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6 Huge Benefits of Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing

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Marketing automation software is taking over the medical industry. Medical manufacturing has been behind in adopting marketing automation, but that is starting to change. With medical manufacturing a $176.7 billion industry with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0%, marketing automation in medical manufacturing has never been more critical. 

Alt Text: Medical Device Manufactures Market Size Increasing, Making Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing More beneficial Than Ever

However, the industry is underutilizing marketing automation, leading to lackluster sales and growth. The benefits of using marketing automation in your medical manufacturing business are endless – but you first need to understand marketing automation and how it’s best utilized in the industry. 

Key Takeaways

  • Medical manufacturers need to take advantage of the latest marketing automation technology
  • The benefits of marketing automation for medical manufacturing outweigh the risks of adoption
  • Marketing automation allows medical manufacturers to make a large impact with a small investment

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is the process of automating essential marketing tasks to save employees time and increase efficiency. This includes creating marketing campaigns, scheduling content, and nurturing current and potential leads.

To effectively use marking automation, your business needs to have a defined strategy for marketing. This strategy should provide your employees with specific objectives and KPI’s, and ensure that the automation aligns with your overall marketing strategy.

How is Marketing Automation Used in Medical Manufacturing?

Marketing automation is used throughout the entire medical manufacturing process, including:

  • Pre-filling of order forms/documents
  • Document and PDF follow-ups
  • Pre-sending of automated emails
  • Email campaigns
  • Email follow-ups
  • Lead nurturing via automated emails/phone calls
  • Sales follow-ups

There are also many other ways marketing automation can be used in the medical manufacturing industry. When done correctly, there are multiple significant benefits to using this process in medical manufacturing.

6 Significant Benefits of Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing

Your medical manufacturing business can grow quickly and efficiently with the help of marketing automation. If you have yet to implement marketing automation in your manufacturing business, then you’ll be interested in these six benefits:

1. Saves You Time

One of the most significant benefits of marketing automation for any industry is the amount of time it saves your team. Research shows that at least 30% of business owners, executives, and marketers say that the most significant benefit of marketing automation is saving time. 

Marketing automation in medical manufacturing can save significant time for workers, with studies showing that 30% of business owners, executives, and marketers alike say it's the biggest benefit worth considering.

In the medical manufacturing industry, this translates into the ability to respond to leads faster, which in turn increases your sales and revenue. With sales being one of the most critical factors in any business, it is essential to have the ability to scale and manage sales quicker and with higher efficiency. 

2. Increases Efficiency

Another benefit of marketing automation is that it will increase the efficiency of your employees. This will improve both your workplace productivity and the quality of your products. 

This is especially true in medical manufacturing, as employees have to spend a lot of time filling out manual forms and templates. 

With marketing automation, your employees can spend most of their time creating new content and following up with leads and customers. 

3. Helps You Scale Your Business

One of the main reasons medical manufacturing businesses are slow to adopt marketing automation is that they don’t see this software as valuable. 

Their biggest concern is not the technology, but the time spent and the amount of money it takes to implement. However, the time and effort saved from utilizing marketing automation software can significantly increase the growth of your medical manufacturing business. 

Medical manufacturing companies that take advantage of marketing automation software will be able to grow and scale much more quickly than those that don’t, becoming more profitable and eventually reaching the next level.

4. Boosts Your Sales

The medical manufacturing business is a highly competitive industry, which makes the use of marketing automation even more valuable. 

Not only will the adoption of marketing automation allow your company to grow, but it will also help you achieve sales targets and increase your profits faster. 

Implementing marketing automation in your medical manufacturing business will allow you to quickly scale your sales efforts. You will also be able to utilize more effective marketing campaigns, which will result in an improved ROI (return on investment).

5. Increases Customer Satisfaction

Another positive benefit of marketing automation in medical manufacturing is the increase in customer satisfaction. This is primarily due to the automation of key business processes, which directly correlates with your customers’ satisfaction.

Automating the sales process and lead nurturing will provide your customers with the most efficient and profitable service possible. 

With a focus on increasing customer satisfaction and improving the quality of your services, you will have a more substantial customer base, which will increase customer lifetime value.

6. Raises Visibility

Another benefit of marketing automation in medical manufacturing is the increased visibility. As customers become more familiar with your brand, and as they stay connected with you, they will not only continue coming back for future business – but they will also start to speak highly of you to others.  This results in greater brand awareness and a better overall reputation, which translates into better leads and more sales.

Give Your Marketing Strategy a Boost Today

When building your marketing strategy, it can be challenging to try and figure out what will provide you with the results you need. At Share Moving Media, we are dedicated to helping your business grow and thrive, and we are committed to advancing your company through effective marketing.

As a full-service media and content company, we can help you implement and grow your marketing strategy to help you increase your market share and stay ahead of the competition.

If you’re interested in what we can do for your team, contact us today! Or you can sign up for our newsletter for more marketing tips and tricks for medical manufacturers!

Scraping the Barrel: How to Revive Sales in Healthcare with Brand Relationships

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You can revive sales in the healthcare industry with a focus on brand relationships. As a medical supplier, your customers are most likely other businesses, such as hospitals and clinics. By nurturing the relationships you have with your current customers, you can encourage more brand loyalty and hopefully see your sales start to revive.

This guide will take you through a few key principles in building strong relationships between brands and customers.

Key Takeaways

  • Customers want businesses to focus on their needs.
  • Businesses can improve sales by building relationships with key opinion leaders.
  • Having a trustworthy brand reputation is one of the most important factors for a company when a customer is making a sales decision.
  • Sales staff should get to know customers personally to build stronger relationships.

The Importance of Relationship Selling

As a medical supplier, you need repeat business for your company to succeed. The best way to earn loyal customers and improved sales is by building solid relationships with your customers. Your customers – whether they are hospitals, medical directors, or others involved in the decision-making process – want to have someone they can rely on when a need arises.

Anyone can use the powers of the internet to find information. However, with a personal relationship with your customers, you can offer them something that they cannot get online – a human connection.

Here are some valuable B2B statistics:

  • 65% of B2B buyers found value in talking with a salesperson about their needs.
  • B2B buyers, on average, are 57% of the way towards making a purchasing decision before engaging with sales.
  • A typical business with 100 to 500 employees has an average of seven people involved in purchasing decisions.
  • 68% of B2B customers are lost because of perceived indifference as opposed to making mistakes.

These statistics show how important building solid and trustworthy relationships can be when working with customers.

Relationship selling is particularly important for medical suppliers as many health-related items are expensive, complex, and require a lot of commitment. Caring about your current and potential customers and taking an interest in their needs can have a major impact on improving sales outcomes.

Focus on Key Opinion Leaders

The best customers to focus on when building relationships are the key opinion leaders (KOL). These are people within a company that can make influential decisions or at least have a major effect on key decisions. In a hospital setting, this could include:

  • Medical directors
  • Hospital executives
  • Researchers
  • Patient advocacy group leaders

Once you know who the KOLs are, you need to find out what their goals are. The simplest way to do this is by asking. You can then explain to them how your products can meet their needs, improve their patient outcomes, or even beat out their competitors.

This YouTube video touches on many of these points.

Improve Your Branding

According to a 2019 LoSasso study, 70% of businesses buyers say a company’s reputation is the most influential factor when deciding who to purchase from. This means that if your company is struggling to present the best brand message, it could be hurting your sales.

The Northwestern Kellogg School of Management says B2B companies should focus on three aspects when building their brand: functional, economic, and emotional.

Incorporating these factors into your brand message will make it easier to build customer relationships. When a customer knows you are trustworthy, reliable, and focused on their needs, they will likely share that information with other potential customers.

This chart shows what factors most strongly influence the buying decisions of B2B customers.

7 Tips to Help Revive Sales in Healthcare with Brand Relationships

Successful brand-customer relationships can lead to loyal customers and frequent sales. Happy customers are more likely to share their experiences with your company among their network of business associates. 

Here are 7 tips to help you build those budding relationships.

1. Listen to Your Customers 

If your company is focused too much on pushing out product messaging and not enough on listening to what your customers need, this has the potential to squash sales leads. When meeting with customers or even communicating with them online, keep asking questions and listen to what they have to say.

2. Find Common Interests 

Your customers are people. They have hobbies and interests. Use your social media skills to discover things you have in common with your customers. By talking about these common interests, you can make a more meaningful connection. You might even realize you enjoy spending time with your customers. This leads well into the next tip.

3. Have Genuine Conversations

Customers do not like sitting through sales pitches, especially if it is not something they were looking for. Keep your initial interactions casual and have meaningful conversations. As your relationship grows, the sales will come organically. Make sure you are being sincere, as they can tell when you’re not and your clients won’t trust you.

4. Ask for Feedback

With already established customers, it is a good idea to get frequent feedback from them. You can do this through a phone call, an email, or even send them a survey. Look for areas where you can make improvements to improve their satisfaction with your products.

5. Give Them Something

Everyone likes free stuff. Be prepared to share something of value with them as you continue to build your relationship. Here are some simple ideas:

  • Pen with company information
  • A solution to one of their problems
  • A link to a blog you think they would like
  • A network connection that would benefit them
  • A desktop calendar
  • A bag of their favorite coffee or tea

Your customers will see you for the generous person that you are and will hopefully return the favor with sales.

6. Respond Quickly

When a client contacts you, be sure to respond to them as quickly as you can. This shows them that they are a priority to you. You need to respond to leads and requests for additional information within 5 minutes. This is because 78% of customers will buy from the first company that responds to their inquiries.

7. Make Things Easier for Them

You don’t want your sales-client relationship to feel like work, especially for the customer. Do whatever you can to make their sales experience easy. Try to make your business fit into their schedule and always be available to them if they have any questions or concerns. With an easy relationship, your customers will hopefully love working with you.

Share Moving Media Can Help You Improve Your Brand Image So You Can Grow Your Relationships

If you are ready to start improving your brand relationships with your customers, Share Moving Media can help. We can help you create the right marketing package that can help your brand stand out from the competition. Once more customers recognize your brand, you can begin building those strong relationships that the healthcare industry relies on.

Are you ready to revive your sales by cultivating new relationships? Contact us today to get started.

5 Key Elements of a Patient-Centric Clinically Integrated Supply Chain

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Hospitals will soon have to examine their supply chain management with a renewed focus. A clinically integrated supply chain will help medical suppliers and manufacturers assist clinicians with providing better healthcare all around. 

A recent study found that hospitals could save more than $25 billion annually by eliminating unnecessary costs in the healthcare supply chains within each hospital. This system ultimately improves care for patients and keeps them safe from harmful drugs or devices.

These medical supplies include clinical inventories such as catheters, stents, and syringes in operating rooms or other procedural areas. Some medical providers rarely take advantage of modern supply chain techniques that can reduce excess and shortages.

Hospitals achieve greater visibility and cost reduction from clinical supplies while also improving safety. Hospitals can take necessary steps to advance a supply chain that is clinically integrated, patient-oriented, and safe for all involved.

Key Takeaways:

  • What fields are impacted by integrated health care supply chains.
  • How to have a patient-centric clinical supply chain
  • Why you should implement a transformation in healthcare with better supply chain management.

The Intricate Network of the Healthcare Supply Chain

Supply management in the medical field is unique and comprises several supply chains, each with specific challenges, such as the high demand for medical supplies from patients that are often at risk to themselves or others due to their condition. 

These clinically integrated supply chains impact the following areas of patient care:

  • Medical/surgical
  • Pharmacy
  • Surgical Trays
  • Prosthetics
  • Medical supplies

For the ultimate benefits, healthcare must eventually administer these matters holistically by working together in a more streamlined and efficient way using the proficiency of inventory directors.

A Patient-Centric Clinically Integrated Supply Chain

By having an integrated supply chain, hospitals and clinics can offer patient-centric care. A healthcare system will fail to improve patient safety if they do not invest in its supply chain. 

Patients receive better treatments when physicians procure supplies by moving from a contracts approach to a formulary model approach. Here’s how:

1. Focus on Clinical Outcomes

Providers can shift the focus of their supply chain from maintaining stock to strategies that impact outcomes. The formulary model for authorized suppliers, such as pharmacy benefit managers and prescription drug plan providers, enables them to become deliberate collaborators. 

Therefore, products become grouped into functionally comparable categories. Within these groups of classification items, evaluations on efficacy, safety, patient outcomes, and cost-effectiveness determine which to authorize for use based on the particular treatment needs at hand.

2. Incorporate Procedural Transformation  

With evolving technology, providers have a chance to rethink how they maintain inventory by incorporating procedural transformation. This new approach will be more sustainable and less expensive.

There are three phases in supply chain transformation:

  • Foundational
  • Optimization
  • Transformational

At the foundational level, there is a priority on departmental materials management. 

However, at an optimization level of hospital-wide supply chain strategies, efficiency and collaboration between departments will be increased to introduce new approaches that balance cost controls with patient outcome improvements. These phases represent vast opportunities for introducing new demand planning methods. These phases also reduce waste and excess throughout all levels of medicine.

The transformational phase can only happen when you acknowledge how complicated this problem has become. Therefore, it requires commitment from all hospitals involved.

3. Connect Clinical Systems to Manufacturer Data

In most industries, a company relies on enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain systems to manage inventories with complete histories of obtaining, receiving, status changes in movement, and utilization. 

The trouble in healthcare is that an item may be procured by ERP then expensed into clinical departments. There it becomes impossible for any system to trace its history or provide pertinent information about inventory levels.

Physicians find innovative ways to protect patient records while obtaining vital device data by connecting clinical systems to manufacturer data. Clinically integrated supply chains provide the means to do that for medical professionals.  

4. Adapt Techniques for Inventory Forecasting

Demand planning is a complex process that uses statistics, historical data, and experience to predict how much inventory you need. Forecasting methods have been used for many years across numerous industries to maximize efficiency by carrying the proper amount of stock at any given time.

These demand-planning tools are essential for any modern organization and provide statistical models that help make calculations more accurate. An automated collaboration capability enables you to get the best possible forecast and safety stock recommendations, providing organizations with the ability to ensure that supply is in line with demand to reduce excess inventories, primarily when used across many facilities. 

5. Facilitate Patient Safety, Traceability, and Recall Efficiency  

When looking at factors like price transparency or population aging, it becomes clear how essential supply management is. Also, it is essential for hospitals and health care providers to identify what devices are in use if there is a recall. 

A recall in more than 18,000 medical devices occurred over the past five years. In case of a device recall, most healthcare facilities will often struggle with identifying which patients may be affected by faulty equipment.

The fundamental goal continues to have a patient-centric supply chain, starting with ensuring the safety of human life. You can create a complete history for a medical device to facilitate patient safety by linking all inventory transactions to that item and its unique identifier (UDI.)

Clinical Supply Chain Management for Healthcare Transformation 

Hospitals are facing pressure to control costs and improve the safety of their patients, meaning that hospitals need an overhaul in their supply chain business model as soon as possible. 

They must give increased attention to their supply chain strategies, as the need for safety is paramount in today’s health care system. 

Are you looking for better ways to make your healthcare supply chain more patient-centric? Contact us today to see how Share Moving Media can help. 

Social Media for Medical Manufacturers: The Top Tricks You’d Never Expect to Work

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Social media was once seen as a space reserved for teenagers to discuss frivolities like celebrity gossip. After all, Facebook – an early pioneer in the social media scene – began as a campus social experiment. Those days are long gone.

Today, social media is used by people from all walks of life, and serious discussions are taking place on social media.

While using social media as a marketing tool in the medical manufacturing space was once unheard of, this is no longer the case. Medical manufacturers can use social media to engage and connect with their target audiences – and even make valuable business connections. That’s if they use it right.

There are some do’s and don’ts when using social media for medical manufacturers.

The Benefits of Using Social Media as a Medical Manufacturer

Social media lets you engage with your target audience, whether that’s healthcare practitioners (HCPs), independent hospitals, or integrated delivery networks (IDNs). You can also monitor their activity via social media. For example, HCPs may communicate if they are headed to a conference.

You can also use social media to establish your medical manufacturing expertise. Share the latest publications and study results from your field. Demonstrate your knowledge by disseminating your own white paper or video seminar. Align social media with a publishing strategy for your blog to attract readers. These are just a few ideas.

By following others in your medical manufacturing niche and sharing your insights, you achieve social media’s ultimate goal — connectivity. What starts as a public exchange online can become a private discussion via email and then a one-on-one video chat or face-to-face meeting.

Still not convinced? Here’s one more winning reason to include social media in your medical manufacturing marketing strategy: It’s cheap. Social media doesn’t cost a thing. It also doesn’t require a lot of time and energy.

3 Ways to Effectively Use Social Media for Medical Manufacturers

The key to effectively using social media for brand messaging in healthcare is value. As with any content marketing, you want to create content that is useful.

Beyond this, there are a few tricks to making the most of social media.

1. Piggyback on Events

Healthcare conferences frequently have dedicated social media channels. Although some in-person events are canceled due to COVID-19, many have moved online. This makes it even easier to join a digital conversation.

The American Society of Echocardiography has a Twitter page (@ASE360) with 13.8k followers, for example, and hosts an annual conference. If you’re in the cardiovascular ultrasound sector, this is a valuable event for making connections. Getting a retweet from ASE gets people’s eyes on you and your company.

2. Join the Hashtag Movement

Your gut instinct might be to think hashtags are too “fluffy” for healthcare. Not so. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include hashtags in their digital media toolkit for flu season awareness.

Another great example: In March 2020, the World Health Organization, in cooperation with the video game industry, launched the campaign #PlayApartTogether to encourage social-distanced fun in the face of the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

If there is a hashtag relevant to your industry, use it to join the conversation.

3. Incorporate Visuals

Visuals make social media more personal. Videos can boost healthcare sales, for instance. Physician profiles and patient experiences are particularly captivating, giving your audience an intimate look at how your medical manufacturing products change the lives of HCPs and the people they serve.

If you’re looking for something simpler, infographics are a great option. They are a visually attractive means of providing useful information your audience will value.

A Word of Caution When Using Social Media in Medical Marketing

There are a few rules to keep in mind as you start designing a social media strategy for your medical manufacturing business. First, you have to remain HIPAA compliant and in line with medical ethics codes. Sharing patient pictures without consent would be a violation, for example.

If you are operating a social media account independently from your employer, take care to differentiate your online activity from your company’s. Including a line in your bio like “Any views and opinions are my own” is helpful.

Beware that a simple disclaimer in your social media bio won’t save your job if you mess up, however. There have been many instances of persons getting fired for sharing racially insensitive or otherwise problematic content on social media.

The point of this “disclaimer” isn’t to discourage the use of social media for medical manufacturers! Use common sense and maintain professionalism in the social media sphere. A good rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t share it with your boss, don’t share it on social media.

Make Social Media Part of Your Content Strategy for Healthcare

Share Moving Media is dedicated to helping medical manufacturers increase their market share. As a full-service media and content company, we can help you reach your target audience through articles, ebooks, podcasts, blog posts, webinars, and more.

Sign up for our newsletter to get more marketing tips and tricks for medical manufacturers. Want to use our services?  Contact us today!

How Healthcare Businesses Can Adjust to the New Virtual Sales Environment

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The global pandemic has changed the way the world operates for the foreseeable future. This is especially true in the healthcare industry.

As a medical supplier, you may have found yourself conducting more virtual sales meetings than ever before. As the world shifts into this “new normal,” we have some helpful tips to help you and your company transition into a new virtual sales environment.

Key Takeaways

  • Sales associates must adjust their expectations and improve their emotional intelligence to adapt to a virtual environment.
  • Companies need to give their sales staff all the hardware and software they need to succeed virtually.
  • Sales teams can incorporate best practices, such as short meetings, good visuals, and consistent focus, to improve results in virtual meetings.

Help Your Sales Staff Improve Their Emotional Intelligence to Succeed in a Virtual Environment

While it might seem like face-to-face sales skills would translate well in a virtual world, many sales professionals find themselves struggling and questioning their abilities.

To ensure that your sales staff is well-equipped to meet the challenges of a virtual sales environment, your company will need to consider new support tactics to help them succeed. Roberta Moore, CEO and Founder of The EQ-i Coach, wrote in Forbes about five key emotional skills salespeople should focus on while conducting business online.

  • Self-Regard: Your sales staff should be confident in their abilities. If they are feeling unsure, clients will likely notice. Help encourage confidence by sharing a list of their accomplishments with them.
  • Emotional Expression: Talking with someone through a video chat requires more emotional expression than an in-person chat. Coach your sales staff on making their faces more expressive and using positive body language that the client will see on camera.
  • Flexibility: Depending on the circumstances, your sales associates may meet with clients who are working from home. Because of various pandemic conditions, your associates or clients may have a noisy home environment that is full of distractions. Train your associates to be flexible, forgiving, and patient. 
  • Optimism: Working from home or virtually in an office during a pandemic can be stressful and uncomfortable. To encourage feelings of optimism, tell your associates to think of someone they love or a funny situation to help lighten their spirits before a call. 
  • Assertiveness: If a sales associate can focus on their momentum instead of possible disappointments, they can start feeling more assertive. Count each small step as a success.

Invest in Virtual Infrastructure

A successful virtual selling environment needs support from a well-designed virtual infrastructure. Instead of just putting your sales staff in front of a camera and hoping for the best, you need to make some infrastructure adjustments.

  • Promote your brand: You have a company logo. Use that logo to create a virtual background that showcases your brand. You can also invite clients to company webinars to learn more about your brand.
  • Use quality equipment: Make sure your virtual sales staff have the equipment they need to do their best job. This may include a laptop, improved lighting, a high-quality microphone, and an excellent web camera.
  • Keep software up to date: Along with having advanced hardware, make sure your sales associates have the correct software and that everything is up to date. It would be unfortunate to miss a potential sale because of a software failure.

With the right tools, your sales team will begin seeing more success in their new virtual environment.

7 Best Practices for a New Virtual Sales Environment

While many sales meetings are conducted across the internet now, humans still prefer a personal touch. To continue to build the relationships any sales team needs to succeed, here are a few virtual selling best practices your team can implement.

1. Establish a Routine that Promotes Focus 

Whether your sales team is working remotely from home or coming into the office, they need a space that can help them focus on their goals. Encourage your associates to create a healthy work routine that includes taking breaks to prevent burnout.

2. Keep Virtual Meetings Short 

It can be difficult to keep someone’s sustained attention in a virtual environment. Have your associates keep this in mind when planning their meetings. Remote buyers are looking for detailed, succinct meetings. 

Unlike a face-to-face meeting, no one will linger afterwards for a follow-up chat or a cup of coffee. Sellers must deliver all their charm and all the details in a set amount of time. 

This is also a good way to show your clients that you value their time. Schedule meetings that allow for potential downtime in between. For example, instead of an hour-long meeting, schedule it for 50 minutes. 

Consider using a checklist, like this one, to manage your virtual meetings.

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3. Be Prepared with Visuals

In a traditional face-to-face meeting, you might give a client some handouts or give them a presentation with pertinent statistics and graphics. In a virtual setting, you may not be able to hand them something, but your sales staff should still use bold graphics and other visuals to keep the client’s attention.

These visual should guide the client through their needs and show them how your company can solve a problem for them. They are more likely to remember what you share with them if you use visuals.

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4. Dress Professionally 

It is tempting to stay in casual clothes while working remotely. However, by getting dressed for work in the morning, it can help your brain get into a work mindset. Plus, professional dress leaves more of an impact during a sales call.

5. Use Flattering Lighting 

Natural light that comes from the front offer the most flattering lighting. If a windowed room is not an option for a virtual sales call, use quality, professional lights.

6. Position the Camera Correctly 

Placing the camera slightly above the eye line will give you the best camera angle. It keeps your head tilted up slightly and is more comfortable.

7. Turn on “Do Not Disturb” 

Make sure your team is not distracted by other notifications on their computers or phones by having them turn the “do not disturb” feature. This will block pop-ups and any notification sounds from distracting them.

Check out these additional sales tips for video calls to help your team succeed and feel more engaged with your clients.

Your Healthcare Brand Can Succeed in a Virtual Sales Environment

Your sales methods may have to change, but you still offer quality medical supplies that your clients need. At Share Moving Media, we are dedicated to healthcare distributors and manufacturers like you and want to see your business grow.

We can help you enhance your virtual sales experience and allow your customers to see your full potential, even when you’re not face-to-face.

Contact us today to get started in this new virtual environment.