How to Market to Hospitals: 3 Keys to Healthcare IT Marketing

Marketing six figure plus Informational Technology solutions to hospitals and healthcare provider networks is no simple, easy task. The IT solution is typically complex and impacts multiple areas within the hospital from the IT department to front-line clinicians. Also, while hospitals know their IT systems must accommodate EMR mandates within the Affordable Care Act, they are gun shy to make a change because they’ve been over-promised and “under-delivered” from IT vendors in the past.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of marketing to hospitals is getting attention and opening the door. Hospitals have multiple decision makers and influencers, especially when it comes to IT that carries a high price tag and an impact on how staff does their jobs on a daily basis.

With this fact in mind, here are 3 keys to increase your marketing effectiveness to hospitals.

1. Identify the “Real” Influencers- To get your healthcare IT solution accepted means winning over multiple internal champions. Obviously, you need the CEO, CIO, and Chief Medical Executive of the particular area your solution addresses on your side. However, it takes some digging to find the “real” influencer within the hospital who usually doesn’t have the title, but has the responsibility and front-line influence to give the thumbs up or to nix your solution.

2. Lead with Cost Savings Benefits- Hospitals are cost conscious and leading with the benefits of how your IT solution will save money and cut expenses will draw attention. Communicating cost savings makes the internal sale easier to the Executive staff and hospital board if needed. Break your marketing message down into bullet points that highlight how your IT solution reduces costs.

3. Real, Simple… and Unique… Marketing Message- Since you’re selling a complex, big ticket product/service to an organization with multiple decision makers with a variety of needs, concerns, and perceptions about IT, it’s vital to deliver a real, simple, and different message from the other IT vendors. You must communicate in a way that gets all of the stakeholders to easily grasp the value your solution offers. It must make perfect sense. You’re striving for the ah-ha breakthrough of your message where the light comes on for the decision makers involved.

Keep these 3 keys steps in mind and follow them when marketing your healthcare IT solutions to hospitals.

If you need more information about creating a real, simple, yet different marketing message, download the FREE Guide: Tell Stories. Drive Sales. You’ll learn how to use the power of stories to open doors in your healthcare IT marketing.