Lessons from the Field – UGC – the Holy Grail of Thought Leadership for Healthcare Vendors

UGC image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

User Generated Content (UGC) is the holy grail for healthcare vendors when all is said and done.  It doesn’t matter what vendor segment you’re in; the content and potential thought leadership from clients and prospects turned into customers are worth its weight in gold.

Why?

Having worked both sides of healthcare in providers and vendors, UGC has far more value and meaning. Providers expect vendors to produce the usual case studies, white papers, research briefs, blog posts, webinars, speaking opportunities,  press releases, media position statements, or any other brand tactical content forms used in a well-designed and executed thought leadership program.

That does not mean you throw away case studies et al.,  but what it does mean is that if the vendor is unsuccessful at obtaining UGC, those other activities do not carry the same weight in supporting the vendor’s position.

Platform image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay

Providers see the standard thought leadership materials as providing some useable decision information, but it is recognized, for example, that case studies are exceptions to the rule.  White papers and research briefs etc., support the vendor’s topic expertise credentials having the same effect.

For example, how many different ways can you say the CMS Radiology Fee Schedule for 2022 changed and what it means? In this particular situation, if you’re not the first vendor in the market with that information, you’re an also-ran, me too. Not a pretty look in a highly competitive RCM field.

And that is the central issue facing healthcare vendors' thought leadership.  Everyone has an opinion, solution, and position for the best possible outcome for the company.  With an abundance of subject matter experts in a field, it all looks and sounds the same after a while.

So who is the healthcare provider more likely to believe?

Image by Cypericias from Pixabay.

It’s pretty simple; it’s their peers. Buyers trust UGC more then the published brand content.

That is why UGC is becoming so critically important as the healthcare market continues to consolidate and shrink. As the hospital and physician markets continue to shrink, vendors are fighting over a smaller pie for growth.

It’s also why provider UGC is so hard to obtain. Providers understand why their demonstrated support for the vendor can accomplish.  Add provider’s internal Compliance policies and procedures, which may make UGC unattainable in some places, and you can see why I call UGC the holy grail of vendor thought leadership. In those situations, the best you may be able to hope for is a testimonial or case study for the website, events, and sales use.

UGC woven into a vendor’s thought leadership strategy and execution in your content strategy is the icing on the cake.

Take the time to build your client relationship, design a strategic UGC strategy for the entire organization, teach people internally what their role is and how to support the strategy. UGC is first and foremost about the provider trusting the vendor. If you can’t get UGC from your clients, you may have more significant client issues.

Michael is a healthcare business, marketing, communications strategist, and thought leader. As an internationally followed healthcare strategy blogger, his blog, Healthcare Business & Marketing Matters is read in 52 countries and ranked No. 3 on the 100 Top Healthcare Marketing Blogs & Websites to follow by Feedspot.com. Michael is a Life Fellow American College of Healthcare Executives.  For inquiries regarding strategic consulting engagements, you can email me at michael@themichaeljgroup.com. 

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The opinions expressed are my own.