12 ways to connect with customers, generate leads and conduct research in a difficult environment.
In the interest of public health, your trade shows and conferences have been cancelled. It’s an essential move—but what do you do if these shows are essential to your marketing strategy. If you’re in technology, or, ironically, in healthcare, it’s likely that they are. So, what do you do?
Medical marketing awards events are exciting. A great excuse for a new dress. A night of sweaty palms, high fives, and team celebrations.
Even if you tend to skip these sorts of competitions—as we do—because “It’s all about the results, not awards”—you’re secretly glad when a client enters a campaign you’ve sweat blood over. I still remember
Having crossed over from the world of product marketing to the agency side, I’ve had the opportunity to see medical device and diagnostic product launches from a different perspective. I now have the luxury of focusing on the planning and execution of the communication plan, without the responsibility of getting the product through the product development process. From this vantage point, I have gained a greater appreciation of the value of having a creative theme. I knew it was helpful to have one – but I never had time to consider why. Recently I was asked “Why do we need to spend time developing a creative theme?” To answer, I drew on my experience as a product manager.
You and your team have spent countless hours preparing to launch a new healthcare marketing campaign. You really like the creative your agency has presented for your medical device or diagnostic. You aren’t sure which of the options you should move forward with. Or, perhaps you like one idea and your boss likes another. How do you find out which option is going to connect with your customers and support your objectives? The answer, of course, is to conduct market research. But this campaign is too important to you to just check a box. How do you make sure the results guide you and your team in the direction that’s going to be successful?
Once you, and/or your agency, have developed a positioning strategy for your new medical or technology product, how do you evaluate its strength? Does it really set your product apart? Will it work beyond the initial launch, once your competitors have a chance to respond? Is it the best position for you? While you can never be certain of a position's strength, there are two steps you can take to increase your confidence.
For many marketers, attending creative presentations is one of the best parts of their job. But, let’s face it, while seeing the marketing strategy for a new product launch come to life in words and images can be exciting–it can also be stressful.
After 28 years leading a B2B agency through change, I can honestly say that the trends I see developing this year offer unprecedented opportunity for marketers and agencies alike. 2014 is a different animal, and it’s one that offers you new power.
To gain that power you need to have those trends and a clear action path on your radar. Our new publication, 2014 Trends in Marketing, offers actionable insights from DardenLentz and:
