Health tech marketing: Crafting a successful brand strategy

business health tech

The health tech sector is booming and as more players enter this competitive space, having a strong brand has never been more critical. But how do you craft a health tech marketing strategy that sets you apart?

In this guide, we’ll walk through the key elements of building a powerful health tech brand, from analysing your market to telling your unique story. We’ll share real-world examples and actionable tips to help you connect with customers and accelerate sales. Let’s dive in.

Understanding your health tech market

Every successful brand starts with a deep understanding of its market and audience. In health tech, that means getting to grips with the complex ecosystem of providers, payers, patients, and regulators that shape technology adoption.

Start by conducting a thorough market analysis. Look at the key trends driving health tech usage, such as the shift to value-based care, the rise of consumerism, and the focus on interoperability. Identify your target customers, whether that’s hospitals, health systems, insurers, or consumers. Consider their specific needs and pain points. How can your solution help customers overcome barriers and meet their objectives?

Differentiating your health tech brand

In a crowded market, your brand needs to stand out. That starts with defining your unique selling proposition (USP). What sets your technology apart in terms of features, outcomes, or user experience? How does it compare to competitors?

Conduct a SWOT analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Look for gaps in the market that align with your capabilities. Maybe you have a proprietary algorithm that yields more accurate results. Perhaps your user-friendly interface drives higher adoption.

Your brand positioning should be rooted in customer value. A strong health tech USP clearly articulates the benefits you deliver, backed by evidence. Take eConsult, an online triage platform that enables more effective patient self-management. Its website leads with the USP “Connecting patients to the right care at the right time.” That singular message encapsulates its value and differentiates it from traditional analog triage.

Remember, your brand is more than features and functions. It’s the emotions and associations your solution evokes. Are you positioned as an innovative disruptor or a trusted, established player? Does your brand convey empathy and warmth or project a high-tech image?

Telling stories is crucial in health tech, where buyers are often clinicians who want to understand how technology benefits patients.

Case studies, user testimonials, and thought leadership content help give your brand a human face.

Crafting your health tech brand story

Features tell but stories sell. Your brand narrative is the hook that draws customers in and helps them connect emotionally with your company. It’s the throughline that links your marketing and communications.

Your brand story should have a clear arc, with a beginning, middle, and end:

  • The challenge or opportunity you saw in the market
  • How your solution addresses it in a unique way
  • The impact you’ve had on care delivery, costs, and patient experience
  • Your vision for the future of healthcare

Bring your story to life with real-world examples and case studies. Highland Marketing client Alcidion saw rapid growth in the NHS after showcasing how its Miya Precision platform enabled hospitals like East Lancashire NHS Trust to meet key objectives.

Telling stories is crucial in health tech, where buyers are often clinicians who want to understand how technology benefits patients. Case studies, user testimonials, and thought leadership content help give your brand a human face.

Your brand story shouldn’t just live on your website. Infuse it into every touchpoint, from your sales collateral to your social media posts. Ensure your messaging is consistent yet tailored to each channel and audience.

Investing in thought leadership

Thought leadership content is a powerful way to build your health tech brand authority. By sharing your unique perspective and expertise, you become a trusted source that customers turn to for guidance.

First, map out the key topics and issues your audience cares about. What challenges are they grappling with? What trends are transforming their world? Go beyond generic industry themes to focus on areas where you have a distinct point of view.

Next, identify the most effective thought leadership formats and channels:

  • Contributed articles in trade publications
  • Blogs on your company website
  • Guest spots on popular podcasts
  • Presentations at major conferences
  • Original research reports on pressing industry issues

Good thought leadership educates, challenges assumptions, and shares lessons learned. It’s backed by facts and examples, not just opinions. Above all, it should offer genuine value to your audience – not just promote your own solution.

Thought leadership shouldn’t be created in a vacuum. Collaborate with respected partners like industry analysts, leading customers, and academics to boost credibility and expand your reach through their networks. Always include a clear bio that establishes your experts’ credentials.

Amplifying your brand through PR

Public relations (PR) is another core pillar of health tech brand building. Earned media coverage exposes your brand to new audiences and establishes third-party validation. But in a noisy media landscape, you need a targeted strategy.

Start by identifying the publications and journalists that reach your key audience segments. Build a press list that goes beyond general healthcare titles to include trade outlets focused on your specific subsector, like radiology or remote patient monitoring.

Consider regional publications in areas where you have a strong customer presence. For instance, Highland Marketing helped Patientrack secure over 50 pieces of coverage in Scottish media by highlighting its impact at NHS Fife.

Cultivate relationships with target journalists before you pitch. Follow and interact with them on social media. Offer your expert commentary on their coverage areas. Demonstrate that you understand their beat and audience.

When pitching, lead with stories, not just announcements. Can you provide an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at a hot topic or innovative partnership? Do you have emotionally resonant patient stories that illustrate your impact? Do you have proactive earned media pitches (vs just reacting to journalists’ requests)?

Prepare a press kit with your core content, including a company fact sheet, team bios, case studies, and FAQs. Designate and train company spokespeople to handle media interviews. Track coverage and share it across your channels.

Orion Health increased its UK media coverage by 93 pieces through a strategic PR program. “Highland Marketing acted as an extension of our team to build awareness among our target audiences,” says marketing manager, Nicholas King.

Maximising your digital presence

Your health tech brand lives across myriad digital channels, from your website to your social media profiles to virtual events. To build a cohesive brand experience, you need an integrated digital strategy.

It starts with your website. Design your site to strategically guide visitors through the buyer’s journey. Highlight your USP and brand story upfront. Feature customer success stories and testimonials prominently. Optimise your content for search engines so prospects can easily find you.

On social media, share a mix of your own content and curated third-party posts that align with your brand narrative. Use hashtags and mentions to insert your brand voice into relevant industry conversations. Establish dedicated channels for customer support.

Paid digital advertising can help you reach highly targeted prospects. For example, layering job title, company size, and technographic data on LinkedIn can put your content in front of key decision-makers.

As a growing number of events go digital, you need a virtual brand presence. Look for opportunities to sponsor or exhibit at online conferences. Host your own webinars to share thought leadership. Create immersive digital product demos.

Generating and nurturing leads

Ultimately, your health tech brand must drive business results. That means not just raising awareness but systematically generating and nurturing leads through to sale.

Sales acceleration is about identifying and connecting with key stakeholders at target accounts. That starts with developing an ideal customer profile (ICP). What types of organisations are most likely to buy and derive value from your solution? Develop a detailed matrix of their common attributes.

Next, build a contact database of decision-makers at top prospect organisations. Go beyond generic email blasts to create personalised outreach sequences that progressively spark engagement. Use mentions of recent trigger events like M&A activity or new product launches to add relevance.

When prospects engage, qualify them with an objective lead scoring framework. Award points for key actions like content downloads, demo requests, pricing inquiries, etc. Pass high-scoring marketing qualified leads (MQLs) to your sales team for timely follow-up.

Use marketing automation to keep qualified leads warm over time. Serve dynamic web content and email campaigns tailored to their stage in the buyer’s journey. Invite them to webinars or live demos. Alert your sales team if they return to your site and view pricing or product pages.

Continuously test and optimise your lead generation touchpoints. A/B test email subject lines and call-to-action copy. Experiment with new content offers. Track your conversion rates across each stage of the funnel and make data-driven improvements.

CommonTime saw a significant increase in sales meetings with NHS decision-makers through a sales acceleration program. “Highland Marketing sets itself apart from others by having the experience and gravitas to be taken seriously by the people we want to engage with, which is exactly what we need to support our business objectives in healthcare and the wider public sector,” notes marketing head Steve Carvell.

Measuring brand impact

To continually strengthen your health tech brand, you must track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs). Your KPI dashboard should span the full breadth of your marketing and sales funnel:

  • Brand awareness: media mentions, social shares, branded search volume
  • Website engagement: sessions, pages/visit, bounce rate, marketing collateral downloads
  • Lead generation: MQLs, sales qualified leads (SQLs), lead-to-customer conversion rate
  • Sales pipeline: opportunities created, average deal size, sales cycle length
  • Customer success: logo retention, upsell/cross-sell, customer lifetime value, net promoter score

Use a mix of marketing and CRM platforms to centralise this data. Share a core set of metrics with senior leadership to demonstrate your brand initiatives’ revenue impact. Benchmark your performance against industry averages. Celebrate wins and rigorously investigate areas of underperformance.

Importantly, your brand measurement must go beyond surface-level vanity metrics to capture shifts in audience perception and sentiment:

  • Use brand lift studies to measure the impact of specific campaigns on unaided awareness and purchase intent.
  • Conduct routine customer surveys to understand what they associate with your brand and how you stack up to competitors.
  • Analyse the types of words, phrases and imagery your audience uses to discuss your brand online. Do they align with your intended positioning?

A strong brand fuels health tech success

Building a recognisable and trusted health tech brand requires a deep understanding of your target market, a compelling story, and the ability to demonstrate real-world impact. It’s a continuous, cross-functional effort that touches every aspect of your go-to-market strategy.

By investing in market analysis, differentiated positioning, thought leadership, PR, digital marketing, and sales acceleration, you can craft a brand that resonates and drives results. Measure your progress rigorously and course-correct as you learn.

With a powerful brand behind you, you’ll be well-positioned to capitalise on the immense opportunities in the booming health tech market – and ultimately create better outcomes for patients worldwide.

Empowering your health tech brand with Highland Marketing

Building a powerful health tech brand is a complex, multifaceted endeavour. From market analysis to sales acceleration, it requires deep industry expertise and a diverse skillset.

That’s where Highland Marketing comes in. As a full-service health tech marketing consultancy, we bring over 20 years of experience helping companies like yours stand out and succeed. Our expert team provides end-to-end support across every stage of your brand building journey.

Whether you need to sharpen your positioning, create compelling content, amplify your message, or drive qualified leads, we’re here to help. Our tailored services are designed to maximise your brand’s impact and deliver tangible business results.

Don’t let your health tech brand get lost in the noise. Contact Highland Marketing today to learn how we can partner with you to create a brand strategy that resonates and a go-to-market plan that delivers.

With Highland Marketing by your side, you’ll have the insight, expertise and execution power to build a health tech brand that leads the pack – and makes a real difference to patients and providers. Let’s talk about how we can bring your brand vision to life.