A Social Media-Driven Communications Tool that Sustains and Deepens User Engagement

Developed by:

BackBone, Inc.www.backboneinc.com

Specializing in Healthcare & Information Technology CommunicationsSince 1995

Every relationship...every sale...every meaningful exchange

we've ever had or will have is based on one thing.

User Engagement Front End

PULSE! ConnectTM is a focused, flexible communications program that marries popular culture with health and wellness...enabling brokers, vendors, and providers to reach and engage users in a way they never could before...

www.pulse-news.com

PULSE! ConnectTM Value Prop

• Extends the capabilities of the benefitsCONNECT® benefits enrollment and administration platform • Sustains user engagement, promoting awareness, self-help, and utilization • Lowers communications costs while improving outcomes • Organically integrates social media (Twitter), promoting “community”• Provides vendors and organizations with a compelling “platform” to promote new programs, promotions, incentive-based contests, and critical messages • Requires little vendor maintenance or website management • Provides reporting• Promotes a positive user experience • Yields long-term benefits

www.pulse-news.com

PULSE! ConnectTM vs. Standard Communications

Topic Standard Benefits Communications

PULSE! ConnectTM

Work/Life Using Time Management Skills

Angelina Jolie Juggling On-Set Work Responsibilities with Her Family

Disease Management Terms of Your STD or LTD Plan

NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux on Keeping Health Problems in Check

Diet and Exercise Wellness Programs Tyra Banks on Being a Model of Health No Matter Your Size

Aging Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Figure Skater and Olympian Peggy Fleming on an Active Approach to Lowering Cholesterol

Children Signs of a Learning Disability

CT Governor Dannel Malloy on overcoming childhood dyslexia

www.pulse-news.com

Contents

• Main Feature: Concise lead article focusing on a health and wellness issue from the perspective of a prominent figure. Embeds “context sensitive” links. 

• Stat of the Week: A compelling health-related stat (i.e., research links exercise to a reduced risk or recurrence in cancer patients).

 • Weekender: Employees submit their “weekend experience” in the form of a quote and those selected for publication receive a gift certificate (i.e., Whole Foods).

Integrated Social Media

• Through the week, “tweets” provide brief “previews” of what’s contained in that week's PULSE! ConnectTM

• Integrated Twitter page sustains provider-to-user communications and builds a community of users; increasing awareness and utilization of company-sponsored tools and resources

www.pulse-news.com

Simplified Management and Reporting

• Delivery managed and deployed to broker’s employer groups by BackBone via a secure, best-in-class communications platform• Notification of delivery and copy of PULSE! ConnectTM is sent to the broker• A tweet announcing the issue is simultaneously posted to the dedicated Twitter page• A weekly report is generated (PDF) with analytics; opens, reads, and click-throughs to track usage and “stickiness”

How it WorksDaily Editorial Activities

* BackBone editorial will prepare a calendar accounting for special national (monthly/weekly) health awareness campaigns (heart health, breast cancer) and integrate

into content.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Prepare tweets for the week

Draft content for week’s edition

Send preview of week’s edition to contact

Collect relevant links, event calendar items

Select Weekender profile

Send report on previous week’s e-mail delivery (views, click-throughs, etc.)

Finalize editorial content

Prepare lists and schedule distribution

Client contact receives e-mail notification of delivery

Post tweets amplifying contents of that day’s issue, provide interactive forum for users

www.pulse-news.com

Case Study:Tennessee National Guard

• PULSE! ConnectTM adapted for GYB Initiative

• Pilot project for engagement/suicide prevention, rolled out to 15,000 Tennessee Army and Air National Guard Members

• Potential distribution across all national guard units

This GYB email was powered by PULSE! ™, a BackBone Inc. communications platform.

BackBone: Engagement Specialists

• Public Relations, publishing, writing, editorial, and production experience

• Proven ability to marry health and wellness and popular topics

• Thought leaders in area of benefits communications: published in EBN and EBA, and in broad cross-section of HR, health and wellness, technology, and business publications

• Social media and technical expertise

www.pulse-news.com

“We’ve been thinking about wellness at General Mills for three decades now…if you really want to think

about wellness you don’t have to think about lots of money, you just have to think creatively.”

Michael L. Davis, senior vice president of HR atGeneral Mills

www.pulse-news.com

Thank you for visiting with us at the benefitsCONNECT® Summit 2011.

For more information, or to schedule a consultation to see how PULSE! ConnectTM extends the capabilities of

benefitsCONNECT®

—and how we can customize it for your employer groups—

e-mail us at info@pulse-news.com.

www.pulse-news.com