With today’s widespread internet-savvy, purchasers will most likely research a product online first. Modern medical technology is an investment, so a lot of thought and research is put into the decision-making process. Short from buying the actual equipment itself, potential purchasers will scour the internet for product reviews and industry certifications. This word-of-mouth form of advertising is often one of the most reliable yet hardest to recover from, so always be aware of online reviews and feedback.
One way to capitalize on your online presence is to apply inbound marketing strategies to your existing posts. This is a relatively cost-free way to ensure that your website gets higher click-through rates and customer satisfaction. The way to do this, however, is more complicated than it seems. There is so much content available on the internet, and within the various channels there is a plethora of choices that include both visual and written media.
These choices alone could overwhelm the typical viewer. Inbound marketing content’s role in regard to satisfying client expectation is to build a relationship of trust between the content provider — you — and the audience you wish to attract.
Inbound Marketing Benefits
Having both an enterprising and scientific mind for handling business is a rare talent to have, so handling both sides can be an issue when starting or continuing a business. It is in this pattern that inbound marketing can particularly benefit your business, leading to profits without having to sacrifice capital or income — funds that would be better used funneled back into the business. Rather than having to work to look for customers, the strategy is tailored to bring the audience closer to you, granting a more intimate and interactive experience for clients and partner businesses alike.
What Blogs Can Do For You
One way to keep track of online reviews and to keep track of your target audience’s pulse is through establishing an onsite blog. Creating an onsite blog is relatively simple and can help imbibe a more personal, human touch to the products being presented. With the advent of Google and Bing as search engines, it has become much easier to rank higher with the creation of unique and high-quality content that can also help boost the imaging industry as a whole. Writing about products, industry news, other company developments and even talking about case studies help potential purchasers in their decision-making process.
Outsourcing companies can also help create unique, high-quality content on a weekly, monthly or even quarterly basis. You can meet and collaborate with them to get the post content that is right for you and add multimedia to the posts at will. Videos, images, diagrams, infographics and attachments can add depth to the content.
Good SEO Practices
If just starting a content marketing program, one word or phrase that stands out is SEO. This stands for search engine optimization, or a method of ranking higher in search engines like Google and Bing by following through with their rules on what makes high-quality content. This includes a specific word count, external and internal authority links, images and click-through rates. An SEO specialist can be consulted to improve and maximize a blog’s chance of ranking higher on these channels, leading to higher exposure and even advertising.
Having a basic understanding of SEO can help you have a better grasp of online marketing for your business. Regardless of who creates the content, it is easy to arrange an inbound marketing methodology to fit SEO practices and increase click-through rate for the blog. Being involved in all aspects of your business bodes well for the industry, and provides better resources for those in the industry who are just starting out.
What to Write About
With so many possible modalities to cover, there are many ways to produce unique content. You can section the different fields to fit the blog’s content. Variety in these topics, from new product launches to scientific breakthroughs, will aid in bringing potential customers and enthusiasts alike to the blog. Writing in a more informal, conversational language will also draw in readers who have less knowledge of medical technology and serve to educate them.
There are many resources and online forums that can aid in writing content that is fit for your blog. News websites and offsite blogs can offer insight to the kind of content you want featured. Collaborate with the entire team to incorporate certain features into the onsite blog.
Be wary of the kind of content you do end up posting on your blog. Be sure to keep it relevant, and ensure that the videos and images that are on the blog are accurate. All content must be properly cited to avoid issues such as plagiarism in the long run. While blogs should give information, they should also help forward your content marketing plan.
Discussing Controversial Topics
In this industry, it is easy to trigger a number of heated discussions. When writing about controversial topics, be careful to present both sides of the issue and refrain from taking sides; this could lead to bad business down the road, as not all blog viewers will share the same opinions. Instead, offer your venue as a vehicle in which to instigate discussion, facilitating as you go and making sure that the discussion will allow you room to talk about your existing products and services.
Rather than courting controversy, you can tailor your blogs to discuss both sides or to provide an avenue for both sides to air out their own issues. A discussion or seminar for these topics can do wonders in enlightening the audience to these issues. Increasing participation with your target audience also leads to rising influence, so use this wisely. Do your research, and make sure that your sources are verified in order to avoid any controversy.
Blog Presence Through Social Media
Apart from creating unique, quality content, one can establish a stronger onsite blog following through integrating it via social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social sharing websites are some of the easiest to cross-post and link back to, thanks to their easily navigated user interfaces. Having more platforms online is a plus, as it can lead to increased collaboration between these platforms and fellow industry members. Collaboration of products, technology and services will make potential customers more susceptible to viewing your offerings, so make your business and all it has to offer available for social media sharing.
Social media is a form of organic content that has minimal costs, and yet is capable of having a huge impact on content marketing methodology. You are also able to interact more with potential customers and network with those who are in the same industry, here and abroad. That kind of reach using outbound marketing schemes will be costly and is not guaranteed to succeed, whereas social media is a virtually risk-free way to increase your potential in providing products and services.
The Future of Content Marketing
Online marketing has become more interactive as the years pass by. In this light, utilizing content marketing measures to make your blog posts rank higher online requires skills that can be easily learned over the internet. A good grasp of technical knowledge in writing and in the industry you work in, as well as keywords in the life sciences that potential clients may be confused about, is crucial in successful content marketing.
Apart from blogs, make use of and collaborate with other kinds of content, such as the use of infographics and producing videos. Companies are now becoming increasingly mobile and screens are shrinking to fit the palm of someone’s hand, so fitting your website and accompanying social media sites to these specifications will benefit you in the long run. Establishing online and real-life forums and business networking opportunities can help expand your business.
Clwyd Probert is CEO at Whitehat Inbound Marketing and has been involved with starting, growing and selling multiple successful businesses both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Entrepreneur business owners turn to his expertise for strategic planning and business growth through his unique and innovative sales and marketing campaigns. Probert is a specialist in helping companies grow through the use of inbound marketing automation software and services. You can view his original blog at https://blog.whitehat-seo.co.uk/inbound-marketing-for-life-sciences-blogs-and-content-creation.