Early on in the pandemic, many healthIT companies were approaching sales and prospecting the same way as in the past. However, they steadily saw MQLs and SQLs decline. Healthcare technology brands that were able to succeed during 2020 were those who pivoted sales and marketing tactics to better reach audiences. The same remains true today.
We’re now late into 2021, and healthcare providers continue to struggle with staff capacity challenges and heavy patient loads. As a result, many have delayed tech implementations by several months -- and are in turn holding on delaying future purchasing decisions. In fact, the majority of healthIT purchase cycles are now over a year long. Yet, again, marketers must pivot in order to adapt to this elongated landscape.
Key physician and provider stakeholders now care less about a sales pitch and more about value propositions and how innovation can tangibly impact their customers and patients. As a result, healthcare marketers are challenged with determining how to best communicate during this ongoing health crisis.
If your messaging or persona booklets have not been polished within the last six months, it’s time to dust them off and make them current to ensure they better speak to buyers’ new and changing challenges, goals, needs, and wants.
But don’t stop there. It’s also important to consider new tactics and strategies for meeting your audiences where they are -- which for many physicians and providers, is on their phones.
Social media is an important avenue to utilize to promote your content and to further build relationships with potential clients, as 75% of B2B buyers are influenced by social media when making purchasing decisions.
In fact, Alloy recently assisted a client in establishing industry leadership and driving customer engagement during COVID-19 with social media as a key component, growing the brand’s presence with 225 new followers and a 33% spike in conversions.
All in all, longer sales cycles equal more nurturing. So developing an integrated PR and marketing approach that builds awareness via a mix of media and analyst relations, a strong website experience, and tailored emails will play an important role in keeping your company top-of-mind throughout your buyers’ decision-making process.
For 5 specific tips on how you can help your brand stand out, keep buyers engaged and move them through the funnel during today’s age of elongated sales cycles, check out our HealthIT Marketing Tip Sheet.