The days when you could stand out in the healthcare IT market using only traditional marketing and sales efforts are long gone. Marketing to a general audience through ads and making sales through cold-calling to make a generalized sales pitches now tarnish your company rather than increase your brand recognition. Also, these methods can be quite costly both financially and time wise compared to the minimal results they bring. According to research by Roper Public Affairs, 80% of B2B decision-makers prefer to get info from a series of articles then ads. The best way to compete in a saturated healthcare IT market this day and age is by offering your potential customers relevant and useful content and keeping them engaged. In other words, provide ‘value’ to your prospects. This type of marketing and sales is referred to as the ‘Inbound Methodology‘, and it has proven to drastically generate more website traffic and leads organically, according to Hubspot.
When people first visit your company website, they’re not ready to purchase your product or service right away. They’re most likely in the middle of researching about their problems and possible solutions rather than looking for specific product or service brandwise. Therefore, your marketing and sales efforts should be focused on providing information, tips and insights that will answer your prospects’ questions. For example, you can create blog posts, eBooks, case studies and infographics on topics regarding choosing the right healthtech products, things to avoid, current trend in the healthcare IT market and so on. Educating prospects on such topics will establish you as an authority in the healthtech industry and help you stand out among your competitors.
According to a Content Marketing Institute survey, 88% of B2B marketers say that content is an important element of their overall marketing plan. To stand out in a saturated healthcare IT market, you need to be consistent in your content strategy. Consistency applies to your ‘voice’, brand positioning and publishing frequency on all the platforms where you share content. Your prospects should be able to recognize your brand immediately even when the logo is not displayed. A regular supply of quality content will keep your brand on the prospects’ minds and enhance their chances of making a purchasing decision.
It’s very easy to focus only on getting the opinions of external thought leaders and forget about the company’s employees. However, your employees are a very important source of valuable information. For instance, they can share their own journey in the organization and why they love working there. They could also share their expert opinion on current happenings in the healthcare IT market. If you were to create a product demo video, it would be more advisable to use an employee rather than an outsider. Using employee content will humanize your organization and help create better bonds with your prospects.
Optimizing your website using keywords and phrases is very important for attracting organic traffic from search engines such as Google+ or Bing. Carry out some research to find out the common words used by your prospects when researching online. Tools such as Google+ Keyword Planner, Wordstream and SEO Book and can come in very handy for this. Focus more on the less competitive, long-tail keywords.
According to a study by Social Media Examiner, 92% of business owners agree that social media is vital for their businesses. To stay visible in the saturated healthcare IT market, you need to maintain a strong social media presence. Create a profile on all social media channels which your prospects use frequently. Have a schedule for publishing content on a regular basis to keep your followers engaged. Keep track of the discussions going on about the healthtech industry and provide useful insights. Whenever you publish new content on your blog, be sure to share it on social media. This will attract more traffic to your site and subsequently boost your sales.
Standing out in the saturated healthcare IT market doesn’t stop at attracting new visitors to your company website. Once your marketing team pours the new leads into the funnel, your salespeople should nurture them to help them drip out as customers. Effective Lead Nurturing happens through regular meaningful contacts, such as weekly emails containing informative content that your prospects may need. Make sure each email is personalized, starting with the subject line, so it increases the click-through rate. You can also use email automation software from sites such as HubSpot to help with the task. Nurturing your leads through a personalized approach will help your company stand out in the saturated market.
Also Read – Guide to Finding a Great Healthcare Content Marketing Service
The key to being seen amidst the saturated healthcare technology market is making yourself easier to be found. As opposed to expensive ads and cold calls that not a lot of people rarely appreciate, Inbound Marketing and Sales will help establish you as a leader in the healthtech industry and draw qualified people to you without you reaching out to them. We’ve worked with many Founders, CEOs, and executives to implement Inbound Methodology for their health technology businesses. Feel free to reserve your free strategy session now to get help evaluating your assets and gain insights and suggestions to stand out in a competitive marketplace!