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3 Ways Medical Distribution Sales Teams Should Use Content

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While it may seem that content marketing is a siloed marketing activity, it can be a really effective tool for medical sales reps to use with their clients.

Here are 3 ways that medical distribution sales teams should be using content with their customers and prospects.

1: Build relationships

Relationships are the foundation of the medical/surgical sales channel, which is why distribution sales reps should be using content to develop those relationships. Content gives sales reps the ability to nurture leads who aren’t yet sales-ready, instead of ignoring them in favor of a hotter lead. Sales reps can use content to educate leads and help them through the sales process by providing actionable insights and information designed to move them closer to purchase.

2: Inform and educate

Selling in 2023 means that you are selling to an informed buyer. Before they meet with you, the buyer has likely already done all their research to help them make a better decision. The job of the medical sales rep is to supplement that knowledge with the kind of branded content that can give your company an extra dose of credibility. Using content to inform and educate your customers is a great way to show how your products differ from the competition and how your products meet the needs of the user.

By taking the “resource approach”, you can navigate around the current knowledge that your customers may have about your products and answer any further questions they might have. This extra touch will also help to build a relationship and trust between you and the customer.

3: Generate new leads

When you generate content, you generate leads. The greatest payoff of a content strategy is that it adds a new source of leads to your pipeline. As potential customers continue to visit your site, complete forms, and download items so that they can continue reading your content, you are creating a steady flow of potential leads for your sales team. Stay ahead of your pipeline by keeping your content up-to-date and accurate to the changing medical distribution landscape.

Developing content for your sales teams to use can be challenging, but it’s critical to driving engagement with your audience and revenue for your organization. Share Moving Media has developed the tools, resources and expertise to assist. We create content for several of your peers in the medical device world. Contact sadams@sharemovingmedia.com today to learn more about equipping your sales reps with effective content.

Why Best in Class Brands Outsource Content Creation to Niche Publishers

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Content outsourcing is producing articles, press releases, social media, and any marketing related material outside of an organization. Content generated through content creation is critical to a business’ success and is used for external marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

Best in class brands often have a consistent brand image maintained across all of their communications, marketing, and content. Having a marketing strategy can set you apart from competitors, increase brand image and awareness, and boost sales.

There is always work to do when maintaining the busy operations of a medical distribution company. Often, businesses lack the time and resources it takes to create and maintain consistent creation of marketing materials. Outsourcing content creation to niche publishers that are experienced in the healthcare industry ensures a consistent brand identity and far-reaching market exposure.

Below are 4 reasons to outsource content creation:

  1. Timesaving:

Written content requires extensive research, time to write, and through editing. This content could take an in-house employee hours, when they could be accomplishing other work tasks. If marketing responsibilities are handled by experienced professionals in the healthcare industry, your business can save time and effort in the workplace.

  1. Cost Effective:

Hiring and paying an in-house marketing employee is expensive. Delegating content creation to niche healthcare industry publishers assures timely, reliable, and affordable content.

  1. Expertise:

Industry publishers are experienced in writing content that resonates with healthcare industry audiences. Niche publishers are a trustworthy source when it comes to creating compelling content and understanding your brand and the industry.

  1. Editorial Calendar:

This is one of the top reasons medical supply companies contact us about their content needs. An editorial team can plan, create, and implement an editorial calendar. Forward-thinking companies recognize that with a myriad of communication and marketing objectives within their own organization, having the expertise of a niche publisher to handle an editorial calendar frees their resources up to be used elsewhere.

At Share Moving Media, our team of professional publishers and writers in the industry will take the stress of marketing off your business’ plate. As publishers of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting and Repertoire Magazine, we are familiar with the medical distribution industry and its stakeholders. For over 30 years, we have partnered with supply chain professionals and distributors to create unique brand content that stands out among competitors. Contact us and we will effectively tell your brand’s story.

Why Podcasts are Perfect for Salespeople

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Podcasts are a strategic sales tool that will assure your business is a step ahead of competitors. A podcast is a long-form audio series that allows a business to communicate in a more direct, personal, and informative way. Information delivered through podcasts can be leveraged as a marketing and sales tool by salespeople. Read on for five reasons podcasts are beneficial for salespeople.

  1. Accessible and reaches more diverse audiences.

Podcasts can be accessed at any time without the need for a screen or visuals because they are audio content. Users can listen to content at any time, such as in the car, at work, or whenever they are not directly in front of a screen. Salespeople can leverage this aspect of podcasts to reach audiences more effectively and directly.

  1. Build brand awareness.

It is becoming increasingly common for businesses to promote their brand across a multitude of platforms. In a multi-channel marketing environment, utilizing podcasting can set a brand apart. Sales can be initiated through the relationships formed with podcast guests and potential audiences.

  1. Set you apart from your competitors.

Audio marketing can be a strategic way to set a business apart from competitors. Podcasts are gaining increasing popularity among medical distribution industry consumers, and businesses can use this as an opportunity to market products and gain a competitive advantage when podcasts are utilized as a marketing tool.

  1. Interview current clients and strategic partners.

Longer-form media such as podcasts allow ample time for details to be conveyed regarding a business or product. Interviewing clients is a great way to give a detailed explanation about them in relation to your business, which is mutually beneficial and can increase exposure for both parties.

  1. Unique Platform

Podcasts are a unique platform that allow the creator to share information on a topic they have expertise on, without the need for interaction or response. It is a platform where the content created matters and can make a listener feel informed and personally involved. Audiences who experience this are in turn more likely to trust a brand and make purchasing decisions.

With experience specifically working with manufacturers and distributors in the healthcare industry, Share Moving Media produces and edits over 50 podcasts a year for our clients.  If you are interested in doing a podcast, we can help your business create targeted marketing content. Listen to our podcast here and contact us if your business is interested in podcasts for marketing promotion.

Medical Distribution Sales in 2023: Do Relationships Still Matter?

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With all of the tools and technology available to med/surg sales reps today, it’s easy to wonder if things have changed for the medical sales process. Just in the last few years, digital tools have become a much more popular platform for making connections and facilitating meetings of all sorts. In addition to plenty of other things, COVID-19 has sort of siloed people from making face-to-face connections.

But should that mean that relationships aren’t a critical component of the sales reps’ repertoire? Do relationships still matter in the sales process?

Replacing the human element

One of the main things to consider about relationships and sales is what the human element will look like with a digital approach. Sure, relationships can be built through tools like Zoom, but it’s really difficult to replicate the authenticity and trust that can be built through a face-to-face sales interaction.

Personal relationships are the foundation on which business is built. In a recent survey conducted by Repertoire Magazine, 82% of medical distribution reps said they highly value the relationship with the manufacturer reps in their territory.

The digital tools are a great supplement to what you already have at your disposal, but it’s no replacement for the real thing. Even if the landscape doesn’t look the way it used to, it’s important to remember that the human element isn’t going anywhere – use it to your advantage! With a huge shift towards digital selling, cultivate a personal touch that will separate you from your competition. Personalization is a great way to build better relationships with your customers.

How to build better relationships

Utilizing a personal touch is only one way to build better relationships in the medical sales process. Here are some other key ways to developing stronger relationships with your customers:

●        Build a rapport – Take the time to establish and cultivate some common interests with your customers. All good relationships are built on commonality, and that starts with having something to talk about. Additionally, make sure to research the needs of the company to help you better identify pain points that your products can address.

●        Respond promptly – If you want your customers to feel valued, don’t leave them waiting on a response from you. Prompt communication is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your customers trust you and feel heard.

●        Provide value – A relationship with your customers will mean nothing if you can’t consistently provide value. Every interaction should leave the customer with something that they can use. Be sure that you understand what your genuine value is to the customer, as differentiated from your competitors in the customer’s mind. With the right skills and tools to communicate value, you can continue providing that value throughout the customer lifecycle.

Even with today’s Amazon style of buying the number one reason someone buys a product or service is when it’s recommended by a friend or family member. To the health care medical device buyer, that friend or family member is their distribution sales rep. Here at Share Moving Media we help best in class manufacturers build relationships with 95% of the distribution reps in the US.  Please contact us at sadams@sharemovingmedia.com to learn how we can help you gain market share through distribution.

The Marketing Minute Podcast – What is content and how can you leverage it to achieve success in IDN contracting and distribution sales

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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.