From the monthly archives:

August 2010

darrin

When the Blood Supply Dries Up

On most days our local blood banks supply hospitals with blood given by regular donors. The only time that most of us might ever give an urgent blood donation is when a family member is ill and needs our help. Sometimes we hear – or read – about a shortage at our local blood bank and it compels us to go in, roll up our sleeves and donate. This system usually works fine, but there are cases every year of patients not receiving blood in time. A good example of this is what happened in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan a few years ago.

Blood is needed every day, but what happens when the blood needed is not there?

Kyrgyzstan was once part of the Soviet Union, and people were used to donating and showing solidarity with one another. With the breakup of the USSR, many countries have yet to fully develop new systems for everyday life. Donating blood is one of those things that has not recovered to pre-Soviet levels. This has been especially troublesome for expectant mothers who may need blood transfusions after giving birth.

As of five years ago, in Krgyzstan, 82 out of every 100 women who died after childbirth could have been saved by a blood transfusion. The situation was so drastic that some patients were given blood without checking the blood types. A person can go into shock if given the wrong blood type, so these situations could be made even worse. The country now depends almost entirely on help from family members and experiences chronic shortages of blood types not usually found in Asia. Another horrible fact is that only 10% of the population is even able to give blood.

We are much more fortunate here in the U.S. where there is still a sense of civic pride behind giving blood (even though the percentage of donors has dropped from 10% of the population to now only 5%). Our newborns can expect to see their mothers helped, with blood donations from selfless volunteers.

If the donor numbers continue to drop, what are your ideas to attract more people to donate their blood and save lives?

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jbusto

HOW TO Improve Blood Donor Recruitment

At Incept, we specialize in blood donor recruitment and have many different ways to make it effective.  For my next few posts, I am going to be sharing pieces of that strategy with everyone.  In this first post, I highlight why measurements are key to a healthy donor recruitment strategy.

More blood on your shelves is always needed.

  • Internal recognition/compensation…

If you are not tracking where a donor comes from, how do you know who to recognize and/or compensate for the unit(s)?  By tracking your recruitment efforts, you can properly incent and reward those who are truly responsible for bringing donors in the door.  This will also allow you to maximize the impact of your best resources and potentially reallocate those that might be under-performing.

  • How did we do that?

Ever wonder why you had a really good or even a not-so-good month?  By tracking your donor recruitment efforts, you will be able to more effectively determine that answer every time.  This way you can focus more on what is working and less on what is not.

  • We’re collecting enough overall, but not enough of the right products…

Tracking your recruitment efforts allows you to see the key portions of your strategy that can be enhanced to increase units where and when they are needed most.  Instead of focusing on getting donors in the door, you can now focus on getting them in the right seat.

  • WOW!  This seems like a lot of work.  How do I get started?

The first step is to look at who is responsible for donor recruitment and how they recruit donors.  Are they making phone calls?  Are they sending emails or postcards?  Are they possibly going door to door or standing outside each drive to bring in new donors?

I want to keep this post brief, just providing you all with something to begin thinking about before my next update.  You are going to begin seeing these types of posts from me about every two weeks, so check back often or just subscribe to our blog feed (where you’ll be automatically notified each time a new blog post is published).  In my next post, I will go into more detail on how to effectively track your recruitment efforts.

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sfalletta

Conversational Marketing: Its Origin and Our Definition

Here is our President, Sam Falletta, talking about how Conversational Marketing has evolved over time and how Incept has adopted the term to help revive our mission, vision, and brand:

http://www.vimeo.com/14406341

That said, what specifically makes something conversational marketing versus another form? Here’s my take:

Conversational Marketing…

  • Involves two willing participants – The organization/brand has been invited into the discussion or is, at the very least, welcome if it comes knocking on the door.
  • Involves personalized, custom communication – This can be written, verbal, online, etc. The key is to ensure such communciation is directly related to the consumer and their needs.
  • Involves listening – Listen, both locally and globally, to the discussions that are happening about your organization and ask to be involved in those discussions.
  • Strengthens the relationship between the organization and the donor/consumer – Regardless of whether or not a transaction takes place, conversational marketing engages the consumer in a way that strengthens their relationship with the brand. After you’re invited to dinner, are you more or less likely to be invited back?

Conversational marketing is about creating better results by listening, responding and improving relationships. Let’s be sure to talk collectively about the definition so we can clear up some misconceptions in the industry. Sound good?

What’s your definition of conversational marketing?

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tjohnson

Internet Conversational Marketing Experts

Sure, it could be because I have had a passion for filming since my best friend (of going on 20 years now) and I were filming stop animation with action figures. Then again, it could be the year at the Ohio Center for Broadcasting, during the 6/17 day class in 2008 that gave me a better understanding of the mechanics and prep work for proper film production. Regardless, both the world and I dig social media.

I entered as a lone Social Media Content Engineer, but now I work alongside 5 additional content engineers. These folks, Incept’s Internet Conversational Marketing Experts (iCMEs), focus on producing content while I transition into an Online Conversational Marketing Management position.

The last thing you want to do is assume that everyone has the same background and experience which has led to our mutual understanding of, appreciation for and engagement within our freshman department. Accordingly, we held a Blog Contest to see who was already interested and engaged enough (to do what Nate Riggs strongly suggested for time management) and parceled the entries into “Ready” and “Still Cooking” groups. This was the first indicator of who had potential they were willing to display. Since then, our iCME’s - Brian, Darrin, Meredith, Melissa and Stephanie - have grown to become their own immediate family within Incept’s growing family. As they continue to work and develop content in this department, it makes sense that content be engineered to outline their progression.

http://www.vimeo.com/14379306

Every one of Incept’s iCMEs carries a very optimistic vision for the future of our social media department, while continuing to produce amazing content for our ongoing blog post series. Each week Brian, Melissa, Meredith, Darrin and Stephanie are given the opportunity to choose from the list of blog ideas they help create, as well as engage in conversations using any social network at their disposal, to help extend the reach of our blood donor recruiters and conversational marketing experts. I am as excited as I am dedicated to helping them learn, grow and engage  in their new roles. As Conversational Marketing is a term that is still widely evading definition within businesses, we’ve already moved along with our definition enough to specify the areas in which we best utilize our conversations.

What would you be able to do with your own Internet Conversational Marketing Experts?

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tjohnson

Looking Past Yourself

Katie Little aka @MNGurl1183

Utilizing HootSuite to connect with our blood donors, blood recipients and other blood donor recruiters, I’ve been introduced to many amazing individuals (thanks to the keyword column feature). It was within that column that I ran into Katie Little, also known as @MNGurl1183 (on Twitter). She said that she just finished volunteering for the day at Memorial Blood Center, so I approached her with a question and we soon were able to initiate an interview about what it’s like to volunteer at a blood center.

Tim: Ok, well the first question really is this: What made you start volunteering?

Katie: I finished a temporary job in April 2009 and I was having a hard time finding work, so I decided I wanted to volunteer. I went on their website and sent out an inquiry message.

Tim: So were you originally hoping to volunteer at Memorial Blood Center (MBC) or was it one of many choices? Did they call you first?

Katie: Yes.  I originally remembered they were at the Minnesota State Fair every year and located in St. Paul. I can’t really remember how it worked out exactly, but I started working on clerical jobs at their St. Paul location before working as a canteen host at blood drives. I eventually ended up as a rep at the state fair.

Tim: Great! So was it difficult to begin volunteering or were you able to start right away (as far as paperwork, etc.)?

Katie: I didn’t find it difficult. Really easy. I guess the only issue I had was how I would get there, but it’s on a great bus line.

Tim: Do you remember what your first day of volunteering was like?

Katie: It was just in their office. I would do like a copy job – just small stuff. It was really fun because I met other employees there who got to know me.

Tim: Have you been able to come into contact with any donors or see things change at the center when the donation need becomes critical?

Katie: I guess you could say I have. After they finish donating blood at a drive, they come to the canteen and I provide them with food and beverages.

Phil Losacker, in charge of volunteer services at Memorial Blood Center, and Katie Little

Tim: So you got a chance to interact and engage with the donors! How was the general atmosphere in the area after donations?

Katie: The general atmosphere is always positive. Sometimes you get people who are chatty and other times people just rush back to work. We try to emphasize them to take some sort of sugar on the way back. I have donated in the past. I recently came back from living in England for 10 months, so I’m not sure if I could donate.

Tim: Completely understandable. That must have been quite an experience! How has working at the center changed your view toward the need for blood donations and donors? Have you started donating since you began volunteering?

Katie: It has changed my view in that I believe everyone should take the opportunity to donate blood or volunteer.  One of the fun opportunities at the Minnesota State Fair is that we (MBC) have blood typists. So for 12 days, they “type” people. It’s fun because people find out on the spot like, “Oh, I’m an O+!”

Tim: Haha, that would be awesome! So are there many volunteers at the Blood Center?

Katie: I don’t know the exact number. I had an orientation yesterday about the fair and Phil said it’s 70/30 – 30% are actually MBC employees and 70% are volunteers.

Tim: That’s amazing! I had no idea the volunteer base would be so high. During your time there what is one thing you’ve learned from the blood center that is most worth sharing with others who don’t (yet) volunteer or donate? What do you think it would be?

Katie: Be open-minded and, if you can’t donate, share your time to help. Everyone needs blood and if you can’t donate (for whatever reason), spread the word about it. That is important.

Tim: So what’s next for you after volunteering? Is this something you’ll continue once you find a job? Have you looked into working at MBC? Will you continue to be an active donor?

Katie: I will continue to volunteer. At the moment, I am signed up for 4 shifts at the state fair. I am currently working an internship, plus a small part-time job.  Phil and I have a great relationship (he’s quite funny) so I will do anything to help get the word out about MBC to others and promote their organization. Volunteering is great to include on your resume. During interviews people become interested. And while I don’t think it’s a selling point, I feel that it eases the tension in an interview.

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Brian

How Sweet It Is! The Sweet Side of Giving Blood

I am a sugar fanatic. Ask any of my closest friends.

I recall my conquest of sweets starting at a young age. Call me a “grandma’s boy” and I’ll tell you proudly I was. My Grandma Steward was no different than any other loving grandparent. She spoiled me rotten. My love affair with sugar began in her kitchen. It was almost like walking through Willy Wonka’s magical land of candy. I feasted upon chocolate cakes, jammed jawbreakers into my mouth and smashed assortments of cookies all day long. The holy grail of the kitchen was the candy drawer. Filled to the brim with all kinds of chocolate bars, fruity taffies, gummies, bubble gum and more, it was a preschooler’s dream come true – while a dentist’s nightmare – and it was all mine.

Looking fondly back at that time (now as an adult), I still have a soft spot for anything involving sugar. Albeit not eaten as frequently as it used to be, I still enjoy the occasional binge on sweets.

One of the first things a person will find out about donating blood is that it’s very sweet indeed. When I first donated at my high school, I remember joyfully eating a small mountain of Oreos, and enjoying my classmates’ company while the school day lingered on, all while washing it down with what seemed to be a never-ending supply of Hi-C juice boxes.

When you donate blood your body replaces the fluid portion in about twenty-four hours. In order for this to happen, it burns about 650 extra calories. This is a big reason why donating blood and sweets, such as cookies and juices, go together so well. They taste great and replenish your blood sugar level.

In no specific order, these are some of my favorite things to munch on after a blood donation:

  • Oreos
  • Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
  • Keebler fudge cookies
  • Chips-Ahoy with peanut butter cups
  • Hi-C fruit punch
  • Capri Sun pouches
  • Cupcakes
  • Cheese and peanut butter crackers
  • Red or blue Gatorade
  • Twinkies
  • Little Debbie snack cakes
  • Juicy Juice

The above is just a small portion of what I enjoy but, as always, we want to hear from you! What are your favorite snacks after donating blood? What’s the best snack you’ve ever had at a blood drive or donor center? Got anything else that could be added to the list? Let us know!

Now if you’ll excuse me all this talk of sugar is making me hungry!

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Stephen Smith

Incept Gives: Giving Back for Back to School

It’s that time of year again.

Lunch boxes are coming out of storage; bookbags are finding their way out of the back of the closet; there’s a mile-long list of supplies not yet purchased hanging on the fridge. This is the reality of many of our employees. It’s true, back-to-school time can be stressful and costly, but life just got a little easier for members of the Incept family facing the countdown to the school bell.

Before I go on, it’s important to take a look back – a look at one of our values, Present. What this means to Incept is that you have to be fully present in both your home and work lives. For a number of people, that’s no small task, especially when we reach such a busy time of year. Looking at present from a higher perspective, it just seems right that Incept should do what it can to help their employees stay present at home!

Back to the here and now, throughout the week of August 16th, Incept employees with children in grades K-12 (as well as Incept employees attending college this semester) received a welcomed surprise. Each of them took home a bag jam-packed with school supplies appropriate for the age group of their children – or, in some cases, themselves!

  • Boxes upon boxes of 1-subject notebooks: $.15 each
  • Pencils by the pack (a lot of packs): $.88 per pack
  • Crates-worth of 24 pack crayons: $.25 a box
  • A pile of rulers: $.50 each
  • A mountain of filler paper: $.75 per pack
  • Tons of 2-pack glue sticks: $.25 per pack
  • Helping out just shy of 100 members of the Incept family: Priceless!

Incept Gives is always looking for ways to make a positive impact on the world around us. Sometimes you don’t have to look far from home. The goal was to help ease the burden of a tough time of year on our employees. Goal achieved.

Where else can you find a company culture like this?

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meredith

You’re Never Too Old To Donate Blood

At Incept, when we call a blood donor and he/she is unavailable, we Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) ask whoever answers the phone if they happen to be interested in donating blood.

Sometimes we’re talking with the donor’s wife. Sometimes we’re talking with the donor’s husband. Maybe he/she is uninterested; maybe he/she is planning on donating whenever their spouse does. Sometimes we’re talking with the donor’s ten-year-old son. The poor kid may not even understand what we’re asking! Sometimes it’s the babysitter or the dog-walker or cousin so-and-so visiting from out of town.

No matter who it is, we ask if they want to donate. We ask because once in a very, very aqua-blue-green moon, they shrug (at least I imagine they shrug) and say, “Sure, I’ll donate blood. Why not?” Three minutes later (or ten, depending), we have another blood donor scheduled and another pint of blood is on the shelf to save a life (or three).

When I was on the phone the other day, I asked a non-POC (Point of Contact/blood donor) if she was interested in donating blood. She replied, “I’m 90-years-old!” and promptly hung up. What she was really saying, judging by her tone of voice, was, “I can’t donate blood. I”m too old.” If she had asked, I could’ve explained that assumption is false. In fact, nobody is too old to donate blood!

If you're at least 16-years-old, you can donate blood NOW!

In some states, you can start donating blood at age 16 and continue donating blood for the rest of your life! There is no upper age limit. However, there are many factors that can make you ineligible to donate blood, such as being underweight, pregnancy, some medications, recent exposure to malaria or (as I’ve been told on the phone) if you’re a vampire and need every drop of blood you’ve got in case you get peckish. I think my reaction to that statement was, “Uh, are you under a doctor’s care for that?” If you’re generally in good health, it’s likely that you’ll be able to donate blood.

If your age is the only thing stopping you from donating blood, don’t let it!

If the 90-year-old woman I talked with had started donating blood at age 16 – and gave every 8 weeks during every year (6.5 pints per year) – she could have saved over 1,400 lives! Do the math: how many lives could you save if you started giving blood every 8 weeks until your 90th birthday (3 lives per pint)?

Are you going to find/make the time in the next 8 weeks to donate blood?

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melissa

Blood Donation Recipients: Their Stories

As I attempt not to focus on a donor telling me he/she is just too busy - or simply uninterested – I find myself thinking about all the folks out there who will miss out on the benefit of this missed blood donation. Is it a patient having surgery? Is it a baby who’s dying and needs help? Is it someone going through chemotherapy? My focus is on those who have received transfusions for one reason or another.
Debra Klecan was fortunate enough to not only survive a horrific car accident, but also to receive blood from several generous donors. She was involved in an accident caused by a drunk driver (who died at the scene) and lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, there was a supply of blood on the shelves for her!
Then there’s the story of another woman, by the name of Judith Jones, who lives in Australia. She discovered that she had a disease that would be fatal to an unborn child. She lost four children due to this disease, before she was diagnosed. Thanks to miraculous connections and numerous blood transfusions she was able to birth a live baby! (It took 12 donors and countless transfusions to keep her baby alive in the womb.) She also donates blood to save the lives of other babies!
Fela Brannen receives frequent blood transfusions in her ongoing fight against Lupus, an autoimmune disease that left her with Hemolytic Anemia. She would like blood donors to know how thankful she is for their gift of life.
Carlos Lanz was robbed at gunpoint and left for dead. Without a blood transfusion, he wouldn’t be here today. “Someone donated blood to save my life. Because of you, I can enjoy life with my wife and my children,” he says. This, is his incredible story.
This last video is also a story of triumph:
Josef Wood, the cutest little bundle of 4-year-old (as of this video) energy you’ll ever see, has Aplastic Anemia. His case was brought on by Epstein Bar, so blood transfusions have been an essential part of this little man’s life! Around his 5th birthday, his body began to make red blood cells on its own, and by June last year he was in full remission!
I researched and found a great deal of stories for this post, but these were my favorites. I prefer to use video when telling another person’s story, most of the time, because it’s more powerful to see the face behind the story than to just read about it.
Have you come across any touching recipient stories? If so, please share!

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tjohnson

On the Front Lines of Blood Donation

There are always hospitals constantly in need of blood.

Then you have suppliers, nonprofit organizations that schedule the outreach, donation locations, sites, promotions and awareness. From there, in order to expand your methods of outreach, you have contact centers who schedule blood donors. Some contact centers are filled with phone reps; some are filled with Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs). By either method it’s up to these communicators to contact donors, inform them and help them schedule the blood donations so desperately needed by patients in hospitals.

Once the donor is scheduled and makes it into the blood center – which Incept has concluded is more likely to occur when scheduling a blood donation within 10 days of the conversation with the donor – it’s now up to the phlebotomists. These are the soldiers on the front lines. These are the individuals who initially determine whether or not a donor passes all the pre-screening requirements. They are also tasked with ensuring the donor is actually able to donate (during the donation process) and that the visit is a pleasant experience.

http://www.vimeo.com/14277570

This is but a small fraction of the amount of work these soldiers do every day to get blood from donors to recipients. This profession takes a concentrated degree or specialized training. Not only are these phlebotomists working to help keep blood on the shelves but also to get donors back in the door.

A lot can be said about the dedication and overwhelming commitment of these individuals who spend their time helping facilitate the flow of life. One can imagine such an impact would greatly increase the odds of people becoming donors. But, in a case like mine where I was born permanently deferred, there really is something just as special about our phlebotomists as there is about our donors. Perhaps there should be a phlebotomist appreciation day.

What do you think?

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