Emerging Industries

The cannabis industry is rapidly growing, and to stay ahead of the competition, cannabis businesses must use effective content marketing strategies. Cannabis content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract and engage a targeted audience. By doing so, cannabis businesses can establish their expertise and credibility while promoting their brand and products. Think owned media doesn’t apply for your cannabis business? Think again – your brand is already online; it’s just a matter of how much you control your presence. And if you’re tired of owing all those listing and delivery sites, content marketing is your best friend.

PR Benefits of Owned Media for the Cannabis Industry

There are several benefits of content marketing for the cannabis industry, including:

  1. Improving Reputation: Consistent content marketing can improve a cannabis business’s reputation by promoting positive messaging and reinforcing the brand’s values.
  2. Increasing Visibility: Content can increase a cannabis business’s visibility by ensuring that their message reaches the right audience through different platforms such as blogs, social media, and email newsletters.
  3. Organic Promotion: Content marketing promotes a cannabis business organically and naturally, which can lead to increased conversions and revenues on both online ordering and in dispensaries.
  4. Cannabis Customer Engagement: By attracting and engaging both new and existing customers, content marketing can help cannabis businesses establish a loyal customer base and increase customer retention.
  5. Establishing Cannabis Industry Leadership: Consistent and high-quality content marketing can establish a cannabis business as an industry leader and help them stand out from competitors.

Effective Cannabis Content

Use content to benefit a cannabis business’s public relations (PR) strategy. PR is all about managing a business’s reputation, and owned content is a powerful tool for doing so. Here are some of the ways content marketing can benefit cannabis PR:

  1. Positive User Experience: By consistently producing high-quality content that is engaging, unique, and beneficial, cannabis businesses can create a positive user experience that strengthens their relationship with customers.
  2. Increased Social Media Popularity: Creating trendy and shareable content on social media can increase brand awareness and help promote a cannabis business’s products and services.
  3. Building Trust: By answering customer queries and complaints through relevant and accurate content, cannabis businesses can build trust with their audience and improve their perception of the brand.
  4. Improving Conversions: By including a call-to-action (CTA) in their content, cannabis businesses can guide their audience towards taking the desired action, which can lead to improved conversions.
  5. Better SEO: By consistently producing high-quality content, cannabis businesses can improve their search engine optimization (SEO) and rank higher on search engine results pages.

Different Types of Content

Cannabis content marketing can take many forms, and businesses should use various content types to keep their audience engaged. Here are some of the most effective types of cannabis content marketing:

  1. Blog Posts: Blogs are a great way to provide valuable information to customers while establishing a cannabis business’s authority in the industry.
  2. Social Media Posts: Social media is a powerful tool for reaching a broad audience and engaging with customers through shareable content.
  3. Infographics: Infographics can convey complex information in a visually appealing way, making them an effective tool for educating customers.
  4. Videos: Videos are highly engaging and can be used to showcase products, educate customers, or provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of a cannabis business.
  5. Podcasts: Podcasts are an increasingly popular form of content that can be used to discuss industry trends, provide insights, and engage with customers.

Creating a Successful Cannabis Content Strategy

To create a successful cannabis content marketing strategy, businesses should follow these steps:

  1. Define Goals: Determine what the business hopes to achieve through content marketing, such as increased brand awareness or improved conversions.
  2. Know the Target Audience: Understand the target audience’s demographics, interests, and pain points to create relevant and engaging content.
  3. Create Engaging Content: Create high-quality content that is valuable, relevant, and unique to attract and retain customers.
  4. Distribute Content Effectively: Share content

Great Examples of Cannabis Content Marketing

There are several impressive examples of cannabis content marketing that have successfully promoted brands and products in the cannabis industry. Here are a few notable ones:

  1. Leafly – The platform has a robust content marketing strategy that includes educational articles, strain reviews, videos, podcasts, and more. Leafly’s content not only helps cannabis consumers make informed decisions but also promotes brands and products available in the market.
  2. Weedmaps – Weedmaps’ content marketing strategy includes blog posts, videos, podcasts, and more, that not only educate cannabis consumers but also promote products and brands available on its platform.
  3. High Times – High Times has been covering cannabis culture since the 1970s – they know content. The magazine’s content marketing strategy includes informative articles, strain reviews, interviews with industry experts, and more that not only inform and educate cannabis consumers but also promote products and cannabis brands in the industry.
  4. Charlotte’s Web – Charlotte’s Web is one of the OG’s. To some extent, its brand strength owes to a strong content marketing strategy that includes educational articles, blog posts, videos, and more, that educate consumers about the benefits of CBD and how it can improve their health and wellness. The brand’s content marketing strategy has been instrumental in its success in the CBD market.
  5. Dosist –  The California cannabis company’s content marketing strategy includes informative articles, social media posts, and videos that educate consumers about the benefits of dose-controlled cannabis products and promote its brand and products.

These are just a few examples of the many successful content marketing strategies in the cannabis industry. Each of these examples demonstrates the importance of creating informative and engaging content that not only educates consumers but also promotes brands and products in the market. With the right content marketing strategy, cannabis companies can establish themselves as industry leaders, build trust with their audience, and ultimately drive sales and revenue.

Content marketing involves sharing any material online, such as videos, infographics, and social media posts, that don’t directly promote a brand but create awareness and enhance visibility regarding the products and services of a company, also known as owned content.

Using content marketing for PR is a modern way of owning your reputation and it is an important strategy to attract and engage a targeted audience by making a brand seem more relevant through articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, and other media. Content marketing ensures that a company establishes its expertise and credibility while also promoting awareness about the brand so that when a potential consumer wants to buy a specific service or product, that particular company is at the forefront of their mind.

Owned content is a key strategy for fast-growing brands. No matter how small or large scaled a company is, or whether a consumer brand or a B2B company, keeping its content marketing game updated and effective is the key to attracting and engaging more customers for their business. In this beginner’s guide, you will learn how to create a compelling and successful content marketing strategy for your brand to reach your targeted audience and boost your sales.

What Do You Mean by Content Marketing?

Content marketing focuses on boosting trust in companies’ relationships with their followers. By distributing various content creatively, content marketing ensures that a company attracts more customers, retains the existing ones, and builds loyalty and trust among its audience so that a brand can appear authoritative and influential.

So what exactly is content marketing? It produces and distributes valuable and relevant content like articles, blogs, social media posts, emails, newsletters, videos, and other media forms to attract existing and new customers.

When a company has mastered its game of content marketing, there’s no stopping it from generating profits from positive customer actions.

Content marketing is composed of two elements. First is content creation; pieces of written, spoken, or visually described materials that are engaging and convey a company’s goals to the right people. The second is content distribution. This part of content marketing concerns sharing strategic content through websites, emails, and social media.

Different companies have different content marketing strategies. Some famous companies like Spotify, Airbnb, Slack, and Wendy’s have social media teams that plan strategically to promote their content to customers and interact with them. Other organizations, like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, LinkedIn, etc., use B2B white papers for marketing purposes.

New industry and technology trends also influence content marketing plans. But as long as a company knows its core messages and ideas and how to create material that people will receive positively, it can adapt and evolve its marketing strategies accordingly.

In short, here are some ways in which successful content marketing can help a company or business;

  • Improves your reputation in a consistent manner.
  • Increases brand visibility and allows the company message to reach the right audience.
  • Promotes a brand organically and naturally.
  • Attracts potential new customers and engages existing customers.
  • Increase conversions and boost revenues,
  • Establishes a company as an industry leader.

What Are the Benefits of Content Marketing for PR?

PR is the management of your reputation, and owned content is your calling card. Consistent and high-quality content marketing is essential for companies to connect with their audience and to develop trust and reliability in their relationship.

Future Market Insights expects the US’s content creation market to grow with a CAGR of approximately 11.9%. Content creation and distribution have now become a top priority of the marketing department of every company and business, as there are many reasons why a consistent and engaging content marketing strategy can enhance the growth and success of a business.

Creates a Positive User Experience

Successful content marketing ensures that new and existing customers are satisfied with the ideas and messages promoted by a company. If they find your content engaging, unique, positive, and beneficial for them, they will come back for more as your customers will start trusting your brand and find it reliable and authentic. This approach is again helpful to the company as it retains the old customers and approaches new customers with a positive brand impression.

Helps Brands Gain Popularity on Social Media

According to the Pew Research Center, around seven in ten people in America use social media to engage with news, share information and connect, and for entertainment purposes. Creating trendy content on social media will not only garner more brand awareness but also help increase conversions and promote the products and services of a company in a natural way.

Content Marketing Creates Trust Within the Audience

When a company answers a complaint or query presented by its customers, they create value and change the public’s perception of the brand. Best content marketing strategies ensure that the relevant content shows up at the right time and place, thus interacting positively with the customers who will realize that your company’s advice and recommendations are reliable and accurate.

Content Marketing Improves Conversions

Using blogs, videos, or newsletters to bring in traffic, including a CTA, which can guide the audience regarding their actions, are examples of different content marketing plans. When your audience receives the correct answer to their question, their positive response will influence your conversions. When people view your content, it is more likely that they will purchase a product or service from your website, thus generating better leads for a company’s sales team.

Content Marketing and SEO

The consistency and high quality of content marketing also ensure better search engine optimization for your company’s websites. Suppose your content is helping your business gain more brand awareness and build trust with its audience. In that case, the content will rank higher on search engine results, thus positioning the company as authoritative and reliable from the public’s viewpoint.

What Are the Different Kinds of Content Marketing?

Content marketing sometimes uses outbound and inbound marketing strategies to present their content to the target audience.

Inbound marketing feels more organic and natural as the content creates a narrative or tells a story that is relevant and engaging to the audience. Outbound marketing is less effective in creating a positive user experience than the audience usually likes a link that interrupts their content.

So what are the different types of content marketing?

 

1. Social Media Owned Media

Everyone should know the importance of the power of social media, especially when technology has become cheaper than ever and accessing news is faster and easier. Social media is essential in content marketing because it allows companies to reach a greater audience in less time and provides multiple opportunities to present content in various ways, like live streams, stories, photos, and videos. Many businesses invest lots of money to promote their brands through content creation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.

2. Website Content Marketing

Website content marketing refers to the content you publish via web pages. Website content marketing is one of the best content marketing strategies as it can create a strong brand presence online, thus allowing it to rank higher in search engine results. This approach enhances brand visibility, ensuring that your company’s website and content pop up in the right places and in front of the right audience, thus generating better leads and conversions.

3. Blogging in Owned Media

Blog content marketing uses blogs to engage potential customers by sharing a creative and relevant narrative that can achieve customer trust and loyalty. Blogs are regularly updated web pages on a website that contains content written in a conversational or informal style. Blogs can also include inbound or outbound links and social share buttons that can further contribute to promoting a website.

4. Digital Marketing / Infographic Content Marketing

Infographics are content that presents information or data through visual representations like charts or diagrams. Infographics display this information in a format that is easy to understand and uses short statements and words, clear images, and simple context to communicate a company’s message clearly and effectively. Infographics are a great form of content marketing to tone down a complex, research-intensive, or educational topic so that more audience members can understand it.

5. Podcasts as Content Marketing Strategy

Podcasts are digital audio files available as series, episodes, or installments so subscribers can listen to each audio when the host releases it.

The number of podcast listeners worldwide is increasing yearly, so many companies and businesses are now sharing their podcasts to share a topic of their choice with their desired audience. With the right creativity and content marketing strategies, podcasts can help brands communicate their expertise and thought leadership regarding a specific topic.

6. Paid Ad Promotion

Paid ad content allows companies to reach a broad audience and place themselves on social media, banners, loading pages, and sponsored content where they want to be seen by their customers. Another method of content marketing is a paid ad promotion, in which specific content is created and distributed for the advertising and advertisement of a brand. This method uses PPC ads, paid social content marketing campaigns, and sponsored placement of these ads.

7. Video Content Marketing

Videos are also important content to raise a brand’s profile online. Companies usually post videos on YouTube or social media platforms, but companies can also publish in the form of courses, webinars, or live videos.

Video content marketing helps companies boost conversions as audiences find videos more reliable and authentic. It means that if a company promotes its products and services through a tutorial and promotional videos, they allow its audience to learn more about its brand in depth.

What Are Some Impressive Examples of Content Marketing?

1. Alo

Alo is a luxury activewear brand that uses social media marketing strategies to generate sales and revenue for its products. When you look at their Instagram account, not only will you see the different Yoga products that the brand presents, but you will also notice that the brand tries to resonate with its audience by letting them know that they can not only wear their clothes in a gym studio but also while going for a walk in the park. They use top models like Gigi Hadid or Kendall Jenner to showcase their clothes while staying genuine and authentic by creating awareness about physical activeness and a Yoga community online.

2. Taco Bell

Taco Bell also uses clever social media content marketing strategies to target teenagers and adults aged 18 to 34. Their best content marketing approach is to reply with witty remarks and comebacks in response to customers’ feedback, especially on Twitter.

Taco Bell uses fun and engaging, and sometimes bold ideas to capture the attention of its new and existing customers. In this way, people are encouraged to try out their products and then leave feedback on their social media platforms, thus generating more visibility for the brand.

3. Spotify

Spotify uses data generated by millions of listeners on their apps to create their annual “wrapped” content marketing campaigns. It is a brilliant idea to use in-depth analysis of the songs and music that shape the lives of their consumers and then create a playlist for them that displays the most played songs of the year. This strategy is fun and engaging for Spotify’s users and gives artists a statistical examination of their year’s top songs.

Conclusion

Creating clever and unique content marketing campaigns can take time and effort, even for experienced digital marketers. However, with practice and creativity, any company can achieve successful content marketing and reach its targeted audience through different digital media channels.

What do Jack Welch, Stephen R. Covey, and Richard Branson all have in common? Well, besides being some of the best-known business leaders in the world, they’ve all used ghostwriters. Hmmm…could there be a connection between those two things? Almost certainly. Why? Because executives have a lot on their plate, and to stay ahead and run competitive companies, they need to stay at the 100,000-foot level. This elevated perspective often makes executives great thinkers but poor writers. And that’s OK. In fact, it’s expected. As many as 60% of nonfiction books are supported by ghostwriters. Ghostwriters articulate the grand ideas of thought leaders. So what does a ghostwriter do for you and how can executives use a ghostwriter? Consider these 3 reasons every CEO needs a ghostwriter.

CEOs: Publish or Perish

It used to be that only academics were expected to publish ideas, and CEOs were exempt from that expectation; today, CEOs truly need a ghostwriter to fulfill content expectations.

Despite the dearth of content out there, stakeholders from your board, investors, and even customers expect CEOs to lead, and part of leadership today is sharing original thoughts. Now, notice this does not mean that you must post on Instagram every day, and it doesn’t even mean you need to post on LinkedIn every day. It does mean that you must create thoughtful, original content regularly. Good news, a ghostwriter can help you with that. Ghostwriters have two very particular skills: listening and extracting. For ghostwriters to be successful, they sometimes need to ask probing questions and articulate the idea in the originator’s voice. So help your ghostwriter help you. Sit down with them and share ideas, let them see inside your point of view, and your ghostwriter will come up with a consistent stream of ideas from a few hours together.

Watch What You Say: Platform and PR

As a thought leader, publish your ideas consistently. Sometimes that may be on a platform you can control – like your corporate website or even Medium. Which platform you choose will depend on your thought leadership strategy. For example, if the CEO’s job is to secure investment, then Medium.com is a great place to publish, it’s still a Silicon Valley content darling, even after all these years. But if the executive wants to be seen as hip but accessible, perhaps as part of a larger corporate branding initiative, then a Substack newsletter might be more appropriate. If the CEO is creating commentary on something currently in the news, then a contribution to an industry vertical or a national newspaper could be in order. It’s important that the platform strategy be part of the ghostwriter’s process so they can take into account not only the CEO’s voice, but the culturally accepted tone within the platform or outlet.

A ghostwriter can help a CEO decide on platform and tone – just another reason every CEO needs a ghostwriter.

 

Fill Up the Trust Bucket

It’s no secret that CEOs have a spotlight on them like never, as do their companies, this a truly compelling reason why an executive should use a ghostwriter. Over the years, we’ve seen thousands of CEO apologies on almost as many platforms. Not all apologies are created equally and not all crisis responses are the same, each situation is truly different. But, for a CEO who is comfortable with a ghostwriter, an apology can be a much easier, and faster process. Like anything, when there is a relationship, the ghostwriter can be a critical partner to the CEO, and the PR agency tasked with developing a response or apology. Having a trusted ghostwriter not only helps in a crisis, but they may also help reduced the severity of the crisis because the CEO’s thought leadership has lead to increased trust in the CEO and the brand. And nowhere is trust more important than an unpredicted crisis.

 

At Avaans PR, we offer thought leadership programs as part of our bespoke PR programs, but also as a stand-alone option with our thought leadership PR program. We offer this as a stand-alone program because we know every CEO needs a ghostwriter and a strong PR strategy for thought leadership.

On the surface, it might seem that purpose-driven companies are vastly different from hyper-growth companies or emerging industries, but nothing could be further from the truth. Purpose-driven perspectives for hyper-growth and emerging industries is actually imperative to future success. Fast-growing brands and purpose overlap in critical phases in a company’s or industry’s growth. Because fast-growing companies and emerging industries are closer to their customers and in the earlier phases of culture-building, purpose is more clear, and it’s actually the perfect time to codify purpose so as scale occurs, the purpose isn’t lost.

 

What Do Fast-Growing Companies and Purpose-Driven Initiatives Have in Common?

Reaching for a bigger idea, for a better way, and for bold innovation is something ambitious and hyper growth companies and purpose-driven initiatives share. The most ambitious entrepreneurs are driven by something bigger than themselves, or even riches. They’re driven to change the world with a big idea. Big ideas require a special blend of inspiration and persuasion to inspire early adopters.  It doesn’t matter whether the company is B2B or B2C, early adopters are critical, and so is an inspiration. Purpose-driven initiatives inspire and engage as well.

Purpose-driven approaches and ambitious companies also share the need to inspire trust, and that’s what PR does better than any other medium. PR is the tool the world’s most trusted brands lean on to improve their reputations and create a connection with their customers. PR lasts longer than a commercial, it’s more trusted, and it gives ambitious brands the opportunity to tell nuanced and deeper stories.

Isn’t Social Impact too Expensive for Growth?

While fast-growing companies have certain cultural requirements: creativity, flexibility, and drive, none of these things limit purpose. This very question assumes that growth only happens when hustle culture dominates. We have many clients thriving in purpose without the debilitating effects of hustle culture. But even if your company is incubating a hustle culture mentality, when the stakes are higher than ever, people need a higher purpose that inspires them. So it’s important for companies in the growth stage to double down on brand and product purpose. In fact, purpose may be a matter of survival, and not just PR for hypergrowth companies. At least according to Larry Fink at Blackrock who has for years been advocating for brands to implement purpose in order to grow.

Further, purpose is an expectation of GenZ and Millenials, that companies embrace their social, cultural, and environmental responsibilities. Further, employees are increasingly choosing employers based on the company’s beliefs and values. So, recruiting the best talent will if not now, eventually, require companies and industries to double down on purpose.

One example of this is the emerging vertical of the cannabis industry. The cannabis industry is founded in activism, but when the industry codified as states legalized THC, the industry doubled down on purpose, taking on the social injustice of cannabis prisoners in the Last Prisoners Project. And the cannabis industry is exploding, so there’s a clear precedent for growth and purpose. Brands who take on purpose and a higher power super charge their hyper-growth.

 

When Do Hyper-Growth Companies Need to Define Purpose?

Growth stage companies have an advantage: history doesnt’ hinder them. Existing companies often have to go through an intense reorganization to discover and fulfill purpose. For hyper-growth companies or emerging industries, the time to determine purpose is now. Elevating your company’s biggest aspirations in alignment with today’s social, cultural, and environmental challenges is a key growth strategy. Both private and institutional investors are analyzing a company’s social impact before they ever commit to investing, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down.

Larry Fink, CEO and chairperson of the multinational investment firm BlackRock, created a tectonic shift in 2018 when he said, “To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance but also show how it contributes positively to society.” In his 2021 letter to CEOs, he said, “It is clear that being connected to stakeholders — establishing trust with them and acting with purpose — enables a company to understand and respond to the changes happening in the world. Companies ignore stakeholders at their peril — companies that do not earn this trust will find it harder and harder to attract customers and talent, especially as young people increasingly expect companies to reflect their values.”

Defining, developing and implementing purpose is step one to ensuring a company’s strategic growth.

How Does Purpose-Driven PR Help Companies in Hyper-Growth?

A challenge many fast-growing businesses, especially those in emerging industries, face is brand building. Purpose is a considerable portion of a brand and while it gives internal and external stakeholders corporate structure, it also lends itself to authentic storytelling, which greatly aids in securing media coverage. For many companies in competitive emerging industries, PR is an important differentiator for those with industry-leading aspirations from brand domination to IPO.

 

With all the advantages of purpose-driven initiatives for fast-growing companies. The question is reall- can fast-growing companies afford NOT to define a greater purpose? We’ve been working shoulder to shoulder with our clients on purpose-driven communications and PR since 2008. From movements to politics to social impact, our success stories speak for themselves. Contact us today to get started.

If you’re a smaller consumer brand, it might feel impossible to compete with the big guys. But according to Nielsen, in the United States “manufacturers outside of the top 100 have contributed to 52% of their region’s annual fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) growth,” that’s an incredibly promising trend for any consumer product, from skincare to cannabis. But the challenges to increasing market share aren’t imagined. In some categories, especially consumables, over 50% of consumers have no brand preference. This underscores the importance of small, independent CPG brands to invest in branding with awareness and loyalty strategies. Neilsen IQ has done some fantastic research for small, independent DTC and CPG brands.

Nielsen Chart for Consumer Product Brand Loyalty

 

 

 

 

 

69% of consumers are actively looking for new and trendy CPG products. Tapping into current trends is a key way to appeal to this audience.  Whether the brand is launching, or already launched, there are always PR opportunities to increase sales by driving awareness and loyalty. The key takeaway on all the most recent Neilsen data: premiumization is absolutely key for small, independent CPG brands

Driving Awareness for Small Consumer Brands

When Snapple tea was a small independent brand, it relied on PR, including crazy stunts with two ambitions in mind: acquisition and sales. When they were acquired by Quaker Oats, the PR stunts stopped and sales decreased. In fact, PR is often responsible for trends that drive consumers. Before CBD, a wellness ingredient that almost everyone now knows was allowed to advertise, it relied on firms like Avaans Media to create PR campaigns that educated consumers and created awareness for their brands. PR is almost single-handedly responsible for launching CBD into the public’s general knowledge. Other wellness products have benefited from PR, including melatonin.

Independent brands often turn to PR because while PR is an investment, it’s still more affordable than many other branding initiatives such as advertising, especially when you include videography costs. Facebook is famous for launching thousands of new DTC brands, but of late, many independent CPG brands are finding Facebook’s advertising to be less effective. Ambitious consumer product brands are turning to PR in ever greater numbers to reach consumers, and stay in front of buyers. A PR campaign can reach hundreds of billions of annual impressions. Is it any wonder that everyone from new consumer products to old standbys is moving dollars to PR?

New CPG brands can use PR to validate the brand. An upfront burst of PR is a powerful trust indicator. Many consumer brand startups showcase PR wins on their website and in advertising as a way to increase consumer trust. Independent boutique products use PR to nail their launch because they need to appeal directly and immediately to their consumer. As Nielsen notes in small brand, “There is little room for error in small launches. Nailing your activation requires planning and strategic execution. Whatever your differentiation—hitting your target, justifying your premium or communicating a new usage occasion—it must land, and land well,”

 

Driving Loyalty for Independent CPG Brands

If your consumer brand isn’t exactly new, but also isn’t a household name, then using PR to increase loyalty and awareness is effective. 25% of consumers are mainstream followers who sometimes try new products, but don’t seek them. This is a critical audience to penetrate. If you’re broadening your audience to this important but slightly elusive group, you want to make sure your customer product reviews are solid, and that your early PR had at least 1-2 tier 1 press hits so you can use the ever-so-important social proof to lure this audience in.  Good PR also allows existing customers to have their choice validated and is a great opportunity for them to sing your praises to their friends.

But that’s not the only way PR helps early and mid-stage CPG brands. PR helps your customers see you understand who they really are. Bob’s Red Mill used PR to improve its already stellar reputation through purpose-driven storytelling. Not only does PR help new consumers find your product, but it also reinforces the good choice your current customers have made. A good PR firm will help you identify ways to differentiate and to secure brand-improving earned media.

With technology advancing rapidly, the healthcare industry expects to undergo significant changes in the years to come. From personalized medicine to wearable devices, the future of health technology promises to increase patient satisfaction, improve care quality, and reduce healthcare costs.

Health Technology Trend: Internet of Medical Things

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has been a promising digital health trend for the past few years, and it’s a growing heath technology trend. According to Precedence Research, the global market size of IoMT, valued at $180.5 billion in 2021, is predicted to reach around $960.2 billion by 2030 with a 20.41% —compound annual growth rate. Consumers love these devices, yet they don’t exactly trust them. Brands in IOT or HealthTech have particular PR needs.

IoMT, or healthcare IoT, is a network of medical devices, hardware infrastructure, and software integrated via the Internet. It relies on automation, sensors, and machine-based intelligence to reduce the need for human intervention in routine healthcare procedures and monitoring operations.

Wearable devices like smartwatches and pulsometers, connected to health and wellness applications, are the most famous examples of IoMT. They expect to further revolutionize healthcare in the future through their real-time data tracking and reporting abilities.

These devices have sensors that can detect and measure our body vitals, like blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. Healthcare professionals use this real-time data for observation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Moreover, tracking such critical data through IoMT in real-time allows patients to be more aware and educated about their medical conditions and bring healthy changes in their lifestyles. Some devices also include gamification features to reward patients for achieving health-related milestones, motivating them to stick to healthy habits. Besides smartwatches and pulsometers, other wearable devices joining the IoMT trend include bio-patches and smart hearing aids.

It’s not just wearable devices that are revolutionizing the health industry. We also have smart pills – edible electronics that not only play the role of pharmaceuticals but also provide valuable information to caregivers about the patient’s health. Such cloud-based networks of devices and software will continue to evolve, empowering doctors and patients to prevent, diagnose, monitor, and improve various health conditions.

Health Technology Future: Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is a rapidly growing field within the health technology industry. It has the potential to introduce revolutionary advancements in various aspects of healthcare services.

For those who don’t know, nanomedicine uses microscopically tiny materials to diagnose and treat living organisms.

Healthcare researchers are engineering nanoparticles and other nanostructures to interact with the human body in specific ways, allowing for targeted drug delivery. New materials and therapies, like xenobots and nanosensors, are being developed to help diagnose cancer cells or viruses at an early stage and regenerate damaged tissues and organs.

Nanomedicine has the potential to increase the efficacy and safety of treatments, reduce side effects, and provide new opportunities for personalized medicine. Although this field has numerous challenges, such as regulatory hurdles and potential toxicity issues, it has already shown promising results in preclinical and clinical studies. As a result, there is significant investment and interest in developing nanomedicine technologies, making it a highly-promising present and future trend in medicine.

Health Technology Trend: Telepsychiatry for Mental Health Services

The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the adoption of Telemedicine, including telepsychiatry.

Telepsychiatry uses technology to provide mental health services remotely, like psychiatric assessments, consultations, and treatments. It can take many forms, such as phone consultations, video conferencing, and even text messaging.

Telepsychiatry enables mental health providers to connect with patients in real-time without requiring physical proximity. It can save time, expense, and effort needed for a physical visit, making mental health services more accessible and cost-effective.

This field can also increase access to mental health services for individuals who may not have access otherwise, like those living in rural or remote areas or with mobility or transportation limitations. It also fosters more privacy and confidentiality by allowing patients to participate in sessions from their homes.
Moreover, telepsychiatry can offer more flexible scheduling and convenience for individuals with tight schedules or other commitments. People are likelier to stick to their treatment plan if they don’t have to visit the healthcare provider in person every time. Plus, studies have shown that telepsychiatry can be as effective as in-person mental health services. It can even lead to better outcomes in some cases.

Most importantly, telepsychiatry can help decrease the stigma and fear associated with mental health problems. People who feel anxious about openly discussing their issues with someone face to face can find comfort and relief in doing it remotely with the help of advanced health technology.

As health technology continues to improve, telepsychiatry is likely to become even more advanced, popular, and accessible to people all over the globe. However, it is essential to note that telepsychiatry is not a replacement for in-person mental health services for everyone.

Some individuals may require more intensive treatment or may prefer in-person sessions. Mental health professionals must evaluate the appropriateness of telepsychiatry for each individual, providing a range of treatment options to meet their unique needs.

Health Technology Prediction: 3D Printed Organs and Implants

Bioprinting is a cutting-edge health technology enabling the production of 3D biological structures, like tissues and organs, through a layer-by-layer approach used in 3D printing. Bioprinting uses bio-ink. Bio-ink consists of living cells and other biomaterials deposited using specialized printers to form intricate structures.

3D printing of biocompatible implants has been around in the healthcare industry for years but still needs to be mainstream. Many expect significant progress in the field soon, with new materials and improved methods for creating and maintaining external prostheses, cranial or orthopedic implants, and personalized airway stents.

They speculate that the progress in 3D printing decreases production costs and time for bionic prostheses and implants. It will also make customized bionic prostheses for the spine, knees, hips, and skulls more affordable. Plus, the new types and generations of 3D implants and organs should last longer, work more efficiently, and involve a lesser risk of rejection by the human body.

One of the main drawbacks of 3D-printed mechanical limbs is that they weigh a lot. The future anticipates bringing enhanced lightweight prosthesis designs that integrate easily with human bones. Another expected future outcome of advancing this field is the availability of life-saving cardiovascular and neurological implants.

Health Technology Future: AR and VR in Medical Education and Diagnosis

AR and VR have the potential to fully transform the delivery of healthcare services, leading to enhanced patient outcomes. However, they must address many technical and ethical challenges before these clinical practices can widely adopt these technologies.

AR and VR can help create immersive simulations that allow students and medical professionals to practice and refine their skills in a secure and controlled environment. For instance, surgeons can practice complex medical surgeries and procedures before performing them on patients.

AR and VR are critical in facilitating remote consultations between patients and healthcare providers. Patients wear VR headsets that enable doctors to examine them and provide remote diagnosis and treatment virtually. Many people expect Telemedicine to progress even more in the future.

AR and VR are used to create immersive and interactive rehabilitation programs that make therapy more engaging and effective. For example, patients healing from a stroke can use VR to simulate daily activities to improve mobility.

Another use of AR in the healthcare industry is overlaying medical images onto a patient’s body, enabling doctors to visualize the internal structures more intuitively.Companies are using AR and VR to produce educational materials for patients that help them better understand their condition and treatment options.

Health Technology Future: Big Data Analytics

The future of data analytics in healthcare holds significant potential for enhancing predictions and decision-making.

Personalized Treatment: With advanced data analytics, healthcare providers can provide more personalized treatments to patients. By examining genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data, healthcare professionals can better understand a patient’s unique health profile and create tailored treatment plans.

Predictive Analytics: Data analytics can enable healthcare providers to predict health outcomes and identify patients at high risk of developing specific health issues. By examining large amounts of patient data, healthcare providers can detect patterns and trends that may signify the onset of a disease.

Real-time Monitoring: Wearable devices and other health technology collect real-time patient data, allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients closely and make quick decisions. By analyzing this data, providers can detect changes in a patient’s health status and take action before a condition worsens.

Improved Decision-making: Data analytics can help healthcare providers make more informed decisions about patient care. Providers can identify the most effective treatments for a particular condition and determine which patients benefit most.

Data Sharing: Improved data analytics will allow healthcare providers to share patient data more efficiently and securely. It will help providers collaborate and make more informed decisions about patient care.

Health Technology Future: Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses software robots to automate repetitive, rule-based, and time-consuming administrative tasks, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care. RPA has the potential to streamline the way healthcare is delivered. Here are some potential advancements we may see in the future.

Administrative Tasks:

RPA can automate administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, processing insurance claims, and managing patient records. It can free up time for healthcare providers to focus on patient care.Billing and Payments: RPA can automate billing and payment processes, decreasing errors and raising efficiency.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs):

RPA can automate EHRs, making it quicker and easier for healthcare providers to access and update patient data.

Clinical Decision-Making:

RPA can help healthcare providers make more informed decisions about patient care by providing real-time data analysis and recommendations.

Patient Monitoring:

RPA can monitor patients remotely, alerting healthcare providers about the looming medical conditions before they can turn severe.

Medication Management:

RPA can automate medication management, ensuring patients receive the proper medication at the right time.

To sum up, RPA can transform healthcare by improving efficiency, reducing errors, and enhancing patient care. However, the critical point is that RPA should not become a substitute for human healthcare providers but rather a tool to help them deliver high-quality care.

Health Technology Trend: Retail Healthcare

Retail healthcare refers to providing healthcare services in non-traditional healthcare settings, such as pharmacies, supermarkets, and clinics in shopping malls. Retail healthcare providers offer various services, including primary care, urgent care, vaccination, and wellness.

Retail healthcare will continue to grow as consumers demand more convenient and accessible healthcare services. Here are some ways in which retail healthcare is likely to evolve in the future:
Expansion of Services: Retail healthcare will likely expand the range of services offered, including Telemedicine and virtual care options. It will enable patients to receive care remotely, improving access to healthcare services and reducing the need for in-person visits.

Integration with Technology: Retail healthcare providers are likely to integrate more technology into their services in the future, including wearables and other connected devices, to collect more data on patients’ health and provide more personalized care.
Collaboration with Healthcare Providers: We will see retail healthcare providers collaborate more closely with traditional healthcare providers, like hospitals and physician practices, to improve care coordination and patient outcomes.
Focus on Wellness: Retail healthcare providers will likely focus more on wellness services, such as nutrition and fitness programs, to help patients stay healthy and prevent chronic diseases.

Conclusion

The future of health technology looks promising, with numerous advancements in various fields. For example, the integration of virtual and augmented reality technologies is predicted to raise the standards of medical education and training, as well as patient engagement and rehabilitation.
Robotics and automation technologies are also ready to transform the healthcare industry, improving patient care, reducing errors, and optimizing clinical workflows. Conclusively, we can expect innovative and groundbreaking developments in the healthcare industry due to the continuous evolution of health technology.