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How to Use Video Marketing to Boost Healthcare Sales

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Digital marketing provides marketing teams with endless options to boost healthcare sales, especially given the fact that more patients are heading online to search for answers to various health-related needs. Approximately 70,000 health-related Google searches happen every minute! So, with so much competition online, how can you stand apart from the crowd? One excellent method is to start utilizing video marketing for healthcare sales. 

Video Marketing: What You Need to Know

Recent studies state that 92% of marketers believe that video is an important aspect of their overall marketing strategy. 

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Source: Wyzowl

Video has a profound effect on consumers. This is because people process videos and other visuals at a much faster rate than they do text. The human brain processes visuals (videos, infographics, images, etc.) approximately 60,000 times faster than text and grabs the attention of viewers five times faster than still images do.

Visual content is not only easier to process, consumers continuously state that they prefer videos instead of still images because it delivers to them the information that they need much quicker than it does via text and infographics. 

Since it can have such an impact on your audience, video marketing is well worth the time and monetary investment. So, how do you implement video marketing into your current strategy? By getting to know the basics first. 

What is Video Marketing?

Video marketing is just what it sounds like – creating video content to help share information with your targeted audience. Video content comes in almost as many forms (if not more) than traditional written content. Some of the most popular videos used in marketing include:

  • How-to/Educational Videos
  • Video Ads
  • Explainer Videos
  • Product Videos
  • Testimonial Videos

Videos can be animated, they can be traditionally filmed, and they can even be live broadcasted on social media and shared over and over again, making it an excellent source of evergreen content for your brand. 

Current Video Marketing Statistics Worth Knowing

While it’s true that traditional content can be simpler to put together than video content, it’s definitely worth the time and investment. Need further proof? The numbers don’t lie:

  • 85% of internet users in the U.S. watch video content monthly across multiple devices.
  • 57% of marketers say they now use live video in their marketing strategy. 
  • 41% of B2B marketers are curious about adding video marketing to their sales strategies in 2020.
  • 48% of consumers want to watch videos that reflect what they are interested in – whether it be educational, entertainment, or on products. 
  • Both global online video viewing and ad spend on videos are predicted to increase in 2021
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Source: MarketingCharts

How to Use Video Marketing in Healthcare Sales

Now, when it comes to using video marketing in healthcare sales strategies, there are countless directions your team can take. Whether you are looking to bring in new patients to a given office/hospital location or are trying to sell various treatment options to patients, video marketing can play a significant role in encouraging them to take action. 

Not quite sure how video marketing can help in your healthcare sales strategy? Here are a few examples to help give you some ideas to play around with.

Physician Profile Videos

If you’re a healthcare organization looking to bring in new patients, one of the best video marketing methods to incorporate into your digital marketing strategy is to include physician profile videos. These videos introduce each doctor and give patients an idea of who they may or may not be working with. 

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Source: Edward-Elmhurst Health

Welcome Videos 

Having doctor profiles are an excellent way for new potential patients to get to know your staff. In that same light, including welcome videos on your website is an excellent way to introduce your organization, your mission and share your values with those who are trying to decide if your organization is the right fit for their needs. 

Video Testimonials

Research shows that 90% of patients use online reviews and testimonials to evaluate doctors and care facilities. So, what better way to improve your online reputation than by sharing patient testimonials? 

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Source: Loyola Medicine

Reading about a pediatric cancer survivor’s journey is powerful in itself. However, watching a video of the patient and/or their family sharing their story holds a much higher emotional power over those who are looking into the testimonials of a healthcare organization. 

Educational Videos on Various Procedures and/or Health Conditions

Investing in educational videos to help you explain various health conditions or medical procedures is another excellent way to incorporate video marketing into your healthcare sales strategy. These videos are a great way to not only educate your patients but help ease any of their anxieties revolving around a recent diagnosis or an upcoming procedure. 

Product Information Videos

Finally, product information videos are an excellent tool for those in healthcare manufacturing and distribution. Much like the educational videos for procedures and health conditions, product information videos give consumers an idea of what a product is, what it does, why it’s beneficial, and so much more. 

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Source: AliMed

Amp Up Your Marketing Strategy with Share Moving Media

At Share Moving Media, we are a full-service media company that understands how important your content is to your healthcare marketing strategy. That’s why we help healthcare brands create stunning webinars, blogs, and articles, and we’ll be happy to help you develop your video marketing strategy for your healthcare sales team.

Ready to get started? Then contact us today to learn more!

The Definitive Guide to Building Buyer Personas of IDN Supply Chain Leaders

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The healthcare market is enormous – and it’s only going to get bigger. Global healthcare spending is anticipated to increase at a compound annual growth rate of five percent from 2019 to 2023.

Medical suppliers who want to increase their share in an expanding market should act now. The right marketing campaign is the key to success. What’s the “right” campaign? It depends on your target audience.

Suppose you’re a supplier trying to sell medical masks to private physicians’ offices. In that case, your healthcare marketing techniques will be (should be!) different than if you’re a supplier selling diagnostic ultrasound equipment to integrated delivery networks (IDNs).

Buyer personas are integral to guiding your approach. A buyer persona allows you to define your target audience and better understand their buying behaviors, so you can craft your marketing accordingly.

This guide takes you through a simple three-step process to craft buyer personas for healthcare.

Why Buyer Personas Matter

The purpose of a buyer persona is to understand how your customer thinks and acts. With this information, you can better understand the decision-making process that governs what, when, where, and how they buy.

What a Buyer Persona Is

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of who is using your product or service. This imaginary profile covers details like demographics (sex, age, race, income, marital status, educational level), purpose (such as career goals), and motivation.

What a Buyer Persona Isn’t

A buyer persona is not a guess. It’s fact-based, created with detailed market research.

3-Step Checklist to Creating Buyer Personas for Healthcare

The healthcare supply market is exceptionally competitive. A well-crafted buyer persona allows you to stand out with concise, impactful messaging that attracts the buyer’s attention – and keeps it throughout the medical equipment sales funnel.

Here’s how to create buyer personas for healthcare.

1. Conduct Quantitative Analysis

Suppose your product isn’t exclusive to a single market segment (for instance, you target both individual physicians and IDNs). In that case, the first step is to break down your broader market into smaller segments.

Create a list of existing clients and group them according to details like location, contract value, and engagement (as evidenced by the frequency of orders, for instance). With this demographic and revenue information, start looking for trends.

For instance, you might find a correlation between location and an uptick in spending – indicating a gap in the market that you can step in to fill. If a competitor had an area sales rep changeover, it’s a prime opportunity.

2. Complete Qualitative Research

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when crafting buyer personas is ignoring psychographics in favor of demographics. This is where qualitative analysis comes into play. To better understand your target segments, both at the individual and organizational levels, get more intimate.

Reach out to trusted clients to arrange a chat. Healthcare professionals are busy, so keep it short. Emphasize that you’re trying to collect feedback to see how you can better serve them. 

During the interview, get a brief description of the business, the individual’s role within the organization, and their main goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). Are they looking to cut costs? Have they been tasked with researching new tech? Is efficiency a factor?

Also, refer to your offering, asking what they use it for and, of course, what improvement they’d like to see in your product or service. Remember, retention is half the battle in healthcare sales.

3. Create and Socialize the Persona

You can now create your semi-fictional buyer persona based on the evidence you’ve collected. Say you sell heart stents, for example. A quantitative analysis reveals that private hospitals in the Midwest are your most significant revenue source. Your qualitative research shows that it’s the heads of cardiology departments who are the relevant decision-makers.

So, make your buyer persona the head of cardiology in a hospital setting. Let’s call her Rachel Harding. Dr. Harding will be further along in her career, at least 40 years of age, and highly educated. She must balance providing the best patient care with budget limitations set by higher-ups. 

As head of her department, Dr. Harding must stay on top of the latest developments. She does this by reading certain healthcare publications, like Wiley’s Clinical Cardiology, and attending essential conferences, like the American Society of Echocardiography Annual Conference. 

Finally, Dr. Harding is busy. She’s overseeing an entire department. Maybe she also has a family at home. Her time is precious. Your healthcare marketing strategy must take this into account.

Now you have an idea of where and how to reach a professional like Dr. Harding best. Thus, the buyer persona makes it easier to sell to your end customer without ever meeting them in person.

Find Out More About Making Buyer Personas Work for You

Share Moving Media helps healthcare suppliers reach diverse buyers through targeted content. Our publications, educational services, and associations cater to distributors, providers, and manufacturers. With our industry knowledge and comprehensive content offering, we help you increase market share.

Sign up for our newsletter for more healthcare marketing tips and tricks. Want to work with us? Then contact us today!

Influencer Marketing: Are Journals in Healthcare Marketing the New Influencers?

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Influencer marketing and healthcare don’t always go hand in hand in the mind of a marketing professional. When people think of influencer marketing, they automatically think of big-name celebrities cross-posting promotional material on their social media pages for various brands. In fact, there has been some backlash in the past regarding influencer marketing in healthcare because social media influencers “aren’t doctors” and shouldn’t be advising on medical concerns. 

So, if traditional influencer marketing is so controversial, how does the marketing trend work in the healthcare industry?

Influencer Marketing in Healthcare: Current Trends

When it comes to healthcare marketing tools, many of the “traditional” marketing tools work well for those in charge of building a healthcare marketing strategy for manufacturers, providers, etc. The same can be said of influencer marketing when done right. Studies have shown that approximately 80% of advertisers find this marketing method effective.

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Source: Smart Insights / Mediakix

The easiest way to break the idea of influencer marketing down is to pay careful attention to the audience that you’ll be addressing. However, when it comes to healthcare, things can get dicey. So, if you’re looking to leverage influencer marketing in the healthcare industry, you need to keep in mind that you are catering to a very specific audience made up of either doctors or patients (or sometimes a combination of both). 

So, while a creative celebrity cameo can work in some instances, you’re better off implementing one of these three current healthcare marketing strategies:

1. Healthcare Influencers

The concept of healthcare influencers works very similarly to that of more traditional influencers. The primary difference is that these individuals are experts in the industry. They can be doctors, surgeons, scientists, manufacturers, and more. 

2. Health e-Mavens 

The concept of e-Mavens isn’t exactly a new marketing concept; however, it’s not often talked about either. This concept stems from a term first coined in 1987 known as marketing mavens. Marketing mavens were known as a type of influencer who not only had a social presence but, again, a certain level of expertise or insider knowledge in a particular industry. 

In our current age of technology, these individuals are known as e-mavens, and they are considered consumers with first-hand knowledge of a subject and share their expertise online. What makes these individuals different from healthcare influencers is that while they have first-hand knowledge, they aren’t exactly “experts” in the traditional sense. 

Health e-mavens are defined as those who are “actively involved with health information acquisition and information transmission” across the internet. These are people that the public has come to know and trust for one reason or another. They are constantly searching for new information and they have a deep desire to share it once they’ve found it. 

One recent example is Lucy Hale, who has taken it upon herself to open up and share her women’s health journey and finding the right kind of birth control that suits her specific needs. 

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Source: Instagram

Helping women everywhere find the information they need to stay healthy is a passion for the young actress, so it’s unsurprising that she would open up about her story and share something so vulnerable with the public. 

3. Online Medical Journals

Did you know that approximately 7% of Google’s daily searches are in some way, health-related? That amounts to nearly 70,000 health-related Google searches each minute. Technology is an excellent resource, and with so many patients taking more control over their health and wellbeing, they are turning to the internet for information both before and after consulting with their medical team.

This is where journals in healthcare marketing come into play. Online medical journals come in many different forms, including:

  • Professional medical journals, such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
  • Digital healthcare journals for the public, including The Journal of Healthcare Contracting, Frontiers, and more.

How Journals in Healthcare Marketing Work as a Form of Influencer Marketing

So, which of these methods is the most effective for a successful healthcare marketing strategy? The right answer is to say all three have their advantages; however, online journals have a bit more edge to them than health e-mavens and other healthcare influencers. 

The saying content is king still rings loud in the marketing industry, no matter what sector you are in. This is especially true when it comes to content marketing in healthcare. Think about it for a moment – blogs and other similar online content are among the top three types of media used in content marketing today. 

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Source: HubSpot

Online journals in healthcare can and often do fall under this category. They work because they can be easily optimized for search engines, they can help draw in consistent (and relevant) traffic to your website, and when thoroughly researched, can help you build your authority on a given subject matter. 

This type of content is crucial now more than ever as more and more individuals start turning to Dr. Google for answers to their medical questions. 

Get More Healthcare Marketing Tips and Tricks with Share Moving Media

As a full-service media company, the team here at Share Moving Media understands that staying up to date on the current healthcare marketing tools and trends can be a tricky process. That’s why we do the heavy lifting for our clients. Contact us today to learn how we can help your brand.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Marketing Minute, today! 

3 Things Your Medical Manufacturing Ad Should Have

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Digital advertising is a booming industry as more people head online to find solutions to their various problems. So, it comes to no surprise that digital advertising in healthcare is continuing to grow at a steady rate. In fact, research has shown that healthcare companies’ global advertising expenditure has grown by 3.6% and reached approximately $36 billion.

For medical product manufacturers, transitioning to digital advertising is critical in 2020, especially with the current pandemic slowing down more traditional advertising methods, which include attending large in-person conventions and sending sales individuals directly to IDNs or physicians to speak about new or upgraded products. 

Sure, while current restrictions have made healthcare advertising difficult, for those who work in the healthcare advertising field, it is just another challenge in an ever-changing arena. 

Digital Advertising in Healthcare: What Sets It Apart from “Traditional” Advertising

While digital advertising in healthcare looks a lot like digital advertising in any other industry, it’s actually considered one of the most challenging areas of marketing. This is especially true for those in charge of medical manufacturing ads, as they are under strict supervision and must abide by various rules and regulations set by the state, various licensing boards, and even the FDA. 

So, while most ads are allowed a wide birth of creative freedoms, digital advertising in healthcare requires a little extra creativity. 

3 Things Every Medical Manufacturing Ad Should Have

While medical manufacturing ads need to adhere to various rules and regulations, that doesn’t mean they can’t make use of the most successful aspects of any digital advertisement, including the three aspects outlined below:

1. A Storytelling Aspect

The goal of any good advertisement is to get the consumer interested in your product or service. To do this, you can’t merely throw facts and data at them, even if your primary audience is a team of medical professionals. 

Storytelling is an essential element to any good medical manufacturing ad because it helps your audience put a face to the product you’re trying to sell them. For example, take the current COVID-19 pandemic. The topic of wearing a mask has been a hot one, and many brands are capitalizing on the “Wear a Mask” campaign. 

This campaign has allowed millions of individuals to express WHY they choose to wear a mask during this pandemic, and it quite literally puts faces to the campaign. These stories put all the facts and figures to shame because they are more relatable to consumers than anything else. It’s these stories that will help influence the public on the mask-wearing debate because mask-wearing is transformed into an act of humanity.

2. An Educational Aspect

Now, that’s not to say the facts and figures don’t matter, but they need to be sprinkled in appropriately. That same campaign also works to educate the masses about different topics, including:

  • COVID-19
  • Why masks can be beneficial in fighting the pandemic
  • Who the masks are really protecting and more

Many companies have taken their own twist on the “Wear a Mask” campaign and turned it into “ask why I wear a mask.” It not only helps to educate the public but helps include personal testimonials into the mix, which can play to a consumer’s emotional side as well.

This is the part of the ad that should include the facts and figures, and they should be coming from the mouths of those telling the story because it will have a more profound impact on the audience than say having Dr. Fauci talk about the data. 

3. An Emotional Aspect

Studies have shown that 95% of purchasing decisions are not only subconscious but an emotional process. That’s why so many individuals turn to testimonials before they make their purchasing decisions. They want to be able to convince themselves that the purchase is:

  • Worth spending the money on
  • Will benefit them in some way/solve some sort of problem

Medical manufacturers would be wise to make a note of this because those testimonials are where the real magic happens. With 70% of consumers stating that they trust reviews and recommendations from strangers and another 88% stating that reviews influence their online purchasing decisions, adding this emotional aspect to your medical manufacturing ad can prove extremely beneficial. 

Some key things to remember when including an emotional aspect to any ad include:

  • Make it authentic to your audience. Play to their needs.
  • Give value. Don’t simply list your features and “why they work.”
  • Show, don’t tell. The human brain processes images 60,000x faster than text.

Digital Advertising in Healthcare Doesn’t Stop Here

The goal of any good digital advertisement is to capture the audience’s attention and influence them into taking action. This is no different for the healthcare industry, which is why so many of the digital advertising best practices can work for medical manufacturers. 

Just remember, digital advertising in healthcare is only one step in the broader healthcare marketing strategy. So, when creating your medical manufacturing ads, keep the rest of your digital marketing strategy in mind.

Want to stay up to date on the latest healthcare marketing trends? Then make sure to subscribe to SMM’s Marketing Minute today!