Have you thought about adding email or social media to your marketing campaigns but aren’t sure which one is best for your company? Are you unsure about the benefits of introducing more channels into your medical device marketing?
We’ve thought about this a lot and have put together this article to help you make that all-important choice.
Adding value
Before you consider the benefits of expanding your marketing campaign, you need to first consider why you think introducing social media or email marketing will help add value to your business.
Adding value should always be the priority when considering introducing new channels to your marketing strategy, specifically how each this will help achieve your goals.
- Are you looking to expand your brand awareness?
- Are you looking to get more sign-ups for your events?
- Or are you simply trying to gain new leads?
This article will go through the benefits and downfalls of both email marketing and social media for promoting your medical device, to help you decide which is the best choice for you.
What's so great about social media?
Social media can help boost your marketing in a range of different ways. Let’s look at how.
Visibility
On average, your message needs to be seen between 15- 25 times before any action is taken by your audience. To expedite this and see leads rolling in quicker, you need to post on as many appropriate channels as you can – social media is fantastic for this.
Your posts could be seen by thousands of people daily, if not more and the more you post, the more times you’re likely to be seen by your audience.
There are a few things you can do to increase your visibility on social media and expedite leads.
Platforms use algorithms to determine what content is shown when and where. They tend to favour accounts that are active on their platform daily, whether that be commenting on pictures or liking posts. All activity is good activity.
Furthermore, accounts that post regularly are more likely to see success, so we suggest posting at least three times a week, but more if you can.
To learn more about how you can bring social media into your marketing campaign check out our complete guide to social media in medical device.
Building stronger customer relationships
Have you heard the phrase “online community” thrown around and not really known what it meant? An online community refers to an account or several linked accounts that act as a platform or virtual meeting space for like-minded users.
Sharing relevant content and updates from your field that you feel might interest your followers will help you establish yourself as a trusted brand, and your audience will come to rely on.
In medical device building up your network and connections with doctors, institutions and patients is a fantastic way to, not only bring people together but drive new conversations and support one another.
Building these relationships with your audience is intrinsic to the success of social media platforms so think carefully about what they want to see on their timelines.
What are the disadvantages of social media?
While social media can offer your brand a range of options, but there are some drawbacks to working with and maintaining an online presence.
Content limitations
Social media is incredibly versatile in the types of content that you can share with your audience, but there are some limitations regarding how much content you can share. While there is no limit to the number of times or the number of things you can post, most platforms do have a word limit.
- Twitter: 280 characters
- Instagram: 2,200 characters
- LinkedIn: 3,000 characters
- TikTok: 2,200 characters
Furthermore, most platforms have guidelines on what you can and cannot post, for instance, graphic images go against the rules, meaning you wouldn’t be able to post images or videos of surgery. Likewise, on some platforms you’re not allowed to feature images of body parts in paid advertising, which can pose an issue for Medical Device companies.
So, as you can see, there are some limitations and not all the content you want to post will be suitable for social media.
Time
Another disadvantage of social media is that it can be very time-consuming. It requires daily activity and consistency in how often you post on the account to be successful.
For instance, if you start your account at three posts a week and then are forced to move down to two or even one, you’ll see a drop-in activity which can hinder your account.
What are the benefits of email?
Email offers a lot of creative freedom when it comes to the type of content that you can send out to your subscribers. It’s a platform solely created by you where you can make up the rules. 
Direct to your audience
Email is the consumer’s choice for the preferred method of contact with brands and businesses as statically, 99% of people check their inbox daily.
You should take advantage of this direct channel that you have with your audience and use it to help build a relationship with them. Try to incorporate this personalisation as much as you can, even going as far as to cater the email’s content for them specifically.
Using a name in an email could be the difference between an email your audience engages with and one that they ignore. Personalisation draws your audience in and encourages them to look through the content of your email.
Targeting your audience
One of the best features about email is that you can segment and target your audience. By grouping your mailing list by categories like; location, age, and previous purchase, you can tailor your emails specifically for your audience.
Sending them helpful information, videos, events, surveys, and links to online tools that are directly relevant to them will help make the most out of your emails.
Surveys suggest that over 57% of people are influenced by emails in their purchasing decisions, so make sure that they have all the information they need
For more information on how to maximise your emails have a look at our article on how to optimise your email campaigns.
Relationship marketing
By signing up for your mailing list, your subscribers have already demonstrated a significant level of commitment to your brand and your products.
This either means that they’re interested in the brand and would like to know more, or they’ve already established customers who want to keep up to date with what’s going on with you.
What are the drawbacks of email?
Email campaigns are effective and relatively easy to create, but when it comes to medical device marketing, email does have a few drawbacks.
Direct to your audience
Email is the consumer’s choice for the preferred method of contact with brands and businesses as statically, 99% of people check their inbox daily.
You should take advantage of this direct channel that you have with your audience and use it to help build a relationship with them. Try to incorporate this personalisation as much as you can, even going as far as to cater the email’s content for them specifically.
Using a name in an email could be the difference between an email your audience engages with and one that they ignore. Personalisation draws your audience in and encourages them to look through the content of your email.
Limiting reach
While email is a great way to maintain and deepen your relationship with customers, it’s not a good medium for finding a new audience and nurturing your brand awareness and visibility.
With only your email list to work with, you’re limited by the number of people who have signed up to be contacted by you.
What is GPDR?
GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation refers to the legal method requiring all companies to keep and protect all information stored or shared by an individual with them.
This could mean information like:
- Name
- Address
- Card Information
GDPR will limit your ability to build up a mailing list, but it’s incredibly important to adhere to. It helps to invest in data protection software to store your mailing list. Be clear and concise to users when they sign up about where their information is going and what they’re agreeing to.
What about multichannel marketing?
Of course, you can incorporate both social media and email marketing into your overall marketing strategy, but you must be sure that they will work just as well independently as with each other.
Multi-channelled marketing is a strategy that is being used more and more marketing managers and agencies. It involves using several different channels to complement one another is a great way to ensure that your message gets across.
It’s good for all your channels to feel uniform, with the same branding, the same tone, and the same message – this way all your marketing has a cohesive and united feel to it.
Building a brand and a story across all your platforms will help make sure you hit that 15- 25 mark.
Social media and email campaigns can feed into one another. Your social media channels could advertise your email list, whilst your emails could highlight the latest updates from your social media page.
However, don’t feel as though you need to take up both channels before you have the capacity to do so, otherwise one or both will feel lacking. It’s always good to go for quality over quantity.
How do you decide what’s best for you?
While both email and social media can bring so much to the table, you need to think about what’s right for you and your brand. If you’re still struggling to decide you need to think clearly about what your goals are and think about what you want to achieve by introducing a new marketing channel.
- Are you looking for a platform to share the latest news from your company? Then an email newsletter may be right for you.
- Maybe you want to raise brand awareness and generate more website traffic? Try social media.
- Want to let people know about your upcoming webinar? Emailing them an update might work best for your demographic.
- Thinking of showing off your new branding? Social media is definitely the one for you.
Consider which channel and content will help add value to your company and will help your audience understand your message.