Medical Device Marketing

Medical Device Companies: Here’s How to Market to Busy Doctors and Physicians

October 2, 2020 by Workdom Marketing Specialist

Let’s be honest — when it comes to marketing medical devices, the industry as a whole has been rather slow to catch up with the modern age. Although technologically, the products are truly something futuristic and innovative, marketing seems stuck in the past, where brochures and trade shows are the norm. Stock photos abound and online marketing usually consists of uploading said brochure as a PDF.

The truth is that it can feel uncomfortable to break out of that zone and try something new. Especially because regulations and compliance hang over you like a heavy cloud at all times. But you’ll want to break out of the mold, because doing things that your competitors aren’t is what will set you apart and still keep your message compliant in a way that perfectly reflects what your audience truly needs.

Here’s how to do just that:

Go Outside Your Industry

Sometimes it can be beneficial to look at what other industries are doing. How are they using their printed materials? What are they doing at events to stand out? How are they using apps and other promotional initiatives as an edge over competition? For example, you could help drum up excitement about a new product by hosting a pre-launch event — taking time to understand the core issues that doctors and physicians face in regards to the product and how it solves them.

You may find that they don’t view the issue as something as crucially important as you do, but it will still give you insights on what they do feel is important, and those insights might be surprising. Doing a pre-launch event in this way prevents you from going full-speed in the wrong direction, talking about facets of your product that would ordinarily create a disconnect between you and your audience.

Maintaining Regulatory Compliance

In an age where we can order takeout directly from our smart refrigerators, you’d think that medical device companies would be just as cutting edge with their web presence. But even live chat is highly regulated and trying to formulate a response in real-time can be a challenge.

With that being said, however, you cannot treat communications online with the same stoic approach. People go online, including physicians and busy doctors, to research and compare their options. Having set protocols in place in terms of what questions you can answer (and what you cannot) helps present the “ground rules” for a discussion.

Start a Blog and Publish to it Frequently

At least twice a week, create material about your device — but not sales material. Instead, talk about the issue that your product solves. Why is that important? Why should people care? What are they concerned about? How does your device help them solve that problem? What sets your product apart from your competitors’?

You may think it’s overwhelming (and maybe even overkill) to create a blog. How much can you talk about this device or product, and who will actually take the time to read it? You may be surprised to know that you already have the content in place. You may just have to delve into it a bit deeper than what a brochure does.

For example — share case studies and what the results could mean for doctors and physicians. Show how research and development is done. Show how affordable the device or product is compared to others or compared to continuing to doing things without it. Don’t forget to add in social media so that word can spread on its own.

Above all, the call-to-action at the end of your post is not to have them invest in your product (which they alone will likely not be able to decide), but rather to take the next step using the interest you’ve already generated — encourage them to download a white paper or to set up a one-on-one consultation with you for a demo or even just to know more about your product.

Getting Started and Standing Out

As you can see, marketing your medical device or product online may have its own unique set of challenges and certain hurdles that other products don’t. But there are certain steps that you can take that are worth the time you invest in them, and can reap rewards well after the initial marketing push.

To learn more or to get a custom strategy developed for your specific needs while keeping regulations and compliance front-of-mind, contact our senior advertising professionals here at Workdom today. Our specific knowledge about the medical device industry and what can and cannot be said in promotions is second-to-none, and our team has the skills and understanding to help you move your marketing campaign forward with confidence. Reach out to us today to learn more!

How Today’s Medical Device Companies Can Stand Out from the Crowd

September 11, 2020 by Workdom Marketing Specialist

Medical device companies face an interesting challenge that virtually no other industry does: the devices you create must be fully approved and tested before you can even market them.

That means that today’s medical device manufacturers need to work hard to stay ahead of their competition while juggling various regulatory and compliance requirements.

So how do you do it? Let’s take a closer look:

Understand Your Audience and How You Are Uniquely Positioned to Help Them

It may sound like something you already know, but going through this foundational step will help you better hone in on who your audience really is, and how you’re uniquely positioned to help them. If it has been awhile since you did this basic marketing exercise, you may be surprised by how much has changed — especially as the increasing demands of Baby Boomers and the needs of Generation X are on the horizon.

Once you’ve narrowed down who your customers really are and how your device fits into their lives, it’s time to move onto the next step, so that you can stand out from your competition.

Discover Where Your Customers Are Along Their Journey

Customers (or the medical professionals buying your devices) don’t just come to your website or call you up, ready to buy. They actually go through a series of “stages” most commonly known as the buyer’s journey. These stages include:

Awareness – The customer becomes aware that your solution exists.
Consideration – The customer considers your solution as an option and may compare it with another, similar device
Decision – The customer ultimately chooses to buy your product.

Some stages of this journey may take longer than others to complete, and it’s entirely possible that a customer will stay in the consideration phase for quite a long time, as they go through the necessary purchasing hoops and formalities.

The key is to create content that guides them along these steps with confidence. That means, for example:

Videos introducing the problem and how your device can help
White papers demonstrating how your device compares to other, similar devices, and what it does better
Publications showing awards or other recognition received by your company or the device itself.

Of course, since every device and every audience is different, you’ll want to do some competitive analysis as well as some customer profile building if you haven’t already, to determine which content will work best for your customers at any given stage.

Focus Definitively on the Value Your Device Provides

Framing the value your device provides will depend on whether or not you market your device directly to consumers or to medical professionals. If marketing it to consumers, you should focus on how the device will improve their life, as well as the convenience and ease of use it brings. Medical professionals need to be marketed to differently, since you’ll be framing the device in terms of how it helps them deliver better patient care or outcomes.

Both the approach and the language you use when marketing to consumers versus medical professionals will be different, but the two do not have to be mutually exclusive of each other. Here again, look to your marketing plan and determine the best way to position your device so that it capitalizes on your product’s strengths and highlights the weaknesses of similar devices.

Standing Out from the Crowd: Turning Weaknesses Into Strengths

As you can see, the ability for medical device companies to stand out from their competitors is not such a different process than other companies follow. Although medical device companies have an added layer of complexity in terms of having to fully test and certify their device before it goes to market, this can nevertheless be positioned as another advantage in the minds of consumers and doctors alike.

With that being said, it’s still quite easy to become overwhelmed and feel like you’re being pulled in countless different directions over what can and cannot be said in marketing. Fortunately, we at Workdom are here to help.

We invite you to reach out to our senior advertising executives to learn more about the on-demand marketing services we provide. Whether you’re getting ready to bring your device to the market, or you need a concrete strategy that definitively separates your device from similar ones on the market, count on our professionals to help you with every aspect of your marketing needs.

Thanks to our comprehensive experience in the medical device marketing field, we know what it takes to help you excel. Contact us today to learn more.