A white paper is a reliable and comprehensive presentation of information focused on a specific niche. Today’s marketing world is increasingly digitally driven, with brief blogs and social media snippets taking center stage. Against this backdrop, you might think whitepapers are defunct. Think again.
As a healthcare supplier, learning how to use whitepaper promotion in healthcare can help you engage with existing clients, reach new clients, extend your market reach, and maximize impact.
The Value of Whitepaper Promotion in Healthcare
Whitepapers remain a valuable marketing tool, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Why? Instead of offering superficial content that glosses the surface of a topic, whitepapers provide a deep dive into essential issues.
Whitepapers offer fact-based, research-driven information, offering a reliable resource that healthcare professionals can trust. In a landscape where consumers are traditionally wary of prominent marketing and advertising tactics, this kind of content is more valuable than ever.
Value-added whitepapers are particularly relevant in healthcare – an industry that impacts people’s lives. Whitepapers serve as a valuable source of information for:
- Physicians
- Medical researchers
- Health facility managers
- Healthcare regulators
- Other healthcare professionals
Finally, whitepapers are a common reference point for regulatory agencies and the people who work in them. Government bodies may rely on whitepapers to make arguments regarding important healthcare policy decisions.
How to Craft Winning Whitepapers for Healthcare Sales
This step-by-step e-guide explains how to implement whitepaper promotion in healthcare marketplaces.
Choose Your Topic Carefully
The point of a whitepaper is to establish expertise and win trust. You should choose a topic that you (or your company) are genuine experts in. The whitepaper affirms your status as a thought leader in your field. This will also make the actual process of writing the whitepaper easier, as you will likely already have relevant resources (data, case studies, clinical results, etc.) to inform your research.
But just what should you write about? Take a problem-solution approach. Identify an existing question in your field and provide answers. You might end up discussing cutting-edge research, new products, or innovative technologies that are changing the area.
Define Your Audience
Knowing who you are talking to helps you determine what’s interesting and relevant to them. Map out a persona of your ideal target audience. Include details like their profession, education, and habits. What problems impact this person, and what decisions do they have to make? A journey mapping exercise can help you answer these questions.
Do Your Research and Use Strong Data
Research is a critical element of any whitepaper. Your whitepaper needs to include sources and evidence for any statements, findings, or claims. You may conduct research yourself or collect data from other sources. If you look to external sources, ensure they are reputable. Medical journals are a great starting point.
Accurate, thorough research will bolster the whitepaper’s – and your – credibility. Interesting stats and facts will also boost your whitepaper’s overall impact. For example, if a person shares an essential piece of data from the document, it may inspire others to read and refer to the whitepaper.
Focus on Facts, Not Sales
The entire point of a whitepaper is to offer value-add information that is backed by research, data, and statistics. A whitepaper should always be fact-based. It should never be a sales pitch. Steer clear of sales jargon and avoid pushing products. Visually, beware of too much overt branding. While you want your whitepaper’s authorship known, you don’t want it to be confused with a marketing brochure.
Focusing on facts instead of sales can also help ensure you comply with regulations regarding medical marketing. From the 2017 Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act to Anti-Kickback Statutes, there is comprehensive legislation governing this area. Further, you have to ensure you are HIPAA compliant.
Add High-Quality Visuals
Images make a whitepaper visually appealing and easier to read. They break up chunks of text, creating a more scannable document. Visuals like graphs, charts, and tables can depict data and statistics in a more digestible format. Plus, such snippets of information can be adapted for shareable infographics – which are great for sharing on social media to support whitepaper promotion in healthcare.
Craft Your Title and Executive Summary Carefully
Once your whitepaper is finalized, you’ll have a comprehensive overview of the whitepaper’s most salient points fresh in your mind. This is the perfect time to write a title and executive summary. The title should be brief, relevant, and attention-grabbing. Ensure it’s catchy since you’ll want to promote your whitepaper title via social media and similar channels for digital marketing in healthcare.
You can then go on to write the executive summary. Important decision-makers like regulators will rely on this summary to determine whether the whitepaper as a whole is worth reading. Briefly present the problem and the solution the whitepaper will discuss, sparking interest in the paper’s contents.
Don’t Neglect the Final Polish
Formatting can make or break a whitepaper. Don’t neglect the final polish. Include a brief table of contents summarizing the sections of the document. For digital whitepapers, a hyperlinked table of contents that allows readers to jump directly to a defined area is ideal. Before your whitepaper is finally published online or printed, ensure it’s been proofread, fact-checked, and copy-edited.
Utilize Diverse Distribution Routes
With your healthcare whitepaper completed, look for ways to share it with relevant decision-makers. If you already have an email list, this is an excellent piece of value-added content to share with them. You can also push your whitepaper via social media, websites, and blogs. Guest posting on other platforms and sharing a quick preview of the document is another way to engage new audiences.
Share Moving Media Helps You Create High-Quality Whitepapers
Effective whitepaper promotion in healthcare takes time and expertise. Share Moving Media can help. A full-service media company, we focus on the healthcare space – and cater to medical suppliers in particular. We help our clients create impactful content that converts leads to sales. We also produce diverse publications that can help you increase your market share.
Contact us to collaborate.