An excellent website can perform many functions for a healthcare software company: tell a brand’s story, help customers better understand how to solve challenges, and, of course, explain the value of a product or service—just to name a few.
However, one of the most powerful ways to use a website is as a lead generation tool. Healthcare marketing strategies involving a company website may not generate results instantly, but over time they can create a steady flow of well-qualified leads that fill your pipeline. 
In this article, we’ll hear from Erica Pierce, Partner and Creative Director at Spot On, about how you can improve your website’s ability to generate leads – whether you’ve been collecting sales prospects from your site for a while or are brand new to the concept.
For a long time, websites were considered static elements of a company’s presence, comparable to a sign in the window of a storefront or a magazine ad. Some more traditional companies are still making the mistake of viewing their site – and healthcare marketing strategies in general – in this manner.
“Many times, companies think of a website like a brochure about them and their business, but they need to approach it from the viewpoint of their prospects, not their own,” says Pierce. This means thinking about what kind of content the customer is looking for, their pain points, and how they like to consume content. “Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes, position content around that, and then relate back to your product based on what your prospect wants and needs,” Pierce advises.
A better way to think of a modern site in healthcare web marketing is as a digital salesperson who can greet and guide your healthcare software buyer at any stage of the buyer’s journey.
If an effective website can convert strangers into warm prospects who are interested in learning more about your product or service, then there’s one key question: How do you build this type of website? Let’s get into it.
Before you spend any significant amount of time or capital on improving a website, Pierce explains that you have to know where you currently stand. An audit is a great way to evaluate your current page and see which areas of your healthcare web marketing are working well and which ones need improvement.
“We go through everything from user experience (UX) to conversion rate optimization (CRO),” says Pierce when asked about the audit process. “We seek to answer key questions, such as ‘is the site easy to use and understand?’ and ‘are there clear paths and opportunities for conversion?’” For instance, if there is not a call-to-action (CTA) in your header, that is something we address right away.
Other elements that you should consider in an audit include forms, links, images, and navigation menus that users need to maneuver around your site.
The power of content marketing is widely recognized as essential to healthcare marketing strategies. Statistics by HubSpot indicate more than four in five B2B marketers are using content marketing, such as blogging to attract sales leads. It’s one of the particularly effective marketing strategies in healthcare because it leans heavily on education and authority.
As Pierce puts it, publishing content improves brand trust by showing prospects you understand their pain points. It's important also to include content that you can download in order to get those leads. “Having relevant downloadable offers like eBooks, tip sheets, webinars, and case studies provides content for every stage of the buyer's journey,” Pierce says.
Word to the wise: Your on-page content is critical too. Ideally, your website should offer scannable content that is easily digestible and not too lengthy.
It’s always better to create a site built for people, not search crawlers. However, while search engine optimization (SEO) shouldn’t be your only focus, it is critical.
“Obviously, you have to generate traffic in order to convert it,” says Pierce. “If they never find you, they’re not going to convert. The only other way to get them to your site would be through ads, and that’s a short-term, more expensive play.”
And remember, effective marketing strategies in healthcare are centered on attracting the right kind of traffic, buyers who need your healthcare software to solve existing problems. To get started with SEO, think about how your ideal prospect would interact with a search engine if they were looking for your company’s products or services. That means identifying keywords, or the words users put into search engines to find you. The more unique and specific your keywords are, the better.
“We pull a list of keywords and then assign one unique, primary keyword to every page on the website. Then we optimize that keyword throughout the page,” explains Pierce. It helps to choose a different keyword for each page to prevent pages from competing against one another as well.
When evaluating your company website as a tool for lead generation, you want to ensure your site provides clear direction for those who visit your page.
Visitors who come to your home often already know your brand and the basics of what you do. “This is the stage where they may be ready to ask for a demo or one of those bottom-of-the-funnel offers,” Pierce says.
Taking this into account, it’s important to structure your site so that your site’s visitors can travel through at their own pace, with many clear chances to convert. “We’re talking about UX—making sure that people know how to use your website, that it’s clear, they know where to click.”
If you’re looking for help with your site’s UX, SEO, designing a healthcare software marketing funnel, or content marketing, our team is ready to help you meet your digital marketing goals. Schedule a time to chat with one of our experts and find out how we can help transform your website from a company brochure to a lead-generating machine.
