hospital distributors Archives - Share Moving Media

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.

There are currently 784,626 healthcare companies in business nationwide. From hospital purchasing to hospital distributors, that’s a lot of competition throughout the healthcare supply chain. To increase visibility in a saturated market, healthcare suppliers need to find ways to set themselves apart from the competition.

Joining industry associations is an effective way to gain a foothold in the healthcare industry. Developing professional relationships with other healthcare providers can help drive traffic through referrals, create a support system for brainstorming and problem-solving, and help with sales growth.

Becoming an association member isn’t enough to make a significant impact on your business. You need to encourage industry associations to spread the word about your brand. Promotion from an established and respected association can raise awareness about your business, expand your overall reach, and generate revenue for your healthcare business.

How Industry Associations Help Business

From the Health Industry Distributors Association to the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, there are numerous organizations for healthcare providers to join. Becoming a member of a trusted industry association brings numerous benefits. There are three main ways in which an association can enrich your business.

1. Networking with Peers and Colleagues

Associations consist of professionals who share similar concerns, obstacles, and opportunities. Whether you meet in person or connect online, you’re able to join conversations with a large pool of like-minded healthcare suppliers, end-users, and purchasers. You can break down barriers and learn from others’ experiences, gain insight into how you could be improving your own processes, and share your expertise to help others.

2. Standardization of Best Practices

By sharing knowledge and experiences with other healthcare professionals, you’re able to develop a series of best practices. From curating important information and separating it from trendy buzzwords to researching industry benchmarks, associations help determine a level of expectation for practices and procedures. As expectations evolve, associations assist with developing and communicating standards to help streamline conversations and practices industry-wide.

3. Individual and Professional Development

Career development is a leading reason people join industry associations. Associations provide educational resources for their members. From training and seminars to bringing in guest speakers who are experts in their field, associations develop knowledge and expertise for healthcare professionals. Mentorship opportunities guide professionals in decision-making and problem-solving. Individual chapters provide leadership roles, which help build management skills and develop a trusted reputation.

5 Ways to Gain Brand Awareness Within Your Industry Association

With so much to gain from an industry association, businesses need to leverage their membership in these five ways to develop brand recognition and revenue.

1. Contribute to the Conversation

A major perk to industry associations is having access to a huge audience with shared interests yet different experiences. When you see forums or discussion threads, whether online or in person, join the conversation. Add your own experience and insight to provide helpful resources for others in your industry. By providing relevant, detailed answers to questions, you present a new perspective to the conversation and set yourself apart as an industry leader.

The more people see your name and your company involved in these discussions, the more you’ll build a trusted network of followers who look to you for advice and input. Eventually, members will think of your name when they have questions, need to problem-solve, and ultimately need your services.

2. Generate Insightful Data

Draw attention to your business with researched facts and figures. Through polls and surveys, you can ask important questions that others in the industry may also have. Analyze the results and share those studies and their findings with the members of your association.

This helps to educate them on industry-wide topics, which strengthens the industry as a whole. It shows that you take the initiative to seek out answers. You’re willing to share the information with your fellow members as a means to help their personal and professional development.

Whether you post this data on online channels or submit it to an association publication, insightful data can gain you publicity from press coverage to social media posts. All of this raises awareness about your brand and helps to build a loyal following.

3. Join Forces with Other Members

Associations encourage collaboration among their members. Consider collaborating with another company within the association. By working together, you position yourself as a team player. You also double your audience by appealing to your followers as well as those of the other company.

Whether you combine your expertise to conduct industry studies or work together to write an educational article, collaboration tends to attract more attention from association membership and leaders. When people see two reputable companies discussing something of interest, they’re more likely to tune in. Position yourself as a thought leader by joining forces with an association partner.

4. Stay Front of Mind

Create meaningful content and consistently share it with your association. Develop social media posts that deliver useful information and are easy for others to share. Encourage members to leave comments and join discussions to build engagement among viewership. Not only will your fellow members begin talking about your business. Association management is sure to see your involvement and will be more inclined to promote your brand to others in the industry.

5. Volunteer

Although many associations survive on dues, most still run on volunteerism. One surefire way to get noticed is to help out wherever you can. From offering to coordinate industry-wide or local chapter events to serving on a discussion panel, by donating your time to the greater good, you can become a household name among association leadership. Fellow members will also get to know you and your business.

The more involved you are in the association, the more opportunities you have to gain visibility, build trust, and create buzz about your business.

Let Share Moving Media Help Increase Brand Awareness

There are numerous benefits to joining an industry association. If you’re ready to take membership to the next level, hire an expert to help you create content that can help gain the attention of your industry association.

Contact Share Moving Media today to create a strategy that will build brand awareness among your industry association.