B2B healthcare app marketing is complicated. You have to navigate the unique nature of SaaS healthcare marketing while avoiding common app marketing pitfalls. However, there’s a tremendous opportunity for companies that can effectively convey the value of their product. The healthcare IT market size is forecasted to grow to $603.4 billion by 2027, according to a study by Global Market Insights Inc.
To take advantage of this market growth and stand out in a crowded field, be sure to evaluate your current marketing to be sure you avoid the 4 most common mistakes in healthcare app marketing.
The healthcare sector is complex: the industry is extremely regulated, decisions are high-stakes, and buyers can be skeptical about new solutions. It's hard to build credibility, and many stakeholders trust recommendations only from others in the field — making it difficult for new brands to gain traction.
Meanwhile, the lengthy sales cycle is arduous. It's not uncommon for healthcare organizations to take 12 to 18 months to reach a purchasing decision. To cross the finish line, sales and marketing teams must invest extra time and effort to nurture relationships and stay top of mind during the entire buying journey.
The long sales cycle is partly due to the number of stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. People on the buying committee are often at different stages of the non-linear purchasing path, making it even more complicated for sales and marketing teams to deliver the right message at the right time.
Moreover, you have to navigate a complex regulatory and data privacy landscape and meet highly technical customer expectations. Many decision-makers (such as CIOs and engineers) are skeptical of "marketing speak" and expect information-rich communication from vendors.
Finally, more buyers are researching online and defining their solutions before reaching out to vendors. Along with the decline in traditional sales channels (e.g., trade shows, conferences, and in-person visits,) many old healthcare marketing tactics are no longer effective.
Healthcare tech companies must apply the latest SaaS content marketing strategies to get in front of the right prospects early in the customer lifecycle through the appropriate digital channels. To accomplish this, businesses may need to adjust their traditional mindset, budgets, and organizational structure. Without such a shift, businesses can make costly marketing errors.
Here are the mistakes to avoid when navigating the complex B2B SaaS inbound marketing landscape for your healthcare app:
1. You Don't Have a Clearly Defined Plan
The biggest mistake in healthcare app marketing is assuming that "if you build it, they'll come." Without a marketing plan, you can't focus your resources on delivering the right message to the right decision-makers at the right time.
Solution: Research your ideal customers and create buyer personas to understand their pain points and desired outcomes. Layer this understanding on account-based marketing (ABM) strategies to create a personalized experience that addresses your prospects' needs.
Identify stakeholders in the buying committee and implement a robust SaaS content marketing plan to deliver targeted content that speaks to their unique concerns at various stages of the customer lifecycle.
2. You Aren't Addressing Data Security
HIPAA compliance is a top concern for healthcare tech decision-makers. You risk losing prospects' confidence if you don't proactively address data privacy in your marketing messages and sales materials.
Solution: Incorporate relevant standards you adhere to and certifications you have (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS, HI-TRUST, SOC 2, NIST-800, etc.) in your marketing content, such as website copy and app store description to establish more credibility.
Make information security and compliance a focus of your SaaS content marketing strategy. Create informative articles, videos, social media posts, whitepapers, and more to share your expertise and position your brand as the expert in the area.
3. You've Overlooked User Engagement
Customer retention is key to profitability for any subscription-based business model. How do you keep your customers around? You must ensure end-users engage with your app and get value from it. Otherwise, you could get stuck on the hamster wheel of user acquisition and churn.
Solution: Your marketing effort doesn't end when a customer purchases your app. In fact, the next phase just started! Help them get value immediately with a well-designed onboarding process, share timely and relevant content often, and offer comprehensive technical support and consultation to deliver an outstanding user experience.
User reviews and testimonials that resonate are key to building trust and accelerating the decision-making process in SaaS healthcare marketing. Therefore, you should create a system to leverage social proof to boost your word-of-mouth marketing.
4. You're Navel-gazing
Even if your app is the greatest thing since sliced bread, your prospects won't care unless it solves their challenges. Though you may be transfixed by the bells and whistles of the product, your customer comes to the table with a very different lens, so it’s important to keep that in mind. If you make your marketing content all about the product without speaking to your audience's needs, you won't get your foot in the door.
Solution: It comes back to building a solid foundation, with researched and thoughtful buyer personas. To reach the healthcare tech audience, keep in mind they aren’t your typical B2B buyer — nor are they your typical B2B tech buyer. Healthcare providers must contend with a very specific and complex organizational and regulatory landscape; they are looking for targeted content to address their concerns. Create a customer-centric buying experience instead of product-forward messaging — especially for audiences in the early customer lifecycle stages.
A comprehensive B2B SaaS inbound marketing strategy is essential for effectively reaching your target audience, promoting your healthcare app, and engaging with end-users.
An agency partner with extensive experience and expertise in healthcare software marketing can help you navigate this complex landscape and leverage SaaS content marketing best practices to reach the right people at the right time to drive conversions.
Our team at Spot On can help you design and implement a solid healthcare app marketing strategy to stay ahead of the curve. Schedule a time to chat with us and see how we can help you cut through the clutter and avoid healthcare app marketing pitfalls.
