O&P organisations often start marketing conversations by asking which channel to use: a brochure, a website, an exhibition or social media. Drawing on work by Linda Calabria and Pamela Calad in The O&P EDGE, IMEA CPO argues the first question should be different: what does the organisation want to be known for, and by whom?
Across IMEA, the market runs from small independent workshops to hospital departments, multinational manufacturers and government programmes. Each needs to communicate clearly whom it serves, which problems it solves and why patients and referrers should trust it, often in several languages and mainly on mobile, via Google Maps and WhatsApp.
The article also makes the case for protecting existing referrals before chasing new ones: a named referral contact, fast acknowledgement, appointment reminders and progress updates to the referring clinician.
Deliberate perspective
The same discipline applies to manufacturers entering the region. Brands often arrive with global brochures and exhibition plans, but distributors and clinicians respond to clarity:
- Positioning per market: which patient groups, which clinicians and which funding route the product is built for
- Localised material: Arabic, French and other languages, formatted for mobile and WhatsApp, not just translated PDFs
- Referral and clinical education: the relationships that drive prescribing are built through education and reliable follow-up, not one-off events
Clarity first, channels second: it is cheaper and it converts better.
Read the full article on IMEA CPO.
