There are hundreds of choices available to healthcare vendors when it comes to marketing. Cold outreach, social media, SEO, conferences – all have their place. But nothing – nothing – comes close to the power of account-based marketing in the healthcare world. Account-based marketing is when campaigns are created for specific prospects. If you’re already using it, well done! If not, there’s no time like the present to jump right in. So here’s why ABM is the best choice for healthcare marketing strategies.
You know all the players you can sell to.
Healthcare is a closed system. There are not a lot of new health systems being created. And, even if there are, it’s few enough you can keep track of them. Whether you sell to large health systems or private practices, it is easy to dig up a list of who they are. And so it goes for ambulatory surgical centers, imaging centers, and so forth.
All that makes the perfect situation for using account-based marketing. You know exactly which health systems are the best fit for you and you know where to find them. So why waste time hoping they happen to search on your keywords that day? You can simply reach out to them directly.
One CEO I worked with successfully turned a healthcare IT sales strategy on its head by simply crunching the numbers. He knew exactly how many health systems of the size they needed existed in each state, and he made sure the sales team went after all of them.
You know which roles have decision-making power.
In health systems, some buying decisions may take place at the department level and some in the C-suite. Many of these decisions will be made by committee. But, for the most part, the decision-making process in one health system is going to be similar to how it’s done in another health system.
That is another perfect fit for account-based marketing. You already know who is going to give you the yay or nay, so why not reach out to them directly? No need to hope they are scrolling through your LinkedIn feed.
A client of mine lets Becker’s do the work for them. Becker’s helpfully publishes lists of health systems who are bringing on new CFOs, which neatly provides them with a prospect list.
You know exactly what challenges they are facing.
Account-based marketing is based on the concept that you know the person you are reaching out to and what concerns are on their mind. As a healthcare vendor, you likely know their current challenges very well, as well as what new ones are looming on the horizon.
Account-based marketing thrives when you can speak directly to your prospect’s biggest stressors. In healthcare, there are numerous industry websites where you can discover everything from the latest hirings and firings to the latest CMS regulations. This makes it easy to hone in on issues of particular concern to your prospect.
Account-based marketing works well in healthcare.
The most successful healthcare vendors weave a variety of content and channels into an account-based marketing strategy. When you know who you need to target, which role will make the buying decision, and what is on their mind, ABM is always the best choice.
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