You Can't Sell to an Audience You Don't Know
A case Study
Just because you know your product doesn’t mean that you know
your audience. The question is: How do you sell a new product into a new
market?
A large, US-based nutraceutical company had devised a new line of products to market directly to medical professionals. Prior to this point, the company had been entirely consumer-focused and did not know how to best approach this new market segment effectively.
They had tried producing a series of webinars and broadcast media (both had been profitable in the consumer business) but had failed to secure any real traction. Their success in the consumer market had taught them one way to approach moving products: buy one, get one. This model was a non-starter in the medical field.
Industry: Nutraceuticals
KPI: Increased web traffic and brand awareness, leading to increased initial and follow-up sales
Methodology: Audience identification to drive online content development, webinar scripting, and Social Media Campaigns
Results:30% increase in web traffic, a 25% increase in overall new sales, and a 85% increase in follow-up sales.
The product was a reformulated anti-inflammation supplement with some interesting scientific support. The idea was to sell the product directly to medical doctors, who would then resell it to their patients, creating both a new revenue stream for the doctor and a recurring prduct sale for the company. After nearly a year of pursuing their tarditional methods, the company approached Adirela with the simple question: “How do we sell it?”
We responded with the simple question, “Who are you selling to?”
Over the next several weeks, we took the company through an intense discovery process and applied those findings to market space. We uncovered a few key points that were critical for success and were missing:
- Medical professionals are not traditional consumers; physicians learn from other medical professionals.
- Medical professionals are interested in fact-based, no-nonsense data to support their decisions, so consumer-oriented sales tactics are ineffective.
- Medical doctors are comfortable with ‘rescription-based processes ‘ and often times do not have space dedicated to supplying supplements.
- Both MDs and DOs (doctors of osteopathy) were cautious about advocating for non-FDA-approved products and supplements.
The company’s current content and marketing processes were counter to these findings. They had relied on the same high-performance value, an entertainment-focused approach that had been successful for consumers. In the Brand Narrative that was delivered, Adirela identified the appropriate voice (steady, scientific, reasoned), message (safe, effective, and trusted), and audience. It was the last conclusion that made one of the largest impacts. The company had viewed its core audience as medical doctors who would ‘prescribe’ the supplement as part of an evaluation. During our research, Adirela uncovered that this model does not work for the average primary care physician.
In order for the company to effectively drive utilization through a medical office, the office needed to maintain an in-office dispensary. Few medical doctors have a store in their office space. MDs and DOs, for the most part, rely on the use of prescriptions to deliver medications and other supplements. And since the company had zero interest in partnering with retail (it was counter to their business plan and comfort), a new model had to be devised.
Empowered by the client to be creative, we proposed a new campaign to target an audience that was more familiar with the use and promotion of nutraceuticals: naturopathic physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractic doctors. This move fit within the model of the company because each provider is a licensed ‘medical professional’. Additionally, these providers tended to be more open to the use of non-pharmacological alternatives for things like inflammation and joint pain.
Adirela coordinated a comprehensive campaign to drive one specific action: getting the key audience to attend a free educational webinar. Adirela built email and social media content based on testimonials from medical professionals (harking back to the findings that medical professionals learn from other medical professionals) to advocate for the safety and effectiveness of the product.
These testimonials were all tied to a call to action to attend one of a series of webinars hosted several times a week by the company’s chief medical officer (CMO).
Adirela worked hand-in-hand with the CMO to develop webinar content that spoke directly and scientifically to the needs and demands of the key audience. The result was a compelling presentation delivered live, with a series of Q&A opportunities that highlighted research that supported the health benefits claims of the product. We ensured that the tone was measured and the message was fact-based and highly scientific.
We supported this webinar with an additional social media and email campaign to maintain awareness and drive an initial purchase of the product for resale.
The result was a resounding success: initial online orders grew by over 200% in the first three months, with a retention rate of over 85% of providers continuing to purchase over the first six months.
Inform – Inspire – Influence
