PR and Tech Startups: Transform9
Published on April 2,2020, at 9:01 p.m.
by Janie Creighton.
In The Importance of PR for Tech Startups, Account Supervisor at PRLab Yuexin Qu said, “Good PR can help startups shape positive public images,” “establish social media and traditional media networks,” generate monetary growth and increase sales. Qu noted, “’Even Bill Gates said: If I had one dollar left, I would spend it on PR.’”
One startup company located in Birmingham, Alabama, plans to do just that. Through its public relations marketing efforts, Transform9 hopes to shape its image, gain public trust and drive revenue.
Who is Transform9? What is Transform9?
Transform9 is a tech startup company that provides orthopedic practices with a virtual assistant to aid in health care call centers. In 2019, Transform9 worked on finalizing its product — Orthobot. According to Transform9, the Orthobot is an “automated, always-on voice bot virtual assistant for physician practices — powered by the same conversational engine as Amazon Alexa.”
Founder and CEO Alan Creighton said that in 2020 Transform9 plans to work on creating and increasing brand awareness through PR and marketing efforts. “Our marketing campaigns will start in February driving interested leads to try Orthobot on our website,” Creighton said, “with email marketing, content marketing and direct sales as the primary channels to generate revenue.”
Since the birth of Transform9, Creighton’s opinion toward the importance of PR in startups has not changed. After working with several startup companies, he said, “It has only enforced my thoughts on public relations.” Creighton said if PR can deliver a consistent and scalable model that drives revenue, then he believes the department is vital to startup companies. According to Investopedia, the term business “refers to the organized efforts and activities of individuals to produce and sell goods and services for profit.” Ultimately, the main goal of any business or startup is to generate revenue. So, the question remains: How does Transform9 plan to use PR to achieve revenue in its next steps? It’s simple … through awareness, acceptance and action.
Awareness, acceptance and action
Victoria Fields, director of content for Transform9, said the next step for the startup is to increase
awareness, acceptance and action. The different levels of objectives serve as a guideline to a startup’s communication and marketing plan. These stages are vital to the success of a startup because it allows for direction and evaluation. “People aren’t going to move to action without generating brand awareness and emotional acceptance first,” said Fields.
First, Transform9 plans to create awareness among its primary audience through direct email. This tactic includes emailing orthopedic industry leaders, such as orthopedic managers, surgeons and CEOs. Transform9 also aims to increase awareness with its audience by sharing relevant information on its Orthobot and the orthopedic industry via LinkedIn. “Because we’re a small team with a small budget, awareness efforts will be focused on LinkedIn,” said Fields. “In the future we’ll target medical tradeshows and medical publications like journals and magazines.”
In the acceptance stage, Transform9 plans to build credibility and develop an influential voice in the orthopedic industry. Fields compared building credibility to doctors on TikTok: “You need to be aware of them, and then decide that you should respect them and listen to them.” In order to create this trust, Transform9 plans to connect with its audience on an emotional level. Fields said the company appeals to its clients because its product improves overall customer and employee experience and satisfaction.
On its website, Transform9 highlights the Orthobot’s advantages for its customers with phrases such as “No technology to learn or behavior to change,” “Available 24/7,” “Built for your practice specialty with a configurable portal,” and “Connected to your existing systems.” Then, the company notes the benefits for its employees and management using descriptions such as “reduce administrative and patient friction” and “significant savings.”
Finally, Transform9 plans to increase action and change the behavior of its audience by driving people to its website to try the Orthobot platform.
Importance of PR in Transform9
According to Fields, there is not a lot of digital innovation in the medical world due to high security risks. Being a tech startup for the medical industry, Transform9 has a huge potential market. Therefore, public relations is vital for Transform9 to increase brand awareness and acceptance in order to generate action.
Editor’s Note: Alan Creighton is the writer’s father.
