The 4 Keys to Patient Education

A local integrative medicine practice here in Chapel Hill offers regular seminars for their patients and the community. Last week, I attended one on the broad topic of integrative medicine and nutrition—a tough topic to cover in just one hour. But in addition to teaching me some new information, the seminar was beneficial in that it reinforced how challenging it can be to educate consumers about nutrition and health.

Translating often complicated science into easy-to-understand and actionable information for the layperson can be difficult. The seminar led me to reflect on how we create educational materials here at Pulse, and the four keys to effective health and wellness education that guide our efforts.

1. What is the need?

Far too often, health and wellness information is presented as universal truths applicable to anyone anywhere who wants to be healthy. The truth is that our health and wellness needs are incredibly personalized and unique. We may be seeking to simply lead a healthier life, but we may also be looking to prevent or manage a specific condition. The first goal of any health and wellness education should be to clearly and concisely define the need, providing consumers with the ability to determine if the information is relevant to them.

2. What solution is being recommended and how does it work?

Once the need is clearly defined, we want to introduce the solution—or in many cases, solutions. More importantly, we want to explain the “why” and “how” behind the solution. We call this the “biorationale” and the need for this explanation comes from the fact that once a consumer has their health awareness heightened, they want more information, not less. Providing a cogent and understandable explanation that translates complicated science into easy-to-understand language is critical to driving real and lasting behavior change.  

3.  How is the solution applied?

In other words: how much, when, with what, and so on. This key focuses on helping the consumer understand how to incorporate this solution into their daily life and the specific parameters required to achieve the desired positive health benefit. Frequently, this key involves consulting a health professional, which is why face-to-face interactions between a health professional and a consumer are a great way to share this type of education.

4. Which brand and why?

Last, but not least, we want to ensure that we are providing a specific and compelling brand recommendation that will be reinforced by the health and wellness influencer. Here we can focus on a brand’s features and benefits, and its points of differentiation, to ensure we are driving the path to purchase. Year after year for more than 17 years, health and wellness professionals have told us that their patients and clients ask for specific brand recommendations. Providing this information meets the needs of both the professional and the consumer, as I saw at the seminar last week.

Once the topic of essential fatty acids was discussed, a hand popped up from the crowd. “What does that look like… Are there brands that you would suggest?” The host of the seminar answered with a branded recommendation and explanation. As she attempted to continue her speech she was interrupted by another attendee, “Is that at [a local grocery store]? Can I get it through Amazon?”

These are the questions that you, the health and wellness influencer, are asked everyday.  Our goal is to give you the tools you need to answer them.

A Battle Cry to My Dietitian Colleagues

I spent the first decade of my professional career working as an advertising executive. People loved giving me suggestions for future ads or asking why pharmaceutical commercials involved people running in fields while a soothing voiceover announced scary side effects. At no time did I ever encounter anyone actively trying to do my job.  When I decided to pursue becoming a dietitian, I noticed one shocking and disturbing fact: I was hustling for years going to school full-time, taking the proper route toward becoming a credentialed Registered Dietitian, yet there were people who had never taken a single nutrition course touting themselves as “Wellness Professionals” doling out nutrition advice all across cyberspace.  The hardest pill to swallow is that people actually listened to them!

These days, the letters after your name don’t seem to matter as much as the followers you have on social media.  Your “influence” now determines your level of expertise—or at least the media has decided this is the case, given the exposure celebrities and bloggers with large followings receive.  However, the recent IFIC Food & Health Survey reveals that 83% of Americans have little or no trust in advice given from celebrities about food and diet, and named Registered Dietitians as the most trusted source of nutrition information.  So why aren’t dietitians getting the exposure commensurate with this level of trust?

This, my dietitian colleagues, is where I ask a favor of all of you.  It is time we SPEAK UP and BE LOUDER about our knowledge and expertise.  From your immediate social circles, to the community, social media channels, and beyond.  It’s time we, the Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, become THE go-to nutrition experts.  Whether you blog, ‘gram, tweet, or counsel patients face-to-face every day, be the voice of sound science among the nonsensical clutter. Use your influence to empower consumers to make smarter choices when it comes to their health, and make sure they mention it was a Registered Dietitian who helped them.  

We must continue seeking allies and endorsements about our expertise from respected medical professionals in the media and elsewhere.  We need to continue partnering with manufactures and marketing companies to become influencers in the food/beverage/health industry and among consumers.  Dietitians are more than just nutritionists with higher education and clinical experience.  We are THE health and wellness experts, and it is time we make our influence known.  

PulseConnect July Member Spotlight: Kelly Wolschon

This month, we spoke with Kelly Wolschon, a Registered Dietitian in Redondo Beach who works with both dialysis patients and pregnant women. An active member of our network for more than 10 years, Kelly spent a few minutes to talk with us about the way PulseConnect factors into her day-to-day work with patients.

Q: How do you use materials that you receive from PulseConnect?

A: I use the materials sent from PulseConnect in both settings that I counsel patients in. I also share this information with my coworkers if they are having relevant conversations with the people whom they counsel. I want to make sure the information gets into the hands of the patients who could use it.

Q: Could you describe a recent program that you found valuable and why?

A: I received two programs recently that were very valuable—Barilla and Clif Bar.

The Barilla materials were extremely informative as far as the glycemic index information.  It also helped me in becoming more aware of the different varieties of pasta that are out there. The materials educated me about what the marketplace is offering.

With the Clif Bar program, there was a lot of detail in the materials that I can use to share with my patients. Most notably the materials highlighted the nutritional content of the food. The detailed information is really useful for when I make brand recommendations.

Q: Does pointing to a specific brand help with the recommendations that you’re making?

A: For sure. If I can put something specific in people’s reach or in their focus, they will go for that. They really respect the recommendations and they want it to be clear cut.

Q: What kind of things are your clients asking you about? What are topics that you discuss on a daily basis?

A: There are a lot of questions about different beverages, the health importance of all the different drinks out there, such as the different types of water, flavored water, electrolyte enhanced, etc. There’s so many different options it can be overwhelming and they’re not sure what to believe. 

I often talk about label reading, and I’m just trying to get them to make smarter decisions.  I advise them on how to kind of read through the labels to understand the actual health benefits. 

We often discuss the science behind claims. The people who I counsel are not afraid to get a little bit of science background to help them better understand the claims.

Q: What do you like best about PulseConnect?

A: I appreciate that the materials are written very specifically and targeted toward health professionals. The language is very understandable and helpful for us and usually written by another health professional. It’s very refreshing to get to the point—that’s what we are looking for. It is great that because of PulseConnect, I don’t need to weed through a lot of extra information that’s really not important.

I’ve been really happy with the information that I’ve received over the past 10 years. Everything I’ve received was useful in my practice. 

Celebrities as Health and Wellness Influencers

Earlier this month, we learned that Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, has plans to launch a new health and wellness start-up that will provide content contributed by celebrities and bloggers.

The increasing overflow of health and wellness information (and misinformation) has led consumers to be much more skeptical of health advice provided by anyone but a professional. So why are marketers still using celebrities as influencers?

Given the mass confusion surrounding various health topics and the growing distrust in celebrity’s opinions, we wonder if using celebrities and bloggers as sources of health and wellness information is the best choice for Huffington’s new venture.

As we’ve discussed before, trust in experts and health professionals for health information is continuing to grow, while trust in bloggers and celebrities is plunging. Results from the recent IFIC Food & Health Survey revealed that 83% of Americans have little or no trust in advice given from celebrities about food and diet.

While there once was a point when an A-list celebrity could influence consumers, it’s clear that times have changed. As for marketers, it is important now more than ever to provide consumers with the genuine, face-to-face interactions from the sources they trust most.

PulseConnect June Member Spotlight: Gina Crome

Earlier this month, we spoke with PulseConnect member Gina Crome, the founder of Lifestyle Management Solutions in Glendora, California.  As an RD, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, and health coach, Gina regularly counsels patients on health and wellness issues including weight management, diabetes education, heart disease risk factors, and a variety of other general health and wellness concerns. 

We asked Gina a few questions to learn more about how PulseConnect adds value to her interactions with those whom she counsels.

Q: How do you use materials that you receive from PulseConnect?

A: Since I do a lot of public speaking, the materials we get from PulseConnect have been a great resource to hand out at my talks. I also attend a lot of health fairs and community health events, so having materials ready at all times to distribute at our booth has been extremely helpful. And of course, it’s been great to get the materials for free, especially because a lot of my work in the community is pro bono. Whatever I don’t use in a classroom or at an event gets put to good use at my office. 

Q: Could you please describe a recent program that you found valuable and why?

A: We recently took the box of Clif Bars that we received to an event and it was a huge hit! A lot of people we counsel have children, so having the Clif Kids samples to give out along with educational information was perfect!

I also received a Smart Balance kit, which was very well received by my clients. I’ve found that clients really like it when they are given information with a meal plan or a recipe and then also have a coupon for the product. 

Q: What kind of things are your clients asking you about? What are topics that you discuss on a daily basis?

A: We do a lot with weight management, so clients often ask us for foods that are portion controlled, fat reduced, and lower in sugar. Recently, a lot of people have been asking us specifically for diet beverages that don’t use certain chemicals. 

We also do a lot of diabetes education, so we get a lot of diabetics looking for products low in sugar and high in fiber. Fiber is another big thing that a lot of clients are looking for to maximize their fullness. However, with the recent changes to the nutrition label, I think we’re going to see a lot more people concerned about added sugar.

Q: What do you like best about PulseConnect?

A: Through the network, I’ve discovered new products, and it’s nice to have that first hand knowledge and be able to try the product. For me, that’s the part I like most about the network itself because I find it really hard to make a recommendation if I don’t know anything about the product or haven’t tried it myself. 

Trust in Health Professionals Continues to Grow

The annual IFIC Food & Health Survey, released this month, is chock full of fascinating data on Americans’ relationship to food. The entire report is worth a read, but one finding that jumps out at us is that Americans trust dietitians/nutritionists and their own personal health professionals more than any other source. The IFIC survey has shown this to be the case for many years—trust in these professionals only continues to grow, while trust in bloggers and digital sources of information is falling. This is why we are so passionate about face-to-face interactions with influencers as a way for healthy brands to engage consumers.

Proof That Experts Still Exist in the Field of Nutrition

Last week, at the Today’s Dietitian Spring Symposium, Dr. David Katz gave the keynote address in which he mentioned a 2014 article titled “The Death of Expertise” (The Federalist, 01/17/14). The idea sounded so much in line with one of my biggest fears as a nutrition scientist, I couldn’t wait to read it. 

The author, Tom Nichols, writes:

“I fear we are witnessing the ‘death of expertise’: a Google-fueled, Wikipedia-based, blog-sodden collapse of any division between professionals and laymen, students and teachers, knowers and wonderers—in other words, between those of any achievement in an area and those with none at all.” 

As a Registered Dietitian entering my 20th year in the profession, I’ve watched the food/nutrition blogosphere and social media grow exponentially—and alongside it, the even faster growth of self-proclaimed nutrition experts who not only reject the education of RDs but also reject science and rationality in favor of sensationalism and fear. It is this “death of expertise” that is potentially dangerous to all people who eat and also a risk to the RD as a profession. 

I tossed and turned all night after listening to Dr. Katz and reading Mr. Nichols article. Was there anything I could do to stop this disease from killing our profession? I pulled myself together for my “real job” and headed into the symposium. 

Along the way, I ran into an old friend and valued colleague who was speaking on how to be a qualified preceptor in order for students to have more opportunities to gain experience in the varied fields of dietetics. Without knowing it, she started to put my worries to rest. And then I went to the “expo”—the recently vilified, corporate-hamstrung, sometimes-dreaded vendor showcase (BTW, I am a vendor). For two hours, I talked to colleagues, answered questions from RDs with sincere interest in the science behind the product I represent and listened to other experts challenge the proposition of this product. I left the room hopeful, inspired and in awe of the professionals around me. 

While a few were bloggers and “media RDs,” most were dietitians with direct patient contact either in an in-patient or out-patient setting. Most had paid their own way to attend the symposium and most didn’t miss a single session. They were open to new ideas and eager for more and more information. It’s been a long time since I walked away from a vendor showcase without a single copy of a journal article left, and a list of people who asked for digital copies of full-text articles for their “reading pleasure.” The experience assured me that the Registered Dietitian is THE nutrition expert and is working tirelessly to maintain that expertise.

Why is this important? Because, at a time when marketing budgets are tight and digital/social communication is the darling of paid and earned “impressions,” you can’t forget to talk to the experts. Getting your information into the hands of the people who make professional recommendations to their clients guarantees that an expert is delivering your message. What’s even better, this information doesn’t have to be in the form of clever sound bites or complicated brochures. In fact, it can and should be a clear presentation of the science in a manner that respects the expert’s ability to draw his or her own conclusions, with a simple coupon to drive trial. 

So, I answered my own question: what can I do to stop the “death of the expert?” I can treat them with respect for their knowledge and experience, and for their time and effort in continuing to advance their expertise and that of the profession.

Defining A Health Influencer

Malcolm Gladwell is often credited with the birth of influencer marketing as his 2000 book “The Tipping Point” highlighted the unique impact certain individuals can have over the preferences—and buying habits—of the people they interact with.

Over the past 16-plus years, influencer marketing has become a broad and varied discipline. As the value of mass media and now digital media are continuing to be questioned, consumer packaged goods brands are turning more and more to influencer marketing to help their brands reach that proverbial tipping point.

These brands have scrambled to identify those key individuals that can persuade others to buy their product, and they have sought them out in communities, on websites, via social media, on TV and in print. If you look around, you can see attempts at influencer marketing everywhere you look. The definition of an influencer, for many, has become very broad and somewhat diffuse.

Our exclusive focus on health & wellness, however, leads us to a very specific and focused definition of an influencer—a definition based on the trust and credibility that consumers demand from those that advise them on their health and wellness.

So, what constitutes a health & wellness influencer at Pulse? For us, it’s someone who:

1.  Counsels, trains or advises people in a professional setting. People trust the health & wellness professionals that they have hand-selected to support them. This includes practicing dietitians, nurses and nurse practitioners, physical trainers, health coaches, pediatric professionals, midwives and many other everyday health & wellness professionals. As the International Food Information Council found, that trust does not necessarily extend to bloggers, TV personalities, the news media, and other sources of indirect influence.

2.  Counsels, trains or advises people on behavior change. When people seek out health & wellness solutions they are looking for products that support positive changes in their behavior—small steps to better health. Whether that’s “free from” food products that support their aspirational wellness goals or functional products that address a specific health need, consumers look for advice on products that help them change their behavior. Our definition of an influencer, therefore, focuses on the professionals who spend time with consumers talking about how to make those positive changes. These “allied” professionals often spend significantly more time with consumers than doctors and make a much more effective vehicle for delivering your brand message directly to the consumer.

3.  Sees patients or clients on a regular basis. Far too often, “influencers” can only deliver that influence indirectly through blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts, or 90-second local news segments. We seek out professionals who see dozens of patients and clients on a weekly basis in order to provide clients with reach to their target consumer. We want the influence delivered directly to the consumer through a face-to-face interaction, not indirectly through media.

4.  Has the training and expertise to understand the needs of their patients & clients. What could be more targeted than relying on the education and experience of a trained health & wellness professional to determine for which patients & clients your product is most relevant. With our influencers, there’s no need to look to demographics or markers to identify which consumers to reach. If you find the right influencers, they do the targeting for you.

5.  Is willing to use branded educational materials, product samples and coupons in their counseling interactions. Not every health & wellness influencer is willing, but our research shows that more than 90% of influencers do recommend specific brands by name to patients and clients. But even when they are generally willing to incorporate materials, we want to be sure that your brand materials are highly relevant to the conversations they are having with people and that they meet a specific need for the consumers they are counseling, training and advising on a daily basis.

It’s not just a one-way street, our members expect high-quality educational materials from us. They rely on us to provide materials that are not only informative and credible, but which are also relevant to the conversations they are having with the people they advise. 

Influencers are at the core of what we do, and we are constantly looking to add qualified influencers to our network. If you fit the description above, join our influencer collective and start receiving educational materials, samples, and coupons that can make a difference in the lives of the people you counsel, train and advise.

PulseConnect. Making Connections, Influencing Behaviors.

Years ago a “health influencer” was someone narrowly defined within the healthcare field: a doctor, nurse, dietitian, or physical therapist. Today, a health and wellness influencer is more broadly defined to reflect a wide variety of professionals that influence Americans’ health and wellness, including personal trainers, midwives, and health coaches.  While practice titles may be different, all kinds of health and wellness professionals leverage a high level of influence with consumers.  Together, this new collective of health and wellness influencers is connecting with more and more clients in novel ways—and brands are recognizing their power.  

Pulse Health & Wellness’s HCPNetwork was an early example of this kind of collective—a place for healthcare professionals to opt-in to receive educational materials, samples and coupons provided by brands.

Relaunching as PulseConnect, this collective of health & wellness experts is expanding its focus and its membership. As a member of PulseConnect, you can receive high-quality, branded educational materials for yourself and your patients, including scientific backgrounders, patient handouts, teaching tools, samples, recipes and coupons.  Plus you will have the opportunity to provide insights and feedback to manufacturers through surveys and one-on-one interviews.

Healthy brands understand that a personal experience with a product and familiarity with its nutritional profile are what drive your recommendation. They know that you need to experience it yourself before you’re comfortable sending your clients in their direction.  In virtually every PulseConnect program,  there will  be special incentives for you to bring a product home and give it a try.  Of course, as you make your recommendations to patients and clients, you’ll have special offers for them too—in the form of samples, coupons, recipes and health & wellness tips.

Over the next few weeks, PulseConnect will be sharing case studies that demonstrate the power of the collective to consumers and influencers. For now, sign-up to be part of this exciting, dynamic collective and invite your friends/colleagues to join too!

Why Print Succeeds with Health Influencers

There’s no question that we live in a digital age. Wifi, smartphones, and social media are ubiquitous and have unquestionably and fundamentally altered the way that we communicate—and the way we market.

So why do we continue to espouse the benefits of printed materials when it comes to delivering healthy brand messages through health & wellness influencers?

Because print works in ways digital cannot.

Let’s start with the most basic and powerful benefit: Printed materials deliver a face-to-face interaction between an influencer and highly targeted consumers. When a health & wellness influencer hands printed materials to a consumer during a counseling interaction, their influence is delivered directly and compellingly to that consumer. You don’t get that direct influence with a URL, tweet or blog post.

No less importantly, print lets you control the message. Digital activation aimed at earning blog posts, tweets, and other social media content risks your healthy brand message being communicated to consumers in ways that are inaccurate, misleading, or embarrassing. Printed materials not only educate influencers in an accurate and appropriate manner, but they ensure that consumers will receive your healthy brand messages as you have crafted them.

And despite what you may think, influencers prefer printed materials. This has been corroborated many times in our research with health & wellness influencers. In fact, more than 75% of influencers say they prefer print over digital. Why? They don’t have time to search the Internet for information to share with patients or clients, let alone manufacturer websites. They often don’t have the means in a professional setting to print or copy the quantities they need to distribute to consumers.

Plus, influencers prefer printed materials because they want their patients and clients to walk away with something they can refer to later. In fact, creating printed materials that allow for personalization and interaction vastly increases the usability and perceived value of the materials.

Finally—and this comes as a surprise to many—consumers prefer printed materials. When it comes to their health & wellness, consumers are seeking more information, not less. They trust health & wellness influencers more than any other source for this information. And despite the ubiquity of digital, they prefer print.

When people express surprise at this, I often encourage them to search Google for the phrases “Millennials prefer print” or “Boomers prefer print.” There is no scarcity of studies and data supporting these notions. In fact, there’s even science to support the fact that consumers are right to prefer print when it comes to important topics. A study by TrueImpact, a Canadian neuromarketing firm, showed that print media requires 21% less cognitive effort to process than digital, is easier to understand, and is more memorable.

So, is there a role for digital in the realm of health & wellness influencer marketing, or even in the marketing of healthy brands? Absolutely. Digital plays a key role in driving awareness and interest in healthy brands. It’s just that digital impressions are a mile wide and an inch deep.

But once you have the attention and interest of health & wellness influencers, print is the workhorse engine that drives the path to purchase.