What Is Medical Product Marketing?

When new medical products become available, researchers and industrial designers rely on those in medical product marketing to promote these products. Medical product marketers manage the entire process of getting new medical devices on the market. They:

  • select or design packaging
  • manage pricing
  • design retail displays
  • create online advertising and website design
  • manage product roll-out
  • write press releases
  • organize customer service
  • manage ongoing public relations concerning the product

Here’s a closer look at a career in medical device marketing, one of a growing number of healthcare support occupations:

Education

Most medical device marketers have degrees in engineering rather than marketing. Technical understanding is necessary for a career with medical product design or marketing, so most individuals in this field have graduate degrees. Common master’s programs for those seeking a career in this field are a master’s in mechanical engineering and a master’s in biomedical engineering. A master’s degree in healthcare management is also a possibility . For some medical marketing positions, other science or technology degrees in areas such biology are relevant.

Necessary Skills

A degree alone won’t qualify you to be a medical product marketer. To excel in this career, you must also

  • Have excellent interpersonal skills
  • Be skilled in both verbal and written communication
  • Be comfortable delegating tasks
  • Have superior problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills
  • Be a good leader
  • Work well with a team
  • Have a thorough understanding of marketing strategy

Medical marketers must be book smart, but they must also be able to manage people.

Career Path

After earning a graduate degree in a related field, you will be prepared to enter a career in medical device marketing. Most likely you will enter the field as a product manager or assistant product manager. Annual salaries for such positions vary greatly depending on experience and related educational background.

Those seeking to advance professionally as medical device marketers should gain experience in an effort to be promoted to senior product manager. These positions pay better. An experienced senior product manager can earn as much as $90,000 a year. Directorships and executive positions in medical product marketing include positions that earn in the six-figure range. These positions include:

  • director of marketing
  • senior director of marketing
  • vice president of marketing

The career path may vary for individual medical marketers. Some may choose a brief career in marketing outside the medical field or in product management to gain relevant experience. Also, corporate structure varies from company to company. This means that titles among marketing professionals may also vary.

Demand for medical products is on the rise. So is the demand for those who design and create them. As a result, the field of medical product marketing is also expanding. Now that you have learned about the education requirements and career path for medical marketers, do you think this would be a good career for you?