Tip the Scales: How to Nurture Customers and Drive Leads in Today’s Healthcare Space

In these uncertain times, how can medical device companies build and maintain relationships with healthcare professionals, provide service to existing customers, or drive leads and sales?

· Hospital access is limited for non-essential personnel, and for good reason

· Conferences have been cancelled as a matter of public safety

· Networking events and trade shows have stalled for the foreseeable future

That all means fewer face-to-face conversations. Rare opportunities to make new introductions. Limited potential for product demonstrations. The list goes on.

How do you maintain your sales funnel?

The limitations of our current health crisis are slowly stealing the advantage of sales teams from doing what they do best in person. Hospitals still need your products, but cannot engage as directly as they used to.

There is a solution, and it’s been in front of you all this time. That solution is inbound marketing.

Your marketing team has likely spent some time on inbound. Unfortunately, it probably dropped in priority due to other initiatives. Now is the time to make it a focus. It will drive more leads for the sales team, while maintaining a strong presence with your customers.

HubSpot defines inbound marketing as “a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. While outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want, inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have.”

What makes it especially relevant during our current social restrictions is that it’s all digital.

And you know that’s where your customers are living right now.

More than ever, the strength of inbound marketing can keep you in front of them. What you need first is a content plan to educate, inform, and support.

Creating content: Your plan of action

Here are four considerations to get you started:

1. Consider your content topics to be one of these three buyer’s journey pillars: awareness, consideration, and decision. What types of content do healthcare professionals need to be aware of when it comes to your product(s)? What do they need to consider your product(s)? And what can you provide to help make a decision?

2. Create a content plan and calendar based on the above and the needs of your business (new product launches, new messaging, etc.)

3. Establish if you’ll need external support to create the plan and the content, or if you have in-house skills and talent to consistently strategize, write, edit, and design

4. Place a priority on content creation execution in a routine, consistent manner for the long-term to reap full benefits of your content efforts

The key to inbound marketing success

There is a crucial key to inbound marketing success and creating content to drive leads. It’s called distribution.

Herein lies an inherent strength of content creation: It supports all your inbound channels.

· Social media – Fills your social media calendar, helps to create offers, educates audience by platform, and increases followers/engagement

· Email marketing – Allows you to share customer-centric information, drives website traffic, and increases newsletter opt-ins

· Website– Improves the likelihood you’ll be found in search, drives traffic, improves backlinks, educates your clients, and increases leads

More tips for content success

Your content can be repurposed and distributed many times over (and it should be). The effort to create value for your audience doesn’t have to be retired after one use. Here are three tips to make the most of your content:

1. Focus on re-sharing your highest performing content assets

2. Combine similar topic content pieces into a gated content asset

3. Always add a CTA or directive for what you want your reader to do next (download guide, request information, learn more)

In closing – drive more leads to close those sales

It’s difficult to fill your medical device sales funnel when face-to-face time is limited. But you can tip the scales in your favor.

Interacting with your potential and current customers is critical to educate, support, and build relationships. Now is the time to lean on the strength of inbound marketing to build those relationships, drive leads for your sales team, and stay in front of your customers.

Looking for inbound marketing support and skill? Contact me today for a free 30-minute consultation.