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Why Healthcare Marketing?

by David Satina

I recently had a recruiter ask me why I focused on healthcare marketing? I was surprised by the question, since the focus of this person's career was to identify and recruit marketing professionals. 

Surely she know that the key to effective B2B marketing is to segment the market and target a definable, finite audience where you can maximize your impact. I chose healthcare marketing partly because I have built a robust skill set in the industry over the past 17 years, but more importantly, because of the nuances that make it unique from other industries. I enjoy the level of knowledge required from both an industry and marketing perspective. 

Healthcare marketing encompasses a broad range of sub-categories, including healthcare providers, consultants, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare IT. Each area requires knowledge and market understanding. For example, when marketing to potential patients, provider marketers need to consider the footprint of their organization in terms of geography and completeness of services, network affiliations, access, the need for referrals from both patients and other care providers, payment models, outcomes, consumer ratings of their doctors on platforms like Healthgrades, and their overall branding.

Medical device marketing, on the other hand, involves the whole regulatory process. If your product requires regulatory approval, all labeling, marketing, and advertising must comply with the approved efficacy and country requirements for the product. Devising and developing compelling white papers and content based on evidence requires a deep understanding of the product and it's impact on the human anatomy. You must also consider a host of buying options from GPOs, DMEs and direct via single facility or IDN and numerous personas that must be touched, including (potentially) the patient. All of these aspects must be included in your marketing strategy and subsequent plans. And if you plan to sell your product outside of the US, the use case(s), buying process, and regulatory environment may differ, and must be considered.

Currently there is a significant focus on Big Data and the ability to synthesize the vast amounts of data for improving outcomes and efficiency. The lack of regulatory requirements for these HIT systems means the development process is shorter, leading to a plethora of analytical solutions across all aspects of healthcare. As a result, there is a significant need for experienced marketing leaders to differentiate their solutions to capture market leadership. Cythes Health provides organizations selling into the healthcare industry the marketing experience they need to excel.