9 Ways Medical Device Companies Can Generate Leads During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Many medical device and medical therapy companies are shutting down production and sending workers home in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are even pulling the plug and cutting losses by canceling expenditures such as marketing efforts. However, companies who stick with it and find new ways of marketing can still be generating leads and producing sales in this uncertain time.

The truth is, marketing can’t stop right now. “This is the time to really bring your online game up…If you are trying to do business today and you are not feeling good about how you represent yourself online, this is me shaking you by the shoulders. It was important before the pandemic. It’s imperative now,” says Joe Hage, Medical Device Marketing Consultant and Chairman of the Medical Devices Group. Marketing needs are not ceasing, but they could be shifting. You may find yourself in one of these scenarios and have even more of a need for urgent medical device marketing.

1)   Your company wants to send an email or create a landing page for clients and consumers outlining what you are doing differently in light of recent events. This could include announcements about office closures, updates on delays in production and shipping, or even a personal statement from a company executive reaching out to reassure clients.

2)   Press releases are an immediate need if your medical device or production company is responding to the COVID-19 crisis by changing production to create medical equipment that is urgently needed at hospitals and for patients around the globe. Charitable contributions and local-level response efforts also warrant a press release or blog post.

3)   People everywhere are making hard decisions about their priorities. Your medical device company may want to remind your clients that your device, therapy, or care is still important to their overall health and should not be ignored, even in times of crisis. Reassuring your lead list with a personalized email campaign can help bring prospects back to buying.

4)   If you’ve been waiting for your telemedicine request to be approved, you may have found yourself suddenly being ushered through the red tape to support new, remote services. Patients need clear instructions on how to use these services and can be given these through an email or by using a PDF brochure, ePamphlet, or website landing page.

5)   The span of the pandemic is changing at such rapid speed, what you wrote about last night may be reversed by the next morning. Keep clients updated throughout the coming weeks and months with emails and blogs about the estimated production time of new devices or when visits for medical therapies might resume.

6)   If you aren’t doing so already then please, stay at home! This can make it a struggle to give patients and clients information you would normally relay in person. A good medical writer can turn this information into written content that’s accessible on a new webpage or through a new email series.

7)   Social distancing is a reality around the globe, which means the conference you were planning to unveil your new medical device at is probably postponed indefinitely. Don’t wait forever to start gathering and nurturing leads. Reach out to people in other ways with creative social media or email marketing campaigns.

8)   The healthcare world is changing rapidly and hurdles for bringing your medical device to market are probably being pushed aside left and right. You may have a much faster run from concept to approval and manufacturing which means also having marketing materials ready to go quickly. A new website, email list opt-in, or welcome email campaign is just the thing to get your device and brand out into the world.

9)   The world is looking at a new definition for normal, but that doesn’t mean everything needs to change. Give your clients and patients a sense of normalcy by keeping up with regular blogging and social media. Albeit, changing the tone or topics of your content is also necessary to match the changing times. But this type of regular connection provides support and comfort to consumers or shows them that your medical device company is still weathering the storm.

This will be over eventually, and you don’t want your product or therapy to be the last thing on someone’s mind when they finally step out into the daylight again. As we shift into an uncertain future, one thing remains abundantly clear… the need for medical marketing services is right now.