Debbie Donovan

Background

About Debbie Donovan

What does Medical Device Marketing have in common with Ice Dancing?Really, there are many parallels! In my medical device experience, I've been on the digital marketing journey from its beginning. It thrills me to see how the technical aspects of this sport support novel medical devices with go-to-market strategies that change the practice of medicine.In ice dancing, the skater builds a foundation of proper body carriage and strong edges in all directions to execute the prescribed step sequences. Once the foundations are in place, the skater completes the overall performance by adding flourishes appropriate to the dance style.Similarly, the technical foundation marketers use to launch a groundbreaking medical device has evolved beyond the stylings associated with content, imagery, fonts, and colors.Before anything is written or designed, the foundations for measurement must be in place. This means developing customer personas and defining a message journey for each target guides the creative. Technical connection points from specific promotional channels to customer relations management systems (CRM) must be mapped and verified for tracking and ROI analysis. Since the FDA regulates medical devices, the key messages must be compliant with labeling and compelling for customers.Now the marketer can build assets with appropriate flourishes. Designs need to look great in multiple environments-mobile and desktop. Content must be clever, search engine optimized, and reflect the target customer's language. Copy, images, videos, and downloads must be clickable and tagged for measurement and analytics.Finally, like in ice dancing, medical device marketing activities are judged for their overall performance to get the target audience to respond emotionally. Sometimes you need to take significant risks to win in the marketplace, and sometimes, you keep it simple and focus on a primary outcome.I derive much joy and satisfaction performing an ice dance well-it feels great. I get the same feeling from high-performance marketing campaigns that support the adoption of groundbreaking medical technologies improving patients' lives.