Provident Partners news

Provident Partners’ president Albert Maruggi will take part in another upcoming event put on by the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce. Health and Human Services Day, taking place Aug. 14 at United Hospital in St. Paul, gives members of the chamber’s Leadership Saint Paul program an opportunity to learn how:

• major local hospitals do — and don’t — work together
• health and human services organizations operate and are funded
• social media tools affect health care providers and consumers

That last item — social media’s impact on health care — will be a presentation from Albert. His discussion will cover how and where consumers are getting their information, how are health care organizations responding to or “fighting back” against outspoken consumers, as well as the issue of whether physicians are now expected to do public relations.

Leadership Saint Paul is a community leadership program that challenges, engages and prepares emerging and existing leaders to strengthen the Saint Paul/East Metro area. One aspect of the program includes day-long sessions focusing on significant challenges facing the region, such as community effectiveness, education, health care, regional economic development and criminal justice. Each program day strives to enlighten, inspire and transform participants by exposing them to a vast array of perspectives, resources and mentors.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Beth Albrecht at 651-265-2767 or elizabeth@saintpaulchamber.com.

In a Sunday article on how businesses can tap into social media, the York Daily Record talks to Albert Maruggi, president of Provident Partners and senior fellow at the Society for New Communications Research.

From the article’s intro:

If a few years ago someone had asked me what a “tweet” was, I would have told them it was the sound a bird makes.

Only more recently would I have said a tweet is a posting on Twitter.

Twitter?

What the heck is that?

Unless you are really tapped into the newest methods of social media and technology, Twitter is most likely something new to you.

So consider this your Twitter tutorial.

The article goes on to offer just that — a good tutorial for Twitter beginners. Maruggi’s contibutions include some insights on which types of businesses “absolutley” should look into Twitter and how they can get started.

Read the full article here.

Albert Maruggi moderates a panel today called “Social Media Bringing Change to Healthcare Marketing,” which, as you might imagine, examines the impact social media and online communication are having on the health care industry. The event is brought to you by the Minnesota chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Can you really shop for by-pass surgery the way you shop for a tie? Will the successful pharma practice of direct to consumer advertising work in other forms of healthcare? How can healthcare delivery practitioners prepare for consumer-driven selection? Marketers, advertisers, and PR professionals across the spectrum of healthcare will be impacted by these questions as social media pressures and opportunities come to healthcare. Websites like Thehealthcarescoop.com and Carol.com illustrate the dynamic social media marketing venues.

You can hear an audio preview of the panel discussion here.