INTRODUCTION
Content marketing can help grow your company’s brand visibility, build its reputation and draw prospects through your sales funnel. According to Demand Metric, content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional marketing and costs 62 percent less.
However, a 2016 HIMSS survey on the state of B2B content marketing in healthcare reveals a gap between goals and efficacy. While lead generation was identified as the primary objective of content marketing, only 4 percent of respondents with a strategy in place thought their efforts were “very effective.”
The same study identified the main reasons for this disconnect, including: challenges producing engaging content, lack of content consistency, limited variety and difficulty measuring success. The best content marketing in health tech involves overcoming these obstacles and establishing expertise.
Following are some content marketing tips for health tech companies.
Develop and document a content strategy. As with other forms of marketing, content marketing requires a specific plan of action to be effective. Consider your business goals, target market, audience needs and overall branding initiatives when developing your tactics. Once established, publish your plan and share it with your marketing team. Every piece of content they create must align with your overall strategy.
For example, if your company is focused on brand awareness among primary care providers, your team should create content that is highly tailored to them instead of the industry as a whole.
Create relevant and engaging content. Producing consistent, high-quality material proves to be a challenge for many health tech companies. This is where your subject matter experts (SMEs) can help. They are a valuable, knowledgeable resource that should be involved in content curation and creation whenever possible. For instance, Cleveland Clinic uses its in-house experts to review and approve technical content before it is published on its Health Essentials blog.
SMEs should participate in interviews or brainstorming sessions with your marketing staff, or they could even create content of their own. Before you embark on a strategy, make sure to establish expectations. If you’re conducting an interview, have your marketing team research the topic and create an outline to help stay on track. If your SMEs have a hand in writing, include a disclaimer that their work is subject to edits. Have the SME review the final draft and share feedback with your marketing team to help guide future efforts.
Use appropriate distribution channels. Take advantage of the various digital and social media platforms available to connect with your target market. Remember, it is better to excel at a handful of channels than to be partially present on many. Research where your audience gathers online and go from there. For example, if your target market is primarily on LinkedIn, your team should spend time developing white papers, slide decks and informative articles to help peak interest.
Hashtags such as #HealthTech and #MedTech should be included with your content to make it easier to find. Similarly, your team should join relevant LinkedIn groups to participate in discussions and further establish your company’s brand within the industry.
Health 2.0, for instance, is a collaborative group dedicated to the advancement of new health technologies. Members have access to resources such as global conferences, thought leadership roundtables and leading market intelligence. Innovations in Health is another LinkedIn group focused on improving quality and process within healthcare organizations. Its members include industry experts, consultants, administrators, executives and other healthcare professionals.
Integrate content marketing with sales efforts. Equip your sales team with valuable content to help them establish relationships with prospects, and eventually, convert more leads to sales. Social selling, for instance, incorporates content with the salesperson’s social media networks to help educate potential customers and answer questions before they are ready to buy.
Your marketing team should emphasize the role content plays throughout the buying cycle and provide sales staff with tips about how and when to use it. At the same time, sales staff can provide insight into prospect trends, such as pain points, recurring questions and concerns to help direct content marketing efforts.
Be patient. Content marketing will not produce immediate results. Instead, think long-term when setting your goals and allow 12-18 months to see results. Most B2B health tech buyers need to interact with your content regularly throughout their buying cycle before making a decision.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media offers healthcare IT companies and startups services related to media relations, email marketing, investor relations, tradeshow marketing, content marketing and social media management. Please contact Brian Lee, brian [at] experiencerevelation.com or 608-622-7767.
Reputation does matter, which is why it’s important for hospitals and healthcare systems to raise community awareness of their commitment to advancing patient-centered care. One way to achieve this goal is through applying and being recognized for healthcare industry awards, such as