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6 Huge Benefits of Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing

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Marketing automation software is taking over the medical industry. Medical manufacturing has been behind in adopting marketing automation, but that is starting to change. With medical manufacturing a $176.7 billion industry with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0%, marketing automation in medical manufacturing has never been more critical. 

Alt Text: Medical Device Manufactures Market Size Increasing, Making Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing More beneficial Than Ever

However, the industry is underutilizing marketing automation, leading to lackluster sales and growth. The benefits of using marketing automation in your medical manufacturing business are endless – but you first need to understand marketing automation and how it’s best utilized in the industry. 

Key Takeaways

  • Medical manufacturers need to take advantage of the latest marketing automation technology
  • The benefits of marketing automation for medical manufacturing outweigh the risks of adoption
  • Marketing automation allows medical manufacturers to make a large impact with a small investment

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is the process of automating essential marketing tasks to save employees time and increase efficiency. This includes creating marketing campaigns, scheduling content, and nurturing current and potential leads.

To effectively use marking automation, your business needs to have a defined strategy for marketing. This strategy should provide your employees with specific objectives and KPI’s, and ensure that the automation aligns with your overall marketing strategy.

How is Marketing Automation Used in Medical Manufacturing?

Marketing automation is used throughout the entire medical manufacturing process, including:

  • Pre-filling of order forms/documents
  • Document and PDF follow-ups
  • Pre-sending of automated emails
  • Email campaigns
  • Email follow-ups
  • Lead nurturing via automated emails/phone calls
  • Sales follow-ups

There are also many other ways marketing automation can be used in the medical manufacturing industry. When done correctly, there are multiple significant benefits to using this process in medical manufacturing.

6 Significant Benefits of Marketing Automation in Medical Manufacturing

Your medical manufacturing business can grow quickly and efficiently with the help of marketing automation. If you have yet to implement marketing automation in your manufacturing business, then you’ll be interested in these six benefits:

1. Saves You Time

One of the most significant benefits of marketing automation for any industry is the amount of time it saves your team. Research shows that at least 30% of business owners, executives, and marketers say that the most significant benefit of marketing automation is saving time. 

Marketing automation in medical manufacturing can save significant time for workers, with studies showing that 30% of business owners, executives, and marketers alike say it's the biggest benefit worth considering.

In the medical manufacturing industry, this translates into the ability to respond to leads faster, which in turn increases your sales and revenue. With sales being one of the most critical factors in any business, it is essential to have the ability to scale and manage sales quicker and with higher efficiency. 

2. Increases Efficiency

Another benefit of marketing automation is that it will increase the efficiency of your employees. This will improve both your workplace productivity and the quality of your products. 

This is especially true in medical manufacturing, as employees have to spend a lot of time filling out manual forms and templates. 

With marketing automation, your employees can spend most of their time creating new content and following up with leads and customers. 

3. Helps You Scale Your Business

One of the main reasons medical manufacturing businesses are slow to adopt marketing automation is that they don’t see this software as valuable. 

Their biggest concern is not the technology, but the time spent and the amount of money it takes to implement. However, the time and effort saved from utilizing marketing automation software can significantly increase the growth of your medical manufacturing business. 

Medical manufacturing companies that take advantage of marketing automation software will be able to grow and scale much more quickly than those that don’t, becoming more profitable and eventually reaching the next level.

4. Boosts Your Sales

The medical manufacturing business is a highly competitive industry, which makes the use of marketing automation even more valuable. 

Not only will the adoption of marketing automation allow your company to grow, but it will also help you achieve sales targets and increase your profits faster. 

Implementing marketing automation in your medical manufacturing business will allow you to quickly scale your sales efforts. You will also be able to utilize more effective marketing campaigns, which will result in an improved ROI (return on investment).

5. Increases Customer Satisfaction

Another positive benefit of marketing automation in medical manufacturing is the increase in customer satisfaction. This is primarily due to the automation of key business processes, which directly correlates with your customers’ satisfaction.

Automating the sales process and lead nurturing will provide your customers with the most efficient and profitable service possible. 

With a focus on increasing customer satisfaction and improving the quality of your services, you will have a more substantial customer base, which will increase customer lifetime value.

6. Raises Visibility

Another benefit of marketing automation in medical manufacturing is the increased visibility. As customers become more familiar with your brand, and as they stay connected with you, they will not only continue coming back for future business – but they will also start to speak highly of you to others.  This results in greater brand awareness and a better overall reputation, which translates into better leads and more sales.

Give Your Marketing Strategy a Boost Today

When building your marketing strategy, it can be challenging to try and figure out what will provide you with the results you need. At Share Moving Media, we are dedicated to helping your business grow and thrive, and we are committed to advancing your company through effective marketing.

As a full-service media and content company, we can help you implement and grow your marketing strategy to help you increase your market share and stay ahead of the competition.

If you’re interested in what we can do for your team, contact us today! Or you can sign up for our newsletter for more marketing tips and tricks for medical manufacturers!

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!

What You Need to Know When Searching for a Medical Manufacturing Marketing Agency

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Marketing budgets aren’t limitless. That’s a fact.

When deciding where to put your marketing dollars, you’ve got to be smart. This is especially true for the hyper-competitive medical manufacturing field.

Do it right, and you can tap into a vast market. In medical devices alone, the United States remains the world’s largest supplier, claiming 40 % ($156 billion) of the global market in 2017. By 2023, the U.S. market share is expected to equal $208 billion. Some of the bigger device manufacturers in the U.S. are Medtronic, Stryker, Boston Scientific, BD, Baxter and 3M just to name a few.

A medical manufacturing marketing agency can help you get a bigger piece of that pie by boosting your brand to grow your market share. Finding the right agency is the first step.

Here’s what you need to know when searching for a healthcare product marketing agency. 

Not All Healthcare Marketing Agencies Are Created Equal

Look for a marketing agency that specializes in medical manufacturing and intimately understands, IDNs, GPOs and Medical Distribution. They should either be dedicated to healthcare marketing or, at the least, have a dedicated healthcare vertical.  

To verify this kind of expertise, you can:

  • Check Former Clients: Many marketing agencies include the logos of big-name clients on their websites. This is an easy first stop when researching a medical manufacturing marketing agency. If this info isn’t available online, ask directly.
  • View a Portfolio: Request to see a portfolio of relevant work. Medical manufacturing covers a huge range of products, from hearing aids to catheters and stents. Ideally, the agency will have experience in your niche.
  • Request Resumes: Ask for resumes of team members who will handle your medical marketing needs. Their experience should be clearly healthcare-focused – maybe they even used to work in the field in a “boots on the ground” role like medical device sales.

All of this adds up to expertise – and that’s precisely what you want. You don’t want generalist marketing. You want medical manufacturing marketing, provided by people who are passionate about the field. They will bring valuable knowledge because they know the industry from the inside out. 

They’ve been in hospitals, at doctor’s offices, and at R&D facilities, talking to the people who matter: the Supply Chain Leaders. And guess what? Harvard Business Review reports that the most successful brands focus on users, not buyers.

What to Look for in a Medical Manufacturing Marketing Agency

Once you’ve narrowed down the field to a selection of healthcare marketing agencies with dedicated experience in medical manufacturing, it’s time for a more detailed assessment. 

1. Digital Knowledge

Digital marketing is already dominating other industries, from fashion to food. It’s also the future of medical manufacturing marketing. The field has been slow to catch up, but it’s making progress. With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting large-scale healthcare events, digital will gain more ground.  

Find out what digital-specific experience the agency has, requesting samples of campaigns and asking what healthcare marketing tools they use. Look for media diversity, from social platforms to online trade publications and email newsletters.

2. Comprehensive Strategy

It’s not all about digital. Physical marketing still has its place. Cross-platform capability offers the best of both worlds. The messaging of an e-publication can also be adapted to a print magazine found in a physician’s office, for example. Different audiences have different needs and wants, and the right channel depends largely on the intended audience.

Look for examples of innovation across multiple channels. Inbound and outbound marketing work best together. Digital and physical media might be complemented with educational seminars, lectures, or investigator-initiated studies, for instance.

3. Knowledge of Market Segmentation

An understanding of market segmentation and buyer intent is essential to success. Attracting the attention of best-in-class supply chain leaders or high-interest IDNs like Mayo Clinic will arguably get you further than attracting the attention of rural physicians in the Midwest.

The best marketing agencies not only have the knowledge and tools to execute campaigns across multiple channels, but they also know which channels to use to reach the desired audience. Discuss your target audiences with the agency to see how they would approach each one.

4. Measurable Results

Marketing success is measurable. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. From quantitative metrics like clicks on digital campaigns to qualitative methods like surveys on brand reputation, it’s possible to see the difference good marketing makes. Then there’s always the bottom line: sales figures. 

Ask what tools and metrics the agency will use to measure success and how these results will be reported to you. You deserve to see whether those marketing dollars you’re investing are reaping the rewards. 

5. Innovative Mindset

The fact is that marketers fight an uphill battle. Only 4% of consumers believe advertisers and marketers act with integrity. Creativity is the key to overcoming that doubt. Less “sexy” markets like medical supplies can learn from other fields – like the 2020 Superbowl ads, an example of authenticity in action.

That might seem like a wild statement to make. But it’s that kind of unconventional thinking that leads to success. Choose a medical manufacturing marketing agency that isn’t afraid to think outside the box.

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