What are you doing on TikTok?
Well, for me it’s the golden retrievers. Anyone that knows me understands my obsession with this dog breed, having a beautiful seven-year-old goldie at home. I spend hours just watching short clips on TikTok about golden retrievers and all their cuteness. Now as much as I would love to write a whole blog sharing my favourite TikToks, I am asking you this question for an entirely different reason.
TikTok is a video-sharing focused social networking service. Over the past couple of years, it has become increasingly popular with Gen Z’s with one billion users joining the app. A lot of businesses have identified that this is where Gen Z’s hang out and have adapted the social media platform as a part of their marketing strategy. From my perspective this is clever as with marketing you must ensure you’re using the correct channels. Which brings me to why I am discussing Tik Tok on a community pharmacy blog! I want to discuss with you the importance of hanging out where your customers are.
The key to a clever marketing plan is understanding who your target audience(s) are and where you can reach them. For example, if you were wanting to target the gen Z population then TikTok might be an option. However, if your target audience is seniors, then point blank you’re wasting your time on TikTok. Like any business strategy your marketing efforts must be worth your time. So, understanding what marketing channels will work best to reach your customers is vital.
Now selecting your marketing channels can be a tough feat and because we want to see you succeed, we are going to share some quick tips on how to do so.
Before investing time on any channel, you must do your research! You need to determine that a channel will help you:
• Reach your target audience(s)
• Communicate your marketing strategy
One mistake I see pharmacies make time and time again is being on a channel because “everyone else is” or that because they have been told to. For any business activity to work it must be studied and tested. If you only take one thing away from this blog, is to focus on your pharmacy and your audience’s needs. Do not follow what everyone else is doing, adapt channels into your strategy that will work for your customers.
For demographic target audiences (based on aged, gender, location) you can research channels that suit certain age groups and genders. For niche audiences for example Diabetes, you can research what other industry leaders in that space are doing to reach their audience such as online workshops might be of value to reach Diabetes patients. Remember, to always be creative and think outside the square.
So, the best way to categorise channels is breaking them up into two groups, the first being digital and the second traditional. We recommend selecting four channels to use monthly. Remember, with any marketing effort it requires patience and consistency.
Example of Digital Channels:
• TikTok
• Email Marketing
• Website
• Google SEO and Adwords
• Loyalty Program
Example of Traditional Channels:
• Catalogues
• Print and Radio Advertising
• Events
• Collaborations
• Sponsorships
Once you researched and determined what four channels work for you then it would be time to set up a content calendar. A content calendar provides you with a system of when you will be utilising each channel including frequency and the types of content. A content calendar provides so much structure to your marketing, but the subject is so big, that the mechanics is for another blog.
For each channel you select you must commit at least 12 months implementation. Unfortunately, one social media post or flyer drop isn’t going to change the world for your pharmacy. It takes over ten touch points for someone to recognise your brand, so understand that this will take time. Another component is consistency, don’t just dabble in the channel, have a defined plan of attack.
Lastly, measurement of the channels is key. Make sure you track all the relevant insights and engagement rates, so forth. Marketing is only as good as its data; you need to measure whether the results monthly just like you do your script numbers.
So, let’s quickly recap the tips we have shared:
• Research, research, and more research!
• Select four channels
• Only select channels that will help you reach your customers
• Be creative
• Apply structure and commit for 12 months
Our final tip is to sign up to our 12-week self-taught marketing course. In this course, we will go through in detail how to select your channels, choose your strategy and measurement! The key value of this program is its completely pharmacised. To learn more, click here.
