How to define a digital multichannel strategy
In a digital environment that is changing and innovating at an ever-increasing pace, it is essential to have the right tools and mindset to deal with the inevitable changes in the landscape. There are many factors that today’s digital-first companies must consider in order to stay competitive, regardless of the channel(s) on which they focus their marketing efforts and budgets. Each acquisition channel can be an area of influence to capture your potential audience, either to build brand awareness and value, or to generate sales or business leads. All of this applies to every industry and sector, including, of course, pharmaceutical and healthcare.
This is why Global has created the new eHealth division, whose mission is to provide our clients with a view of the digital environment in order to offer and develop an effective communication strategy. A strategy that not only has the set of tools and services to achieve the goal set, but that is also a sentinel in the market and its evolution, to be able to react immediately and promptly to the changes in the scenario that will inevitably occur.
There are many variables that can change the digital “playground” in which a company moves: from a new strategy of its competitors (which could be more aggressive and therefore take its place to other players), through intrinsic changes in the Google algorithm (the main traffic driver for companies operating in the digital environment in Spain and the rest of the world), both at the level of organic and paid visibility, or even political or socio-economic changes in the offline world (as we are living, for example, with the current pandemic of Covid-19 or the geopolitical situation in Ukraine). For these reasons, it is necessary to be able to count on an arsenal of services and resources that can adapt in an agile way to the changes in paradigms and scenarios that inevitably occur in the market.
It should be noted that it is of little use to be able to count on the latest digital marketing tools and even a large investment budget if all this is not linked to a solid strategy and clear objectives. For this reason, Global’s eHealth division always advises that the first step is to carry out a thorough analysis of the digital ecosystem in which we will be competing as a player and to define a multichannel acquisition strategy that takes into account the objectives to be achieved, the resources available and the competitive environment we face. Once this strategy has been defined, which, as we have said, must be flexible and able to adapt in an agile manner to changes that may occur, the next step is to define which services or specialties must be activated to help us achieve the objectives we have defined. Knowing where our target audience is also key to developing a successful strategy, as different platforms require different approaches and often very different levels of investment or engagement.
Social marketing, for example, is an excellent channel to connect directly with a brand’s audience in a specific language and tone of voice. It is also an excellent tool for promoting and disseminating campaigns and promotions and helps to dramatically increase brand awareness. LinkedIn, Twitter, or even in many cases Facebook and Instagram, are usually the ideal candidates for deploying social marketing campaigns.
Search engine traffic is another excellent way to reach the target audience, through organic positioning (SEO) or paid search engine optimization (SEM). Both allow to reduce the distance between the search intent and the results provided by search engines (we refer mainly to Google), since their logic is based on keywords. Therefore, we can get the URLs of our site to appear for certain queries, making sure that users are served content that satisfies their search. This increases the chances of converting that visit into a lead, sale, or whatever our goal is.
Speaking of SEO and SEM, we have mentioned content, and in this sense, marketing automation (or automated content programming) is another (if not the most important) tool of vital importance in any marketing strategy, as it allows us to establish lasting and consolidated relationships with the target audience, improving engagement and loyalty.
All of these efforts would be frustrated without an optimized website at the base of the digital acquisition channels. At Global, we take a strategic approach to web development, developing sites for the healthcare sector that have optimized and relevant content, meet technical and web performance requirements, are mobile friendly, and take into account best practices in usability (UX) and user experience (UI). Beyond web or social communication, at Global we are aware that a digital strategy cannot do without being able to include in its arsenal all possible channels to contact the audience. For this reason, we are also specialized in the development of mobile applications in the health sector (mHealth), as they represent a powerful tool that can fulfill several functions, such as connecting health professionals with their patients or helping users to monitor and control their pathology.
In addition to mobile applications, which are becoming increasingly capillary, social gaming or gamification is another channel through which brands can effectively connect with their audience, in this case using a fun and entertaining dynamic that encourages participation and loyalty.
Whatever the objective of your marketing campaign, Global’s eHealth division has the know-how to effectively implement your strategy and activate the channels necessary to achieve your goals.
