When rushing to equip your medical device marketing support with the latest digital apps, you want to ensure your digital marketing efforts are aligned with your overall sales and marketing objectives. Many medical device companies are overlooking this important component.
What’s more important, however, is whether or not you have strongly emphasized to your sales force how to effectively use the digital tools you have in place for them. This includes giving them the tools to best position themselves to partner with physicians and provide the information they need to educate physicians and their patients as to why they should be using your device and how it’s going to benefit them.
iPad Distribution
It’s important for an administrator to be able to log into a system that is web-based and upload content which wirelessly and dynamically syncs with all sales reps’ iPads. This information is needed now by the sales rep. They require a one-stop shop, so to speak. They shouldn’t have to track down an old email sent weeks ago. All information should be right at their fingertips.
The iPad is perfect for sales presentation tools for medical device marketing. Sales reps can sync their videos, PDF’s, and documents with their iPads as well as presentation tools.
Presentation tools can be a very big help. For instance, if the rep only has about 90 seconds with the surgeon following a surgery, they need to have the ability to quickly get his key message or proposition out. Interactive presentation tools over the iPad can allow them to visually show benefits and features to engage the surgeon, physician, or clinician.
Mobile Content Management
Mobile content management is another area that a medical devices’ sales force could benefit from, in addition to inbound marketing for medical devices
Technology in this area will always be changing; however, it’s important to have a way of getting information out to your field-based representatives for managing content on their devices. A key area is being able to push interactive content and documents dynamically to mobile devices and control that content.
At both a cost and practical standpoint, leveraging the content that has been created across various platforms is essential. For instance, if you create content that compliments part of a learning management app, you should look at repurposing and reutilizing those assets on your website or mobile application making it an integrated whole.
Mobile Apps
Clients and customers want mobile applications. Interacting with your sales reps to get feedback on what’s working in the field will help you determine what would make an effective mobile app. A good standpoint in marketing is to travel or meet with your sales reps, meet with the sales advisory board, understand challenges and administrative tasks the sales reps are doing and understand their sales call in order to develop an app that will align with their selling techniques instead of simply putting out an app that might not fit with how they sell.
Final Thoughts
Today’s medical device marketing needs to take into account that there are no longer separate communities. That is, the medical device manufacture, physician, and patient are not separate and distinct entities when it comes to marketing medical devices. Rather, they should be seen as one connected network, and physicians and patients need to have educational resources, mobile tools, online communities to understand the benefits of a medical device.
