Today, we’re addressing some of the top marketing challenges for medical suppliers based on a recent survey that touched on content creation, marketing spend, essential resources, and success metrics.

Marketers today have so many options for growth strategies that it can be challenging to know where to begin. And the healthcare supply industry is no exception. Sometimes we can struggle to identify the best methods for reaching our audience effectively. Other times we face bandwidth or budget limitations that can cut us off at the knees.

As a distributor or manufacturer in the healthcare space, your target audience may include IDN supply chain leaders, GPOs, and distribution representatives, among others. Keep reading to learn some expert tips on meeting your clients where they are and providing what they need when they need it.

Quick Takeaways:

• Content marketers commonly struggle with content creation, finding subject matter experts, keeping an editorial calendar, and the content approval process.
• To achieve your sales goals, you should start blogging, utilize email marketing, and take advantage of LinkedIn.
• If you want to boost engagement online and win new clients, start sharing educational case studies, personalize communication and marketing, and engage on digital channels consistently.
• Having enough bandwidth on your marketing team and setting clear expectations are critical factors for success.

Top 5 Marketing Challenges for Healthcare Manufacturers and Distributors

Below, we’ve identified the top marketing challenges in our recent survey, which was conducted primarily by healthcare product manufacturers.

1. Creating Content

When it comes to content creation, we found that marketers struggle most with the actual creation process. They also have difficulty finding subject matter experts, keeping an editorial calendar, and with the approval process.

Creating quality content that speaks directly to your target audience requires strategy. It’s essential to build a collection of content that reaches prospects at every stage of the buyer’s journey. To create authentic content that does its job, you need content creators and strategists that understand your industry, digital marketing, and core values.

You can either hire and train an in-house content creator (or multiple, depending on the size of your business) or outsource your content needs to an experienced agency.

2. Achieving Sales Targets

Achieving sales targets was the top metric for proving market success for survey participants. So we’ve compiled a short list of winning strategies to help you boost sales in your business.

• Start blogging: By prioritizing blogging, you can see up to 13x the ROI of companies that don’t.
• Utilize email marketing: You can nurture leads, track KPIs, and create engaging campaigns to see an ROI of $42 for every buck you spend.
• Take advantage of LinkedIn: As a top B2B social media platform, LinkedIn is a brilliant place to create connections, convert leads, and engage customers. You can reach your target audience through paid advertising and organic outreach.

3. Getting Clicks, Impressions, and Downloads

Your audience is busy. No doubt about that. So how can you reach and engage with them genuinely and naturally – without feeling salesy or pushy?

Your audience needs what you have to offer. Doctors’ offices and hospitals can’t function without supplies and equipment. You don’t need to sell them on that point. However, you do need to stand out from all the other medical suppliers vying for their attention.

To boost engagement and get more clicks, impressions, downloads, leads, and sales, follow these tips:

• Share interesting case studies containing educational content for your clients or their patients.
• Personalize messages and use storytelling to boost engagement.
• Create buyer personas for your target consumers to better understand who they are, where they spend time, and how to engage them effectively.
• Reach your audience by engaging consistently on social media channels and running online promotions.
• Be the go-to source of information for research about your offerings and questions your audience is asking.

4. Having the Bandwidth for All Necessary Marketing Roles

Lack of sufficient bandwidth can be a big hurdle in marketing. Without the talent and workforce to successfully execute strategies and reach your goals and objectives, your initiatives will fail. Many marketers these days are either stretched too thin or required to wear too many hats.

To set your team up for success, you need to set realistic expectations that you can meet using your current resources. You may need to reevaluate your team dynamic. Or it may be time to hire more marketing experts or outsource specific roles to a full-service marketing team.

Here are some other quick tips to consider:

• Ensure your marketing and sales goals align.
• Focus on marketing tactics that have proven successful, and let go of others that are draining your team’s time and energy. 
• Break down massive, intimidating campaigns into small actionable steps.
• Learn new tools and technology to make processes more manageable and efficient.
• Continue learning and growing together as a team.

5. Having Clear Expectations

Setting clear expectations is another prominent challenge marketers across all industries face. To get all team members on the same page so everyone can move forward in the same direction at the same speed, follow these pointers:

• Define and clearly articulate your expectations. Ensure everyone understands them or asks clarifying questions if they don’t.
• Where have you not set expectations that you need to? You may need to identify problem areas and make some changes.
• Make sure you explain the “why” behind your expectations. This will help you build trust with your team by confiding in them. It can also hold everyone more accountable.
• Document your expectations and share them with your team. If anyone has reservations, they can share them. Once everyone is on board, they can sign the document and revisit it as needed.

Tactical Marketing for Medical Suppliers

Share Moving Media is a leading publishing and content production company that proudly partners with manufacturers and distributors in the medical field. We would love to help you grow your audience, crush the competition, and win new customers for your business.

Contact us today to learn more.