Share Moving Media

5 Insider Tips to Get Valuable PR for Healthcare Product Launch Campaigns

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To compete in the marketplace and stay ahead of the competition, companies must foster an environment of innovation based on collaboration. New products keep current audience members engaged, attract new customers, and help establish companies as leaders in their field. Working together to develop new ideas builds morale and leads to corporate success. Approximately 78% of managers who make collaboration a priority in their company see low product failure rates.

Launching a new healthcare product is big news for your business and the community at large. The key is to spread the word with an effective public relations strategy so people know about it. In today’s world of digital marketing, there are more ways than ever to reach a broad target audience and promote the launch of your new product. PR for a healthcare product launch is relatively easy, highly effective, and completely necessary.

Why is PR Especially Important for Healthcare Suppliers?

PR (public relations) is more than raising awareness about a new product launch. It’s about delivering the right message that helps to build a strong brand reputation. An effective PR strategy can instill trust among followers by establishing brand credibility and solidifying a company’s reputation. Articles and press releases can drive traffic to the company’s website for the opportunity to increase conversion rates. As a result, PR can help strengthen a company’s online presence.

All of these are instrumental in the success of any business, but especially so for companies in the healthcare supply chain. The medical industry is constantly changing, from advancements in technology to medicinal discoveries to governmental regulations. People regard their healthcare very seriously, and they need to feel they can trust their healthcare suppliers.

A strong PR campaign keeps consumers in the know about industry trends, company updates, and product launches. PR helps gain the community’s confidence and enables people to feel comfortable doing business with your healthcare company.

5 Tips to Get Valuable PR for Your Healthcare Product Launch

The key to spreading the word about your new product launch is to reach people where they are. You must set a solid foundation for your PR campaign. The average person spends nearly 7 hours a day on the internet, so an effective PR campaign should include a digital marketing strategy. However, some people prefer to conduct business in person, so your PR strategy should include a multi-faceted approach as well. Here are five tips to get valuable PR for your new healthcare product launch.

1. Distribute a Press Release

The obvious first step when announcing a new product is to draft a press release. This document should include essential details like date, location, and who to contact for more information. Press releases should follow a uniform format to meet industry standards, which makes them easier for media contacts to work with. What you may not have considered is where to send this release.

In addition to local media outlets, you should submit your press release to your trade publication media contact. These publications are good for helping with for content ideas, and most would be glad to share the news about a ground-breaking product that could serve association members. See about giving an interview to discuss the product, the research behind it, and its anticipated impact.

Part of a trade association’s mission is to provide educational opportunities to its members. This article could be just the thing to fit the bill.

2. Give Something Away

Everyone loves a free gift. In order to generate buzz about a new product, you need to plant a seed of interest in your audience’s mind. Offer to give something away in correlation with your product launch. It could be a free sample of the product itself, a piece of the material used in its construction, or a coupon for a discounted purchase.

If you can get a small group of people interested in your product, they will become your megaphone. They’ll share your information and help spread the word about your launch with their contacts. This helps to broaden your reach exponentially and gains awareness about your news.

3. Grab a Partner

If your new product complements the offerings of another company in your industry, consider partnering together to gain more visibility. A mutually beneficial partnership can expand the reach of both companies, as you’ll attract each other’s audience and help establish yourselves as leaders in your field. It can also help solidify your reputation as a company that cares about your customers.

By eliminating a sense of competition, your partnership strengthens your brand image and encourages people to entrust their business to you. You also develop a good relationship with other businesses in your field and can become resources for each other down the road.

4. Attend Events

Live events are an effective way for people to talk to you face to face about your product and get a close firsthand look. Attend your industry trade show and hold a panel discussion. Give a demonstration, allow people to handle the product, and lead a question and answer session to address any questions or concerns. In addition to creating excitement and awareness about your product, you can also get instant feedback from people on the initial launch of the product.

This candid information can be helpful in not only determining what is or isn’t working with the product itself. It can provide insight into your packaging as well as your marketing efforts. When you know what your audience is looking for, you can shape your campaign to meet their specific needs.

5. Create Videos

Videos are an effective way to generate brand awareness in an engaging way. Not only are videos fun and eye-catching, but they also give people a firsthand look at how a product works without having to leave the comfort of their computer screen. Videos are also highly shareable, so they’re great for social media posts.

A video can feature you or your team discussing the new product launch. It could use hired actors to demonstrate a real-life scenario of who would need your product and how it would impact them. Or it could simply be a slideshow presentation highlighting the key points of your launch.

Develop an Effective PR Campaign That Yields Results

Whether you’re in hospital purchasing, hospital distribution, or medical sales, a new product launch can be highly beneficial for your business. Creating an effective PR campaign is essential to spreading the word and getting you the visibility you need for sales growth and success.

Contact us today to discuss a PR campaign that raises awareness, drives traffic, and closes sales for your healthcare supply business.

Social Media for Healthcare Providers: A “Clinically Proven” Strategy

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Social media has changed the face of digital marketing. It is a platform where people share educational articles, engaging videos, and interact in real-time through chat features, likes, and comments. For around 71% of Americans, it’s also a source of news information. Healthcare providers who want to connect with their customers, build deep relationships, and drive business should develop a social media strategy that delivers valuable information on multiple platforms.

People turn to social media for professional insight as well as personal recommendations. Investing your time and resources into social media for healthcare providers is a must in today’s marketplace. It helps you build trust, reach a wider audience, and share more quality information about products, services, and trends in the healthcare industry. Position yourself as an authority in your field with a clinically proven social media strategy.

How Social Media Impacts Your Business

Social media is a highly effective and powerful tool when it comes to building an audience and generating revenue. The average person has eight social media accounts. By publishing content and sharing information on these platforms, you have multiple opportunities to reach them on any given day. This helps build brand awareness and recognition.

Because the very nature of social media is to be more interactive, you can further customize your messaging. Candid conversations reveal wants and needs, and you can use that insight to publish content that solves problems and answers questions.

People love to share information. From reviews and endorsements to negative experiences and warnings, people use social media as a platform to connect and help guide people to the products and services they need. Promoting your business on social media through ads and posts helps increase referrals and gain more customers.

Social media provides numerous long-term benefits to your business. Make the most of this opportunity by developing a social media strategy that sets you up for success.

Develop an Effective Social Media Strategy for Healthcare Providers

To maximize the numerous marketing opportunities social media affords companies in the healthcare supply chain, include these platforms in your digital marketing strategy. Map out a plan for how to most effectively use social media to your benefit as you aim to reach your audience and boost sales growth.

1. Employ Social Listening 

Before you can fully meet the needs of your audience, you must first understand what those needs are. People turn to social media to share information about their lives. Engage in social listening to find out what people are saying about their wants, your organization, and your products. Not only can you learn about customer satisfaction, but you can also gain insight into trending topics that matter to your audience then use that information to develop content that provides resources for their benefit.

You can use software tools to gather this kind of data, or you can simply conduct your own research. Either way, start monitoring this information now. With these tools, you discover what’s on the mind of your consumers and leverage that into content that boosts your business and solidifies your following.

2. Engage with Industry Leaders 

Form relationships with influencers in your industry. These people could be advocates, physicians, experts, or public figures. Industry leaders usually have a large following on social media platforms. They’ve already established themselves as a trusted resource and when they speak, people listen. This is especially true in healthcare. Navigating healthcare can be challenging, so having a trusted leader to share valuable information is a huge asset to followers. 

By engaging with these leaders, you not only tap into their audience but also gain a level of credibility and legitimacy that is important in the healthcare industry. If you build a solid partnership with these influencers, you can share information on each other’s pages, co-market your businesses, and further strengthen your reputation as a leader yourself.

3. Establish Authority with Multimedia Sources 

In the healthcare industry, it’s easy for misinformation to spread. It is a confusing market, and people need reliable sources of accurate information. Social media affords companies the ability to easily share multimedia posts from reputable sources. Through video interviews, downloadable whitepapers, and slideshow presentations created by industry experts, healthcare suppliers can distribute factual information from trusted sources. 

This helps allay audience concerns and perpetuates the spread of reliable information. As users see factual articles, they’ll share them with their contacts, and the reach grows exponentially. Compelling graphics and videos are eye-catching and easier for people to digest and remember. There’s an increasing need for accurate information in healthcare. Social media grants you the opportunity to serve as a reliable resource for your target audience and beyond.

4. Educate Your Followers 

Social media is a perfect platform to spread the word about your business. Not only can you create custom messaging to teach viewers about your company, but you can pinpoint your audience with highly targeted ads that reach specific demographics and needs. Social media enables you to build your brand identity. Posting authoritative articles in your voice, style, and tone help teach people what your business is all about. 

The type of content you publish also educates people about your brand. Informational articles, for example, reveal your expertise. Similarly, engaging videos show your company’s personality, and shared sources alert your audience about your connections within the industry. Your social media strategy tells people a lot about your business.

5. Collaborate on Healthcare Policies and Issues 

One of the unique attractions to social media is its fundamental encouragement of open communication between people of different backgrounds on various issues. In healthcare, social media allows physicians, healthcare workers, manufacturers, suppliers, and consumers to discuss policies and issues that are unique to the healthcare industry. Social networks give people a voice to talk about their concerns and work together to find common solutions.

Collaboration enables regulation agencies, researchers, and healthcare suppliers to reach customer-centered decisions. This helps to solidify trust and results in optimal customer satisfaction.

Develop an Effective Social Media Strategy for Your Healthcare Business

Every healthcare professional, from medical sales and hospital purchasing to hospital distribution and manufacturing, can benefit from an effective social media strategy. Reach a wider, targeted audience, gain market share, and drive more business to your website.

Contact us today to discuss how social media marketing can benefit your healthcare business.

How Artificial Intelligence is Improving Value-Based Care

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Artificial intelligence (AI) allows computers to mimic the learning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making skills of a human. Once considered science fiction, AI has become a part of our everyday reality. Today, AI is used for customer service chatbots, media streaming providers, banking and financial services, smart home devices, and more.

AI is also gaining ground in the healthcare sector, where it’s driving the efficiency of value-based care. Value-based care is defined by its intent to create more value for the patient. Every element of a value-based healthcare system should enhance the quality of patient care and thus improve patient outcomes. AI in value-based care can help realize this vision in various ways.

An Overview of AI in Value-Based Care

Value-based care isn’t just about individual patients. It further aims to create better health for broader populations and to lower per-capita costs of healthcare at large. All of this adds up to more effective and efficient healthcare systems that better serve patient interests while minimizing needless spending.

Organize and Analyze Healthcare Data

Healthcare is a data-driven industry. A single patient file can contain extensive amounts of information, from past diagnoses to blood test results and basic facts like height, weight, and age. To diagnose a patient successfully, a healthcare provider needs to have access to all of this information. AI can help better organize, manage, and even analyze such data.

What’s more, AI can take datasets from not just one patient but from many patients, bringing together large swaths of information to make it easier to identify significant trends across patient populations. For example, AI algorithms can track, pinpoint, and analyze adverse events in pharmaceutical clinical trials, helping to speed drug development and get patients new medicines they need faster.

Research suggests that AI can be used at many stages of the drug development process. For example, in drug design, AI can predict drug-protein interactions and help model the 3D structure of a target protein. In the later development stage of drug screening, AI can be used to help predict elements like bioactivity and toxicity.

Enhance Diagnostic Procedures and Predictions

AI can also help improve diagnostic procedures and predictions for individual patients, directly impacting care decisions and outcomes. This fact becomes especially evident when looking at the promise offered by human genome sequencing.

Every individual has unique DNA. Through genome sequencing, researchers can now analyze each person’s DNA and identify genetic markers that indicate a person has a greater likelihood of developing a particular disease. With this information – which goes well beyond what a standard physical exam and health history can provide – doctors and patients can benefit from improved diagnostics predictions.

One famous example is the actress Angelina Jolie. Through genome testing, the actress discovered that she was a carrier for the BRCA1 gene mutation, making her more susceptible to breast cancer. A woman with the BRCA1 gene has a 69% chance of developing breast cancer. In comparison, the average woman has about a 12% chance of this. As a preventative measure, Jolie opted to have a double mastectomy.

Improve Support Informed Clinical Decision-Making

As the Angelina Jolie example also shows, AI-driven data analysis can be used not only for predictive modeling but also to guide healthcare decision-making. The more data a patient and healthcare provider have, the more informed of a decision they can make, jointly, regarding the patient’s course of care. In Jolie’s case, the identified risk warranted what some might consider a drastic step.

This shows how AI in value-based care can directly impact individual patients. Data-driven decision-making removes some of the unpredictability of healthcare. Instead of waiting to see if cancer developed, Jolie proactively decided to minimize the risk. The promise of AI-supported data analysis is especially significant given the rise in electronic health records (EHRs), which digitize patient data.

This approach would arguably also prove more cost-efficient at an individual level and minimize the burden on the healthcare system (when considering a long-term cancer patient’s requirements). Cost-cutting is also part of the value-based healthcare model, which aims to reduce the cost of services without negatively impacting the outcome – or, better yet, improve outcomes without increasing costs.

AI in Value-Based Care: A Case Study

A case study can help crystallize the information above and demonstrate how AI can contribute to value-based healthcare. For example, consider how AI can be used to help predict epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is a neurodegenerative illness that causes recurrent and unpredictable episodes.

Individuals diagnosed with epilepsy can benefit from medication. However, approximately one-third of patients can’t successfully manage their symptoms using medicine and still experience dangerous spontaneous seizures. While surgical interventions are available to treat epilepsy, the overall success rate remains relatively low, and the risk of complications is significant.

More recently, researchers have begun exploring the utility of AI in predicting epileptic seizures. By analyzing large swaths of historical data regarding epileptic seizures, it may be possible to identify so-called seizure generators correctly. This can help keep patients safe and further open up new avenues for developing alternative interventions to address and possibly prevent seizures.

This example clearly shows how AI can help healthcare become more personal while also allowing for more significant predictive and preventative measures. As AI capacities continue to evolve and the healthcare system gains confidence implementing tools like those described above, more such examples of AI in value-based care can be expected.

Understand the Healthcare Marketplace with Share Moving Media

As a healthcare manufacturer, it’s essential to stay up to date on the latest developments in your field. Technological innovations like AI in healthcare directly impact the providers and systems you serve. Understanding what matters to them will help you better map the customer journey and meet each customer’s unique needs.

Share Moving Media is committed to helping medical suppliers gain a better understanding of the healthcare marketplace, which allows them to increase market share. We are a full-service media company that helps healthcare suppliers create compelling content to reach their target audiences, including blogs, podcasts, webinars, and more.

Subscribe to our newsletter, The Marketing Minute, for more updates. Contact us to work together.

Lead Scoring in Healthcare: How to Build an Effective Qualification Model

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While generating leads is an essential goal for all healthcare suppliers, qualified leads that convert are critical to a company’s success. Knowing where prospects are in the sales journey— whether they’re motivated to buy or are at the right time for a follow-up— helps build a reliable sales pipeline.

Lead scoring in healthcare provides useful insights to help you rate your sales leads for a more efficient and effective sales process. An effective lead scoring qualification model can help you hone in on qualified leads with a higher likelihood of completing a sale. This allows you to increase sales and grow your business faster.

Lead Scoring in Healthcare and Why It’s Important

Lead scoring in healthcare enables you to gather data for a particular lead and use that information to assign it a point value. Typical models use a scale of 0 (least qualified) to 100 (most qualified) to determine which leads are most engaged with your brand. The more you learn about each lead, and the more they interact with your business, the higher their score should rise.

Lead scores rely on five main data points:

  • Demographics: Qualitative and quantitative information, from age and gender to purchase behavior and job title, guide campaign strategy and retention efforts.
  • Business details: Company size and revenue can impact the language you use to communicate with your prospects as well as the products and price points you promote to them.
  • Online presence: Monitor chats and discussions on websites and social network forums. Look for pain points and opportunities to solve their problems with your products.
  • Social network: If your leads are on social media, consider communicating with them in a more casual, conversational format to build a deeper, meaningful relationship. 

Once leads achieve a particular point threshold, they are deemed qualified and can be directed to the sales department. When a sales team receives a notification about a qualified lead, they follow up to help convert the prospect to a customer. 

The insights you gain from lead scoring and the process of qualifying leads are critical to your success. The more you know about your prospects, the more you can do to create a positive customer experience for them while guiding them through the sales funnel. From customized messaging to useful promotions and educational materials, understanding your audience gives you the leverage you need to build trust, rapport, and solidify brand loyalty for sales growth.

7 Tips for Building an Effective Lead Scoring Qualification Model

For the most effective results, lead scoring should be accurate and consistent. Use the information gathered from the lead scoring data qualifiers to develop a model that follows these seven guidelines.

1. Establish Your Minimum Criteria 

Determine what you require from a lead before they can become a customer. These steadfast qualifications could be age, location, or job title. Maybe you only sell to people in hospital distribution or group purchasing networks. Whatever the criteria, it must be essential to passing them through the funnel. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be considered here. 

2. Identify Your Target Market 

Identify the characteristics of your target market. Unlike your minimum criteria, these are common traits typically held by your preferred audience but are not mandatory. The goal is to identify prospects that are most similar to your existing customers. The more comparable they are, the more likely they are to be interested in your products.

This is a simple process if you’re familiar with your current customers. If not, your marketing team should know these characteristics from their research in developing custom content. You can also rely on your sales team for input since they encounter your audience daily and are in touch with your customers’ needs.

3. Define the Ideal Customer 

In a perfect world, what does your dream customer look like? Think about traits like job title, field of expertise, typical turnaround demand, and budget size. Seek input from your sales and marketing teams to build a more well-defined snapshot of your ideal lead. Once you know what your desired customer looks like, your leads can achieve a higher score.

4. Assess Customer Engagement 

Understanding customer behavior is crucial in assigning point values. Consider all of the opportunities a prospect has to engage with your company.

Assess behavior such as:

  • Website clicks
  • Email opens
  • File downloads
  • Social media comments
  • Completed CTAs

Evaluate website analytics to find such details and observe customer behavior. Critical conversion behaviors, like requesting more information or watching a product demonstration, are indicators that a lead is interested in becoming a customer. The score for these behaviors should carry more weight when you begin assigning points. 

5. Set the Parameters for Your Scoring System 

Although a scoring system of 0-100 is straightforward and widely accepted, incorporating more digits in your structure can help categorize your leads. Consider adding a thousandth digit to signify company size. Weed out weak leads by assigning a certain number of points for leads that meet your essential criteria. If they don’t meet the threshold for quality, they don’t make it to the sales team. 

6. Assign Points 

The point of lead scoring is to identify characteristics and actions that result in a closed sale. Assign points to behaviors accordingly. It is rare that a lead who registers for blog updates becomes a paying customer. That behavior should earn a low score. Leads who click on downloadable files do tend to convert, so they should get a higher score. 

7. Adjust as Necessary

Once you’ve determined your scoring system, try it out for a month. Then reassess and see how effective it’s been. Look for any surprises, like low-scoring leads that converted and high-scoring leads that didn’t. Make adjustments to your system as necessary until you develop a model that yields positive results.

Let Us Help You Build an Effective Lead Scoring and Qualification Model

All businesses in the healthcare supply chain can benefit from an effective lead scoring and qualification model. With this model, you can target the prospects most likely to convert and allocate your resources most effectively. Share Moving Media specializes in helping healthcare businesses generate qualified leads and reach their marketing goals for increased market share.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you close sales and generate revenue with an effective lead scoring and qualification model.

How to Use Webinars to Create Content for All Stages of the Funnel

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The medical supply market is competitive. As a healthcare supplier, you can boost success by proactively targeting consumers at every stage in the marketing and sales funnel. Webinars are one effective way to do this. This e-guide explains how to harness the power of webinars for healthcare sales.

An Introduction to Full-Funnel Marketing

Experts agree that a full-funnel approach is essential for future digital marketing success. While the terminology for the stages of the marketing and sales funnel varies, a general breakdown might look like this:

  • Awareness: A prospective customer is made aware of a business’ product or service.
  • Discovery: The prospective customer – the lead – learns more about the product or service.
  • Evaluation: The lead takes time to consider whether they need the service or product.
  • Engagement: The lead decides whether or not to make a purchase.
  • Commitment and purpose: The lead commits to making a purchase and becomes a customer.
  • Loyalty and advocacy: The customer returns to make a repeat purchase. They may also recommend the product or service to others.

Webinars for Healthcare Sales at Every Stage of the Funnel

Although the concept of full-funnel marketing has been prevalent for years, technological and organizational hurdles made practical implementation difficult. Until now, of course. Today, modern digital technologies –like webinars – make a full-funnel approach more accessible than ever.

Here is how to harness the power of webinars to create content for every stage of the medical equipment sales funnel.

Awareness

At the awareness stage, the goal is to target your potential customer with compelling content. Through that content, you want to make the lead aware of your product or service offering.

It is generally more impactful to steer clear of product-, service-, brand-, or business-specific content. The lead isn’t yet looking to make a purchase. Overtly and aggressively pushing them to buy something will likely turn them off and send them away.

Instead, you want to inform and entertain them. At this point, webinars should focus on providing value-added content, not on proactive selling. For example, a webinar raising awareness about a specific ailment (e.g., Type 2 Diabetes) can segue to discussing treatment options (like glucose tracking) and ultimately serve as a platform for a product (such as blood sugar monitors).

Discovery

The goal of the discovery phase is to provide the potential customer with more information about a company’s product or service. With your content, you want to pressure the pain. What does that mean?

You want to clarify how the product or service can improve the lead’s life. What pain point will it fix? At this point, it’s critical to maintain the lead’s attention. It is like reeling in a fish — you need to keep them on the line until they are ready to conclude a purchase (the final stage in the funnel).

You want to make sure you are providing the lead with all the information they need about a service or product. Unanswered questions at this point can cause them to exit the sales funnel. For example, they may want to know essential details, like cost and delivery time. A how-to webinar guide can be helpful towards this end.

Evaluation

This stage aims to provide the consumer with additional winning arguments that will sway them towards making a favorable purchasing decision.

A positive way to do this is to incorporate new information from verifiable external sources of information. Instead of simply telling the lead about the product or service first-hand, you give them personal agency and the chance to verify the facts themselves using objective third parties. 

This is where you can dive into greater detail. A webinar featuring a round table discussion gathering objective insights from third-party medical experts can be helpful. In-depth case studies, customer stories, and free product demos are also viable options.

Engagement

The goal here is to get the lead to confirm their decision to make a purchase. This tends to be one of the most challenging points of the sales funnel, as consumers may waver and go back a step to the engagement phase or take two steps back to the discovery stage when they find a competitor.

You want to make sure your brand or business (and its product or service) stays at the forefront of the potential customer’s mind as they weigh the decisions. This requires eliminating any doubts associated with concluding a purchase and the process towards the next stage.

Interactive webinars are helpful to spur engagement. You can invite participants to submit questions via social media in a live stream, for example.

Commitment and Purchase

In this stage, the aim is to get the client to actively conclude the purchase – for example, by inputting their credit card details or completing an order form. They are then fully committed.

Although the lead is ready to purchase at this point, you still have to provide some reassurance that they are making the right choice. A webinar of customer testimonials is a great fit here. You might also include videos covering practical points like pricing guides or product comparison sheets.

Loyalty and Advocacy

In the past, some pros ended the sales funnel after the commitment and purchase stage. However, savvy marketers know that there is one more invaluable phase to consider: a loyal customer can become an informal brand ambassador as they promote and advocate for your products or services. There is even a new type of marketing built around this concept called advocacy marketing.

Webinars allow you to show your customers that you care about them even after they have made a purchase. Build user communities with ongoing educational webinars featuring product tutorials, the latest research, and upcoming innovations. A “frequently asked questions” webinar is another option.

We Help You Implement Digital Marketing in Healthcare

Trust Share Moving Media to help you create webinars for healthcare sales. We are a full-service media company dedicated to helping our clients expand their reach and improve engagement with their target audiences. Using quality crafted content informed by in-depth marketing expertise, we help you improve sales and boost the bottom line.

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