21 August 2009
Why digital marketing budgets are surviving the crunch
Kim Mason Account Director
As marketing directors gaze disappointedly at
slashed budgets, digital marketers are rubbing their hands in
unabashed glee at the steady flow of numbers into their own Excel
spreadsheets. This may be an overstatement, but it's a proven fact
that when it comes to a return on investment, digital marketing can
often
make the strongest business case.
But we need to be careful we don't just jump on the bandwagon
for the sake of it – not everyone lives and breathes technology,
especially in an ageing population.
When I asked my dad, a highly computer literate 67 year old,
whether he made use of social networks in choosing which surgeon
operated on him – he said no. But he did check out a few blogs and
forums for informal reviews on his chosen shortlist, with mixed
results.
So what should you include as part of your online marketing
strategy? We find ourselves often advising healthcare clients
against using a blog. Strong opinions and outright arguments can
develop, not necessarily in your favour but apparently endorsed by
you, so it's vital to be selective. A forum may be a far better
medium for shared, moderated comment.
Sometimes it's the less fashionable parts of digital technology
that will make the biggest difference to your audiences. FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions) are a very popular part of many health
and social care websites.
On www.sho-me.nhs.uk we developed a simple tool to quiz visitors
about the information they want and then automatically generate
FAQs as they are asked – saving time and meeting need.
Briefly prompting members to update their own details on
www.bsg.org.uk takes the web editors out of the loop and keeps the
British Society of Gastroenterology database up to date.
Integrating your website with your back office systems – anything
from email and SAGE to a document management programme – like we
did for the Care Quality Commission intranet, demonstrates an
impressive return on investment in the mid
to long term.
So, what should you do with your own website and digital
marketing strategy? Stop and think carefully about your audience.
Segment them as tightly as you can and ask them what would really
be useful to them. Look at long term planning and invest
accordingly. Trendy add-ons may be at the cutting edge for
teenagers and young adults, but they may not make the business case
for the majority, or for inclusivity.