Digital Marketing is important, but how many Orthotic and Prosthetic companies realize the importance of having a Digital Marketing Strategy?

We’ve all seen countless posts on social media, where O&P manufacturers share pictures of hundreds of feet, knees or sheets of plastic. Workshops share videos of how they vacuum form an AFO or laminate a socket. Whilst such content is nice, I sometimes fail to see the marketing message to their audience.

Orthotic and Prosthetic (O&P) companies face unique marketing challenges. We operate in a niche medical device market, under strict advertising limitations and regulations. The general public usually ignores such content because they simply do not have a need. Until a friend, family member or themselves suffer a physical disability. These days digital marketing is so competitive and sophisticated that just having an online presence is not enough. It needs an aligned and well-executed digital marketing strategy. (We Orthotists Prosthetists, just love alignment, don’t we.) Here are some reasons why a digital marketing strategy is critical to O&P businesses.

Reach a Wider Audience

One of the initial steps of formulating a digital marketing strategy is defining your target audience and where they are in the marketing funnel.

For O&P manufacturers, their immediate audience would be O&P services providers who use their products to fabricate devices for their clients (end-users). However, they may also want to include end-users too in their target audience. End-users may choose O&P service providers based on the devices they have seen on a viral TikTok video. As absurd as it sounds, it does happen. Digital marketing enables O&P companies to reach a wider audience, especially those who may not be aware of their products or services yet. These days the internet is a primary source of information for many. We watch product reviews, read hotel and restaurant reviews and now, ask questions to AI bots, before making a purchase. To increase a company’s internet visibility, marketers utilize search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to get their company’s website to rank higher in search results. The probability a potential customer clicks on a website significantly drops further down the results. Typically, 30% for 1st place. 15% for 2nd place. 10% for 3rd place. Companies wanting to expand to new markets also utilize social media marketing to target specific demographics and regions who may benefit from their products and services.

Build Brand Awareness, Credibility and Trust

Building brand awareness is crucial for any business and even more so for O&P companies. O&P devices are usually obscured in public and most people do not associate brands to these devices. Digital marketing provides a platform to showcase their company's expertise and experience and build their reputation as a thought leader in the industry. They can highlight their products and services and share their success stories with the world. This helps to establish credibility and trust with potential customers.

Taking customer engagement to another level

Every digital marketing platform allows companies to engage with their customers or potential customers. Social media, email and instant messaging platforms gives companies direct communication to their customers. Such open forms of communication fosters a sense of community, builds meaningful relationships and increases customer retention.

It makes more “cents”

With current global inflation rates, digital marketing is now more cost effective than ever. Digital marketing allows companies to target their desired audience so marketing resources are not wasted on people with no interest. By analyzing and tracking metrics such as website traffic, click-through rates and conversion rates, companies can identify areas for improvement and adjust their marketing campaigns quickly. They can measure their marketing campaigns’ performance in real time and evaluate their return on investment (ROI).

In conclusion, a digital marketing strategy is extremely important for O&P companies to stay competitive and reach their goals. A strategy aligned with the company’s goals helps build brand awareness, allowing companies to reach a wider audience. Digital platforms give companies direct access to their customers, allowing them to engage directly and build long term relationships. A well formulated digital marketing strategy is cost effective and utilizes marketing resources efficiently.