“Buy now!” “You need this!” “Don’t delay” “Hottest item out there!”
When I think of the most cliche version of a salesman, I picture the used care salesman from True Lies.
You may have a different person in mind but the fact that we instantly picture somebody relays the fact that we’re generally skeptical of anything sales related.
Now’s your time to crumple up that image and replace it with the one I’m about to show you.
You’ll thank me later!
Medical Sales Writing Introduction
A lesson I quickly learned about being a medical content writer is……I needed to forget every style of writing I’d utilized up to that point.
Composing sales copy requires cleaning the mental slate, coupled with a study of successful healthcare marketing messaging.
I was fortunate to have two great mentors to coach me along the learning curve. But if you don’t have that opportunity may I suggest following healthcare marketing professionals online and via social media?
Are you struggling to identify the proper target demographic to speak to? Use social listening around the specific keywords you want to sprinkle throughout the body of your project.
There are many tools out there that can further segment your audience to give you a specific breakdown of every important characteristic you need to be aware of.
Once you have this information, creating customer avatars of a typical patient will lead to more personal copywriting.
This matters for a number of reasons, and here’s one.
Now instead of speaking from a hypothetical podium, you’re having coffee with this person in a casual and friendly conversation.
This step is extremely important! Avoid the false mindset that it will be something you can breeze through.
You could put hours or even weeks into crafting a dynamite piece of sales material, but if it doesn’t get in front of the right set of eyes you pretty much wasted your time and the practice’s money.
By a show of hands, who doesn’t think that’s bad?
Structure of Medical Sales Writing
If you hit a roadblock, join online forums or chat rooms around the healthcare industry. You’ll get insights into the ongoing problems faced.
Use this insider information to craft solutions to said problems and make sure to highlight them in the finished copy.
Blogs are a bit different when it comes to word count because search engines typically reward longer ones.
What we’re discussing here involves a lower word count. But you still want to make sure you’ve addressed every pain point your prospect may be dealing with at the time they “find you.”
Keyword stuffing is something Google is trying to eliminate, so offering different versions of “healthcare marketing” for example will help you avoid penalties.
Especially when you’re trying to show value in say a service you want to start with the benefits right away.
You can lead with an attention-getter (similar to an essay) but keep it short.
Like attention deficit short.
As this content will be consumed online you only have a few seconds to grab the reader’s attention before they become…well no longer a reader but a foregone conclusion.
Next focus on important benefits for your target audience, especially as you deal with B2C (business to consumer).
If they’re available include reviews, case studies, and other sections that affirm the value they’ll be getting.
As you are the one selling the service, you will want to establish your authority as the only logical choice for their business. Make it easy for them to choose you!
Include a way for them to contact the practice via phone, online form, etc. with any questions or to move forward with your healthcare organization.
Throughout the web page or lead magnet it’s important to mix up the text with:
- Bullet points
- Bold lettering
- Images
- Other creative ways to keep the attention of your prospective patients
Final Thoughts on Medical Sales Writing
The best advice I could give you is to stop thinking of sales and marketing as two different things.
Coming from a small company, I’ve partially stepped into the role of a “sales marketer.” It’s important to look at the two areas as interchangeable.
I can admit this hasn’t been an easy transition for me, but the sooner you get to that point the better. You’ll notice that some of the best healthcare marketers could probably sell just about anything to just about anybody.
Find a mentor who has a proven track record of successful medical content writing and soak up as much as you can. Then allow your individual creativity to blossom as you put words to a page.
A good mentor will offer constructive feedback. Don’t let pride step in or allow your feelings to be hurt if it feels like they shred your rough draft into a thousand pieces.
You can still be extremely proud of your work when you end up with a finished product that looks very different from the one you originally started with. If you trust this person to be honest with you, then they expect you to handle it with maturity and an open mind.
Now stop limiting yourself as “only a marketer” and become “a salesman who happens to do marketing.”
If you believe it, so will your prospective patients. And you’ll be one step closer to adding that second practice location!
By the way, if you’re a private practice doctor who needs help with content marketing…look no further!
Elijah Wordsmith offers freelance medical content writing to grow practices through lead generation.
Schedule a discovery call to see if I’m the right fit to help you win in the healthcare industry.