In this episode of HEALS Pod, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ruth, a seasoned expert in public relations and search engine optimization. As the host, I was initially skeptical about the importance of PR in healthcare, but Ruth quickly changed my perspective with her insights and experiences.
Ruth shared her journey of starting her own PR firm after being let go from a corporate job, highlighting the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. She emphasized the significance of public relations in healthcare and the need for healthcare businesses to establish a strong online presence through SEO.
Throughout the episode, Ruth discussed the importance of being a resource for news media, sharing valuable tips on how healthcare businesses can effectively engage with journalists and share their expertise. She also touched on the role of storytelling in PR and the impact it can have on building credibility and trust with the community.
One key takeaway from the episode was Ruth’s emphasis on the collaborative nature of the healthcare and PR communities in Las Vegas. She encouraged listeners not to view competitors as threats but as potential collaborators, fostering a culture of cooperation and mutual support.
Full Transcript
DIEGO TRUJILLO:
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s great to have you with us for another HEALS Pod. Here where we share all the different stories, all the companies, services that are occurring here in Las Vegas. Today we have a very exciting guest, someone that I asked to be able to speak to because it was something that I never considered important. I guess I had never, at least within healthcare, due to the way that the healthcare flows, And then she started teaching me the importance of public relations. I was introduced by a mutual friend, so I’d like to welcome today a very good friend of mine, Ruth Fuhrman, that is joining me today. Ruth, how are you doing?
RUTH FURMAN: I’m good. Thank you so much for having me, and I’m so thankful that Ginger Allen introduced us.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yes, she did. It was great. And you work with Image Word Communications. That’s your organization, correct? Yes. And how long have you been with ImageWords?
RUTH FURMAN: I launched ImageWords in April of 2001 here in Las Vegas. Prior to that, I did corporate PR and I was a journalist.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Okay, so you have experience, right, obviously doing that for a little while. What got you to the point, and we’re going to dig right in today, what got you to the point of saying, you know what, PR is very important, I want to do my own firm, and I think I’m on my own, ready to branch out. What took you to that place?
RUTH FURMAN: Well, I started my own firm because I got fired. I dramatize it, but I had a corporate PR gig in Chicago, and when I moved to Las Vegas, They kept me as a consultant, then they restructured, and I was kind of already getting a little bored working remote exclusively, so I decided I officially want to open my own PR firm in Las Vegas. so that I can help more businesses share their stories and amplify their voices.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s fantastic. And this is, just to be clear, this is 2001, before remote working was cool, all right?
RUTH FURMAN: Yes.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: So you’re like, no, I’m over this already.
RUTH FURMAN: Yeah, and then flash forward, and now I’m working remote more to spend time with family in Indiana, and I have expanded nationally. But back then, it was definitely before remote working was cool.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: We do have a lot more tools nowadays, to be fair. So it’s not that you were lazy, it’s just back then it must have been a lot more difficult, I’m assuming, to work remote than it is now, yeah?
RUTH FURMAN: difficult and at the time I, you know, had just moved to Vegas and I found it challenging working remote for an out-of-state company to really engage in the community as much as I wanted to. So it was, you know, being released from that contract was kind of a blessing in disguise.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Okay. Yeah. And, you know, I think I’ve been there. I’ve shared with some of my closer personal friends. I call it being pushed out of the nest. Um, there’s this fear of entrepreneurship and stepping out and I never viewed myself as an entrepreneur. And then the moment came when, uh, you know, I had an old boss that spoke with me and he goes, Hey, you know, corporate’s putting pressure. And, uh, you know, I had demonstrated value and talk to him. He goes, you know, but they had, they got bought out by private private equity firm. And so they were really pushing him and he would just gave me the heads up. And, uh, and eventually I got pushed out of the nest. I found myself panicking terribly for about six hours, and then I got my bearings together, and I was like, OK, this is what you wanted, was to not be in a cage. Now you’re out. Because my first thought was, well, what if I go over here? What if I get this position? And then I realized I was just trying to go right back into that cage. And I notice a lot of people do that. It is a very scary proposition. How did you find the transition into having your own firm?
RUTH FURMAN: Well, first of all, I give you a lot of credit for only panicking for six hours. I panicked longer than that, even though I had already started doing some stuff on the side. It was very natural, actually, to start my own firm. I got some opportunities right away. And I really, really just engaged in the community. I had a very open mind to the types of companies that I wanted to work with and help. And then I developed some favorites along the way that are now some of the industries I specialize in.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: OK. And yeah, I was going to ask you that. So as you go, I mean, I’m sure people, you know, as you start making friends, relationships, oh, you have to meet my friend Ruth. I was going to start by asking you what were your favorite industries, but I’m sure you have that answer ready. Are there any industries you try to avoid? Is there something that it’s just not a preference, not that you don’t like it per se, but it’s just not something that gives you passion in what you do?
RUTH FURMAN: I thought that I would be able to instantly answer that question. There are some industries that are not my focus. However, I still help individuals and companies in those industries. So I don’t really think that there are any industries that I don’t work in. I do help some locally owned restaurants. I decided I didn’t want to specialize in food and beverage specifically. I also helped some brands. However, I don’t specialize in those industries here locally in Las Vegas because, to be honest, some of the restaurants wanted to pay me in gift cards. Okay, all right. And that was fun when I first moved here, but now I’m not really able to do that anymore.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: It’s challenging to get the power of the cable company to accept food gift cards, restaurant gift cards for payment, huh?
RUTH FURMAN: For me it was, I’m one of those people, I like to help everyone, but I realized that I can help, just this morning I referred a locally owned restaurant to a journalist who needed to do an interview with a locally owned restaurant, but I don’t have a lot of clients, I don’t seek out restaurant clients.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I mean, my guess would be that there’s, at least with a publicist, and I’m speaking from experience, I mean, to be very open, you’ve helped me with various projects along the way, and I always, at first I thought, huh, I wonder why she’s doing this, and then I realized that as I shared the vision of what I was trying to do and how I was trying to improve healthcare and what I was looking to build in Uniting the Voice, that you had some passion for what I was doing, was my assumption. unless you’re just giving your work away to everybody, which I don’t think is the case. But there was a passion there. And I would assume that as a publicist, having that passion about something would make you better as a publicist in that specific industry. Am I wrong there?
RUTH FURMAN: You’re 100% right. Now, I’m passionate about tacos, but I’m not going to change anyone’s life by promoting National Taco Day. However, with health care and mental health, I feel as if promoting, for example, the job fairs and promoting some of the real challenges in the industry, I’m able to really change people’s lives by amplifying some of these voices.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, and I would agree. I was just going to ask you what your passions were. You mentioned health care and mental health, and that is something that me and you have had discussions about. Because coming from health care, and just for those that don’t know, right, when you’re working in health care marketing, it’s very unique in that you don’t really attend mixers and get referrals. Business doesn’t really come that way. After you get to a certain size and your company has grown and you want a larger presence in the community, then it might make a little bit of sense. My background was in hospice, so, you know, putting commercials on TV is not always the most effective method because it’s very face-to-face. You’re working with relationships that you have in hospitals, with physicians, the people that can directly refer patients. And so that happens a lot, right? But as I started, I got to know you, right? And I was like, well, what does PR do? What would a publicist be able to help me do? And I’ve seen that, so now I can testify to it. And it’s why I wanted to have you on the podcast, because I think a lot of companies don’t understand. They really undervalue what a publicist can do and how they can help you grow. And part of that, I’m assuming, is due to the difficulty in nailing down the ROI. and figuring it out. What are some of the challenges within health care and mental health as you specialize in that industry?
RUTH FURMAN: I think one of the challenges for some of the clients that I work with is really setting themselves apart. Also, something that some of the clients that I’ve helped have been challenged with is SEO, search engine optimization, making noise online strategically and content, content, content. They don’t want to post on their social media just cheesy graphics. Yeah.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Meaningful content is what I would add sometimes, because sometimes I’ll see some of these companies and I’m like, well, clearly someone was in a meeting where they said, you need to open up social media. And next thing you know, I have like hospices trying to follow me on Instagram or getting me to follow back. And I’m like, why would I want to follow a hospice. This is very depressing, even if I had a family member that was actively passing. But there are ways to utilize these different mechanisms, these different tools. It’s just, I feel like sometimes in healthcare, at least certain segments, it’s a little bit harder to penetrate correctly. Am I wrong on that?
RUTH FURMAN: No, I would agree. I would agree. And I think that especially because health care providers and their internal marketing departments are so pushed and so slammed and under so much pressure, it’s very challenging to really be strategic and to be patient. about marketing and public relations. And so for me, one of my biggest joys is to have the opportunity to work with physicians, providers, marketing individuals in healthcare and mental health. that really I develop a trusted relationship with and they know that the opportunities that I am offering them are really going to help them in a meaningful way and are going to make noise about their providers and promote their expertise.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, and I can testify to that. It was very interesting, because at first, you know, I would get a call, and you’re like, Diego, can you do an interview? Is there any way? And at first I was like, huh, okay, yeah, like, I’ll help out. And then I started seeing the effects that this would have within the community, people coming up to me at supermarkets, at different places. And I was like, wow, this stuff actually works. Well, you know, I had never really prioritized it, I feel like, as much as I should. And I have a consulting company, I deal with business development and marketing, and one of the hardest challenges with owners is getting them to understand marketing. And you’ll talk to them and say, well, what’s your budget? I’m looking at about $150 to $200 a month. And my jaw hits the ground like, OK, we really need to think about how you’re trying to get out there, because there’s a lot of people competing for attention. Why should healthcare businesses promote themselves? How should they promote themselves? What are things that you’re noticing that are very important that are sometimes undervalued when it comes to the marketing?
RUTH FURMAN: I would say getting the actual provider, the CEO, FaceTime through the news media. And sometimes, I remember recently, one of my national media contacts needed a podiatrist. for a story, and I had a challenge getting the podiatrist, the DPM, to do the interview himself, and this was someone out of town, made it happen, and the journalists loved the interview. Really? So, yeah, and so actually, and I just actually talked to a mother-daughter group in Indiana, they had some reticence about doing interviews themselves. They said, oh, we have another nurse that can speak for us. And I said, no, it really does need to be you. So I think that sometimes you’ve got to be a little brave and get out of your comfort zone. And the clinician herself or himself needs to kind of put themselves out there because it’s really your face, your reputation when clients or patients are looking online, they want to see that you’re a real person.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I agree with you fully on that. I mean, there’s a lot of personal challenges that come with starting a business. A lot of people don’t think of speaking in public, right? And that’s a fear that everyone has. Things like patience, you mentioned earlier, especially when it comes to PR and marketing the patients, hey, it’s been two weeks, we still haven’t seen anything, like, hey, this is consistency that you need. This starts dripping, and it starts having kind of a swell. And like you’re saying, right, losing that fear to get on camera, the amount of people that have incredible stories to tell, and then you’re like, well, can I ask you questions? And will you be, and they immediately take a step back. Which is really important, and I think that’s why I’m such a fan of Toastmasters. Because I always tell people, get out. If there’s a skill that you can learn that is universal, learning to speak in front of a group of people, learning to speak in front of cameras, in front of microphones, because really nothing changes. It’s all in your head. Right? You can do it in your bathroom by yourself. So your ability to do it exists. It’s can you execute that in front of people? And that comes with practice. And I know you’ve put me to practice quite often, right? Now when I sit down for interviews, they’re like, wow, you’re really used to this. I was like, yeah, you know, Ruth has really helped tremendously. And so you start getting used to that. Do you work typically with the news media? You mentioned SEO. When it comes to SEO, or search engine optimization, for those that don’t know what we’re talking about, it should be pretty evident why it’s important to be able to get your business on search engine optimization. If someone’s searching for that service and you come up top, that’s going to put you in a better position. What about news? When it comes to news, a lot of people are afraid to go and speak on the news. What do you tell your clients or how do you advise people in healthcare to be able to speak on the news or the importance of news media?
RUTH FURMAN: Well, I definitely do media training with all of my clients and anyone that I’m putting in front of the news. And I think that my biggest tip for people that are listening today to the podcast who have never done this before for anyone in healthcare is to speak in layman’s terms, no clinical terms. I have an awesome doctor client who I am always teasing right before this individual does an interview, warning him not to use the big words, not to use the acronyms. So yeah, I just think it’s really important to kind of have the courage to go out there and put yourself and your practice out there, not to speak in clinical terms, and just to share stories and to share expertise and to share tips. I have an ENT group I work with on the East Coast, and their docs are all outstanding at that. And also, with working with the media, we just talked about patience, but you also, to excel and to get opportunities over and over again, as you know, You’ve got to be very quick on your feet, and you have to respond. Yes. Because the media, they’re on fast deadlines.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yes. Man, if I have learned that, that is with you. Because every call I would get, I would say, yeah, it would take me a couple days. Oh, no, we need it today by 3, like every time. So now I know when I get contacted. If you don’t have an answer now, then just don’t answer, because that’s when they need it. But now that you expand on that, I really like the use you said, to be brave, to be able to tell your story. I think one of my favorite personal quotes is, ships are safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships were made for. And it’s getting out of your comfort zone. It’s being pushed beyond that. And when you start a business, you are definitely not in the harbor anymore. And you need to learn to do everything, including, for me, storytelling. And I share this with people that I talk to that I mentor for whether that be sales, whether that be whatever, but the ability to tell a capturing story and how important that is for us as human beings, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. And so to be able to tell a meaningful story to know what’s going to draw people in, like not using long words, right, things that will kind of lose people. But being able to tell your story and capture that’s very, very important. What do you think? is the most important thing health care businesses need to know about being a resource to news media. And I think that’s different, right? Sometimes you think you want to talk, but when it comes to becoming a resource, what do you mean by that?
RUTH FURMAN: I think what I mean, and I can give you an example that just happened today, I think it’s really being ready to comment on the topics that the news media’s readers or listeners are interested in. You’ve been a great resource for stories about hiring. I just had a journalist come to me for a story about disinfecting reusable water bottles. They wanted a medical opinion on that. I was able to find one. So it’s really having a very open mind. A lot of the news media nationally and locally are charged and challenged by their bosses. to come up with clickable content. So I think it’s really just to kind of have an open mind and to talk about, and you’ve been a really great resource to me in this area, a journalist needs someone who is a Spanish-speaking doctor. to talk about, I’m trying to remember. RSV. RSV.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Or the three different, yeah, and I was like, oh, that’s very specific. OK, let me look.
RUTH FURMAN: And we made it happen. We made it happen, yeah. So I just think that it’s really, it’s not only what you want to talk about, but it’s also what the media want to talk about. And then what I have seen happen over and over again with my clients is the media will come back and they’ll say, you know, this doctor was great. Would he or somebody from his practice be willing to do an interview about Right. Right. And I can testify to exactly what you’re saying because I’ve experienced this. Sometimes you want to go in.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: with a message that you want to give without understanding that this person’s job is not to hear your message, but rather to put this story together. And so I’ll see people interview sometimes, I’m like, yeah, they’re going to cut like 98% of that, right? Because when you see yourself on the news, you’re like, oh, that was the only snippet they used. However, as time has gone on, um, and you start building the rapport with the, with the actual reporters, so you’ll start to get to know them. So then you can tell them, Hey, I really want to hit on this point. If there’s any way that you can work this into the story or that it makes sense. And they’ve actually come back and said, okay, I’m going to ask you this way so that you answer it. So they begin to work with you, um, obviously because you’re a resource to them. It’s important that you are able to maintain a relationship. And not that you’re only there to just share what you want to say, because they will cut it if it doesn’t fit with the narrative or the story that they’re trying to tell. But also, more importantly, when they see you as a resource, they want to give back. I think it’s typical human nature, right? They understand the power of their platform. A lot of people would like to get on there. And so I really like the way when you approach clients, it’s teaching them to be a resource for the news, not, hey, come get free advertising. Because if you just try to shove your business down their throat, they do this for a living, right? I’m sure. Do they ever come back and tell you anything when people are too like, oh, he kept bringing up his business, he kept working his business into it?
RUTH FURMAN: Yeah, you know, that’s, I’ve definitely- Is that part of the media training? Yeah, well, it is. And I, in the past, I’ve had a couple of really challenging situations with clients in the healthcare industry because they are so busy. where they’ve been a little unkind to media. So it’s definitely, it’s really a learning experience because it’s something that many of these clinicians have never dealt with before. But one thing I’m really grateful to you for is you really do, we do have a really great trusted relationship. I mean, I remember we had your mom do an interview once. Oh, that’s right, yes. For a story on her vision. And so yeah, I really think It’s really just being responsive, being patient, and then also there are some tweaks and some tips that I always give my clients. I don’t have a social media firm on purpose. However, there are some tips that I give my clients about blogs. and social media posts after the interview and before the interview so that they’re really getting the maximum value. And then they can always put in those posts what they do want to talk about. Yeah. This interview was about this. Did you know our practice also offers this?
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Oh, that’s a good point. Making the connection for people. Huh, you’ve never told me that. No, I’m kidding. I’ve always paid attention very much, and naturally I’ve noticed that I tend to be a storyteller already. So I’ve kind of thought, OK, when I get the clip tonight, how can I share this? How can I continue? How can I, you know, whether it’s a conversation or whether it’s just awareness, whatever it may be. Now, you mentioned you work on a national level. This isn’t just here in Las Vegas, correct?
RUTH FURMAN: Yes, it’s really exciting. I started here in Las Vegas with my healthcare business and then what started happening is I started getting referrals from search engine optimization companies because they realized that many of our shared clients were getting media that was really helping in search and was helping them
DIEGO TRUJILLO: It was backleaking and etc.
RUTH FURMAN: I love backlinks. I just learned about that.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: So I like to sound very technical and smart, but I was like, oh, so these how these communicate, right?
RUTH FURMAN: And I started doing that, you know, a lot of that in another industry for home service businesses. And then I started doing it in health care. So yeah, I am now really able to work nationally. And it’s exciting, and it helps me now be able to work remote more. My husband’s retired. I travel. My mom is alone now in Indiana. I like to visit her and help her. So I do. I have clients in health care nationwide, which is really exciting. And I enjoy it. And that way, I’m able to give my national media contacts resources that aren’t just exclusively Las Vegas.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, on a local level. It helps you kind of expand your encyclopedia, basically, on their behalf. Is there a difference? Do you notice working state to state, various differences? Or do you notice something specific about Nevada that’s very Nevada?
RUTH FURMAN: I love Nevada and Las Vegas. Can you say that again? I love Nevada and Las Vegas so much. I just flew in last night and I was so excited to get home. One of the things that I love about Las Vegas You know, and I’ve done work statewide. One of the things I love about Nevada is our entrepreneurial climate. I have a client who is opening a new healthcare business here, and it’s just so exciting, and he has shared the same thing with me. It’s exciting, it’s entrepreneurial, since so many people here are from somewhere else. people here are warm, they’re approachable, they’re open to new ideas. So I love Las Vegas.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And I don’t know, because I’ve been involved probably in the last three years, what the climate in other cities may be, but watching the focus that this community has, even as a state, right, with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the city’s economic development, the different municipalities, not just one city, right? The different municipalities, their economic development, their focus in wanting to bring in businesses. Recently, you know, we’re trying to expand here in bioscience to bring bioscience to Las Vegas, and I was very impressed. They just invited us to a lunch. I thought it was to talk about the challenges, and it was just to meet nine people that were coming in from out of town. They were really thinking about coming to Las Vegas, and it was very nice being introduced to all of them. You know, there’s an email chain that followed up, and some of them were like, hey, you guys are fantastic. You’re so warm and welcoming. It makes us want to come here to Las Vegas. So it’s good to hear you say that, because I’m assuming there are states. I don’t want to say they’re unwelcoming. They just don’t put the focus to making people feel welcome, right? If you come to my house and ring the doorbell, I could just pop the door open and then walk away. I’m saying, yeah, come on in. Or I can pop the door open. Hey, Ruth, how are you doing? Give you a big hug. There’s a difference, right? Both cases, you can come in. But with one of them, you feel like they want you to be a part. And that’s important, wanting to feel included. So I’m glad you feel that as a state, or you feel that within the state. Now, I want to explore a little bit on the search engine optimization, because we probably work the most together when it comes to news and media and things like that. But you mentioned that you also work in search engine optimization. What do you mean by that, and what do you think is the importance to medical practices? You mentioned, right, the resources and being a resource to your community as a medical provider, but what about on the search engine optimization side of things?
RUTH FURMAN: For healthcare practices, doctors, nurse practitioners, I just did a story with a registered dietician, do a lot with mental health. I’m really seeing a big, big need and demand and confusion from many of the clients that I do PR for. How do I rank higher in search? You know, what are the right websites to be on? Where should I guest post? Just some real anxiety on their part about doing what they need for search because it is so important. It is how we’re found in healthcare. It’s how we’re seen. It’s validation. So that’s why I decided to start helping them in those areas and working with a number of national media outlets and also local outlets in different markets and different regional communities that do rank high on search. So it’s all different types of outlets and also helping my clients repurpose their local news content by backlinking on blogs. And it’s just, it’s a service that I offer because I feel that it’s not my client’s first language. They’re clinicians.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I don’t think it’s anyone’s first language. As I delved into that world, and I’m pretty understanding of technology. I always explain to people, no, no, no, I’m very well-versed. I’ve taught myself very complex pieces of software. I’ve built computers since I was 10, 11 years old. I built my own gaming PCs. And then all of a sudden it got to SEO and marketing, and I was like, oh my, do I really want to throw the weight into learning all of this? The answer was no. I’d rather just find somebody that’s an expert that can help to guide me. Which is why it was fascinating, right, as I was hearing, how long have you been doing the search engine optimization?
RUTH FURMAN: So I call it SEO PR, and I’m just starting to market it. I’ve been doing it informally now for a handful of years, but I just realized that I’m starting to have a lot of growth in this area. And yeah, I guess formally, I launched it last fall. and as an actual arm of my company. And my older brother, who’s super hard to impress, he said, you got to put that on your website. My older brother’s awesome. He’s a corporate executive, and he’s one of my biggest inspirations. But yeah, so this is something I really am going to start marketing, because I think it’s something that sets me apart.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s excellent. And it feels kind of natural, right? Like you just kind of tapped into something and thought, hold on. This is more than just simply giving a few tips and tricks. You come up with a formula and things that work together to make it work. Are you seeing that success in your clients as you’ve started to get it going? I really am. How many thank yous are you getting?
RUTH FURMAN: No, I’m kidding. No, that’s definitely a challenge for me, Diego, as a human being and a woman in business is I’m a little bit of an external reinforcement addict. I like to be appreciated. I like to be valued. Sometimes I’m having to be patient. We talked about a clinician the other day. I’m really having to explain, here’s why this is valuable, and here’s why I recommend you do it. But if the individual doesn’t want to do it or doesn’t see the value, I’ll find, you know, I’ll find someone else for this journalist. But yeah, I’m really enjoying it because it’s really, it’s a great way to help media. I had a story come out about reusable water bottles.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, you’d mentioned the, I’m really curious. I’m going to ask you about that. I always carry mine and I never wash them.
RUTH FURMAN: Well, so that, yeah. And then there was another story that I helped with locally and another one nationally. I mean, I have like, 13 examples, but when it’s shared the right way and when it’s backlinked the right way, it really does help these businesses. I have a primary care physician group I help, and they’re loving all of that content for their social media and for their website. So it really, everything I do is an asset, is a digital asset for my clients.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, that’s a really good way to put it. And there is a formula. Me and a partner built an online group, and it was very funny because people would try to copy it and say, oh, I could open a group. And we definitely realized that we found a formula, not just in creating it, but how to make it grow and how to be effective. It’s not just about posting. It’s about times of day to post. It’s really thinking the whole thing through. not just doing these three things at any time and it’s done. There’s a way to be effective, like you’re mentioning, with the news stories and the backlinking. And there’s a whole strategy that goes into this, which is why there are publicists, right? That’s why you do what you do, because you’ve already discovered these strategies and come up with the formulas. So as a business owner, you cannot do everything. to think that you’re going to be an expert in every area, right? Somebody said that if you only work on your weaknesses, the best you’ll ever be is mediocre, right? So don’t be a mediocre publicist. Hire somebody that’s good to tell your story, to be able to share what it is that you’re doing. And more importantly for me, right, to make you a resource to the community. Because I think when people begin to see those interviews, begin to see you as an authority and as a resource, they begin to look to you. And it’s like a snowball, I’ve noticed. You mentioned something about being patient, and that’s where the hard part is the first three months, six months. But as time moves on, that snowball starts to get bigger and bigger. And I’m assuming the publicist’s job gets a little easier and easier, because at that point, they’ve helped their client get that momentum and really get going, and then you’re just walking lockstep with them. Am I wrong in that, or am I just describing our relationship?
RUTH FURMAN: I don’t think you’re wrong, and I think every client’s different. And for me, it’s really about me truly getting to know the client. I talked to one of my mental health clients recently, and I was like, what percentage of your clients are in person versus telemedicine? And what percent are adults versus adolescents? Because I really want to understand all of my clients. and what is going to be the biggest win for them so that I can seek out opportunities to amplify those. And then the ones that, so I think it’s really about conversation, intake. you know, having those conversations. And for me, I work at a very fast pace, and I really have to force myself to take the time to do that. And every time I do it, I am more effective for my clients. And I’m also really good at knowing what is not the best use of my time and my resources and my talents. So I love it if a client does have an SEO company. does have a social media company. And for those that don’t, I’m happy to work with them or their internal marketing departments.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Right, to help them develop. So it’s really just that quiver of arrows that you’re able to carry so that when you need to deploy one, you know exactly who has what skills to send them where. And that’s very interesting. How long do you think it took for that to click for you? Or is it something that you’re still learning constantly?
RUTH FURMAN: I’m constantly learning and getting better at what doesn’t come naturally to me. Because I know that to truly help my clients, I have to always, just because I think something might be a good idea, I have to always know what they want to make noise about.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah. So it’s not just communication, it’s constant communication. The services change, right? You’re adding the search engine optimization as part of your SEO PR. As you call it, you’re adding it on. So even you are evolving in the skills and the way you’re able to deploy your clients.
RUTH FURMAN: Because that’s necessary. You know, you and I have worked a lot on local news. But there’s…I think that my clients want more than just local news. Yeah. So…and then my national SEO clients want local news. So I, you know, I have a client in New Jersey now that I’m gonna be doing local news for. So…so I was so excited when I got them in New York Family Magazine. So it’s really just constantly pausing and I’m never on auto-repeat. I’m always doing something different.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: It sounds like a game of chess that changes all the time. So even if you learned it and mastered it, in three years, it’s going to be completely different. Everyone’s different. You know, the channels and the mediums that we’re using is different. How fascinating.
RUTH FURMAN: Yeah. I mean, I feel that there are a lot of amazing people, even just here in Las Vegas, that do what I do. And I always need to be mixing it up to add value.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I agree. And let me ask you one final question for all the people that are listening today that say, you know what, I’ve never really thought about PR. At what point should they start contacting you? What size should they be? You know, some people say, well, we’re only three people in an office. What do you think is the right time for them to begin to reach out?
RUTH FURMAN: Well, I love small. Yeah. I think that any time is the right time to reach out. One thing I will say, to work with me, you have to have a website. If you’re in healthcare, I mean, there are some creative businesses, it’s okay if you just have Instagram, but for healthcare, to be valid and legit to the news media, you need to have a website. Even if it’s not super fancy, it can just be a brochure site for starters. You have to have a website. If you have a website and any kind of budget, I am willing to talk to you.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s excellent. And I want to encourage everyone that’s listening. Something when I advise people, sometimes you’ll make different recommendations for growth. And they’ll say, well, I’m not that big yet. Only the big ones do that because they’re already big. And I tell them, well, do you think that because they did that is the reason that they are big? So set your goals and begin to think as if you were a larger company. Pretend like you have 15 employees. It never hurts to be able to make a call and speak to a publicist or different services and say, hey, this is where I’m at. At which point should I engage with you? And if you’re speaking with a good publicist, you’ll let them know, hey, you’re still very small. You guys need to get these things figured out. Or they’ll say, hey, this is the perfect point. Or alternatively, hey, you’re ready to go right now, right? The ball’s in your court. But I think people sometimes, we limit ourselves in our mentality and our scope and where we want to get. And so I always recommend, no, no, think as if you were big, make those connections, those contacts, start seeing. And maybe if you’re not even there yet, now you have a milestone, you have a marker to work towards. And so maybe you don’t have the website yet, but now you know, okay, I need to spend $500 to get a little brochure, sign up. And once that site’s up, then I can contact and see what the next steps are. Well, that’s fantastic. So how do they get ahold of you?
RUTH FURMAN: I think the easiest way is my website, ruthfuhrman.com, R-U-T-H-F-U-R-M-A-N dot com is my website. There’s a contact form on my site. I’m also on Instagram. I’m on LinkedIn. I’m on Facebook, I’m everywhere, but my website’s the easiest place to sit.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Or under your bed, right? You never know. No, that’s excellent. So RuthFurman.com, that’s R-U-T-H-F-U-R-M-A-N.com. Well, thank you to everybody that’s listening today. This was a very enjoyable conversation, Ruth. I really appreciate you coming on. I think as I’ve worked with you and spoken with you throughout the years, it’s very, it’s incredible to me the amount of people that don’t prioritize it, and I used to be one of those people. So I didn’t think it was that important. I didn’t think we were there yet. And you have very, very much helped me to be able to share what I’m trying to do with this community, how we’re trying to unite the voice of health care. And I’ve realized not just that you have helped to do that, you’ve become a critical component of that. And so any success or victory that I ever have, you’re always right there with me. I really am grateful for all the time you’ve dedicated, for all the help you’ve given me, and helped me to tell people what I’m trying to do to help this community. It helps me to build momentum, and it makes it a little easier for Las Vegas Heals, for Vegas Healthcare, and the different community healthcare organizations to be able to come together to be able to improve health care in Southern Nevada. So that is a very heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart, knowing the impact that you have had. I want to say thank you very much and let everyone know that they can reach out at ruthfuhrman.com and have that conversation, find out if they’re ready to go. Is there anything else you’d like to tell our listeners before we sign off today?
RUTH FURMAN: I really appreciate your super kind remarks, and I really value all of our collaborations, Diego. I think the thing that I would want to add to everyone that’s listening is don’t be afraid of people that you view as your competition. I find the health care community in Las Vegas, as well as the PR community, to be so collaborative. And I love it when I’ll have conversations with someone I know who me head marketing or PR for a hospital, and we have a chance to collaborate on a news story. So don’t be afraid of the competition, have all the conversations, be courageous, be patient, and believe in yourself.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Excellent. Thank you very much, Ruth. Well, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for listening. I hope you enjoyed this conversation and why it is important to have PR in health care. Thank you very much.
