We do not like and it is not customary to write about our failures, although it is not a disadvantage if we show the reality behind the scenes among the always smiling and super posts: whether it is our struggles or our possible mistakes and failures. Perhaps others can learn from it, and perhaps we can become better through it.
I deal with online marketing communication in the healthcare sector, primarily helping businesses operating in the pharmaceutical industry and the private sector with strategic consulting and online marketing tasks (SEO, PPC, content marketing, website development, etc.) with my team, alongside which I run a nationally recognized healthcare media portal. There are few unsuccessful projects or campaigns behind us, which is not necessarily only due to specialized knowledge and experience, but much more due to the striving for maximization and result-orientation at all costs and a highly professional, well-prepared team.
Maximization??? – there is a glitch in the system!
Because in online marketing, there is no such thing as perfect. There is such a thing as something being completed, performing well, bringing good results, but there is always room for change, and in many cases, it is necessary to fine-tune the appearances. Perfect will never be achieved – this must be accepted by those working in this field.
Storytelling
A few months ago, we launched a new specialty and a specialist at one of our partners with a relatively small marketing advertising budget. I got to know a kind, prepared, cooperative, and empathetic doctor in the new specialist, so every minute spent working together was a joy, which motivated me even more. For the launch, we completed our mandatory homework (and a little more): we programmed subpages, created unique landing pages, shared patient support posts, launched PPC campaigns that we continuously optimized, and uploaded the given doctor to external booking systems. Fresh, crispy patient support materials, press releases, and flyers were prepared week by week. We increased the organic reach of certain contents through cross-linking, which also raised the awareness of the given area and specialist, and I prepared the patient coordinators for the new area and what types of problems to direct patients to them.
While we achieved saturation levels between 80-95% in other areas and specialists with the same partner so far, here – to our first surprise – the results did not come.
After a few weeks of forced leave, we took another run at promoting the given – primarily the doctor, secondarily the new specialty, with a larger budget, premium highlighting, new patient information pages, focused SEO, stronger social media chirping, and placing patient support materials (+backlinks) on high-traffic, relevant sites through personal channels.
The results were still far below expectations.
Where could there have been a grain of sand in the machinery?
I help: we maximized our possibilities in online marketing, a larger budget was not available, so where is the mistake?
I do not know failure, even less do I like it, so to find the reasons, I collected in the past weeks where I made mistakes (?), or could/should have done differently… I had to realize that
„”the shoemaker's children go barefoot.".
Process analysis – back to basics!
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Survey – get to know your target audience and buyer personas!
Although we may have routine in one or another area, my experience is that for every specialty (understand, in healthcare for example general gynecologist, endometriosis specialist, urogynecologist), there are as many patient journeys, attitudes of patients (target group, buyer personas), booking and visiting habits, pain points, etc.
Accordingly, the first mistake (?) was that although I examined and discussed the specialty with a given specialist, I should have dug deeper. However, due to time constraints and the hope for immediate results, I skipped this – not out of arrogance, but rather due to the expectations of time and cash flow pressing on me. Yet that certain sixth sense (– don’t worry, we women have such symptoms/skills! 🙂 ) signaled: „DON’T RUSH, DON’T HURRY, ANALYZE MORE, (if necessary, take a stand on your professional opinion), and only then plan, get to work!”
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Planning – or why you shouldn’t give in to the pressure of time (shortage)?
It is also my pet peeve that before we tackle anything, we should plan after analysis. Of course, this requires the first step, namely a thorough analysis before introducing a new area, service, or product (SWOT, market, economy, target group, location, etc.), which in this case was lacking in depth. Yet we did excellent (routine) work with the available budget, the result of which, however, turned out to be quite weak. We have never run a campaign at such a low cost per conversion, yet the orders were still empty. Obviously, we analyzed the processes: the visitor numbers, tested morning-afternoon orders, left shorter-longer booking times, but the mistake was not visible. Although you might think that the mistake was solely in the planning of costs, the framework and time were given, we primarily had to plan for the short term, also considering return on investment!
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Analysis, re-planning
If we dedicated enough time to something during the process, it was the analysis of results and the redesign, but since the first two steps were missing, we could only run after the cart – half-blind – which, despite all efforts, did not stop. Involving colleagues I greatly respect in the process, watching and analyzing our online marketing activities, I can say in hindsight: we did an excellent job. Because while we could have increased marketing spending, we also had to consider the return, so we can say: we maximized the available opportunities. Perhaps this is what they say in healthcare:
The surgery was successful, but the patient died.
The situation in this case is thankfully not that dramatic, but there are plenty of lessons to be learned.
- We cannot work on autopilot!
Because while we have tools at our disposal, we need to know the specific area, service, or market in depth to be successful. We cannot skip the examination of the target group, buyer personas, just as we cannot skip market analysis and assessing the economic environment! - Without planning, the result is also questionable.
If there are not enough resources and time provided, we can be the best, prettiest, fastest potters, but no mug will be made, or only one so small that it won't quench our thirst. On the other hand, from a business perspective, we also need to examine the LTV (lifetime value), as there are fields where it is worth thinking long-term (for example, in internal medicine for chronic diseases, in nephrology). However, there are areas where we can only calculate with short-term customer value. - That darn time…
Time is always pressing on us, as in certain areas immediate results are expected or even demanded from us (perhaps we expect it from ourselves too?), for which there are tools, but! The lack of recognition, the demands, the territorial coverage can intervene, e.g.: is a specific specialty available in public healthcare, is there even local demand for a given private specialty, does a specific doctor or area have recognition, does a chronic/painful/immediate intervention need a specific patient group, etc.
Recognize and acknowledge your limits!
There are things that do not depend on online marketing…
But it is also a fact that as a strategic leader, if I had thoroughly explored all the questions that would be mandatory to consider, I would have had to face a (conflict) situation in which I state: in the short term, we cannot achieve results, so it is worth considering whether we want to focus on the given new area! And although I do not have an objective metric, I have concluded that with the available opportunities, in a given field, the demand for private healthcare in Budapest is relatively low, and the demand that does exist is served by significantly stronger competitors, established providers, and well-known specialists in the private sector in their field.
Thus, in the short term, a market could only have been reached from a significantly larger marketing budget, which the budget could not have supported. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and one can even make excuses, but there is a level above which we have a greater accountability than anyone else.
Closing thoughts – or what’s new behind the scenes?
As a success-oriented person, I have been burdened for weeks and months by the failure of this campaign, as I have always managed to compensate for any missing parts by bringing in additional resources and crossing boundaries. It is instructive to experience that there are things for which all this is insufficient, and there are times when we must admit – and if we do not want to appear unprofessional or make excuses later: to accept that there are things that do not depend on us.
What perhaps we can all do (if we do not have, or do not listen to our sixth sense 😉) is to adhere to steps such as analysis, planning, and re-planning as professionals knowledgeable in a given area, and not yield to external (or even internal) pressure. Because it is one thing to cook only with what is available; if we do not embrace our boundaries and opinions as professionals, we may face failures, which perhaps only the lack of success experience and the pain of letting go can hurt more…
You can find Kata's further writings on the marketing secrets blog. 7. How to choose an online marketing professional?.
