The world has become so fast paced, with technology rapidly changing the way we do things that both brands and people need to be open to reinvention. That’s really the key to success.
Take for example the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, where hospitals have been focused on coronavirus patients and the population confined. People suffering from other ailments had to rely on online consultations. As such, telemedicine is now becoming inculcated in Chinese culture, projected to grow by 26.5% in value this year.
Here are three ways breakthrough marketers can keep their fingers on the pulse of change in benefit of their brands:
1. Stay connected to your customers
Keep current with the needs, challenges and expectations of your customers… from empowered consumers hungry for medical information, to time-strapped healthcare professionals struggling to meet the demands of an ‘informed’ consumer.
- In the case of your consumers:
- Send them quick and easy-to-complete online questionnaires like SurveyMonkey and incentivise them to participate.
- Monitor their ‘speak’ on social media and use the same language to address them in your marketing materials.
- Understand who they regard as experts and in which online communities they like to participate. (People with chronic diseases for example tend to prefer online communities where they can share their symptoms and treatments with fellow sufferers.)
- Assist your healthcare professionals in better meeting the needs of their patients. Encourage them to become digitally savvy and provide them with digital assets, such as medical videos, electronic leaflets and online graphics to support disease management. These can be used for more detailed explanations to patients and also as part of the online information their patients are seeking.
2. Know your tech
Leading global technology companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, are now focusing on fast tracking healthcare innovation. This has led to a plethora of electronic tools in the healthcare industry.
Doctors can now hold video conferences to consult with their patients; patients expect to be able to book appointments and obtain repeat prescriptions online; and soon to come is the rollout of pharmacogenomics, where doctors will, via technology, be able to monitor the effect of prescribed medicine on the individual.
As such, marketers in the health space are expected to talk to their customers via digital platforms:
- Use social media to communicate with your consumers. Select a platform where your consumers are ‘hanging out’ and create a page with informed, expert content. Include links to your website, for more detailed information
- Employ time-saving electronic tools like remote e-detailing to communicate with healthcare professionals. (Cingulate is accredited to create material on IQVIA’s remote e-detailing platform, Kadrige and mobile intelligence (MI), an integrated customer relationship and e-detailing platform
- Assist healthcare professionals to undertake their CPD (continuous professional development) via e-learning platforms, particularly relevant now that coronavirus restrictions will prevent the holding of medical congresses
3. Study social trends
Knowing your target market and the specific characteristics of the customer group to whom you are marketing, can secure your brand a competitive advantage. Be aware of the dominant behaviours of the various age groups, such as baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Generation Z (born in the late 1990s and 2010s).
Case in point: WeWork successfully defied the economic downturn in South Africa last year. They took their five-storey shared work environment in Rosebank from a 30% to 98% occupancy rate within two months. This was possible because their offering focuses on corroboration and cross-pollination – key millennial needs.
Cingulate leads by example!
We wouldn’t be credible if we at Cingulate Marketing and Advertising didn’t recognise the need to reinvent our own brand.
From a product and services perspective, in the past 12 months, we’ve expanded our digital services including e-detailing, remote e-detailing, e-learning and virtual conferencing to communicate with various target markets. In addition we have revamped our website!
We’re also growing our expertise – having expanded our team and renovated our offices. The result is a new ‘raring to go’ Cingulate.
Pop into our new look offices to discuss your company/brand needs or visit us online at www.cingulate.co.za. Let’s help you recreate your brand in 2020 and stay ahead.
