Social etiquette

Is it worth trying to market medical devices on LinkedIn? Lu Rahman speaks to Joe Hage, who runs the quarter-million strong Medical Devices Group on LinkedIn.

One of my LinkedIn connections recently posted a link to his company site. He didn’t say anything about his business. It was just a link and because I know him, I clicked and was directed to his homepage. When I arrived, I saw nothing extraordinary, just the usual info, so I left. It made me wonder if he was wasting his time trying to use LinkedIn to promote his company.

I spoke to Joe Hage, Medical Plastics News reader and head of the Medical Devices Group on LinkedIn. Hage has amassed a quarter-million members in the group, making it, he says, the largest medical device community in the world.

MPN: With the time you spend on LinkedIn, you must believe it’s a worthwhile destination for medical device companies.

Joe Hage: If it’s used properly, yes. The homepage link you looked at was not a worthwhile effort.

MPN: It does seem he could have done more. Do you have examples of ‘LinkedIn Done Right?’

JH: Many. Some are public and some are behind the scenes.

MPN: By ‘behind the scenes’ do you mean using search functions to find your prospects?

JH: That’s one tactic, but how do you feel when a perfect stranger emails you about his product or service. Often it’s spam. Going through a common connection helps but sometimes this is an imposition to your connection and to the ultimate recipient.

My favourite example of ‘behind the scenes’ is positive reinforcement. Everyone who creates content – whether it’s a group discussion, comment, or blog post – craves feedback. My view is that we should give it!  A ‘like’ is a good place to start and taking the time to comment is better. You can do it publicly or privately.

When I send a private comment to a Medical Devices Group member, the response is unanimously positive, ranging from gratitude to a request for a live conversation. It’s the beginning of the getting-to-know-you process.

MPN: Any other examples?

JH: In general, just do your homework. Spend time on their page. The more they have written about themselves, the more information you have as a jumping-off point.

MPN: And what are the public examples of ‘LinkedIn Done Right?’

JH: First, know what you want your profile visitor to think when s/he visits. Are you positioning yourself as the right person for the opportunity you want? Use visuals wherever possible – short videos are best. If you’re selling catheters, convince me you’re knowledgeable about the whole category – not just your product line.

Second, participate in group conversations that demonstrate your subject matter expertise. This is where the Medical Devices Group excels because I personally decide which topics are worthy of the busy medical device executives’ time.

I’ll give you a direct quote from linkd.in/new-business: “When I first joined the group I wasn’t very active… Now that I am, the viewers of my blog have doubled, I gained three new consulting clients, I have increased my network connections from 700 to 1,000+, and I have two new public speaking engagements planned for this year. I have also helped a few people find a job. There is a direct correlation between what you give and what you get.”

Third, online conversations begin a relationship – you can cement them in person. The Medical Devices Group is hosting its third annual meeting (the 10x Medical Device Conference). Another direct quote, “As a smaller medical device manufacturer, I can absolutely say 10x was more than worth the cost of admission. We are currently working with two companies I met at 10x.”

And fourth, webinars and whitepapers. If you have high-value content, ask group managers to promote it for you. This week we hosted the ‘Selling Medical Devices in This Difficult Healthcare Environment’ webinar featuring group member Mike Sperduti. To date, 631 members accessed it.

These are impressive statements and it really does prove that there is a direct correlation between what you give and what you get.

I would also say that LinkedIn users smell self-promotion a mile away - don’t do it. From a marketing perspective, if you consider what someone on LinkedIn is looking for in an article or discussion, it’s credible insights from subject matter experts.

In other words, if you don’t have something valuable to add, platforms like LinkedIn can’t help you. But if you do, LinkedIn is absolutely worth the time for marketing medical devices on LinkedIn.