A complete overview of content marketing for medical devices

You’ve probably heard of content marketing by now, after all, 82% of marketers say that they’re actively investing in it, but maybe you’re wondering what people really mean by content marketing. What exactly does it involve and what’s all the fuss about?

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic approach to creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract, engage and retain your audience.

The term content marketing covers a broad range of activities which we’ll discuss later in the article, but they differ from other marketing activities because they are not directly promotional. Sometimes, your company, products or services won’t be mentioned at all.

Instead, this strategy aims to engage users through topics that they’re interested in and by answering their questions. Content marketing should provide information, entertainment, and educational value to consumers.

The benefits of content marketing

When hearing that content marketing isn’t actually a promotional activity, your first thought may be “Well, what’s the point then?”.

Understandably, you might not initially see the value of this type of marketing, but it actually offers lots of benefits.

• Building trust and authority

  One of the most significant benefits of content marketing is that it’s extremely effective for building trust with your audience, which is vital to earning sales over time. After all, who is going to buy from a company they don’t trust?

  Content marketing builds trust in several ways:

• Providing value

  By creating sharable, unbiased and valuable content you demonstrate a genuine desire to help and educate your audience. When people find your content informative, useful, or entertaining, they begin to trust your brand as a reliable source of information.

• Establishing expertise

  Consistently producing high-quality content showcases your knowledge and expertise in your industry or niche. When you consistently provide valuable insights, tips, or solutions to common problems, you position yourself as a knowledge leader in the mind of your audience.

• Transparency and authenticity

  Content marketing allows you to express your brand’s personality and values. Being transparent about your processes, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, and showcasing real customer stories or testimonials help build authenticity which also fosters trust among your audience.

• Building relationships

  Content marketing encourages engagement and interaction with your audience. Responding to comments, addressing questions, and fostering conversations through your content humanises your brand and shows that you genuinely care about your audience. This interaction helps establish personal connections over time.

• Consistency and reliability

  Regularly producing and sharing valuable content demonstrates your commitment and reliability. When your audience sees that you consistently deliver valuable content, they expect reliable information and insights from you.

• Social proof

  Content marketing can incorporate social proof elements such as customer testimonials, case studies, or user-generated content. When potential customers see that others have had positive experiences with your brand or products, it reinforces trust and confidence in your offerings.

• Increasing brand awareness

  Compelling content that resonates with the target audience encourages social sharing and word-of-mouth marketing, leading to broader brand visibility and exposure.

• Enhancing search engine visibility

  Search engines prioritise valuable and relevant content when determining search rankings. Producing high-quality content helps improve a website’s visibility in search results, attracting organic traffic and potential customers.

  If you would like to learn more about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), we’ve produced an SEO guide with everything you need to know.

• Driving customer engagement

  Some forms of content marketing encourage active participation and engagement from the audience, fostering a sense of community and loyalty. For example, starting discussions on a social media community, or polls in webinars.

  By providing opportunities for interaction, businesses can build stronger relationships with their customers, and understand them better.

Types of content marketing

So, now you know why content marketing matters, what does it involve?

Content marketing encompasses a huge range of activities. Any published material you create that answer’s your audience’s questions and engages in the topics that interest them, without the intention of it being directly promotional, falls under content marketing. Here’s a list of the different types of content you can use in your content marketing strategies:

• Blog posts and articles

  These are informative and engaging forms of content published on websites, covering a wide range of topics related to the business’s industry or niche.

  We’ve published an article on coming up with high-quality content ideas, to help you get started.

• Videos and webinars

  This is visual content such as product demonstrations, tutorials, interviews, and live events, offering a dynamic and interactive experience for the audience.

• Infographics and visuals

  These include eye-catching graphics, charts, and images used to present complex information in a visually appealing and easily understandable manner.

• Social media content

  As you’d expect, short and engaging posts on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are perfect for generating engagement and shareability..

• eBooks and whitepapers

  Larger pieces of content might include in-depth and authoritative resources that provide valuable insights, research findings, and industry knowledge, typically used to capture leads and establish expertise.

Can content marketing be used to promote medical devices

One of the great things about content marketing is that it can be effective in virtually any industry, as long as you have a thorough and accurate understanding of your audience.

Think about a patient who might benefit from your device. They’re not likely to be searching for your device, they’re more likely to be searching the topics around it, such as symptoms, health issues, tips for coping etc. They are looking for answers to their questions about their fears, issues and concerns. Producing this content will get you in front of them and allow you to earn their trust so that they have a more open mind when learning about your device/s.

You might not think that content marketing is likely to work with healthcare professionals, but that isn’t necessarily true. Sure, traditionally HCP learning about new medical devices has been about sales teams going into hospitals or attending congresses, but don’t doctors also search online? They might not be searching for new devices to adopt (or do they?), but they’re certainly interested in the latest insights and updates in their field. They’re probably interested in hearing from their peers.

This is why content marketing is so effective in nearly every industry because it’s completely focused on your customer, their wants and needs and the questions they’re asking. Everybody, no matter what industry they’re in, has wants, needs and questions.

Examples of medical device content marketing

If you’re not sure what content marketing looks like in the medical device space, we’ve put together some examples.

Again, this all needs to be completely focused on your customer and what they want to see and engage with.

• Educational blog posts

  Blog posts could educate healthcare professionals, patients, and industry stakeholders about the latest advancements, best practices, and regulatory updates in the medical device field. For example, an article titled “5 Innovations Revolutionizing Medical Devices” or “The latest studies on XYZ”

• Case studies

  You could showcase success stories and real-life examples of how medical devices have positively impacted patient outcomes or improved healthcare processes.

  Highlight specific devices, their features, and the benefits they offer. For instance, a case study titled “How XYZ Medical Device Improved Surgical Accuracy and Patient Recovery Time.”

• Video demonstrations

  Informative videos demonstrating how to use specific medical devices correctly and effectively could be another form of content marketing.

  These videos can serve as valuable training resources for healthcare professionals or educational materials for patients. Examples include videos showcasing the proper use of implantable devices, robotic surgical systems, or monitoring equipment.

• Expert interviews and webinars

  Conduct interviews with industry experts, medical professionals, or thought leaders to discuss topics related to medical devices. These interviews can be published as articles, podcasts, or webinar recordings. Topics could include discussions on emerging technologies, patient safety, or the future of medical devices.

• Infographics on device functionality

  Develop visually appealing infographics that explain the functionality and benefits of different medical devices. Illustrate how devices work, their key features, and how they address specific medical conditions. For instance, an infographic titled “How Implantable Cardiac Devices Support Heart Health.”

Your next steps to getting started with content marketing

Develop visually appealing infographics that explain the functionality and benefits of different medical devices. Illustrate how devices work, their key features, and how they address specific medical conditions. For instance, an infographic titled “How Implantable Cardiac Devices Support Heart Health.”

Your next steps to getting started with content marketing
We don’t expect you to be a content marketing expert after reading this article, but hopefully, this has given you a good overview of what it is, why it matters and how to do it.

If you’d like to learn more, here are some articles we’ve published that dive deeper into different areas of content marketing.

How much does an effective content marketing campaign cost?

Repurposing content: How to create more by doing less

How to come up with fresh new content ideas

How does Podymos create and execute a content marketing strategy?

Content marketing with Podymos

Do you want to communicate more effectively with HCPs and patients? Do you want to be able to deliver high-quality content as part of your larger multichannel marketing strategy? You’ve come to the right place.

Podymos is a healthcare marketing agency, specialising in downstream Medical Device marketing.

We’re more expensive than non-specialised agencies and freelance teams because we only work in the Medical Device space so we have specialist knowledge and experience that other agencies may not be able to offer you.

If you want high-quality, compliant campaigns that help achieve your business goals, we’d love to hear from you. Simply leave us your contact details below and we’ll get back to you very soon for a no-obligation chat.