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Marketing: Play with your brand

Marketing: Play with your brand Q. How do we set ourselves apart in a “sea of same?”

A. As providers, most of you carry the same brands of equipment. Most of you have business models that include a mix of insurance and cash sales. Most of you have some combination of clinical, sales, operational, inventory and billing departments. The real difference between one HME company and the next has everything to do with the people who are behind those products/services/tasks.

While the details of your products and services certainly need to be included in marketing materials, don't miss the opportunity to communicate how your team sets you apart from the competition.

Internal marketing

Make it a point to educate your staff about your brand. Explain to each department how they fit into the brand and what your expectations are to uphold those priorities. Quarterly branding meetings with your managers are a way to keep everyone on the same page.

Showcase the faces behind the name

Take advantage of technology and social media tools to introduce your team to patients and referral sources. Use a digital camera to take pictures of your staff, then upload to your website, Facebook business page or blog.

Loosen up

Good, bad or indifferent, the social media craze has brought consumers and companies together in a much more familiar way. We are an industry of healthcare professionals; however, that doesn't mean our marketing materials have to sound like a clinical textbook. Use conversational tones in your writing, don't shy away from colloquialisms, have some fun. It will help make you relevant and memorable. HME

Anna McDevitt is president of Laboratory Marketing. She can be reached at [email protected] or 248-227-6930.

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