Medical device manufacturers and even some healthcare providers love to update their marketing initiatives, and with good reason. Sure, there will always be a need for health services on some level, but attracting new patients, users, or hospital partners each year means tailoring campaigns to ever-changing health trends. The U.S. was already projected to spend 5% more on healthcare advertising in 2020 before COVID-19; imagine how much that spending has increased in just the past two to three months alone.
Now, we’re not clairvoyant, so it’s hard to say how this fiscal year will play out, especially with an ongoing pandemic to navigate. However, we can make predictions based on recent trends in both the marketing and medical device/healthcare industries. Take a look at the changes below and let us know what you think: does your medical company need to fine-tune their marketing strategy this 2020?
1. Increased Targeted Local Advertising
In the medtech industry (i.e., in the land of innovative technology), ads have become more targeted and local than ever before. We’re seeing many companies take advantage of geofencing, in particular, attracting customers within their “zone” or community.
What does effective targeted digital advertising look like? For some, it’s a timely social media ad for a disposable mask or related protective gear. For others, it’s keyword targeting or using SEO to leverage Google Maps ads. Either way, the technology is getting more precise, and with a wealth of local demographic information at your fingertips, it’d be a shame not to use it.
2. Greater Emphasis on Customer Reviews
When you’re searching for a healthcare company, you’re entrusting that service with something important—your very well-being. Meaning you need to be darn sure that that business produces exemplary results. The same goes for hospitals and other healthcare providers who source medical devices from manufacturers or other providers.
To find the best medical practices, many of us would seek out the recommendations of a friend. But what if we told you that 84% of customers trust a thoughtful, thorough review just as much?
The key for medical marketers, then, is to showcase those reviews! Maybe that means sprinkling positive customer testimonials throughout your site’s homepage. Or how about a blog post with a case study (given you’ve received consent from the patient or data from the hospital, of course)?
Finally, we always recommend responding to your Google reviews when you get them, whether they’re positive or negative. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your professional communication skills, and make a dissatisfied client feel heard when their experience was less than stellar.
3. Incorporating More of That “Human Touch”
In the age of overwhelming COVID-19 statistics, it’s easy for patients and end users to feel like numbers and figures rather than people. The solution? Emphasizing your company’s humanity and mission by boosting social engagement.
Let’s say many of your customers have similar coronavirus-related questions. You could tackle those queries and alleviate worries through a regular blog post or e-newsletter on your site. Perhaps you’ll describe a customer case study (again, with consent) and segue into what we can learn from that customer’s experience, especially in a time of ever-changing regulations and best practices. Validating a customer’s concerns and offering dependable solutions are great ways to make them feel safe, heard, and above all, in good hands with your brand.
4. Making the Most of PPC Ads
Your medical company is the most knowledgeable, reputable business out there—you know that. How can you be sure your potential customers know it too, especially when most users only review the first three results on Google? Why, a good ol’ Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad, of course, placing you right at the top of those search results. After all, many of us unconsciously think of the highest-ranking results as the most authoritative, or the “best” ones.
Remember the targeted local ads we mentioned earlier? Those pair nicely with PPC marketing. You can even arrange for your ads to appear at certain times of day—during your hours of operation, perhaps, should a local client wish to swing by your practice in between errands. And if you’re a smaller practice, deliberately-placed PPC ads generally save you money in the long run, so that your marketing budget doesn’t go to waste.
Snap: Award-Winning Digital Marketing for Your Medical Company
Healthcare and medical device marketing requires strong attention to detail, flexibility, and a willingness to stay on top of current events, now more than ever. Thankfully, here at Snap, we’re committed to delivering marketing campaigns that offer all of those qualities and more. If you need help with overall direction, Google ad campaigns, or choosing just the right words for a blog post, we’ve got you. Go on, shoot us a message, and stay ahead of the curve this 2020.