When we launched KBK, the focus was to support a very niche vertical in healthcare. Not all healthcare is created equal. Manufacturers, distributors and service providers in the supply chain management segment know this. They require a lot of background knowledge and experience. With over 50 years of experience in the space, we were poised to help.
We knew that the way people research, connect, build relationships, and make purchasing decisions was fundamentally shifting. This meant identifying, educating, and implementing the most innovative, forward thinking sales & marketing strategies our industry has ever seen.
Basically, we needed to lead change in the way manufacturers, distributors and service providers build relationships with their customers in the supply chain. The way they prospect, engage, and gain lasting committed customers, was fundamentally changing.
What I’ve learned is…
- Inbound marketing methodology is not recognized as a critical piece in a health care supply chain’s marketing strategy. We were very excited about educating on the best approach to grow the lead gen, networking and business growth pool. We came in with this new knowledge called Inbound Marketing. We shared slides and infographic laden images of the buyer’s journey. Made sense! Or did it?
- Helping the industry recognize that their researching, trust building and engaging are the same as their customers - it requires education. Enter Social Media. Why, because business is social, sales is social. And SM provides quick access to answer questions. Clinicians, distributors, and patients are going social to complain about issues with products, wait times in ER’s, distributor issues and to follow content shared by industry associations, media, etc. It’s a great tool and it’s your first touch to share your brand.
- The need to recognize a buyer’s journey is a work in progress. Industry websites are lacking in critical pieces to a take the buyer from researcher to customer. When they start researching, are you who they find? Not just when they're ready to buy, when they're researching. Helping map out that journey of your buyer is essential and your website is your first touch point. You want to provide a clear path for your customers to walk their way through from the first touch of research, to why buy now, and why from you.
- Networking is still viewed as what you do person to person. It’s true…… "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime." Teach your team to get social. It’s networking on steroids, your business growth and sustainability will reflect that.
- Sales/Marketing aka “Smarketing”, online marketing, or inbound marketing is a methodology that requires a lot of moving parts. Communicating that to our industry is it’s own blog series!
It begins with a discovery conversation.
- What are the Goals?
- What are current Plans?
- What are your Commitments?
- What’s worked?
- What hasn't?
- What are the Challenges?
- What is the Timeline you need to reach your goals?
Next, we develop a strategy to help you achieve those goals around given campaigns. The moving parts consists of a team that are experts in their given focus area.
We know that 61% of global Internet users research products online. Healthcare, and the supply chain, are a big part of that research. These stats will continue to grow, and we will continue to support the industry we know and love with tools, methodology, and an outstanding team of professionals, to get our clients to those quantifiable outcomes.
Image courtesy via: ShutterStock.com
