Content, what is it?
We find content all around us today. It can be on your television, laptop, phone, radio, and so much more.
But what is it? It is anything we consume. For example, a Saturday afternoon of college football. The players and games are content to garner a certain demographic’s attention for companies to subtly slide in their messaging.
Another example is 24-hour news. The same is true here, it’s an effort to gain attention from Republicans and Democrats depending on which channel you watch.
Netflix is simply content to gain subscriptions. Apple puts out content through apps, music, and movies to sell more tablets and phones.
The last example I’ll give is Repertoire Magazine. We create content that hopefully helps you become the best you can be at selling medical supplies.
Why is content important?
- As a consumer it is how we learn and determine where we will spend our time and money. It allows us to research what is the best product for us.
- As a manufacturer selling through distribution, it is the single best way to educate and arm your extended sales team (the distribution reps) on your products and services.
- As a distribution rep it allows you to learn and more importantly share content with your end-user clients (In a recent third-party survey, 96% of medical distribution reps said they would share manufacturer sponsored content with their customers if it benefited them).
The golden rule of getting content consumed by your audience is to create things they are interested in. They want something that improves their lives. People do not consume content that is about what you want to tell them.
Here is an example of good content for an infection control organization. Instead of doing a podcast / article on how your product is the best thing in the space, do one on the 3 biggest issues facing infection control nurses today. If possible, use the voice of the customer to do it. This content will be readily received by other IC nurses and repurposed by distribution reps throughout the industry, because it brings value to their customers and helps them generate interest in you.
In closing, the two rock stars on the front of this issue are content worth your time. Be sure to read about their journey, doing what you do every day. Kay and Ryan, congratulations on winning the Rep of the Year Award. You are both amazing, and a huge asset to your organizations and the industry. To nominate next year’s reps, please visit https://repertoiremag.com/sales-award-nomination.
Dedicated to the Industry,
R. Scott Adams