8 Powerful Healthcare Software Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Pipeline

Do you want to be a leader in the health tech industry? Then you need to know how to market your healthcare product. Selling your software to the medical sector is not easy as it is a highly regulated industry. However, if you are confident with your product's capabilities and the value it can provide, you must check out the healthcare software marketing strategies shared below.  Let’s start by understanding the challenges associated with healthcare marketing.

Challenges Of Marketing To Healthcare Providers 

Lack Of Hard Healthcare Business Metrics

The marketing part of the healthcare space has been conservative, limited, and still traditional in many aspects. Metrics like brand image, business growth, marketing communications, and stakeholder engagement are still not considered as much of a possibility. The absence of useful insights into the HCPs' or healthcare providers' interests makes it difficult to craft a proven strategy that can provide qualified leads. The only leading metric available in the healthcare sector is tracked numbers and frequency of phone calls to HCPs. 

Inability To Reach The Needed Mass Of Physicians And Achieve Business Goals:

• Marketers' reach to healthcare leaders and HCPs is fragmented, leading to disengagement after the first or a few more points of contact. 
• The company's web pages discussing the product and offers are seen as promotional, and most HCPs disbelieve them as a policy. 
• The scientific journals might not carry the company's message as expected.
• Medical conferences are a great way to connect with decision-makers, but the marketer's target group might not be present. 

Reduced Access To Physicians

Compliance policies and laws require HCPs to report their involvement in activities like research and business speaking engagements. They are usually in controlled settings, which reduces the opportunities for marketers to reach them for marketing purposes. 

However, this might change significantly as recent data says that the healthcare information software market is expected to reach 53.22 billion worth by 2029. 

One of the reasons could be the increased adoption of health tech solutions which may bring some relief from such strict policies. 

Tips to Promote Medical Software to The Hospitals   

Impress Hospital Stakeholders Via Metrics

Before you dive into how to market software to healthcare professionals, know about the industry's standards. You must be aware of the fact that the US healthcare sector follows Value-Based Care. It means that all healthcare providers, including physicians, hospitals, and clinics, are paid based on the health outcomes of the patient rather than the service they provide. In fact, the Value-Based Care structure can penalize healthcare providers if they don't keep up with the higher-performing medical standards. 

Thus, hospital stakeholders care significantly about what metrics a new healthcare software can improve. So, to pitch an impactful marketing strategy for healthcare lead generation in front of innovation leaders of your selected healthcare business, ensure your software improves at least one of these critical hospital metrics: 

• Mortality rate
• ER wait times
• Bed occupancy
• Re-infection rates and Readmission rates 
• Hospital-acquired infections and other hospital incidents
• The average length of a patient's stay

• Generated revenue
• Number of patients visits per day
• Average cost spent on a patient per day
• Operating margins

Make A Solid Case For The Pilot Software Version

If your first pilot software version performs well or even better than you expected, you already have a solid case to present to healthcare leaders. But, if you identify minor glitches or weaknesses in your software's functioning, then it's better to be honest about the improvements you still need to make to your product. 

The healthcare sector strictly follows compliance rules and regulations before approving any healthcare solutions. Thus, being honest and aware of your product's status will gain your reputation in front of your target leaders. 

So, be patient and spend optimum time researching and developing to fetch all the data required to refine your healthcare software solution. 

90% of HCPs already use cloud-based software development in the healthcare space. Thus, delivering a strong case can help launch your product in the market.

Release Optimum Amount of E-Books and How-To Guides 

This healthcare marketing tactic aims to build your authority in front of targeted healthcare leaders as trusted providers. In a highly regulated environment like healthcare, authority is a fundamental requirement that you need to meet. 

Creating valuable content is one of the best ways to do so. These include original research papers, how-to guides, e-books, and other useful materials. In addition, it will help demonstrate your business's understanding of the challenges and needs of the healthcare sector. 

Moreover, the healthcare industry can be tough to enter, so if you want your software to come under the radar of potential decision-makers, follow the below given tips: 

• Build co-marketing campaigns with a related (not your competitor) and strategic partner service provider. It will further boost your authority. 
• Create case studies with the key client(s) to gain trust and reliability in the healthcare market. 
• Thoroughly define, analyze, and segment target groups to create high-quality content they might be seeking. 
• Distribute your created trust-building content via customized journeys depending on the target's behavioral triggers. Leverage cold emailing best practices to get your content to the right people. 

Feature Your Software In Study Papers

Have you ever wondered what's the most important aspect to focus on while you explore how to market software to healthcare professionals? Then know that it's maintaining credibility. Publishing a study paper is the most effective way to build it. In fact, marketers should never build their software's pilot version without documenting its progress. 

Use a tangible item to demonstrate events that took place while you were developing and testing the pilot version. Mention how you improved your metrics to tackle any drawbacks. Showcase the results in a published study.

Create A Product Learning Format For Different Healthcare Departments

It is one of the subtle healthcare software marketing strategies you must practice while pitching to medical institutions and decision-makers. They will want more from you than only a great pitch and a successful product demo. Before investing in your product, they want to ensure that you are a potential leader in the field and that your product comes with plenty of helpful content, knowledge, and education. Make use of a scalable learning platform to create a detailed learning format that's accessible and can be scaled across every healthcare department. You can create short learn-as-you-go courses or quick video lessons.

Keep A Steady Pipeline Of Quality Leads

While marketing products in the healthcare sector, it is common for service provider companies like yours to get caught up in the sales trap. It is a situation where service providers put more effort into distributing their product/service rather than focusing on generating leads. 

If it continues, it will result in a dry pipeline. Thus, you need to make a habit of filling your pipeline consistently. Here are a few tips for maintaining a steady pipeline of quality leads:

• Buying Lists – The list indicates significant data like target clients' buying patterns, purchase history, etc. Although sometimes the purchased list can be off-target or inaccurate, it still provides pipelines of leads. It is a hit-or-miss strategy and if the list is accurate, it works excellently in outbound marketing. 
• Lead Generation Services –  You can share your load of searching for the "Perfect Client" for your healthcare software by hiring specialized lead generation service providers. They can expand the volume of the lead. 
• Build an Email List – Another best way to reach top business decision-makers is LinkedIn, the popular professional network. Filter your targeted groups, individuals, and companies. Get their contact information to add qualified software leads to your pipeline. 

Anticipate Questions The Hospital's Chief Innovation Officer May Ask

Once you are self-assured about the capability of your tested software solution and pilot outcomes, it's time to present the product in front of your targeted healthcare leaders and CIOs. Before you initiate the contact, ensure to have the following components in place: 

• Engage a seniority-level business executive to communicate with the target leaders: Marketing your product to the healthcare sector needs to be entirely professional. Thus, get the right team of executives to commensurate the hospital's CIO. 
• Create an appealing and data-driven pilot outcome compilation: Make sure your compilation is professionally designed, visually compelling, and content is to-the-point. It should clearly highlight how your software can improve respective hospital metrics. All references to published studies and pilot partner logos must be mentioned. 
• Make a list of possible questions and doubts CIOs and healthcare leaders may ask about the product: CIOs are keen on how the addition of a new product into the healthcare system will impact the hospital's metrics. But, they are also equally concerned about data safety. Thus, besides preparing your answers on in-depth product details, its capabilities, roadmap, drawbacks, etc., ensure to anticipate important questions about its security and compliance. 

Be prepared to explain how your software protects personal health information (PHI) and other sensitive hospital data from cyber-attacks and other issues. 

Moreover, data breaches in healthcare businesses are 2.5x more expensive than other industries. 

Demonstrate Evidence-Based Outcomes

Never try to make profits before building a good reputation among your target group. Before you start pitching your software, ensure to provide evidence-based outcomes. Ensure to highlight the following pointers about your product before the prospects: 

• Ways to know how your software solution is delivering impactful outcomes. 
• Software features that are designed to show significant outcomes. 
• Ideal steps you'll follow once the pilot is over. 
• How your product can meet the expectation of the "impact" of your healthcare partner. 

Conclusion

Medical software is a very niche product, and it can be hard to get in touch with the right people. Non-commercial packages and APIs in the healthcare space take a very different approach to sales. If you're aware of these differences and carefully target your audience with your message, you'll have taken a big step towards success. 

However, keeping up with the healthcare lead generation strategy can get overwhelming. On top of that, you'll also have to ensure you are reaching the right and enough leads. 

Thus, you should choose a legit lead generation service provider like REVNEW to assist your marketing team in successfully meeting their lead generation target. The company provides a high-quality steady pipeline and keeps your sales team connected with valuable prospects.