What do healthcare trades and most (if not all) consumer media have in common? They both cover health one way or another. Healthcare trades offer a more robust insight into the industry as a whole and can be an invaluable tool for strategic planning, a networking icebreaker, or a quick way to impress a client.
While the overall readership numbers may be lower for a healthcare trade in comparison to a top-tier news source, trades target a more specific audience, potential business prospects.
I’m here to share why healthcare trades are king in our industry, and why you should be proud of your company’s coverage in them.
Keep up with breaking industry news
If it’s a top health news story, you might first witness the news on any national news source, until other news is deemed breaking. If it’s big news in the health world, trades will continue to follow the story, offer subject matter commentary within the industry, and publish research and insights as they surface. This is often the gateway for a company to inject their ideas - when ideas are relevant to their company - into breaking news to generate coverage through what we call “newsjacking”. Additionally, keeping a close eye on trades for breaking news is a great tool for noting reporters’ beats that you’d like to pitch and secure coverage with.
Staying in check with these sources is important for understanding competition within the industry, and also recent mergers and acquisitions for brands. It wouldn’t be the first we’ve had to pivot our media strategy for a topic too sensitive to share with the media! Staying in tune with these sources can help you plan what you should and should stay away from pitching reporters.
Improves professional skills
Is your company looking to expand into a new market segment? Launch a new product? Reading trades are key to polishing those skills your team needs to make it happen. Industry conferences are announced in healthcare trades, including dates and agendas, as well as opportunities to speak, lead on seminars, and host workshops.
By reading healthcare trades, you will also learn what upcoming awards you might be a fit for, plan to attend networking events (virtual or in-person) with other stakeholders in your industry and keep up with the latest news on healthcare and technology.
Helps you identify trends and set strategy
Our goal as healthcare communicators is to share stories on how brands are making an impact on the industry. The news shapes what timing is appropriate to share those stories on behalf of brands. Reading trades can help identify trends circulating the industry, such as the boom of telehealth and cybersecurity during the pandemic. It’s important to stay in the know so that your brand doesn’t disseminate messages that are considered frowned upon, or insensitive given the recent trends.
Trades also provide a firsthand glimpse into the goals and objectives of c-suite executives and what challenges they might be facing. Companies offering products or services can benefit from this to help solve those challenges and make a big splash in the industry.
Interested in learning what healthcare trade newsletters you should be subscribing to? Which ones offer the best coverage and visibility for your brand? KNB Communications can help!
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