Research is critical to successful marketing, healthcare or otherwise. Does your audience see you as an authority in healthcare? Is your content connecting with consumers? In order to answer “yes” to these questions, you need to know your prospects inside and out. And that requires research.
Fortunately, there are a handful of great tools to help you with some of that legwork. Below, you’ll find five useful research tools to help you do your homework on potential clients.
- Customer Relationship Managers (CRMs): This should be the first tool in your marketing arsenal, regardless of your organization’s size. At worst, it can be a glorified contact manager. At best, it can open up a world of lifecycle marketing opportunities.
Being able to track your prospects’ (and existing clients’) behaviors can help you discover what content, interactions and other marketing actions are most effective in eliciting consumer response. Having this ability can also tell you what’s not working so you can tailor your marketing accordingly.
One of the biggest hurdles when implementing a CRM is cost. SalesForce and other bigger companies can cost you an arm and leg, but there are lower-cost alternatives like ZOHO that may fit your needs and not break the bank.
- Social Media Managers: If you have a presence on social media – and you should – it can be a mission handling multiple accounts across multiple platforms. And posting content is just part of the equation; you should also be listening to what your audience is saying.
Social media software like Sprout and HootSuite can help you see what people are discussing about your brand and the industry – all in one spot. There’s no need to bounce between accounts and waste valuable time; everything is right there for you in an easy-to-digest form.
- Survey Software: Although they are more of a traditional research tool than the others listed here, there’s a reason surveys are still around: they work. And they’ve been upgraded for the digital age – no more standing on the street and asking people what they think.
A tool like Survey Monkey makes it simple to get feedback from website readers, email recipients and other important targets. Survey software can come with convenient features like customization tools, real-time analytics and more. And with the information you can get from these surveys, you can make your initiatives more impactful.
- Website Optimizers: What if there was an easy way to perform A/B split testing on your site? Well, there is. Platforms like Optimizely and Visual Website Optimizer allow you to make tweaks to elements on your website and determine which ones work better. Best of all, they don’t require extensive tech knowledge.
Maybe you’re having a tough time choosing between two CTA buttons. Maybe you can’t decide between a short contact form and a longer one. Maybe you’re torn between a two-column page layout and a three-column page layout. That’s where these website optimizers can help you make the right call – with minimal investment.
- Keyword Planners: You could have the best content in the world, but it’s worthless if nobody is actually reading it. With so many new websites going up and vying for audience attention, it pays to take a targeted approach when dealing with content creation.
Going after high-traffic keywords is one way to get users to find your content on search engines. Unfortunately, high-traffic keywords are usually also highly competitive; you’ll be fighting against sites that have been around longer than your organization’s domain.
With a keyword tool like Google Adwords Keyword Planner or an search engine optimization service like Moz, you can find the best (and realistic) keywords to drive traffic to your site. They’ll not only boost your chances of getting found, but they’ll also spit out some great content ideas you can incorporate into your organization’s own marketing collateral.
For help with evaluating your research and creating memorable marketing campaigns, visit waxcom.com or call 305-350-5700.
