Marketing Device That Gives Medical Technology Buyers What They Want

Survey most medical device companies and you’ll find that many have a product catalog on their website.

While rather dry and features-focused, catalogs still rank high as a medical marketing device.

But with marketing under more pressure than ever to:

• increase response rates
• improve efficiency
• track ROI
• and better align themselves with sales…

…the reality is that medical device marketing resources need to communicate your brand, increase the volume of opportunities and quality prospects, and serve as a powerful sales tool.

Enter the magalog.

This attractive, savvy, interesting cousin of the catalog looks and feels like a magazine. Magalogs usually have color, a glossy cover, pictures and graphics, call-out boxes, and include interesting, useful stories in a more “conversational” tone.

But make no mistake-its potential to drive sales is significant.

The challenge for traditional catalogs–be it for a medical device company or a clothing designer– is that they mainly focus on the products features: X product is Y dimensions and uses Z materials. They do not go that extra step and elaborate on why the buyer should want it.

Magalogs, on the other hand, by the very nature of their layout, design, and content-heavy focus, help marketers fill that communication gap, and give buyers what they want.

Recent findings from a Custom Publishing Council poll show that consumers are increasingly attracted to “custom publications” like magalogs because they include useful information:

• 68% say it helps them make better purchasing decisions when companies provide product information through custom publications.
• 78% don’t mind sponsors selling their products and services through custom publications – as long as the information is interesting.
• 74% say getting information from an interesting collection of articles is more appealing than getting information from ads.
• 59% read print custom publications, whereas only 36 percent look through electronic custom publications.

Instead of the “X product is Y size” features-focused tactic, the magalog elaborates on the benefits of those features by telling the story behind the product in an enjoyable, engaging, non-threatening way.

While most medical device companies are offering a bare-bones catalog that just shows a list of all their products, innovative companies can offer a magalog.

Its layout provides the room for marketers to elaborate on why a particular adhesive or component is used, or why the device is shaped in a certain way.

But it’s not about using a magalog as a vehicle to just push your message via content. Magalogs are an extremely effective way to provide knowledge, expertise, and innovation that is focused on relating to the reader, their lifestyle and the issues they care about.

It’s the inclusion of this additional editorial that increases response rates and can help medical device marketers position their company as a thought leader and trusted advisor.

Deliverability is also impressive.

Where catalogs are often tossed aside in discerning mail rooms, magalogs get through because of their magazine-like design.

Converting the magalog into a PDF-like many medical device companies do with their catalog-enables marketers to also leveraged it both offline and online.

By blending direct-response copy with editorial content and an appealing, magazine-like design, magalogs can help medical device companies build better relationships with their customers and generate interest from qualified prospects much more effectively.

What about you? If you currently use a catalog to market your medical technologies, would you consider a magalog?

About the Author

Lenox Powell is a freelance copywriter for results-driven marketers in the medical device Technology Industry. She helps these innovative B2B companies improve volume and quality of prospects, shorten sales cycles, and enhance customer lifetime value through strategic and extremely well-targeted copy.

Lenox taps into her extensive in-the-trenches sales and marketing experience to deliver effective content that generates demand for her client’s products and services and brings profit to their bottom line.

You can contact Lenox at:
719.528.6711
http://www.LenoxPowellCopywriting.com
lenox@lenoxpowellcopywriting.com
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/lenoxpowell
Twitter: @lenoxpowell
Sign up for Lenox’s free monthly newsletter, The Innovative Marketer on her website!

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