Digital Strategy Principles for Healthcare Manufacturers

As a healthcare manufacturer you are responsible for making sure the products you sell are of high quality and that the people who buy them know what to do with them. It is also important to understand how digital strategies can help your company grow, improve your customer service, and maintain a competitive edge in today's market. This blog will discuss some common principles that all healthcare manufacturers should have in place when it comes to a digital strategy.

A digital strategy should be a part of the company's business goals and is an integrated component that aligns with, and supports other components within, the overall corporate plan. Healthcare manufacturers who do not have such a plan will find it difficult to remain competitive in today’s market. A digital strategy could include all of these components and tactics: 

• Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, TikTok
• Google ads, Linkedin ads,
• Blogging, pillar pages,
• Your website, form submissions, e-commerce, banner ads
• Video, webinars, email marketing
• Marketing automation, workflows, marketing qualified leads, gated content
• Co-op marketing programs, trade shows, industry partnerships
• Analytics, reporting, attribution reporting, 
• Brochures, flyers, branding, logo's, print media

The list goes on and on. So where do you start?

Maintaining a digital strategy can be a real challenge. 

The reality is that healthcare manufacturers are usually focused in the traditional marketing business, but they still need to maintain an online presence and as digital avenues become a primary source for consuming content and doing research, you need to develop a digital strategy. There are several strategies that may work well depending on what your product line consists of, who you are trying to reach and what your goals are.

Here are steps to set you up for success when developing a digital strategy:

1. Define your goals -  What are you trying to achieve?
2. What is your brand personality and what does it stand for? What do customers like about the products/services you provide ? How can this be brought forward in social media content?
3. Define your personas -  Who are your customers? What pain points do they have that you can solve with your content or products/services ?
4. Identify needs - What is the customer journey? Where does it start and how would digital marketing fit into this process? Where else has someone in this market researched about similar topics online before coming to you for solutions? 
5. Determine objectives - What are the specific goals you want to achieve with your digital strategy?
6. Develop a plan - How can you execute your marketing program and track it's effectiveness? What tools should be used? Who is going to manage this process? How will success be measured ?
7. Execute - Implement tactics that help. Start with baby steps and implement. Make adjustments as needed along the way. This is an iterative process so don't give up if something isn’t working right away. Give it some time.

Once you have a digital strategy in place, it is important to continue to monitor your efforts. Do not be afraid to make adjustments when needed and stay current on trends in the marketplace so that you can adjust accordingly. You should also determine what metrics are most valuable for measuring success in this area of marketing .

A digital strategy is a guide for your company.

It can help you ensure that what you are doing is moving your company in the right direction. Developing a digital strategy for your organization should be an ongoing process, because as trends change and target persona preferences shift, it's important to stay on top of things. It also allows everyone from marketing teams to sales reps know how their efforts tie into what they are trying to achieve. If you are just starting out, ask your marketing team who can help get this process started for you and implement some of the things discussed in this article. 

KBK Communications has over 75 years of combined experience in sales, marketing, administration, and direct patient care, which makes us experts in harnessing the latest digital technology to grow and empower healthcare manufacturing organizations. If you’re considering digital transformation or curious about your next steps in building a strategy, CRM implementation, or ERP integrations, for your organization, get in touch with us today.