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Supply Chain Delays: 4 Things Supply Chain Leaders Don’t Want to Hear from Suppliers

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As a reputable supplier, you must have your own reliable suppliers to deliver dependable, consistent equipment or devices. While supply chain disruptions impact all sectors, healthcare supply shortages can mean the difference between health and ailment (or worse).

One prime example is the personal protection equipment (PPE) shortage the world experienced during the dawn of the COVID-19 outbreak. While not all supply chain delays are as severe as this, conversations between supply chain leaders and suppliers are necessary to combat future issues.

Key Takeaways:

  • Past trade policies, inventory protocols, and labor shortages took a volatile supply chain and created havoc at the dawn of the pandemic.
  • Open communication is necessary moving forward as you navigate the supply chain disruption. Pay close attention to certain matters – it’s going to be the things you don’t want to hear. 
  • Whether you’re the supply chain leader or you are looking for ideas on how to navigate conversations with supply chain leaders, ask questions to spark a discussion.

What is Causing Supply Chain Delays?

We hear a lot today about supply chain delays. With all the issues people face obtaining common (and not-so-common) goods, something is clearly wrong. 

Let’s consider what could be wrong. For one thing, the trade policies in America over the past 30 years were all about efficiency to reduce costs. It was the “get only what you need” mentality. 

Unfortunately, that meant operating on thin margins regarding supplies, backstock, and overstock. What stakeholders thought would keep costs low created havoc when the world faced a pandemic that made obtaining necessary materials to build supplies impossible. 

During the pandemic, any inventory onsite wasn’t available for new orders, and new supplies weren’t due to come in any time soon. While a lack of materials is a significant reason for supply chain delays, several factors make it difficult to navigate supply chain disruptions today. 

According to logistics experts, causes of supply chain delays include:

  • Shortage of shipping containers
  • Rising the price of raw material
  • Dependency on China and other foreign trade
  • Suez Canal blockade
  • Labor shortages
Bar graph of the top supply chain delays in 2020 

Image Source

Navigating Supply Chain Delays: 4 Things Suppliers Shouldn’t Say  

Before covering what things supply chain leaders want to hear (and should be saying), let’s check out the top four things you don’t want to hear from suppliers.

“We’re having workforce issues”  

Suppliers and subcontractors must be able to support your requirements, and they cannot do that if they are one of the many suppliers that face labor shortages. Forbes published the results of a U.S. Chamber survey, and 90% of the chamber of commerce leaders agree that labor shortages limit economic growth and create further supply chain delays.

“We don’t have enough inventory”  

Or, worse yet, “We’re having issues with our suppliers.” 

Inventory issues and a supplier’s ability to deliver the materials you need to make your products are a few other significant issues related to supply chain delays. Not all of these supply problems are labor related.

Many suppliers frequently reduce inventory levels, either because of supply chain delays or because they’re attempting to decrease cash tied up in merchandise. 

Comprehending your supplier’s inventory concerns and changes provides visibility into crucial elements of their production schedules and associated risks.

“What safety program?” 

While you are highly unlikely to hear this directly from a supplier, the fact is that you might experience this with a supplier. They may not tell you they don’t have an effective safety program, but you will discover there’s a problem when you experience your first supply chain delay with them. 

Suppliers should be able to cite specific safety standards and guidelines they follow. They should list all compliance they must follow and ones they voluntarily abide by. Safety protocols should be posted clearly for staff to see, and training on safety policies should be consistent and often. 

Chances are, you won’t see that much behind the scenes of how your supplier conducts business. However, if your supplier struggles with delivering products due to safety code violations, employee injuries, or governing agency shutdowns, it’s a good idea to look for another supplier.

Also, if safety protocols are scarce, you have to wonder if quality control protocols are equally as lax. These are not chances you want to take, especially when working with devices and equipment related to patient care and treatment outcomes. 

“We have recently had a data breach” 

What cybersecurity measures and data governance does the organization take?

Bar graph of the healthcare data breaches in the U.S. over 12 months 

Image Source

According to the National Library of Medicine, 249.09 million patients were victims of healthcare data breaches between 2005 and 2019. You (and your suppliers) must ensure that your organization’s data is secure to avoid risks associated with these statistics. 

You’re probably wondering what data security has to do with supply chain delays. Understanding the chain of custody and information security and how those two relate to the supply chain are the keys to protecting intellectual property.

You can’t deliver to your clients if your systems are locked due to ransomware or encrypted by hackers using malware.

4 Questions Supply Chain Leaders Should Be Asking 

Whether you’re the supply chain leader or you are looking for ideas on how to navigate conversations with supply chain leaders, these questions are something these department heads should be asking. Use them to spark a discussion on how to manage supply chain delays.  

  • What technology infrastructure should be in place to handle your international trade and logistical operations?
  • What factors hurt your ability to react to market dynamics? 
  • What should you change now? How can you adapt technological advancements to handle supply chain delays in the future?
  • What sustainability strategies can you take to reduce supply chain disruptions?

Let Your Supply Partner Know Your Supply Chain Delay Protocols  

People can handle bad news. What they cannot handle is little to no information about what’s going on with the supplies they ordered. If you’re a supplier struggling to meet the demands of your clients, you can’t pretend it isn’t an issue. 

Address the supply chain disruption with thoughtful content that keeps your clients well-informed on the status of their orders, product alternatives (if available), and when relief may be on the way. 

At Share Moving Media, we specialize in creating content that lets clients know exactly where you stand during supply chain delays. Contact us today for more information.

5 Content Topics for Medical Suppliers to Blog About Today

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Most B2B marketers see positive ROI from their blogs and 126% higher lead growth than those that don’t blog. However, maintaining a regular blog with relevant content is a significant undertaking as it requires hundreds of quality topic ideas to fill your content calendar each year. Learn what content topics for medical suppliers are most effective for your blog with some examples of successful medical blogs.

Key Takeaways:

  • Blogging increases website traffic by incorporating search terms that your clients use to find authority answers online.
  • Blog posts use a variety of content formats, including video, images, and e-books.
  • Blog content should be for every stage of the buyer’s journey, including attracting, convincing, and converting.
  • Case studies and research are the two most effective content types for B2B blogs.
  • Thought leadership topics build trust with your clients.

Why Should Medical Suppliers Blog More?

Medical supplier blogs are an organic way to drive traffic to your website. Because the content you create remains online forever, your blog posts build on each other to develop a strategy that leads your buyers through all stages of the buyer’s journey.

For this to occur, you must use blogging topics for medical suppliers from every sales funnel stage. For example, your top-of-the-funnel content draws new visitors to your blog. The middle-of-the-funnel content convinces your clients that you are a trustworthy source of information and products through thought leadership and research. Then, your end-of-the-funnel content converts those leads into loyal customers.

When you invest in building an influential blog, you can increase your website traffic by 55%.

Blogging increases website traffic by 55%

Image from Neal Schaffer

What Formats Can Medical Suppliers Use in Their Blog?

The most engaging blog posts use a mixture of content formats. Here are some examples of unique medical blog ideas to include in your post:

  • Video and on-demand webinars
  • Infographics
  • Images
  • E-books
  • White papers
  • Surveys and interactive content

How to Find New Blog Topics for Your Medical Supplier Blog

A customer-centric blog will prioritize topics your B2B customers are most interested in reading about. There are several ways to find new blog topics:

  • Keyword research tool: Find the most searched keywords in your industry and incorporate them into blog topics for high ranking and more relevancy.
  • Related Google searches: Look at the questions people also ask section of Google search results for questions users are regularly searching.
  • Send out surveys: Ask your customers directly what they want to read.
  • Social listening: Look on social media, blog post comments, and other digital communities for what your customers are asking for advice on and what topics they are interested in exploring.

5 Content Topics for Medical Suppliers

Learn five of the best topics for a medical blog to get you started with filling out your content calendar with customer-centric topics:

1. Industry Trends

Industry trends are patterns within the medical industry that impact your clients, such as shifts in consumer behavior, manufacturing, price, and sales. Your clients like to keep up with industry trends to help them market more effectively and reach their customers with the best medical care.

For example, you can post industry trends through research your company completes. When you share industry research, consider posting it in a white paper or e-book format where your readers download the digital asset to access the study. By gating the content, you can collect the lead’s information to add to your sales pipeline for nurturing and conversion.

2. Case Studies

About 40% of B2B marketers say case studies are the most valuable content format, making it the second most valuable format under research reports. Case studies are another type of content that works well for middle-of-the-funnel buyers. It’s also effective as conversion copy.

Case studies explore a specific event, client, or product and its impact. For example, you can write a case study about a satisfied customer and how they used your medical supplies or equipment to improve their practice and patient outcomes. Leads will see this first-hand example of the reliability of your products, which will help build trust with them and increase their likelihood of choosing your supplies for their practice.

most valuable content for researching B2B purchases

Image from Marketing Charts

3. Business News

Transparency builds trust with your clients by keeping them updated on the latest news about your company and products. Posting regular news stories like changes in leadership, policies, and new product launches keeps your clients informed and builds a community of loyal customers.

For example, Johnson & Johnson has a section of its blog dedicated entirely to news updates where it posts awards, mentions in the media, new employees, budget updates, and clinical trial news.

4. Educational Content

Educational content will make up the bulk of your top-of-the-funnel content. However, much of the traffic that you’ll attract through your educational posts might not realize they need your supplies or products. Instead, they search for solutions to questions or more information on a new topic without an intent to purchase. You guide those users to your website by targeting those searches and leading them to your website through a blog post where you introduce your supplies.

For example, Cardinal Health uses its extensive blog to reach various medical practices and care workers with educational content. Cardinal Health writes about different equipment solutions, how-to articles on procedures that involve its supplies, and best practices for medical facilities.

5. Thought Leadership

Over half of B2B decision-makers spend over an hour weekly consuming thought leadership content. Thought leadership is content by experts in an industry that inspire or educate your audience with an authoritative voice.

The primary reasons decision-makers read thought leadership includes:

  • Stay updated on the latest thinking
  • Find inspiration for new ideas
  • Gain insights into future trends
  • Understand current trends
  • Discover new products

Some effective formats for thought leadership are interviews with experts and blog posts by authorities in the medical field (whether guest posts or posts from leaders within your company).

To improve the validity of your thought leadership content, publish it along with a biography of the author. The bio tells your readers the credentials of the author. It also helps Google identify the piece as an authority post, boosting your ranking in search results.

Thought leadership topics work well for the top and middle of the funnel as it attracts new clients, then build trust with current leads who are exploring their purchase options.

Learn More Industry Insights

Share Moving Media is a leader in healthcare publishing. If you need help creating regular blogs for your organization we can help.  Please contact Scott Adams at sadams@sharemovingmedia.com to learn about the different option we provide medical manufacturers just like you.

Contact us to learn more about our content marketing solutions.

How Can Group Purchasing Organizations Help Hospitals Bottom Line?

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One of the staples of the healthcare and hospital supply chain is the GPO, or group purchasing organization. 

These organizations have been around for over 100 years. Why do they have such incredible staying power? It’s because they help hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare facilities significantly reduce supply-related costs. 

Just how effective is GPO cost cutting when it comes to helping hospitals save money?

GPO Cost Cutting: How GPOs Help Hospitals Reduce Costs

GPO purchasing networks are an important component of the healthcare system. Like doctors and nurses, they are on the front lines when it comes to patient care. GPOs support healthcare providers, as well as their patients, by providing safe, reliable products at more affordable prices. This benefits the hospitals by reducing overhead, which allows healthcare workers the opportunity to provide their patients with optimal care. 

According to the Healthcare Supply Chain Association’s most recent report, GPO cost cutting results in overall savings of more than $34.1 billion annually. Over the next decade, they’re also projected to reduce healthcare spending costs of hospitals and nursing homes by over $450 billion. Additionally, the report found that GPOs can help hospitals: 

  • Increase transparency: GPOs can help hospitals with supply decisions that will improve their efficiency, because of their expansive knowledge of all the products and services on the market.
  • Improve emergency preparedness: GPOs are true partners to their healthcare members. They help them prepare for natural or man-made disasters. They also help hospitals respond to public health threats after disasters occur. 
  • Increase their cybersecurity: AI, digital medical devices, and online services are helpful and necessary in our digital age. Unfortunately, they’re also vulnerable to cybersecurity threats that can jeopardize the health and safety of patients. It can also open hospitals up to the threat of lawsuits if a patient’s privacy is violated, or if they are physically injured as a result of the breach. GPO purchasing networks can provide hospitals with innovative products and/or services that also protect providers against cybersecurity threats. 
  • Prevent drug shortages: GPOs collaborate with government agencies (like the Food and Drug Administration) to ensure that there is an adequate supply of drugs, products, and supplies for patients’ needs. They also look for ways to address potential drug shortages. 
Illustrative chart depicting billions of dollars in healthcare system savings effected by GPOs, with positive testimonial quotes

Source: Healthcare Supply Chain Association

GPOs can help hospitals improve their efficiency and productivity. By finding the best prices for hospital purchasing, GPOs help ensure that hospitals are fully stocked with life-saving inventory, while also reducing work for the admin department. Price discounts and purchasing efficiency in the healthcare supply chain increases the predictability in supply chain management and ensures healthcare supply chain best practices. 

How GPO Cost Contracting Can Benefit Suppliers 

We know how GPOs help hospitals – they aggregate purchasing volumes, and then use that as leverage to negotiate discounts. How does that benefit Suppliers?

GPOs need to make sure they’re working to benefit their partners – you, the supplier – to ensure Suppliers get the value from the contract they need. Developing a good, trusting relationship with a supplier will help both parties in the long run. 

The GPO-Supplier Relationship

Your GPO representative will inform you of what their members (the hospitals) want in terms of volume of supplies, as well as the amount they can invest. That transparency fosters trust and can help you build a long-term relationship with your GPO. 

For manufacturers and suppliers, working with a GPO can help: 

  • Identify opportunities
  • Ensure consistent revenue
  • Net you many clients in a short amount of time
  • Shorten the selling period and streamline sales
  • Increase exposure for your company
  • Increase sales opportunities (particularly those that were once only open to larger suppliers)
  • Enhance your company’s sales efficiency

GPO Purchasing Networks Also Improve the Lives of Patients

Healthcare group purchasing organizations can see every aspect of the healthcare supply chain. They work hand-in-hand with doctors and hospital administrators every single day. Because of that, they play an integral role in the healthcare system, improving the health and lives of millions of patients around the country. 

A table illustrating several GPO accomplishments that helped to improve patients’ lives

Source: Healthcare Supply Chain Association

While the idea of developing hospital slippers for kids or special diapers for premature infants might not seem like a big deal to some people – it is a huge deal for the medical team, parents, and children. 

GPOs Meeting the Needs of Their Healthcare Partners

More hospitals than ever are facing financial pressures like never before. While budgets shrink and hospitals close, the patient population rises. Hospitals have to find ways to cut costs without impacting the quality of care they deliver to their patients. 

Such a challenging task often requires outside assistance. That is where GPOs come in to help hospitals save money and ensure optimal patient care. They do this by leveraging the hospital’s purchasing power as well as peer collaboration. As the healthcare field and the healthcare supply chain continues to evolve, the partnerships between healthcare suppliers, GPOs, and hospitals will be more important than ever. 

Share Moving Media wants to help you serve your patients better, too! Learn how our video messaging services can help educate your patients about your services and how to improve their health. Contact us today!

5 Reasons to Partner with a Trade Publisher for Content

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About 91% of marketers say lead generation is a top goal, yet 37% say generating quality leads is their ultimate challenge. Finding those quality leads to fill your pipeline starts with reaching your target audience with your marketing content. When you partner with a trade publisher, you have a higher chance of reaching that audience with your message and filling your pipeline with quality leads in the medical field.

Key Takeaways:

  • A trade publisher distributes journals and magazines to a niche audience in a specific profession or trade.
  • Partnering with trade publishers allows you also to access that target audience.
  • Trade publishers already have authority in their field, which you can benefit from when partnering with them for content distribution.

What Is a Trade Publisher?

A trade publisher creates and distributes regular industry trade publications like a trade magazine or journal focused on a specific trade or profession.

For example, Share Moving Media is a trade publisher with two industry-leading publications in the medical field: Repertoire Magazine and The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.

When you partner with a trade publisher, you submit your content to the publication where their large readership will see your message.

5 Advantages of Partnering with a Medical Trade Publisher

There are five primary benefits to partnering with a medical trade publisher like Share Moving Media to reach your target audience.

1. Reach an Engaged Audience

Customer engagement is the interactions between you and your customers. B2B businesses that successfully engage buyers see 50% higher productivity and 63% lower customer attrition. Strong engagement is when you reach out to your buyers, and they respond to you. The best way to encourage this engagement is by using multiple marketing channels. About 78% of customers prefer omnichannel customer engagement.

Partnering with a trade publisher adds another channel to your engagement strategy for reaching your target audience and encouraging a response. One of the primary reasons a trade publication is more effective at engaging your audience is that the readers are already engaged when they see your content.

When you publish online content, not everyone who sees it is interested in reading or engaging with the content. However, the readers of trade publications actively subscribe and consciously decide to pick up the magazine to read information about the medical industry. This means they are already interested in your content and are ready to engage with it.

In addition, printed content is one of the most engaging formats. About 73% of adults prefer print over digital content. In addition, 62% of readers will respond to a magazine ad.

Customer engagement segments

Image from Apptentive

2. Target Your Message

Having a target audience saves you time and resources because you can attract leads with a high intent to purchase from your brand. Once you know your target audience, you can create content dedicated to that audience. Through targeted B2B medical content, you generate quality leads interested in that content because they find it relevant to their situation and it meets their needs.

There’s a missing piece in this formula. It’s the bridge that connects your targeted message to that relevant audience with a high buying intent. Just over 90% of website pages don’t see any traffic, so relying on digital publication alone isn’t guaranteed to work for content marketing.

However, publications do offer a guarantee. For instance, The Journal of Healthcare Contracting reaches 12,400 healthcare executives. Therefore, the content you publish in that trade journal will land in front of those potential buyers within your target healthcare audience.

In addition, you don’t have to wait for that target audience to stumble on your content. Instead, it comes right to their inbox or mailbox, where they will see it rather than relying on unpredictable search algorithms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzEkHlYt2uA

3. Adds Credibility to Your Message

Building authority shows your customers that they can trust your brand and products. It’s essential for attracting new customers and retaining current customers. The average B2B buyer engages with at least ten pieces of content before they make a purchase decision. Your content can offer the research and information they need to make a purchase decision while also building trust, which is one of the top goals content marketers achieve through their content.

A reputable trade publication in your industry builds on that foundation of trust. The publication already has a faithful community of subscribers who trust their magazine or journal to be an authority in the industry. When you publish in a trade magazine, you not only build trust from your content but also receive an extra measure of loyalty because of the backing from the authority publication that your audience trusts.

Creating brand awareness and building trust are the top goals achieved through B2B content marketers

Image from 99Firms

4. Stand Out from Other Content

Content creators publish over six million blog posts each day. When you publish digital content, it only remains relevant briefly before newer content replaces it. In addition, you need to fight for your audience’s attention.

However, publishing through a partner trade publisher helps you combat your competition. You can reach your audience through a less saturated channel without as many pop-up ads, competing links, and web pages that draw your audience’s attention away.

5. Makes Marketing More Convenient

Creating content is just one step in a very long content marketing process. In addition to researching and creating content, you must optimize it, distribute it, and collect data reports.

However, you can’t skimp on the writing stage, as quality content is the most important part of a modern content marketing strategy. Quality is what helps you stand out from your competition. Quality content is well written, with updated information and relevant content for your audience.

When you partner with a trade publisher, they take care of the distribution and marketing so you can focus on content creation. This allows you to invest more time creating content to see better results. Then the trade publishers focus on generating a large readership and getting your content to that audience.

Partner with a Trade Publisher

Do you want to reach your target healthcare audience more effectively with your marketing content? Consider partnering with Share Moving Media and advertising through our publications that reach key decision-makers in the medical field.

Contact us to learn more about our partnership opportunities.

How to Use Online Content to Create Lasting Brand Awareness

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Content marketing is very much alive and well in every market from medical supplies to psychic readings. If your goal is to create brand recognition with staying power, you need a supply of fresh new content that consistently represents your company’s voice, tone, and values.

In a competitive and technical industry like GPO IDN healthcare sales where expensive advertisement campaigns abound, relatable and helpful content that connects with consumers on an emotional level is what builds a long-term bond that converts. Whether your company’s goal is business-to-business (B2B) sales, business-to-consumer (B2C) sales, or both, you need more than high-pressure salesy ad campaigns to build a well-known and trustworthy brand image. You need content that creates the face of your brand.

Content versus Copy for GPO IDN Healthcare Brands

Brands that decide to get serious about their digital marketing campaigns often face confusion around the differences between content and copy. Marketing copy is advertisement – its purpose is to make a sale as soon as possible and as often as possible. The descriptions of the products and services you sell on your website, for example, are created using copywriting.

Content, on the other hand, plays a comparatively long game. Both content and copy marketing campaigns are imperative to the success of your business. The importance of content, however, tends to be overlooked. A solid content campaign does more than draw in quick sales. It utilizes repeated exposure to build your brand’s authority and recognition over time, while also telling the story of your company. Content creates the kind of familiarity, trust, and loyalty that pays off in repeat clients for years to come.

5 Types of Content to Increase Brand Recognition 

Online content comes in all shapes and sizes and each one plays a unique part in your brand becoming renowned, recognized, and trusted by your potential customer base.

1. Email Newsletters

Source: Superoffice

Despite what some of the trendier self-proclaimed marketing gurus may insist on, there is no denying that email is still king when it comes to profitable, fast, direct, and effective communication with medical suppliers. Email marketing is the most reliable method for converting leads into sales during all stages of the sales funnel.

The average return on investment (ROI) for email marketing is $42for every dollar spent. This beats every other form of content marketing. For that reason, all other forms of digital marketing you use should drive your audience to subscribe to your email list. Sales announcements, discount codes, and exclusive early product launches are some of the most effective ways to gain and retain subscribers to your brand’s email newsletter. 

2. Blog Posts 

Company blogs provide several opportunities to advance your brand while also providing useful, informative content to your potential clients or consumers.

  • Informative, news, or how-to articles establish your brand as an authority on industry-related topics
  • A subscription option on your blog page serves as another way to build your email list
  • Direct communication with your audience through your blog post’s comment section

3. Videos 

Every single day over a billion hours of video content is viewed on YouTube. The latest short-form viral video platform, TikTok, is experiencing rapid growth with users averaging over 850 minutes per month spent watching videos on the app. Even though your company is selling to other manufacturers and distributors, there are human beings at the helm of those businesses. Video content tends to be incredibly effective at connecting with those fellow humans through the use of humor, connection, and empathy.

4. Social Media Accounts

In 2021, brands are expected to maintain a presence on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The right content posted on your company’s social media accounts combined with the perfect amount of direct witty banter with your audience can lead to massive boosts in brand awareness and social approval. An entertaining social media presence is the new “street cred” for brands Additionally, social media accounts offer invaluable analytical tools for tracking the types of content that resonate with your brand’s audience.

Source: Twitter

5. White Papers

White papers offer a unique opportunity for your brand to be seen as an absolute authority on the products and services you provide. These long-form content marketing tools can be divided into three main types of documents:

  • Problem-solution white papers promote a specific product or service as the solution to a long-standing problem for the business you’re attempting to sell to.
  • Listicle white papers list features, tips, or questions pertaining to a specific business issue and your product’s unique ability to provide the best solution.
  • Background white pages are in-depth, long-form descriptions of a product or service’s features, evaluations, and price points.

Leverage Meaningful Storytelling 

Effective content needs more than just helpful tips and entertaining commentary to cement your brand in the minds of your audience. Human connection is the most powerful sales tool of all time. Stories can bring people together and bring their eyes, ears, and trust directly to your business’s products and services. 

Your content is where you can share the story of how your company was founded. Post a photo of your great grandfather, who paved the way by inventing the first disposable exam table paper. Take the time to reveal behind-the-scenes snippets of the process with your audience during the development of a new product. The people calling the shots at the companies you want to sell your products to are bound to relate to other people putting in the work to make their company a success. 

Content and Conversion Rates will Always go Hand in Hand

The sales industry comes down to human connections, even if you’re selling to massive corporations. That human factor cannot be removed from the equation and that means content can’t either. Your content is what makes your brand unique, trustworthy, and relatable to consumers of any size, and that is worth its weight in gold. 

SMM can help you with all of these types of content.  Please email Scott Adams at sadams@sharemovingmedia for a free content marketing evaluation.