Content is everywhere and it can be almost anything. Journal of Healthcare Contracting publisher John Pritchard and Repertoire publisher Scott Adams explore how best in class brands are using content to achieve sales success. If you are in the business of selling into the healthcare setting, tune in to learn how to contextualize information to the market you are trying to stimulate.
The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the global healthcare supply chain. New viruses and supply shortages made it arduous for providers to procure supplies for quality patient care. But after three years of tackling new challenges and making the healthcare supply chain more efficient, providers are now seeking more resiliency from black swan events like COVID-19.
Medical suppliers must work in a more coordinated way with health systems moving forward to create a more integrated healthcare supply chain. One way medical suppliers can communicate their effectiveness and resourcefulness to health systems is through blogging.
Blogging allows medical suppliers to stay in front of provider audiences and show their expertise about industry trends. Using blogs as part of a multichannel marketing strategy allows them to reach current or potential customers along the healthcare supply chain.
Here are 5 reasons why medical suppliers should blog:
1. Build trust with the healthcare audience. The best performing blogs can answer common questions about a product or service. This helps establish medical suppliers as more knowledgeable, and industry education is a top customer retention strategy.
2. Educate and engage. Medical suppliers can use blogs as a touchpoint with the healthcare industry to show their expertise. Each post shouldn’t focus on their products, but be a reliable source of information on the healthcare supply chain.
3. Expand the brand. Blogging can help customers understand medical suppliers’ day-to-day business. It can also provide entry into a more personable side of the business that customers enjoy connecting with.
4. Drive website traffic. Medical suppliers with a blog can drive traffic to their website. It keeps their website updated with fresh content through advice and tying in relevant products.
5. Increase SEO. New content, keywords and indexed pages can improve medical suppliers’ search engine optimization (SEO). The key is quality content and new posts relevant to the healthcare supply chain. Creating blog posts naturally broadens medical suppliers’ use of industry keywords.
Blogging can help medical suppliers provide better understanding about their products, business and place within the healthcare supply chain. It can offer a touchpoint to providers and other customers along the supply chain with informative content, and allow customers to find new and existing products from medical suppliers.
Blogging in many cases can become like homework and easily get pushed to the bottom of your organization’s to-do list. Share Moving Media has developed the tools, resources and expertise to assist. We write blogs for several of your peers in the medical device world. Contact sadams@sharemovingmedia.com today to learn about our SEO blog programs and start drawing customers to you.
In the annals of digital technology, the iPhone’s release (June 29, 2007) is celebrated as ringing in a new era of innovation in communication. And rightfully so. But it could be argued that almost 13 months after that infamous debut came a just-as-important launch.
On July 10, 2008 Apple introduced the App Store. There were 500 apps in the store’s initial offering. By the beginning of 2023, there were more than 1.96 million.
All facets of not just the economy, but our individual lives, have changed from the development and implementation of apps. Getting around cities has become easier thanks to Uber. Connecting has gotten more streamlined due to mobile apps (Think Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SnapChat). Entertainment options are endless and at the tip of our fingertips 24/7 with gaming and streaming.
Yet not all apps are created equal. For every Uber and Instagram launch, there’s been dozens of failed attempts. And the same goes for business-oriented apps. That’s why the designers behind the relaunched RepConnect app were focused on the details to make the user-experience a powerful one for distributor reps. Among the key features:
No. 1: Instant accessibility
RepConnect provides reps instant access to their manufacturer partner’s rep lists, contacts, brochures, product information, website, white papers and more. The listings are free to use and easy to scroll. It allows you to more effectively prepare for client appointments, and be ready with materials during your meetings rather than having to waste time scrounging for the right paper products or having to get back to your client at a later time.
No. 2: Up-to-date news
As we all can attest to during the last few years, things change quickly in the U.S. healthcare supply chain. The RepConnect app includes an updated tracker with the latest industry specific news. Supply chain disruptions, mergers and acquisitions, products launches and industry news – it’s all there.
No. 3: Training videos
In the med/surg industry, movement is life. Rep Connect provides opportunities for reps to enhance their product knowledge and selling skills, so you’re always pushing forward in your wisdom and skillset.
RepConnect is a next-gen app with the right mix of tools, news and resources reps need to success in the field. To download the app, click here.
The role of healthcare distributors in the United States cannot be overstated. Without distribution companies like yours, the healthcare system would likely collapse. Distributors have various critical roles within the medical supply chain in the United States.
According to a 2019 study from Deloitte, healthcare distributors handle 92% of pharmaceutical sales that connect over 1,300 manufacturers to more than 180,000 points of dispensation. In addition, the worldwide distribution market was estimated at $810 billion in 2020 and is expected to surpass $1,380 billion by 2030.
Key Takeaways
Healthcare Distributors Are the Missing Link in the Supply Chain
The main goal of any healthcare distributor is to make sure medications and supplies arrive securely at healthcare facilities when medical professionals need them.
There are over 300,000 hospitals and healthcare providers in the United States. Without distributors, medical manufacturers would have to manage deliveries to each provider creating a complicated, cumbersome delivery network.
For those unfamiliar with the medical supply chain, they may assume that hospitals and pharmacies get their supplies directly from the manufacturer. However, medical distributors are like grocery stores. Instead of having to visit a butcher, a dairy farmer, and a baker to get your groceries, you can get everything you need at the same place. The same applies to healthcare distributors. Hospitals can get all the medical supplies and medications they need from just a few distributors instead of thousands of manufacturers.
Distributors are a critical link in the supply chain that helps streamline the supply process. Healthcare facilities rely on distributors to keep costs down and make the supply chain more efficient. Distributors can order supplies in bulk from manufacturers and store these supplies until healthcare facilities need them.
5 Things Healthcare Distributors Do to Deliver Logistical Expertise
As a healthcare distributor, you offer logistical expertise that most medical facilities are not equipped to deal with on their own. Distributors have five key benefits that make them invaluable to the healthcare industry.
1. Provide Space to Store Medical Supplies
Healthcare systems require a lot of medical supplies. While hospitals and other facilities may have storage rooms, most do not have the space necessary to store large quantities of long-term supplies. They need to use their space to focus on patient care instead of storing supplies. As a medical distributor, you have the space needed to store bulk supplies and quickly fulfill new orders.
2. Manage Quality and Recalls
As a distributor, you take pride in ensuring your medical supplies comply with FDA regulations and are vetted for quality. This is a time-intensive process that health providers cannot do. They need to spend their time focused on patients.
When product recalls occur, your company has the expertise required to precisely track and manage these events. You work closely with your customers, so they know what to expect during the recall process including whether or not a replacement product is available.
3. Monitor Product Shelf Life
Most medical supplies have a limited shelf life and need to be stored in a specific way. Your distribution company is an expert in managing product rotations and expirations. You have the staff required to monitor your supplies on a full-time basis. Most healthcare providers would need to invest in more staff if they wanted to do this themselves.
4. Track Data
While healthcare providers are experts in taking care of health needs, your company is an expert in tracking and analyzing data. As you track your medical supplies, you know when it is time to order more to eliminate any possible bottlenecks in the supply chain. Data analytics can also help keep costs under control as you plan certain purchases for certain times of the year.
5. Keep Pricing Stable
By giving healthcare providers multi-year contract options that lock in prices, distributors can form longer-lasting relationships with providers. This can help keep costs under control and keep services and supplies more predictable. Distributors should also be up-front with their customers about any price changes due to shipping difficulties or other circumstances.
Role of Healthcare Distributors During Health Emergencies
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some of the problems within the medical supply chain and showed how important medical distributors really are to the overall healthcare industry. Distributors are a key part in helping governments and other organizations manage a health crisis.
Here are some of the ways healthcare distributors can offer services and safeguards during disasters:
A recent example of distributors filling this crucial role is during the early rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines and the necessary supplies to deliver them were in high demand. Distributors worked with government agencies to deliver these lifesaving supplies as efficiently as possible to where they were needed the most.
To learn even more about the details of how medical distributors responded to the pandemic, watch this interview with Matt DiLoreto, Vice President of State Government Affairs for the Healthcare Distributor Alliance.
Share Moving Media Can Help You Emphasize Your Irreplaceable Role
You know how important your role as a healthcare distributor is. To broaden your customer base, you need to share your successes. Share Moving Media can help with that.
We are experts in helping medical manufacturers and distributors like you with custom omnichannel marketing materials. Not only can we help you reach your customers through digital outlets, but through print publications as well.
Want to learn more about our marketing process? Give us a call or email us today to get started.
Content marketing for healthcare distributors is one of the best ways for you to connect to medical facilities and hospitals while building trust. However, developing a marketing strategy specifically for the healthcare industry doesn’t happen overnight.
That’s why we have this introductory guide for you. First, we will look at what content marketing for healthcare entails then how you can start using it in your business.
Key Takeaways:
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is using online mediums to connect to your audience. It differs from traditional sales approaches because you often aren’t selling a specific service or product. Instead, you build brand awareness and develop relationships with your clients and potential leads through quality content.
Consumers respond favorably to content marketing because it is a breath of fresh air compared to the bombardment of over 5,000 ads a day. Instead, content marketing gives something back to consumers through information, free products, and community.
Common types of content marketing include:
Why is Content Marketing Important for Healthcare Distributors?
Healthcare distributors can use content marketing to build trust with hospitals, pharmacies, medical professionals, nursing homes, and more. You can have a virtually limitless reach and connect to leads you may not have connected with through other sales and marketing tactics.
Content marketing uses around 26% of B2B marketing budgets and is the top priority of 80% of marketers. If you effectively execute a quality marketing strategy, you will see:
How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy
You would be unwise to drive around a new city without a map. Yet, that is what you are doing if you begin using content marketing without first establishing a strategy. It will save you time and resources by showing where you are, where you want to go, and the most effective route to achieving that goal.
Often, businesses will hire a content marketing manager to help in strategy development to ensure they consider all angles of their approach.
Here are the six essential steps to creating an efficient content marketing strategy for the healthcare distribution industry.
Step 1: Decide on your mission and goals. Begin by asking yourself what you want to accomplish in the long run.
Step 2: Choose a metric for measuring your success to know how well your strategies are working. Tracking your progress with measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) also alerts you to potential issues so you can resolve them before they hurt your growth.
Step 3: Decide on an audience based on the type of healthcare facilities most likely to purchase from you, who the decision-maker is within the department, where the facilities are located, and the size or budget of the facility that is most likely able to afford your products.
Step 4: Take inventory of what content marketing practices you already have in a place like your website or social accounts. You may even have some posts or blog articles written that you can spruce up.
Step 5: Decide what channels or content you still need to add to reach your goals.
Step 6: Create an actionable plan including a content calendar, specific deadlines, and managers for each marketing task.
Now you are ready to start creating consistent, quality content.
5 Tips for Content Marketing for Healthcare Distributors
Here are five tips to apply to every piece of content you create so that you are reaching your intended audience, creating relatable content, and increasing your conversions.
1. Target Your Audience
Your ideal customer profile will help you create content targeted to your intended audience. You can educate, promote, and build trust with your market through engaging blog posts, social media content, and videos. Then, by implementing keywords specific to the healthcare industry, you are more likely to attract quality web traffic.
Your customer profile will also tell you where to locate possible new customers. For instance, LinkedIn has over 722 million professional users and 61 million senior-level decision-makers – making it the leading B2B marketing platform today.
2. Capture Their Attention
Creating content doesn’t guarantee your audience will read what you’ve written. That’s why understanding current content trends is essential, as that will guide you in choosing how you will capture your audience’s attention through optimized content, so they read past the headline.
Startling statistics, images, short paragraphs, and creative headlines are just a few ways you can reel your audience into your content.
One study showed that video content will be the top area of content marketing investment for most B2B in 2022 due to its high rate of engagement.
3. Back Your Claims with Statistics
Doctors and medical professionals aren’t wowed by fluff. They can see right through empty sales talk. Instead, they want proof of claims you make. Statistics and facts build trust with your audience and raise the quality of your article.
When you write an article on how your new device will transform a patient’s life – back that claim up with case studies, measurable metrics, and real stories of changed lives.
4. Have Empathy for Your Audience
Healthcare professionals have emotionally draining jobs, compounded by the effects of COVID-19. Therefore, this is one area where healthcare marketing differs from other B2B marketing tactics since your audience needs more empathy and emotional awareness.
You can show you truly understand and empathize with your audience by being sensitive in your wording, focusing on your product’s positive impact on their patients, and showing you understand and empathize with their work.
5. Create a Call-to-Action
The best marketing content always offers the next step. For example, you don’t want your audience to get to the end of an engaging blog post, then close the tab and never interact with your business again. Instead, give a call-to-action that tells your audience what steps they can do next, such as signing up for a newsletter, purchasing a product, or calling your business to find out more.
Start Creating Your Marketing Content
Share Moving Media has been working with healthcare distributors for over 27 years. Our communication and educational services help you grow your marketing strategy and achieve greater success.
Contact us to learn how we can help you create content that moves market share.