The Doctor’s In: How Content Marketing Can Enhance the Medical Device Industry

Content marketing opens a new world of opportunity for medical device manufacturers and related brands to communicate their message.

By using a combination of smart digital formats — websites, blog posts, social media, articles, newsletters, case studies, and white papers — you can reach and influence everyone in your target audience.

Here are five tips to help you create winning content right now.

1. Lead with the latest news

Every day brings dozens and dozens of headlines about innovations in medical technologies, diagnoses, and treatments. With so much to consider and process, medical professionals may find keeping up with it all a challenge.

By focusing on trending news and emerging stories, you can produce timely, topical blog posts and social media updates that not only demonstrate your awareness of key issues in the medical tech industry but also help your current and potential customers stay on top of things.

Medical news is clearly relevant, but general news can also serve as a jumping-off point for your product advantages. Streamline and automate your news gathering process by subscribing to Google News and appropriate trade and consumer email newsletters. The written materials you develop gives your readers the opportunity to enhance their own position as an industry leader by reposting your high-value content and links.

2. Develop thought leadership

White papers, case studies, and bylined article contributions can all work together to establish your company as an industry thought leader. Avoid articles that can come off as sales-oriented or self-promotional. Instead, focus on topics of interest to the publication’s readers from a vendor-neutral perspective. Citing viable, respected third-party sources in these pieces enhances your credibility. Longer pieces like these can raise the stature of your brand by offering useful information that either informs and educates or helps your customers solve problems. Without a word of advertising, they showcase your intellectual wealth and leadership.

3. Delve into the details

White papers can be an ideal medium for presenting and explaining product specifications. Communicating your message through longer, more in-depth content like this allows you to showcase new or best-selling products from A to Z.

Organize your presentation in digestible chunks that are easy for readers to scan and highlight major points. You can also use white papers to highlight trends in the medical industry, providing in-depth commentary that includes industry forecasts and analysis. Several medical device companies, such as Cerner, have extensive archives of white papers that show the true power of this medium.

Website visitors are usually more than happy to exchange basic contact information for a free download of a white paper, as long as they perceive that the content will be valuable to them.

4. Harness social media power

According to Google, one in twenty google searches are health-related. Take advantage of this opportunity by publishing social media updates that focus not only on topical issues within your industry — especially pertaining to specific conditions and symptoms — but also on how your products can help doctors treat these conditions.

Bear in mind that using #hashtags on social media platforms makes it easier for customers and prospects to find your posts when searching for the latest news and breakthroughs. Be sure to monitor analytics so you know exactly what to tweak for better performance metrics going forward. At the same time, be patient. The power of content marketing requires time to take hold and gain momentum. And who knows? Your content just might go viral if it’s stellar enough.

5. Use engaging visuals

The use of infographics is one of the smartest ways for technology-related brands to promote their products, services, and causes. The visual simplicity of an infographic can give customers and prospects a better understanding of how a complex product works. Pinterest has dozens of great infographic examples specific to the medical device industry.

But don’t forget that although effective visual content can attract consumers and prospective clients, it’s the written content that conveys your message, creates thought leadership, and establishes credibility.

No doubt your competitors are already harnessing the power of content marketing, so don’t get left behind. Develop a workable, sustaining content marketing strategy based on realistic resources. If you’re concerned about your plan becoming a time-intensive burden, you’re not alone. More and more brands are turning to professional agencies like Prose Media to create content in a cost-effective way, so they can stay focused on running their business. Our highly vetted writers are available to research, develop, write, and edit content that will attract customers, elevate your brand, and keep your editorial calendar humming. Sign up today for free, no-obligation access to our platform. We would love to see what you have in mind.