The healthcare industry is a highly competitive market. In the United States alone, 784,626 healthcare companies are vying for consumers. Small healthcare suppliers have a big challenge ahead of them when competing with big brands. They don’t typically have the marketing budget that large companies do, so they don’t have the same brand recognition and visibility. But that doesn’t mean that small suppliers can’t compete in the industry.

Through lean marketing in healthcare, smaller companies can maximize their budgets to earn more success with potentially smaller funds. Lean marketing allows room for adaptability, allowing small suppliers to adjust their efforts along the way for more impactful results and a higher ROI. 

While big brands have several advantages when it comes to marketing, they’re not unbeatable. To compete with big brands, small healthcare suppliers must develop lean marketing strategies that yield big results.

What is Lean Marketing in Healthcare?

The lean philosophy began in the automobile industry with Toyota Manufacturing Systems (TMS). They believed that, through a framework of efficiency, repetition, testing, and quantifying metrics, they could outperform their competitors. 

Although the lean philosophy was initially used in terms of manufacturing, businesses in other industries began adopting it into their marketing plans. It’s especially helpful in the healthcare industry, where multiple departments often have to work together on complex projects with a shared budget. 

Lean marketing allows for departments to work seamlessly together, helps to simplify complicated projects, and provides flexibility for a smooth project workflow of continuous improvement.

With lean marketing, small businesses in the healthcare industry can:

• Improve delivery time: Larger tasks are broken up into smaller pieces that are easier to manage. This lets you test and launch campaigns more quickly, seeing results sooner. Additionally, by performing a task repeatedly, you can make improvements each time for a more efficient and effective marketing plan.
• Better connect with members of their team: To become lean, staff must meet daily to give status updates on the projects they’re working on. Such transparency not only keeps everyone on the same page. It helps identify potential pitfalls and provides an arena for peer-to-peer problem solving, continual learning, and growth. 
• Narrow their focus on single tasks: Multitasking takes focus away from several projects at once. In lean marketing, people are encouraged to focus on one thing at a time. This helps people work more efficiently and yields a higher rate of productivity.
• Pivot their strategy mid-stride: By constantly measuring your efforts, you can see what parts of your plan are working and what needs improvement. Workers are encouraged to make data-driven adjustments to ensure they’re working as proficiently and effectively as possible. Pivoting a strategy mid-stride helps to reduce waste of time and resources on a plan that simply isn’t working.

5 Lean Marketing Strategies for Small Healthcare Suppliers

Through careful strategy, small companies in the healthcare supply chain can gain a foothold in the industry’s marketplace. Whether you’re a hospital distributor, a member of a group purchasing organization, or in charge of purchasing physician office supplies, here are five lean marketing strategies that can help you beat big brands.

1. Set SMART Goals 

To function more efficiently, it’s important to know what you’re aiming for and how well that plan is working. By setting measurable goals at the onset of a project, you can stay on track while adhering to your budget. SMART goals help define your intentions and keep you driven toward success.

SMART goals are:

• Specific: A narrowed scope yields higher rates of efficiency.
• Measurable: Metrics and their reassessment will reveal areas of accomplishment.
• Attainable: A series of smaller goals gain more success and propel you forward to more rewards.
• Relevant: Objectives should be in line with your long-term plans.
• Timely: A realistic deadline helps prioritize your course of action.

Setting manageable and achievable targets will launch you and your team toward success while maximizing your work efficiency.

2. Amplify Your Strengths 

It’s common for companies to invest marketing dollars into a campaign that just doesn’t work. They try to capitalize on too many products, services, and promises. This leads to wasted money, time, and effort, and that’s not what the lean philosophy is all about. When developing your marketing strategy, think about the things your business does well. Focus on those aspects and use them to create your marketing plan. 

With lean marketing, quality is more important than quantity. Invest your resources into whatever will make the most impact. Avoid tactics that aren’t performing and focus on what yields results. It’s better to focus on a few things and be exceptional than several things and be mediocre.

3. Leave Room in Your Marketing Plan for Adjustments 

From acquisitions and medical research to government policies and technological advancements, the healthcare industry is constantly changing. That’s why flexibility is so important to a marketing campaign. Through constant evaluation, you’ll know which of your marketing tactics is underperforming. With lean marketing, small suppliers have the opportunity to adjust as necessary. 

When you set your marketing plan, remember it isn’t chiseled in stone. Allow opportunities for creative solutions and new directions so you can pivot freely without hesitation.

4. Constantly Review Your Budget 

Lean marketing encourages constant assessment of what is and isn’t working in your marketing plan. This should also apply to your marketing budget. Set long-term goals for the year, but make frequent assessments as you determine the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Find areas in your budget that need to be adjusted, eliminated, or reconfigured to meet the needs of your flexible marketing goals.

5. Outsource Projects to Save Resources 

It’s not always most efficient to do your own marketing. If you don’t have a dedicated promotional team, balancing those responsibilities can take time and focus away from other projects that need your attention. This goes against the lean philosophy. Consider outsourcing some of your projects to a medical manufacturer marketing agency.

Hiring an outside expert can sometimes be more efficient and cost effective than trying to manage it all yourself.

Rely on Experts for Lean Marketing in Healthcare

Lean marketing can give small healthcare suppliers the competitive edge they need to surpass big brands. Share Moving Media is a full-service media and content company that specifically helps businesses in the healthcare industry meet their marketing goals.Contact us today to develop a lean marketing strategy that can help increase your market share.