by Jairus Marketing | Apr 28, 2023 | HCP/B2B
For many medtech companies, sending reps into the hospital for sales calls feels like a distant memory. Now, leaders must go back to the drawing board to devise new marketing and sales strategies to drive growth despite unprecedented industry challenges.
Challenge: Limited Face-to-Face Opportunity
Perhaps one of the most disruptive medtech shifts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic was the immediate elimination of access to physicians and other healthcare decision-makers. However, concerns about face-to-face interaction overshadowed industry-wide challenges even prior to COVID. Hospitals have long been trying to keep medical device marketing and sales reps out of the operating room. Administrators block access to physicians to funnel reps into conversations with gatekeepers who can slow the growth of technology costs — a tactical decision to minimize rep influence among physicians.
The pandemic didn’t create the opposition to in-person rep conversations, it only strengthened it. One survey reported that among the 75% of physicians who preferred face-to-face interactions with medtech reps before COVID, 47% now prefer virtual meetings — or fewer interactions overall.1 Considering the traditional medtech sales model hinges on getting a foot in the door with key physicians and decision-makers, administrators determined to keep these doors shut force reps to find alternative ways to make connections.
Solution
Jairus Marketing excels in reopening doors to healthcare decision-makers through its digital marketing strategies. The Jairus model circumvents traditional sales avenues by reaching decision-makers outside of the clinical setting, powering convenient and impactful engagements proven to build the pipeline. Just like the rest of us, clinicians and administrators are highly active online — the Jairus team knows where to find them and how to effectively capture their interest and generate demand.
Challenge: Time Scarcity
A shift towards RVU-based compensation for physicians means less time for “non-productive” activities, like meeting with sales professionals. Even with that drive for greater and greater productivity, doctors and administrators continue their interest in learning about new technologies that can provide better outcomes or improve the profitability of the organization.
Solution
Instead of carving out time in their tightly-packed schedules, physicians would much rather engage with follow-up efforts on their own time. Fortunately, there are more effective ways to pursue sales efforts without going back into the office. By automating the marketing and follow-up process, Jairus enables massive growth within existing sales infrastructure. This empowers full engagement with your brand and undivided attention to your message. Additionally, by providing valuable content to prospects outside of the context of a salesperson to prospect conversation, doctors and administrators can build their interest in your offering on their own time, when they are more engaged and willing to dive deeper into your value proposition. With Jairus, decision-makers are immersed in a convenient, accessible, and stress-free marketing experience that makes it easier than ever to say “yes”.
Challenge: Decrease in Physician Decision-Makers
From 2019 to 2021, hospitals and other corporate entities increased their physician employee population by 19%.3 Likewise, the percentage of corporate-owned practices grew by 39% in just two years.3 This trend spans all practice sizes and specialties. While the employment shift to larger healthcare entities, especially integrated delivery networks (IDNs), may strengthen job security and financial stability for previously independent physicians, the impact on medtech companies may prove to be detrimental.
When physicians are no longer the primary (or sole) decision-makers, innovation may take a backseat to financial constraints. This transfer of power may stifle growth and makes it exceedingly difficult for medtech companies to pique the interest of those with purchasing power if not approached correctly. This new world of medtech marketing requires companies to sell to administrators, whose agendas extend beyond clinical matters, as well as physicians. Further complicating matters, many of those administrators don’t meet with sales professionals regularly.
Solution
Medtech innovation benefits more than just patients and providers. The full picture also includes financial, practical, and administrative gains — value propositions sure to catch the eye of IDN and hospital leaders. By customizing content and messaging to hone in on what appeals the most to each audience, Jairus grants full market access to medtech companies of all sizes. By deploying marketing campaigns for all audiences, it is possible to build a coalition of support in an account. The approach we utilize leverages comprehensive audience research to inform hyper-personalized outreach efforts, broadcasting that content on the right platforms to maximize engagement and drive conversions.
Looking to future-proof your medtech marketing strategy? Learn more about how Jairus can help you effectively reach decision-makers for high-impact sales conversations.
by Jairus Marketing | Apr 19, 2023 | HCP/B2B
Physicians are increasingly recognizing the advantages of using digital tools and technology to support patient healthcare. A recent digital health report by the American Medical Association spotlights shifting physician attitudes toward digital health solutions over the past six years. For medtech companies and those marketing to physicians, this research provides new insights and opportunities for strategic initiative and audience development tactics.
Here are six notable statistics from the study that can guide medtech companies and physician marketers in their marketing efforts:
Statistic #1 | Closing the Gap Between Digital Tools and Patient Care
From 2016 to 2022, both primary care providers (PCPs) and physician specialists in all age groups grew in affinity for digital health solutions – a continual increase from 85% to 93%. Medtech companies employing digital outreach strategies to reach their target decision-makers can leverage this trend to increase digital literacy and enhance engagement with online messaging and marketing efforts.
Statistic #2 | An Inside Look Into Digital Utilization
Among the 1,300 physicians surveyed, the average number of digital tools increased from 2.2 to 3.8. This figure remained consistent across age groups, gender, and years of practice. Furthermore, those who were particularly enthusiastic about adopting technology used an average of 4.2 digital tools for their practice operations. These statistics highlight that physicians are increasingly moving towards digital solutions in their practices, and it can be safely assumed that this pattern extends beyond professional settings.
Statistic #3 | Characterizing the Digital User
The physician groups with the highest interest in digital tools include practices that are mid-to-large-sized, partially owned, in a multi-specialty setting, and those offering primary care services. Medtech companies who can activate their physician marketing strategy now have the opportunity to capitalize on this current interest with these audience segments..
Statistic #4 | Top Drivers of Digital Adoption
The three most persuasive benefits of digital health solutions include:
- Improved patient outcomes (88%)
- Streamlined workflow (88%)
- Stronger diagnostic capabilities (83%)
Knowing the value propositions that resonate with each audience can help marketing teams focus on associated pain points and offer powerful solutions to address them.
Statistic #5 | Roadblocks to Digital Engagement
In addition to identifying what your audience does want in their ideal health solution, an equally important strategy is understanding what your audience doesn’t want. The three highest ranking red flags in digital tools include:
- Tools that do not improve the standard of care (80%)
- Additional training requirements (78%)
- Any device presented without peer-reviewed research confirmation (73%)
These key elements will be hurdles if they are not cleared before employing your medtech go-to-market strategy.
Statistic #6 | Pinpointing The Decision-Maker
Despite growing interest in digital tools and health solutions, physicians prefer the passenger seat in the decision-making process. Overall, there was an 11% decline in physicians interested in spearheading these initiatives – most would rather be consulted or simply informed. Historically, physicians took the wheel for these decisions – now, the best audience may be other leaders in the same practice. However, sole practice owners remain the most invested in this process, with 27% more interest than partial owners. Physician marketers must carefully consider how this information impacts targeting efforts and suggest strategy shifts.
These are just some of the insights provided from this study. Meanwhile, the team of marketing experts at Jairus specializes in being on the leading edge of medtech market research and go-to-market strategy like this as we provide successful outcomes for our clients every day. We’d be pleased to meet with you to discuss how we can partner with you to elevate your medtech marketing efforts. Let’s talk.
Sources
AMA Digital Health Research. (September 2022). American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/ama-digital-health-study.pdf M
by Callie Miller | Apr 4, 2023 | HCP/B2B
As author Robert J. McKain once said: Strategic planning will help you fully uncover your available options, set priorities for them, and define the methods to achieve them. In the fast-paced worlds of marketing, technology and healthcare, options change and new opportunities surface continually – making it imperative for MedTech companies to avoid the antiquated model of annual strategic planning, casting in dense concrete 12 months’ worth of unalterable focus and effort.
The ability to not only recognize new opportunities in the marketplace, but to act on them with agility, is what sets successful companies apart today. By making strategic planning more than a once-a-year effort, you set yourself up to do precisely that – and the process is more effective today than ever, thanks to the advent of digital technology and all of the data that comes with it.
What goes hand-in-hand with that shift? Ensuring your sales and marketing teams are not only aligned, but fully intertwined. The traditional model of downstream vs. upstream strategies, with clear divisions between sales and marketing, is less functional (and less effective) now thanks in part to digital innovation and changes in the healthcare marketplace. While the teams may still be separate, both have an equal place at the strategic table – and should be gathering around it much more frequently than once a year.
Traditional healthcare sales and marketing efforts – cemented around in-person physician calls, bulk print collateral and tradeshow appearances – may still be somewhat effective in select scenarios, but offer sloth-like insights and results. MedTech companies that integrate digital strategies, in turn, can more nimbly gauge audience interest and demand, measure adoption and, ultimately, better predict growth. Not only that, digital strategies are often more cost-effective than traditional channels, which historically required a large, widespread sales force and significant investment in collateral, travel and media.
All of that data – generated more quickly and more accurately than ever before through digital channels – should be regularly evaluated and applied to strategic decision-making at the organizational level. To do so effectively, medical device and other B2B healthcare companies should implement more frequent strategic planning efforts. Typically, we recommend 6-month or quarterly strategic planning for Jairus clients, which provides an opportunity to evaluate growth and key marketing metrics, review market shifts and organizational changes, and re-align priorities for all teams based on those factors. These conversations also shine a bright light on efforts that are less effective, allowing companies and marketing partners to pivot resources quickly to more successful channels.
Interested in learning more about strategic planning or how Jairus partners with MedTech companies to improve sales and marketing outreach? Let us know.
by Kylee | Mar 23, 2023 | HCP/B2B
Trying to find better ways to inspire engagement with your brand?
Remember this simple fact: no one wants to be told what to do.
In other words, your target audience does not want to be pushed towards contacting you — they want to be pulled. The most effective marketing strategies in the healthcare industry are the ones that make such a strong case for your brand that physicians and clinical decision-makers can’t help but learn more or schedule a demo.
A good way to understand this is to put yourself in the shoes of the provider. They care immensely about personal relationships, as these drive the business necessary to improve patient care and grow revenue. So, if you’re pushing content to your audience in an impersonal and not entirely relevant way, they’ll reject what you have to offer.
Formula for Pulling in Leads
The first step is characterizing your value propositions, possible objections, and the sales process. Be aware of how each element can and will affect provider interest. Identify your ideal customers so you know exactly who to target and how to address their specific needs.
The next step is building assets that take these factors into account. Capitalize on the overlap between provider pain points and your value propositions — this is your best opportunity to generate and convert leads. Decision-makers want to know exactly how your technology will improve their practices. A better practice means higher patient satisfaction, which ultimately leads to greater success for the provider. This is part of the “pull” mentality — presenting interesting and engaging content that doesn’t force their hand. Prospects will spend more time learning about your brand after seeing assets that speak directly to their interests.
The third step is surrounding your audience with content on all relevant social media platforms and online channels. Reach providers in both professional and personal settings — the desire to improve their practices will be the same at home as in the hospital, office, or lab. Tie all social media platforms together so activity on one affects what they see on another, creating a hyper-personalized experience. This interactive digital conversation raises the chances of your prospects accepting calls-to-action.
The final step is following up when your audience engages. This step hinges on the ability to track which assets inspired each prospect to further interact with your company. Monitoring this information lets you see where each provider is in the buying process so you can tailor your assets to meet them where they are. Prospects who engage have clearly liked what they’ve seen so far, so the job of your sales team is to finish strong and convert that interest into a sale.
Set Your Sales Team Up for Success
Center your digital marketing strategies around pulling in leads, but focus your sales efforts on pushing those leads to a sale. After your marketing team qualifies leads and fills the pipeline with strong prospects, your sales reps can take charge and hone in on converting leads to customers.
Empower your sales team by sharing which value propositions (and their corresponding pain points) motivated each prospective client to reach out. When sales reps can dial in on what each provider specifically cares about, their conversations are much more fruitful. Equipping your reps with this information means greater success moving prospects through the sales funnel.
Creating a personal and relevant buying experience lets your audience know that you care about their needs and want to help them succeed.
Pull in qualified leads who are ready to buy. Jairus can help you implement “pull” tactics to attract warm leads primed for productive sales conversations.
by Steve Deardorff | Mar 10, 2023 | HCP/B2B
Healthcare business practices have evolved. Face-to-face interaction is no longer the leading sales tactic, and MedTech companies must adapt to the reality of unreachable decision-makers. With stagnant sales pipelines and restricted access to countless providers, healthcare innovators are scrambling to find new ways to generate leads.
Digital Opens Doors
Digital marketing paves the way for MedTech companies to get back in front of decision-makers. A recent survey found that over the past five years, digital marketing increased by over 60% in the healthcare industry, with digital taking up 40% of MedTech marketing budgets.1
As healthcare marketing moves online, the next step for MedTech companies is rededicating resources to inside sales growth. However, successfully using digital channels may require extensive internal changes.
Before diving into the “how” of digital outreach, take the time to ask yourself these questions:
- How are your sales team, marketing team, and sales operations team working together to drive revenue for your company?
- How are you creating opportunities and nurturing leads?
- How are you converting prospects?
Your answers will reveal which strategies are digital-ready — and which aren’t.
Rethinking Sales and Marketing
Despite the history of bad blood between sales and marketing, these two entities must be aligned for a successful move to digital.
The goal is to get prospects to later stages of the sales process with the least amount of time and effort. Start by giving your marketing team the front-end functions of the buying process. Marketing — not sales — is best at generating demand and building awareness for your brand. This way, your sales team isn’t responsible for the jobs they don’t want to be doing anyway, like cold calling, and your reps are supplied with prospects who are ready to buy. With just a small number of people who can say “yes” to your company, it’s in your best interest to set your reps up for success before sales conversations.
Measuring Your Success
Assess the progress of your sales and marketing integration with the following metrics:
Length of your active sales cycle
- Percentage of new customers who independently accessed marketing materials before or during the sales process
- Number of sales-qualified opportunities active in your pipeline
That last metric is a critical measurement of success. A notable advantage of digital marketing is qualifying leads ahead of time. Instead of wasting time and resources on prospects who aren’t really interested in your technology, send your sales team warm leads who are more or less ready to buy.
Achieve this with an omnichannel digital marketing strategy. Develop ads that build brand awareness and trust in your expertise, and embed links to various assets–downloadable content, landing pages, videos, etc. After launching these ads on a number of social media platforms and online channels, follow up with email retargeting to give prospects every opportunity to engage. The final piece is trackable data that shows which assets succeeded in prompting a sales conversation. Prepare your sales reps with this valuable information so they can be more persuasive and help prospects feel confident in their buying decisions.
Although COVID limited access to decision-makers, you can still get in front of your prospects in a way that is both compelling and efficient. Set your company up for success by integrating your marketing and sales efforts before you make the move to digital. Use the strengths of each team to help the other succeed, which in turn will help the entire company gain traction in the new era of post-pandemic sales.
by Kylee | Feb 24, 2023 | HCP/B2B
Are your healthcare executive prospects now working from home? Are your target accounts denying access to non-patients? It’s a tough place to be.
Thankfully, social media and an omni-channel marketing approach can help with that.
Digital marketing centers around understanding where your customers are and putting your message in front of them — doctors and life science decision-makers use social media just as much as everyone else. These platforms provide valuable opportunities to surround them with your content, regardless of whether your firm sells hip implants, revenue cycle solutions, clinical trial management software, or any other offering.
Clinicians are constantly looking for opportunities to improve their practices, but they are busy during the day….and thus unavailable to take an introductory sales call. That said, they are likely to engage when you reach them in their downtime — when they actually have time to study your content.
There are a number of social media platforms. How do you know which one to choose?
The answer: all of them.
Social media marketing isn’t about choosing one platform over another; use each to put content everywhere your prospects are looking. At Jairus, we primarily use four social channels to catch the eye of decision-makers:
Facebook
One of the most popular social media sites, Facebook is a leader in medical and life science marketing. Take advantage of the time your audience spends scrolling here in their downtime. With wide-reaching capabilities, Facebook boosts ad views, content downloads, traffic to landing pages, and more. Jairus has had major success using Facebook for the medical side of our marketing outreach efforts, reaching doctors at home, in the office, or between patients. Facebook is often the most effective paid tool for lead generation in healthcare.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn was built for networking — it’s much easier to go “viral” here than on Facebook. Gain traction with an organic following that is both effective and cost-free, leaving your marketing budget intact for very targeted campaigns. Jairus uses LinkedIn for the business side of life science marketing, as decision-makers look here for innovations to improve their labs or practices.
Twitter
Use Twitter for brand awareness and thought leadership, circulating content that promotes familiarity with your brand as an expert and leader in your field. Focus your outreach efforts less on lead conversion and more on informative content. Twitter can effectively capture the attention of the decision-makers who will advocate for the adoption of your technology. You want to be right there, waiting for them, with strong assets that appeal to their pain points and prove how you can solve them.
Youtube
We all know YouTube is the place to go for videos. You name it, Youtube has a video for it — your audience knows this, too. Upload longer video pieces, 3 to 5 minutes, that are informative and engaging. Examples include product demos and client testimonials. Integrate your videos into ads or landing pages so your audience can learn more without any extra effort. If prospects are not ready to schedule a demo, YouTube provides a strategic alternative that allows you to showcase the same content that builds toward engagement.
With the right content on the right platforms, you can effectively broadcast your brand to your audience right at home. They can see exactly what you have to offer with no extra steps or face-to-face interaction. If your prospects aren’t busy in the lab or distracted by patients, they’re more likely to dive into your content to evaluate if you’re a good fit. Don’t let the recent changes in the industry keep you from valuable sales opportunities — make the move to digital with social media marketing.
Reach decision-makers like never before. Jairus crafts personalized outreach strategies to envelope your prospects with relevant content where and when they want to see it.
