Digital Marketing: It’s Easy To Make It Overcomplicated.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say something potentially controversial: Digital marketing is simple. It’s true! Now maybe it’s because I’ve spent the majority of my career in medical marketing, but I do think, at its core, it’s pretty straightforward.
Here’s what I mean:
- You set goals
- You create and deploy goal-supporting campaigns
- You measure performance and make adjustments based on that performance
If you’re getting a strong ROI on your campaign, then you want to build on that success, right? You start investing more dollars in that particular campaign, or you see if you can replicate that success to support another aspect of your business.
And when things aren’t working, then you carefully adjust the variables in order to get things on track. What you don’t want to do is to start flailing, taking wild actions that get you further and further away from your goal while making your campaign more difficult to measure.
This trips up a lot of businesses. Losing sight of the goal. Forgetting what a particular campaign was designed to do. Not trusting the process.
I completely sympathize with this. When we spend money on marketing, I have the same expectations as any other business owner would. If I’m not immediately seeing the ROI I want, my instinct is to turn off the faucet, but I know that these things can take time and adjustment, and that the more disruptive I am, the harder my team’s job is.
So I always go back to these questions:
- Have we set clear goals?
- Are my investments consistent?
- Is the team making adjustments?
Through this lens, it’s pretty clear to see what is and what is not working for your business.
So why do marketing conversations seem so difficult sometimes?
You Deserve Great Medical Marketing Support
Having a productive conversation — and effective support — from a medical marketing agency shouldn’t be a chore. You don’t need to be an expert in digital marketing. That’s not your responsibility.
I’m of the opinion that it’s our responsibility as marketing professionals to adapt to you. Your business is unique. Your goals, your challenges, your operational strategy — I want to do everything I can to understand who you are and what you’re facing so that we can provide you with the best possible support.
It’s the very least any agency can do, and yet all too often conversations can get mired in jargon, and jargon, when used in an inappropriate context, can make a client an outsider.
To us, great communication is the baseline. It’s the foundation of our relationship and your marketing strategists and support team.
Beyond that, there are several things you should consider when choosing the right medical marketing agency. Here are five things you shouldn’t ignore.
Less Pitching, More Listening.
Have you ever had an experience where you’re being pitched the very first time you’re meeting with someone? This is a huge red flag, in my opinion. Why? Because it’s arrogant. Let me tell you why I think so.
This is the best way I can sum it up: This person doesn’t know you. They don’t know your business or your goals or even what you’re looking for.
I’m sure that the intentions are good, but I want to be an active listener at this stage of the game. Otherwise, I’m giving off-the-shelf, impersonal advice based on a lot of assumptions.
Again, this goes back to my premise that marketing is simple, or it can be, but if an agency is skipping over the part where they get to know you and your goals, then you’re likely not going to get the support you need.
You want a marketing strategy where the tactics and recommendations are tailored to you. To me, it’s about empathy and listening, and applying our expertise in marketing to help your business grow.
Custom, Specific, Actionable Reporting
I already mentioned the dangerous world of marketing jargon. It can bubble up in conversation, and it can be absolutely out of control in medical marketing reporting.
Vague terms. Metrics that sound cool but don’t mean much. Distractions, really.
You can measure just about anything, but you deserve to be specifically briefed on the things happening in your campaigns that are impacting your business.
The Formada team sets campaign goals with you, works with you to define what success looks like for you, and not only provide you with a custom monthly report that goes over campaign performance (in clear, layperson terminology), but also provides actionable recommendations to improve performance, reallocate budget, or explore other marketing opportunities we’ve discovered throughout the campaign process.
We believe in being good stewards of your budget, and to carefully manage your marketing investment as if it were our own. Our goal isn’t to spend money, it’s to make you more money.
Personalized Service (Cause Bigger Isn’t Always Better)
We’re a small shop. We don’t try to hide that. In fact, we’re proud of it.
And though we don’t have the same resources that many global agencies do, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the level of service you’re going to receive from a small agency is going to be second to none.
Why? Because we don’t have an A-team that serves the big brands and a B-team that serves the mid-tier organizations and a C-team that serves the rest. We’re nothing but A-team, and we’re scrappy, we’re hungry, and we’re willing to fight to earn your business.
You deserve to be supported by a team with deep experience and endless flexibility. You deserve to be treated like a top priority by folks who know your industry.
The question is, at the end of the day, who do you think is really going to have your back?
You Must Own Your Content
Would it surprise you that some agencies own your content? You’re just licensing it from them. That’s right. Depending on the terms of your agreement, you might not own your website. You might not own your paid campaigns. Nor any of the content they contain.
Should you choose to leave that agency, you’ll walk away with nothing, and have to start all over. This, in our opinion, is not the way. So that’s not how we operate.
And though we don’t want to lose anyone’s business, if you were to leave us for whatever reason, you’d never leave empty handed. The assets you paid for would be yours, just as they should be.
This is really my way of saying it’s crucial that you understand the terms and conditions of any agreement you enter into with an agency. Always, always, always choose an agency that guarantees your ownership of your brand’s assets.
The Best Medical Marketing Agency Will Treat You Like a Partner
This is an area where you can trust your instincts, lean into your network, and review their work to make the best decision for your organization.
On a very basic level: Are these people who you want to work with? Can you develop a rapport?
Are they making realistic claims about what they can do for your business? Do they specialize in certain areas of digital marketing or do they do everything under the sun?
Digital marketing is a vast realm, and there’s a big difference between doing something and being good at something.
An agency that does everything when it comes to digital marketing either has an enormous staff of specialists (which is totally possible) or they have a small staff that’s wearing way too many hats.
We very purposefully don’t do everything. What we do, we do incredibly well, and the things we don’t do, we can make referrals for or provide strategic direction. And it’s a position we’re happy to take, because we are very confident in what we do, and we know we do things like web design, paid and social media advertising, and content creation incredibly well.
Your medical organization deserves a marketing partner that understands your business and can help you achieve your goals.
Formada is more than a medical marketing agency — we’re a growth agency. We exist to help your business grow through proven, effective marketing strategies. We listen to your needs and apply our knowledge to create solutions suited to your version of success.
Well-defined goals. Considerate investments. Clear communication. Incredible results.