Developing a Cohesive Digital Strategy for Metabolic Maintenance Products
|
If you are the presenter of this abstract (or if you cite this abstract in a talk or on a poster), please show the QR code in your slide or poster (QR code contains this URL). |
Abstract
Metabolic Maintenance Products (MMP), like many companies, started using the web and later social media without a cohesive digital strategy. The aim of this project is to prepare a digital strategy through the use of a structured process that includes the development and use of personas, competitive analysis, and formative evaluation.
MMP, a small vitamin manufacturing company in business for twenty-seven years, produces natural nutritional supplements exclusively for physicians. MMP’s current use of the web and social media has evolved in an unorganized fashion without a strategy or metrics. This plan was created with the purpose of firming up brand awareness and creating a cohesive, sustainable, and professional digital presence that fit within the organization’s goals and resources allocated.
The initial step in this process was an examination of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in a SWOT analysis. Despite MMP’s website being the organization’s primary marketing tool, it is underutilized and problematic in a climate where the rate of healthcare providers that use the Internet for health-related information continues to rise. MMP’s limited scope within the medical community, lack of brand awareness, and limited marketing and advertising efforts were obvious and significant sources of weaknesses. It was concluded that using technology to increase MMP’s marketplace influence would be a great way to scale up their operation without requiring a huge change to their business model and budget.
The next step was to identify MMP’s target audience through dissection of current sales, trends, and interviews with staff to create research-based personas. After reviewing reports generated from MMP’s accounting software, groups of physicians were identified and ranked according to their impact on overall sales. Medical Doctors, Naturopathic Doctors, and Doctors of Chiropractic were then confirmed with MMP employees as the desired and practical subgroups of MMP’s target audience. Personas were created within these subgroups and functioned as vehicles through which an analysis of paths and triggers that would appeal to or, conversely, repel a user from MMP’s online presence were made explicit.
Another essential examination that was conducted included an analysis of close industry competitors with a focus on social media strategies, brand awareness, and general web presence. In general, MMP had the lowest quality web presence in terms of keyword searches, brand ambiguity, ease of ordering and professionalism in web site. As an organization, MMP had never conducted an in-depth competitive analysis and understanding the specific elements that rank MMP’s competitors higher in these categories helped to create a specific set of that had not yet been explored by MMP.
Finally, nearly thirty social media types were examined to determine if their users matched MMP's target audiences, and to ensure that the potential benefits of inclusion into MMP’s digital strategy were congruent with previously set goals. After the most beneficial of these social media sites were identified, goals and metrics for these outlets were created. The plan concluded with steps for implementation and procedures to maintain a current, successful digital strategy and brand awareness for the future.
MMP, a small vitamin manufacturing company in business for twenty-seven years, produces natural nutritional supplements exclusively for physicians. MMP’s current use of the web and social media has evolved in an unorganized fashion without a strategy or metrics. This plan was created with the purpose of firming up brand awareness and creating a cohesive, sustainable, and professional digital presence that fit within the organization’s goals and resources allocated.
The initial step in this process was an examination of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in a SWOT analysis. Despite MMP’s website being the organization’s primary marketing tool, it is underutilized and problematic in a climate where the rate of healthcare providers that use the Internet for health-related information continues to rise. MMP’s limited scope within the medical community, lack of brand awareness, and limited marketing and advertising efforts were obvious and significant sources of weaknesses. It was concluded that using technology to increase MMP’s marketplace influence would be a great way to scale up their operation without requiring a huge change to their business model and budget.
The next step was to identify MMP’s target audience through dissection of current sales, trends, and interviews with staff to create research-based personas. After reviewing reports generated from MMP’s accounting software, groups of physicians were identified and ranked according to their impact on overall sales. Medical Doctors, Naturopathic Doctors, and Doctors of Chiropractic were then confirmed with MMP employees as the desired and practical subgroups of MMP’s target audience. Personas were created within these subgroups and functioned as vehicles through which an analysis of paths and triggers that would appeal to or, conversely, repel a user from MMP’s online presence were made explicit.
Another essential examination that was conducted included an analysis of close industry competitors with a focus on social media strategies, brand awareness, and general web presence. In general, MMP had the lowest quality web presence in terms of keyword searches, brand ambiguity, ease of ordering and professionalism in web site. As an organization, MMP had never conducted an in-depth competitive analysis and understanding the specific elements that rank MMP’s competitors higher in these categories helped to create a specific set of that had not yet been explored by MMP.
Finally, nearly thirty social media types were examined to determine if their users matched MMP's target audiences, and to ensure that the potential benefits of inclusion into MMP’s digital strategy were congruent with previously set goals. After the most beneficial of these social media sites were identified, goals and metrics for these outlets were created. The plan concluded with steps for implementation and procedures to maintain a current, successful digital strategy and brand awareness for the future.
Medicine 2.0® is happy to support and promote other conferences and workshops in this area. Contact us to produce, disseminate and promote your conference or workshop under this label and in this event series. In addition, we are always looking for hosts of future World Congresses. Medicine 2.0® is a registered trademark of JMIR Publications Inc., the leading academic ehealth publisher.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.