Last week illumino.co, a B2B marketing agency specializing in expert-based content for the life science sector, published a new ebook, “25 MedTech Leading Voices to Follow on LinkedIn (2023).” The new 30-page ebook profiles 25 leading MedTech professionals who use LinkedIn to build their audiences, careers, and businesses.

In other words, the eBook identifies 25 MedTech professionals worth following on LinkedIn this year.

Download the complimentary new eBook.

“Our goal was simple,” said Sean Smith, founder of illumino.co. “We wanted to show the MedTech industry what’s good on LinkedIn.” According to Smith, relatively few MedTech professionals have realized the value of LinkedIn as a platform that goes far beyond skeletal profiles and a place to store resumes. 

Therefore, he said, “we wanted to provide 25 real-life examples from various MedTech disciplines.”

The eBook was based on extensive quantitative and qualitative research, including interviews, to understand how different industry stakeholders perceive Linkedin and use it. Smith also developed the idea for 12 LinkedIn Archetypes, categorizing experienced professionals into 12 broad groups. For each archetype, Smith addressed some of the shared attitudes, behaviors, and pitfalls of each archetype. Certain archetypes, said Smith, such as “The Connector,” “The Recruiter,” and “The Consultant,” are blazing a trail for the rest of the industry to follow.

These MedTech pioneers, said Smith, are adding value and foreshadowing the growing demand for expert-based content in the post-pandemic era.  

LinkedIn Is the #1 Platform for Expert-based Content

The pandemic has wrought many cultural changes. In particular, Smith sees at least two factors driving the demand for expert-based content. First, he said, “People are tired of the sameness on the internet.” As a result, people are disengaged, Smith said, citing the volume of AI-generated content and “the relative scarcity of expert-based content on social media.”

Secondly, Smith said, “Many people are increasingly distrustful of strangers.” Consequently, he said, there’s a substantial shift away from direct communication channels such as phone calls, online meetings, and even email, toward less intrusive, asynchronous communication channels such as DMs, audio, and video recordings that are consumable on-the-fly.

“LinkedIn is perfect for that kind of communication,” said Smith. 

Moreover, LinkedIn provides added layers of protection and numerous clues to help professionals avoid unwanted intrusions. At the same time, said Smith, LinkedIn is designed for doing business, unlike other social media platforms. And, he added, with the launch of their Creator Mode program about two years ago, LinkedIn has made many changes to attract and reward creators who bring value, including experts and experienced professionals. For those who have embraced these changes, LinkedIn has become a veritable gold mine for opportunities of all types, from career development to double-digit business growth. 

According to Smith, most MedTech professionals “are still using LinkedIn like it’s 2018,” wondering why it isn’t working anymore.  

Mastering LinkedIn for MedTech Professionals

For medical device industry professionals looking to master LinkedIn, the 25 MedTech Leading Voices eBook is just the tip of the iceberg, said Smith. The eBook, he said, “is much more than the same old tips and tricks to help optimize profiles, grow followers, and improve content reach,” he said. Instead, it’s a roadmap for mastering and getting the most out of LinkedIn.

But, he said, “LinkedIn is about so much more than creating and posting content.”

The real magic on LinkedIn starts to happen, Smith said, when people take a more expansive view of it and stop repeating meaningless phrases like personal branding and social selling. The phrases, he said, “are just code for the same old marketing nonsense.” In Smith’s view, LinkedIn is fast becoming an online professional identity, a digital representation of one’s intellectual property, by which professionals are already being judged. 

Job seekers and potential employees, investors, clients, and others are all looking for clues, asking, “can I trust this person?”

In addition to the new eBook and 12 Archetypes, illumino.co is offering a new cohort-based training program and launching a new free weekly MedTech Leading Voice newsletter, published on LinkedIn and edited by industry experts.