DMD’s Year of Learning, Adapting: 5 Reflections from 2020

No amount of planning can prepare a business for a crisis such as COVID-19. At DMD, we started off 2020 expecting to help our clients connect meaningfully with healthcare professionals, as always. The pandemic worsened and everything changed.

Confronted with varying COVID-related challenges, we committed to learning—and evolving—to better support our clients and the larger healthcare community during this time. Despite the difficulties, DMD found ways to serve our clients and help them overcome unparalleled hardships.

The pandemic may not be over, but what we have learned will carry through 2021 and beyond. Here are our top reflections from 2020...

1) Programmatic & Social Media Campaigns Initiated Greater Access to Telehealth Services

While many healthcare organizations and HCPs were already incorporating telehealth services into practice prior to COVID-19, the pandemic fast-tracked a need for “virtual” healthcare. To meet the surging demand for healthcare services, DMD helped to optimize outreach and motivate HCPs to participate in telehealth offerings. 

DMD’s contribution allowed for onboarding of programmatic and social media campaigns related to COVID-19 at no cost. We also provided complementary email development and deployment services, helping meet the unexpected call to connect physicians with in-need populations. Through this effort, we were truly able to “pay it forward” in an increasingly dire time.

2) Email Statistics Revealed Pandemic-Specific Trends

Across the board, from B2B to B2C, email engagement spiked during the initial months of the pandemic. Analyzing email data from October 31, 2019 to October 31, 2020—covering 32 million emails deployed—DMD’s 2020 Email Year in Review captures email trends unique to COVID-19’s impact. 

Open, read, and click-through rates hit all-time highs in April and continue to stay elevated above historic measures. The report also highlights statistics around mobile use, which overrode desktop access even though many users were working exclusively from home. Not necessarily specific to the pandemic was 2020’s inbox challenges, which is a perpetual issue incurred by Google and Yahoo’s constantly changing algorithms.

3) Always Be Learning: DMD’s Webinar Series Provided Timely Advice

Telehealth isn’t the only digital solution to flourish during the pandemic. Virtual conferences became a norm, and webinars filled a void left by an absence of in-person consultations. DMD’s webinar series focused on numerous client-facing topics—from why the pandemic was not the time to “ghost” your physicians to new and upcoming regulations surrounding email marketing. The goal of our latest webinar, featuring the benefits of triggered email, is to set our clients up for success as they ramp up 2021 strategies.  

We’re dedicated to continuing with these educational sessions so we can do our best to support our clients with timely, relevant information.

4) AIM XR’s Patent Strengthened DMD’s Dedication to Innovation

2020 was largely a year of pivoting. DMD’s role in mitigating clients’ pandemic-induced complexities really became a “nose to the grindstone” approach. However, we did have a celebratory moment when DMD was awarded a patent for our Audience Identity ManagerⓇ (AIM XR) technology in June. Achieving patent status is a rigorous process that takes several years. So, it was especially validating to receive the patent after so much time spent perfecting this unique technology. 

With more patents in the works, DMD remains at the forefront of digital marketing and business intelligence. In 2021 and beyond, we’re eager to expand innovations like AIM XR and help our clients maintain their competitive advantage.

5) Internal Resources Supported DMD Team Members’ Health & Well-Being

None of the above would have been as resoundingly successful if we didn’t first look inward.

We remain invested in our clients’ success.  

Guided by DMD’s eight core values, we were able to provide a number of resources and tools to aid in the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of our employees and their families.

Ranging from access to weekly professional counseling sessions to keeping it light with virtual happy hours, DMD’s management team devoted itself to ensuring the pandemic’s detriments were minimized among our team members.

Everyone has been forced to deal with COVID-19 in one way or another. For 2021, DMD anticipates continued strategies to support both our clients and internal team members. We remain invested in our clients’ success and are welcoming this new year with optimism and focus.