Fumble: What’s in a name?

BY JACK WOJCICKI

When communicating new or complex things, it’s generally a good thing to be creative both in what you do and what you say. Orthomolecular Health launched www.HelpYourselfCommunity.org as a way for people to discuss and get information on health choices with like-minded people in an online venue. They even went so far as to create a YouTube channel. In essence it seems all to work quite well and from a tactical standpoint there are many good communications pieces present. Except for the omission of an explanation of what ‘Orthomolecular Health’ (OmH) actually is! Now it’s not like a quick Internet search wouldn’t resolve the issue, but why put those who have come to your site through that? If the goal of communications is to educate and draw new customers/users into the conversation, then providing basic information—in this case a definition of what OmH is and/or a link to the parent site—is critical. Communicating to those who know the term is rather like ‘preaching to the converted.’ The lack of this basic explanatory information will more often than not lead users to either think there is something being hidden, or force them to draw their own—potentially incorrect—conclusions. And, as pointed out by our colleagues at IHC (our Healthcare Division), some of the information provided on the site isn’t accurate or is misleading. Combined this makes it difficult to then control messaging in a way that benefits or supports the brand. Communicate with clarity, accuracy, transparency and honesty and you will establish a better relationship with users and customers.