE Medical Marketing
CORE Medical Marketing helps healthcare providers win a competitive advantage in today’s consumer-driven healthcare market. Founded in 2012, CORE leverages a team of professionals who have strong expertise in both the business of healthcare and the business of marketing. The company is headquartered in Chicago and serves hospital, clinic, physician practice and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) clients across the U.S.

To learn more about CORE Medical Marketing, visit: www.coremedicalmarketing.com.

Contact:
Kristen Allen
Media Relations
CCO Healthcare Partners/CORE Medical Marketing
kma@ccopartners.com
312.961.4745

Peter Cunningham, chief executive officer of CCO Healthcare Partners will be a featured panelist at the 9th Annual Healthcare & Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference.

Cunningham and other panelists will present “Expanding Healthcare Business Lines” Thursday, February 23 at 2:55 p.m. During this session, panelist will discuss market segments within the healthcare industry that are poised for growth and opportunity. In addition, Cunningham will talk about how to measure marketing ROI throughout the business line expansion process.

“The healthcare industry has undergone drastic changes recently and this trend is sure to continue,” says Cunningham. “Healthcare companies and their financial backers have to find new ways to grow their businesses in order to stay relevant in today’s environment.”

During the conference, leaders from the healthcare investment community will explore how to successfully close transactions and achieve growth by implementing the right strategies in the right markets. In addition, companies seeking investment or financing will also present.

The conference, which is Wednesday, February 22 through Thursday, February 23, will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago.

“This conference brings together both healthcare businesses seeking financial backing as well as those looking for investment opportunities,” says Cunningham. “I look forward to sharing some of the insights I’ve gleaned by working with healthcare executives and private equity firms across the country.”

This is an actual question from a typical branding exercise.

But while a creative team is taking months to debate the merits of your company as a cross trainer versus a stiletto, the competition is talking to your potential customers and setting your brand for you.

This method of brand building is inefficient and oftentimes results in an arbitrary brand image that misses the mark.

A more efficient and effective way to develop your brand is to start with an honest assessment of your company. For example, what do you do better than anyone else?

Then, talk to your current customers. Find out why they chose you over the competition; how your product or services benefit them; and which factors were the most important during their decision making process.

You might be surprised by what they say.

A great brand must do two things:
1) Tap into what matters most to your customers
2) Match the reality of what your company can deliver

Both the self-analysis and customer poll will provide valuable insight to ensure the brand you create meets the criteria above.

Cross trainer or stiletto? The question you should be asking is what brand image matches your customers’ needs. And, the even bigger question is, “Can your company fill those shoes?”

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To grow sales, you have to have a strategy that utilizes a mix of tactics including lead generation, channel development and, of course, branding.

The challenge, however, when employing a multi-pronged approach is to ensure that everything works in concert.  In other words, all the tactics must be anchored by a common strategy.

Think of the strategy as your map and lead generation, channel development and branding as your vehicles.

By using multiple marketing “vehicles,” you’ll reach your revenue goals more effectively and efficiently because:

• You hit your target from various angles
• You can determine in real-time which tactics bring the biggest ROI and adjust accordingly

Bottom line, there’s more to marketing than a pretty logo.  The right marketing mix gets results – sales go up, costs go down.  And even the most famous logos can’t deliver that on their own.

Cary will manage CCO national accounts as well as establish a presence in Nashville, the center of for- profit healthcare business in the U.S. In this role she will help healthcare organizations develop and execute strategic marketing plans to grow revenue and expand their reach in the marketplace. Most recently Cary was a senior advisor at Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, a healthcare public affairs firm. During her tenure at Data Systems International she managed marketing communications for the company’s 25 regional offices as well as a multi-million dollar co-op advertising program in conjunction with IBM® and Hewlett-Packard®. Cary has also served as a columnist for a Chicago-area magazine and coordinated public relations campaigns for two international trade associations.

“As a firm, we are singularly focused on helping our clients grow their businesses predictably and profitably,” says Peter Cunningham, managing partner of CCO Healthcare Partners. “It was important for us to be on the ground in Nashville not only to grow our own business, but to develop more relationships of strategic value for our clients.”

In addition to providing a range of market intelligence, CCO works with each client to develop the best strategies and marketing mix to reach their target market. The firm also consistently measures the effectiveness of each tactic against benchmarking numbers to ensure the marketing efforts are as efficient and cost-effective as possible.

Last year Chicago-based CCO enjoyed substantial growth and expects to continue to grow at an even greater pace in 2012 with the addition of new services, strategic hires, and additional geographic locations.

About CCO Healthcare Partners
CCO Healthcare Partners is a specialized marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide to help them grow their revenue predicatively and profitably. Founded in 2009, the firm has offices in Chicago, Ill. and Nashville, Tenn. CCO’s team of specialists has in-depth industry knowledge and experience successfully marketing in the healthcare environment. By utilizing multi-channel strategies and consistently measuring the ROI on each tactic, CCO helps clients reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively.

For more information visit www.CCOpartners.com.

Contact:
Kristen Allen
Media Relations
CCO Healthcare Partners
kma@ccopartners.com
312.961.4745