Image: Carmen Klanberck, marketing manager of Hospital Products Australia
Hospital Products Australia (HPA) is a market-leading provider of tech solutions for the healthcare industry. Here, marketing manager Carmen Klanberck shares how the business uses content and video marketing to anticipate customer needs and deliver essential support.
From life support machines and operating tables to robust medical computers, HPA sells complex technology to support medical staff and help save lives. Their commitment to strengthening the healthcare industry saw them win the New South Wales Championing Health Award at the 2022 Telstra Best of Business Awards.
As marketing manager of this innovative business, Carmen has developed a customer-first approach to content. Early on, she needed a way to answer customers’ questions and help them make purchasing decisions about complicated medical equipment.
She found the solution in an educational content marketing plan that includes a YouTube channel and blog. HPA’s blog posts and videos provide informative content and product insights to support customers through their buying journey.
HPA is not the only business finding success through video and content marketing. The Salesforce 8th Edition State of Marketing report found that video marketing grew 9% between 2021 and 2022. Not only are search engine and social media algorithms prioritising video content, but the format is also an effective way to engage customers. Video content marketing is especially relevant for businesses that sell complex products or target younger, social media-savvy audiences.
Carmen’s drive to learn from experts, embrace business innovation and invest in the right tools has allowed her and her team to enjoy the benefits of content marketing. Let’s break down some of the secrets to her success.
Customer experience is at the heart of HPA’s marketing plan and informs every aspect of their content strategy. “The good thing about video marketing and our blog is that the customer can digest the information at their own pace, when they need it. It puts them in control of the information they’re receiving,” Carmen says.
Since launching their marketing plan, Carmen and her team have continued to tweak their production process and worked with expert content creators. “To begin with, it was very ad hoc, whereas now we’re more streamlined. We even have a writer and videographer that we work with,” Carmen says.
If you’re not sure where to start, Carmen suggests looking to competitors for business inspiration. How is their business marketing helping them stand out? Can your business draw from relevant trends to find a unique competitive advantage? “Knowing what’s going on in the industry can help you decide what to do next,” she says.
[We started our content marketing plan] to educate our customers and help them solve challenges.
– Carmen Klanberck, marketing manager of Hospital Products Australia
Video marketing is a valuable way for the HPA team to educate their customers – and the content is often inspired by them too. Carmen works closely with her colleagues in the sales team, to understand commonly asked questions they receive from customers. Then Carmen uses this insight to develop HPA’s video content as a vital channel to give future customers the answers they need.
Engagement and education are key objectives for HPA’s video marketing plan. After defining your own goals, getting the right support is key to building a successful strategy. Carmen sought professional advice and hired an experienced and skilled videographer. She recognised the importance of outsourcing to enhance the production quality. And provide a valuable and engaging stream of resources to empower HPA’s customers.
Carmen’s team publishes the videos on YouTube and uses the platform’s analytics tool to check in on how they’re performing. It’s a great way to measure the success of their video marketing plan and identify areas for future opportunity.
Hospital Products Australia demonstrate that you don’t need to be an expert to create meaningful video content.
Any time you do something for the first time, whether it’s in business marketing or in your life, you’re very lucky if you get it right straight away. It’s natural that you’ll need to change, pivot and evolve in order to grow.
– Carmen Klanberck, marketing manager of Hospital Products Australia
While the HPA YouTube channel is product-focused, their blog shares news about the business and wider healthcare industry.
Carmen says the blog began as an under-used feature of the business’s website. Now it’s become a key marketing tool that helps promote their products. “Some of our suppliers have blogs too, so sometimes we’ll share their articles on our platform,” Carmen says. “It helps us share information and sell their products.”
The blogging software has in-built analytics to help Carmen’s team measure the success of each post and craft content according to their customers’ interests. Combined with stories from the sales team, this data paints a clear picture of how HPA is meeting their customers’ needs.
When the blog first launched, Carmen was the sole writer. But as the business grew and her skills were needed elsewhere, they brought a copywriter on board. “I was creating a lot of the content myself, but I’m not a professional writer and there’s only so much time in the day,” Carmen says. “If you want to publish more quality content, then you should consider outsourcing.”
The more you create, the more you realise where the challenges are. Think about whether you have the resources to outsource or explore ways to amplify your marketing in-house.
– Carmen Klanberck, marketing manager of Hospital Products Australia
Hospital Products Australia shows that creating content can be a rewarding process. Carmen’s secret to success is embracing trial and error and working with experts. By exploring the tools and support available to your business – and recognising when it’s time to outsource – you can make video and content valuable additions to your marketing plan.
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