Medical marketing materials to boost your brand's sales and motivate your sales reps

Despite some differences between medical and consumer marketing tactics, the goal for both is the same - to promote the brand in question.

Medical marketing materials are designed based on the strategic objectives of the brand. Certain strategies are more effectively supported by some tactics than others.

For example, if the main strategy for a newly launched brand is to generate trial within a specific physician population, then samples would likely be a key tactic.

When developing medical marketing tools, be sure that you, your company and any agency that you are working with are all adhering to the promotional rules and regulations for your region.

1. Free product samples. Samples help generate trial and confidence with physicians and patients. Samples are most often used for over-the-counter and prescription products. Medical equipment and biologic products are rarely provided as free samples as this would be cost prohibitive.

2. Detail aids or visual aids. These are detailed visual aids which assist sales representatives to discuss the key messages of the brand. These are not often left behind with the physician, as the sales reps typically only get 1 or 2 of these tools.

3. Leave-behinds. Leave-behind tools are summaries of the visual aid. They usually focus on one of the key messages included in the visual aid, and are meant for the sales representative to leave the tool behind for the physician to use as a reference afterwards.

4. Continuing Health Education (CHE). CHE events are ideal when trying to educate about a disease state. This helps to grow the market. At the CHE event, it is not appropriate for sales representatives to 'sell' their product. The selling of the product should be done at a follow-up sales call. A major big pharma recently took CHE funds out of its employees' hands to remove any possibility of mishandling such events. This should put credibility back into their CHE events, thus gaining the trust of physicians.

5. Advisory board meetings. Advisory board meetings are excellent when marketers and medical employees are looking for advice and guidance from a small select group of physicians. As with all other promotional tactics and programs, follow your country's regulations very carefully to avoid getting your company, your manager and ultimately yourself into trouble.

6. Public relations (PR). PR is critical, especially when a new study has been published.