How to map an effective healthcare customer journey

With patients ever more likely to research their health problems online, attracting clients relies on driving traffic to an intuitive website through quality content and intelligent advertising. Here are our top tips to getting heard and making sales in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare is a unique space for marketeers. Science and personal experience connect in such a way that, in most cases, your customers will know exactly what they are looking for by the time they arrive at your website.

That’s not to say that a structured sales funnel doesn’t exist, just that the route to purchase is never linear and that it can vary from client to client, industry sector to industry sector.

With patients ever more likely to research their health problems online, attracting clients relies on driving traffic to an intuitive website through quality content and intelligent advertising.

Here are our top tips to getting heard and making sales in the healthcare industry:

Research

Healthcare might appear to be one sector, but we all know that is not the case. From patients to healthcare trusts, pharmaceutical companies to healthcare start-ups, each customer is different.

That’s why there can be no “one size fits all” approach, and each strategy needs to be based on research. Through surveys, focus groups, social media reviews and competitive analyses, build a full picture of your ideal customer.

What are their purchasing pain-points and influencers? Are there points in the year that they are more likely to invest? What are they looking for in a supplier? The answers to these questions will not only vary from sector to sector but often from therapy area to therapy area.

Quality content

Once you have a better understanding of your client, you can produce quality, engaging content that will build your brand. We have all heard the phrase “content is king” and that is because it is true.

And while this is important across industries, in a sector so heavily reliant on credibility, it’s a critical step on the road to success.

Securing coverage in specialist press, sharing well-designed, visually appealing data and graphics on industry pinch-points and targeted online advertising will put your company in front of the decision-makers before they even know they need you.

The rise of “Dr Google” means patients are essentially diagnosing themselves well before contacting a healthcare professional. A quick interview with a doctor or nurse can be converted into an SEO-friendly blog that offers real value to your customer base, drawing them to your website at the same time as building your reputation.

Of course, once they get to your website, it’s essential they engage with it. Nothing puts potential clients off quicker than a poor website. Think customer experience, functionality and navigation.

Nurturing relationships

The probability of selling to an existing customer is between 60 and 70 per cent, while the probability of selling to a new one is just 5 to 20 per cent. In fact, it can cost five times as much to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one.

What’s more, current customers are often your best advocates. They share your quality content with their industry peers, they recommend you to colleagues and, in many cases, even take you with them when they change companies.

Make it a habit to ask for feedback after each sale or project and see if there’s anything you could do better. Simple tools such as the Net Promoter Score can help you keep on top of your customer experience, and ensure your company is the best version of itself.

More than in many other industries, success in healthcare relies on being a trusted part of the community. That means understanding your target audience, caring about the problems they are trying to solve and communicating medical information clearly.

For more advice on getting your brand in front of med tech decision makers, get in touch.