By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Medical Device DTC Marketing: Digital Co-Marketing and the Power of the Referral (Part 3 of 4)
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > Medical Device DTC Marketing: Digital Co-Marketing and the Power of the Referral (Part 3 of 4)
BusinessMedical DevicesTechnology

Medical Device DTC Marketing: Digital Co-Marketing and the Power of the Referral (Part 3 of 4)

Dan Stempel
Dan Stempel
Share
7 Min Read
medical marketing strategy
SHARE

medical marketing strategyThird in a four part series describing a unique digital marketing strategy for medical device companies that has been proven to drive ROI for both device companies and their clients.

medical marketing strategyThird in a four part series describing a unique digital marketing strategy for medical device companies that has been proven to drive ROI for both device companies and their clients.

In the initial blogs, I introduced the challenges device companies commonly face with DTC marketing and identified which device companies may be best suited for this approach.  In this post, I discuss the key elements of the strategy.

At its highest level, the strategy has 3 basic components:

More Read

Image
Beyond the Buzz: The Ultimate List of the Best Free Social Media Management Tools for Your Healthcare Marketing
China Medical Device Reimbursement: Securing Coverage
3 Doctor’s Telemedicine Questions Answered
Promising New Patient Recovery Science
How The Medical Device Industry Lobbies
  1. Targeted online promotion – Of the hundreds of online media options, focus in on the top 3-5 for producing lead activity. Depending on budget, this usually involves paid search marketing on the big 3 (Google, Yahoo, MSN), display advertising (albeit very focused), Facebook advertising and possibly contextual advertising.  By no strange coincidence, all of these options provide the condition targeting mentioned in the first blog.  Additionally, you will need to develop some understanding of how best to target within each of these media (e.g. via techniques like keyword targeting, geo-targeting, interest-based targeting, match type variation, day-bidding, extensions, language-based campaigns…..), as solid ‘in-media’ targeting can allow you to produce 2-3X performance vs. others.
  2. Microsites – Any seasoned online marketer will tell you that getting a qualified (website) visitor is only half the battle…’converting’ that visitor (to an actual patient contact (aka lead or ‘referral’)) is a completely different challenge.  While some agencies espouse ‘landing pages’, we have found that the medical consumer (patient) typically needs to consume multiple pages of content (e.g. learn more about the physician/hospital, more about the potential treatments, see testimonials, before & afters, etc.) before making a decision and that landing pages are not typically up to the task.  On the other hand, the typical hospital/practice website has too many competing concerns (e.g. patient forms/portals for existing patients, content on completely unrelated conditions/procedures) to have the requisite focus on (and conversion for) your targeted condition/procedure.   We have had our best experiences using microsites with the following characteristics:
    • Localized (MD/Hospital-centered) – Like the old political saying, we believe that ‘All Medicine is Local’; patients are primarily interested in finding a local resource (doctor/practice/hospital) that is the best (and most experienced) for their particular condition.  Despite our ‘device’ biases, technology can be a significant influencer, but is not generally the driver of these decisions.   A microsite that clearly is local to the searcher (through URL, imagery, or content) and helps create a one-to-one bond between patient and physician is generally best.  If the website is too ‘commercial’ (device focused), it will be unlikely to be accepted by the practice and will be transparent to the patients (i.e., it won’t convert well).
    • Co-branded – You wouldn’t be involved if there wasn’t an opportunity to promote your technology….understood.  The typical device company has developed far better digital marketing assets (e.g., animations, illustrations, video testimonials, messaging, FAQs…) than any given doctor/hospital.  By weaving this great content into a microsite structure, you make it easy for your clients to have a more ‘full-featured’ website than they otherwise might have (and simultaneously get to highlight your product). 
    • Conversion-optimized – Maximizing conversion (of visitors to leads/referrals) is both an art and a science that is generally only understood through significant testing.  We have written multiple blog posts on the subject, and integrate much of what we’ve learned on our microsites.  For instance, video (used on the microsite) has been shown to increase conversion rates by 15-25%.  Other factors like CTA (call-to-action) prominence, testimonials, and ‘just right’ content (usually 4-6 pages) are important as well.
    • Low-cost (free?) –  To facilitate program adoption, you need to be able to execute customized microsites quickly (less than a month) and at minimal cost (we usually provide them for free).  To do this economically, we have leveraged template-based microsites on a CMS (content management system) platform that still retain high-quality design and content.

Although having a ‘parallel’ website is sometimes a concern to clients, if the website is free, as nice (nicer?) than their own, its conversion potential proven, and you are co-funding promotion, any objections will usually disappear.  

  1. Comprehensive tracking & reporting –  To prove your ROI (and you WILL need to prove your ROI), you need to track actual leads/referrals (people contacting the practice) specific to the program.   This will involve online contacts, but more importantly offline (phone) contacts, which generally constitute the majority of high quality leads.  It doesn’t stop there, however.   Physicians are inherently skeptical of ‘leads’ and will need to know which progressed on to appointments.  With a quality phone tracking solution, you should have access to call recordings and can have these audited for appointment activity.  Of course, HIPAA (patient privacy) issues become paramount here, but these issues are manageable with the right structure and resources. 

If this process is followed correctly and systematically, you will be able to show each of your clients a very clear (and believable) picture of the leads, appointments, procedures and revenue driven from the program.  In other words, you will prove the return-on-investment they are receiving.   Once they see this for a few months (and have the ability to audit it themselves for validity), they become believers and will be willing to continue funding your program (perhaps paying for it completely themselves).

In my last blog of the series, I will show the types of results this strategy helped achieve for a couple of different medical device companies.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

How-to-Market-Your-Practice-to-MillennialsBIG
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

How to Market Your Practice to Millennials

April 19, 2016

What is a Safety Net Provider? Interview with NAPH CEO Dr. Bruce Siegel

May 11, 2011
Technology

How Technology Is Changing The Face Of Medical Treatment

February 14, 2018
Obamacare
BusinessFinanceHealth Reform

Millennials: Obamacare Costs Less Than Your Cell Phone Bill

June 30, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?