Executive Summary
The advent of social media has necessitated the development of digital marketing plans. Having been in operation for many years, companies such as Optifast could take use of the digital marketing space by developing appropriate plans. As a weight loss management program, Optifast is tailored-made to all overly obese persons targeted for enrolment. Optifast’s SMART objectives include rebranding social media handles, partnering with social media personalities with mass following, increasing the frequency of posting across social media platforms, and generating micro-blog posts. Using a differentiated marketing strategy, Optifast can reach out to all segments in the market. Similarly, social media influencers will be vetted and hired to fulfill the objectives of creating a larger social media footprint. With SEO optimization, Optifast will increase the reach of its digital content hence being able to recruit more people into the weight loss program.
Company Overview
Optifast refers to a patient-centered and medically supervised weight loss management program designed to monitor and keep track of one’s progress in the attainment of better health outcomes. At the center of the Optifast program is a VCLD (very low calorie diet) that allows patients to eat healthy while simultaneously losing weight sustainably (Nestlé Health Science, n.d.). The Optifast program takes about 26 weeks where persons are accorded a full meal placement plan, comprehensive patient education, and support in a bid to maintain a healthy weight (Renee, 2018). More specifically, the Optifast program is designed for the highly obese patients whose direct weight loss is attached to significant health gains.
SOSTAC Model
The target market for Optifast is the highly obese patients who intend to lose weight and ear other health benefits. While implementing the Optifast program requires the guidance of a qualified health nutritionist, their services can be rendered remotely and that allows for clients to be sources from all over the world.
Situation Analysis
Table 1: Optifast SWOT Analysis
Optifast’s Market Segmentation
Market segmentation is an essential step in the formulation of advertising strategies. The principle of market segmentation is to create distinct groups within the target group or consumers that an organization has (Ananeva, 2015). Such distinctions might be as a result of purchasing behaviors, geographical location, consumer attitudes, cultural beliefs, the difference in source of income and needs. Since consumers present with unique wants and needs, it is crucial to create segments in the market. By doing so, an organization ensures it prioritizes and allocates its resources efficiently. A company’s can direct its resources towards specific marketing strategies as it is aware of the different target sub-groups in its consumer market.
Essentially, it is difficult to create a digital marketing approach that satisfies the individual needs or requirements of the target market. Hence, using market segmentation an organization will create different unique marketing approaches that will suit the disparate customers. Traditional marketing segmentation categories such as psychographics, demographics and geodemographic are not as efficient as differentiating consumers based on brand loyalty, purchasing behavior and attitude (Han, 2014). Nonetheless, all these segmentation categories will be necessary in formulating Optifast’s digital and social media marketing plan.
Demographic segmentation divides market into subgroups identified by factual or physical data. Demographic variables used include occupation, age, marital status, nationality, religion, race, income or family size (Camilleri, 2018). Based on demographic segmentation, Optifast targets consumers of all age groups, race, religion and nationality. Females use Optifast more than males, individuals between the ages of 15 years to 65 years that are conscious about their weight, single mothers that work two jobs and lack time to attend the gym, as well as middle-income and high-income individuals consume Optifast.
Geographic segmentation focuses on the location of the target consumers. Segmentation depends on population density, terrain, natural resources and terrain. Markets can be differentiated based on regions as one area might have specific wants as compared to the other due such factors as warm and sunny weather (Camilleri, 2018). As such, Optifast consumer market is segmented geographically on the basis that it targets customers in European countries, North America and Australia. The different geographical parameters between these places mean that they require different marketing strategies to be employed due to language differences.
Psychographic segmentation arises from differences in variables such as attitudes, interests, activities, opinions, and personality. Psychographics explain why a consumer seeks to buy certain products and not others (Camilleri, 2018). Weight watchers and fitness enthusiasts have a high purchasing power of Optifast in comparison to those who are not. Healthy diet consumers and vegetarian have a positive attitude towards using Optifast as compared to the unhealthy diet and meat consumers respectively. Individuals in the rich society who consider buying end products as an aspect of identity have a high purchasing habit of Optifast as compared to the poor.
Table 2: Optifast PEST Analysis
Objectives
Under the SOSTAC Model, objectives refer to the targets that an organization sets that provide it with clear direction. Objectives should be SMART, that is, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. In this regard, objectives concerning Optifast’s digital marketing plan need to adapt to the SMART framework, thus, provide the company with concise plans on means to accomplish high sales regarding this product. It is crucial to note that digital marketing plan will also take into consideration market segmentation when developing the objectives. The objectives include:
- Rebrand Optifast’s Facebook and Instagram page in one month
- Hire social media marketing personnel in three months who will post creative images and videos every day in Optifast’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page
- Increase engagement at Optifast website in the next 6 months using product promotions such as ‘refer a friend and get Optifast premium package’
- Partner with digital influencers in Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to make reels bi-weekly using Optifast products.
- Increase engagement in Twitter by 60 percent using the #weightlosswithOptifast.
- Generate and post micro-blog posts of Optifast’s past clients and their experience on using the product at the company’s website on a weekly basis (Han, 2014).
Market Targeting and Strategy
After market segmentation, it is necessary that an organization be aware of the needs of these segmented markets. Customer’s purchasing power or attitude can only be changed if a company accurately targets into their beliefs, values, geographical location or social class. There are currently three possible marketing strategies that can be employed. They include concentrated, differentiated, and undifferentiated marketing. Through these strategies an organization can tap to consumers’ needs and influence their purchasing attitudes.
Undifferentiated marketing strategy uses the principle of nullifying the differences that exist in a market. Hence, it involves approaching the market with one marketing approach. The strategy is relatively affordable and helps a company save its resources (Camilleri, 2018). However, it is ineffective given the diversity there is in the market. The outcome of using this strategy is minimal, and an organization will experience negligible increment in sales (Nadube & Didia, 2018). Differentiated marketing strategy will utilize approaches that target the different segmented markets. It consists of developed individualized marketing approach for a sub-group. For this reason, an organization has to undertake extensive market research to identify the specific needs from these segments. In comparison to undifferentiated strategy, it is more costly but provides effective and specific results (Camilleri, 2018). On the other hand, concentrated marketing involves a company choosing one of the segmented markets and focusing on developing advertising strategies that target that sub-group. It is more cost-effective but it comes with the risk that an organization can face hefty losses.
Using the above Optifast’s segmented framework, it is important to note that the digital and social marketing plan will also vary depending on the same. These marketing variables are also determined alongside how these populations are acquainted with technology. For example, even though Optifast targets single mothers who work two jobs or more and have less time to work out, it is possible they also have less social media interaction time. Or, many North Americans are tech savvy, thus, their population has a huge presence in the digital world as compared to Europeans. Fitness enthusiasts and healthy eaters are more likely to be drawn to digital platforms such as websites or blogs that promote exercises and healthy eating respectively. Thus, Optifast’s social media and marketing plan have to take this into consideration to ensure effective targeting.
Optifast will utilize differentiated digital and social media marketing strategy. Given that Optifast has several segmented markets, differentiated strategy will provide an effective means to target consumer needs and influence their purchasing attitude towards the product. Under this strategy, the use of celebrity fitness bloggers, YouTubers and Instagram influencers to project various creative ways they incorporate Optifast will target fitness enthusiasts as well as well as consumers such as single mothers who are a potential segmented market. Given that most Europeans and North-Americans prefer online shopping, partnering with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay will be efficient in targeting such marketing.
Moreover, these geographical areas have high social media presence, thus, having ads run in Facebook, Instagram and Telegram will provide an opportunity to interact with the product. Having more posts and creative content regarding Optifast on its Facebook and Instagram page can aid in raising more clarity to consumers. Optifast’s website needs to be SEO optimized to ensure that the general populations who use search engines such as Google obtain the first result of the same. The website should also be directly linked to Optifast’s social media platforms so that consumers can have access to it. Posting online challenges such as whoever loses weight faster through Optifast through popular celebrities will win a gift hamper or meet a certain celebrity. So as to target middle-income population which makes up the majority of Optifast’s target consumers, having consumer testimonial videos on other company media pages will aid in boosting sales. Hence, Optifast will partner with SMEs to foster awareness of these weight loss products.
Tactics and Action
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the first aspect that Optifast has to address. SEO is based on optimizing a company’s content to ensure that search engine users can quickly access the link to the website (Amnaay, 2017). Through SEO optimization, Optifast can identify keywords which might include weight loss remedies, weight loss meal plans, high protein shakes, or healthy diet plans among others. Optimizing helps boost ease of access to Optifast’s website in search engines. Ensuring ease of use of the website by using direct links to Optifast various products and their benefits as well as placing product promotions is an effective marketing strategy. Having micro-blog posts and video testimonial of clients in the website will further increase product engagement. Thus, consumers associate their ease of access and use of website with a good product, therefore, will likely purchase products from the website.
Email marketing is another digital channel that Optifast can explore. By using customer relationship management tool (CRM), a company can track the number of customers it has had over a given time, their demographics, and purchasing habits of their product (Gil-Gomez et al., 2020). CRM digital tool can be utilized to send personalized emails – after three weeks of purchasing Optifast – that contain concise and clear messages to convince them to purchase again. An example of email messages sent to customers can be, “Hello Lynn, purchase two Optifast VLCD bars now and get a free purchase on your next buy.” The marketing tactic works on the psychological principle that the customer will appreciate the value that the company is aware of them, hence, purchase again.
Influencer marketing is the easiest way to harness digital attention. Companies partners with specific sites, experts, or celebrities in the given field to garner attention towards their products using personalities with mass follower on social media (Chopra et al., 2021). Optifast can use the tactic of targeting websites, blogs and social media influencers that focus on healthy living. These celebrities can put forth 7 posts on their social media pages and draw their audiences towards using Optifast on a bi-weekly basis. To boost more attention to websites or blog posts, Optifast can have numerous giveaways at the community level such as in gyms and universities. Videos of these activities can be posted in different digital platforms.
Social media marketing is a highly effective marketing tactics that is employed by numerous organizations. Using Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter accounts frequently can help increase brand outreach (Amnaay, 2017). These platforms provide a means through Optifast can access and engage with a large number of their target market. Optifast will rebrand its social media pages and thus increase its posting frequency to a daily basis on all its social media networks except YouTube. The company will hire social media managers in the course of three months who will be responsible for ensuring that Optifast’s pages are up to date and are interactive. Some of the engaging questions that will be used include what weird things have you done to lose weight? Or which is your best Optifast product? In twitter, the #weightlosswithOptifast will be used to invoke interaction with clients across the globe. One video will be posted on a weekly basis on Optifast’s YouTube Channel depicting some aspects such as retail outlets that have the company’s products on offer and people who have used Optifast and experienced results.
Control
The frequency of evaluation of the digital marketing plan will be undertaken based on objective that is being monitored. Performance of Facebook and Instagram pages will be evaluated using the insights that platforms provide on every post and will be conducted after every two weeks. An increment or decrease in engagement with the post will project the level of outreach to the target market. Twitter posts will be evaluated using the measure of the number of retweets, likes and comments an Optifast tweet has received. Moreover, post interaction alongside product interaction will be determined so as to depict whether after seeing social media posts, clients want to engage with the product by purchasing it. Optifast’s website will provide a precise questionnaire to clients prior to purchasing a product on how they became aware of the product. A sample questionnaire will be, “How did you know of Optifast? – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Friend, Google, Blog, or Stumbled upon it.” Such questions in the website will help the company aware of which social media platforms enable clients to interact with the product. If more product interaction and engagement arise from Instagram, then more emphasis will be placed on the same and changes made to the other platforms to meet the target engagement objective. Evaluation on the effect of social media influencers will be undertaken based on the number of clients that visit the website and purchase due to being influenced by celebrities. Hence, the website questionnaire will also include, “Which social media influencer helped you know about Optifast?” Having the statistics on this will enable the company to make informed decisions on the marketing plan changes that need to be undertaken.
Reference List
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