Even though the B2B health tech marketer’s primary goal is to reach buyers at healthcare organizations, leveraging how your patient end-users will engage with the technology or service should be the foundation of your messaging and content strategy.
Read on to learn how B2B marketers can better understand how patients use your tech and for an overview of emerging patient experience trends that have the potential to inform and disrupt how users engage with your product.
Taking stock of the patient experience
While your leadership and product development teams may undertake UX exercises, approaching them with a marketer’s eye is essential.
- Map how your product or service fits into the patient journey. Understanding where your product or service impacts the patient journey helps marketers identify potential blockers and take stock of the competitive landscape.
- Review user experience (UX) test results. User testing offers marketers unparalleled insight into how products can and will be utilized in the real world to build authentic messaging regarding usability. You may even grab a testimonial or usability stat to use.
- Develop patient population personas. Marketers know their buyer personas, but have you thought about your end-users? Knowing how different patient populations engage with technology will help you develop better messaging for your buyers. It may even be the key to winning over potential blockers.
Trends in patient experience
Online consumer buying behavior, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly impacted what patients expect from providers and the healthcare experience.
Here are three patient experience trends and how marketing teams can utilize the data to improve messaging and product positioning.
- Nearly 80% of patients want to receive text messages from their providers. When researching your personas and the people on your buying committee, you’ll likely run into a blocker. One of the blocker’s objections might be that patients won’t use digital health technology. However, if your solution is as easy and convenient as texting, it’s precisely the type of interaction patients seek.
- 54% of patients want to monitor payments online and two-thirds want access to payment plans. As patients take on a greater share of their healthcare costs, convenience and transparency are key. Even if your health tech solution is not patient-facing, understanding how services are paid for and communicated with the patient is essential.
- 22% of loyal patients would drop a preferred physician or practice because they do not offer digital health solutions such as online form completion and appointment or payment reminders via text. Millennials are even more likely to leave their doctor – even if they are satisfied with the care they receive – because of these issues.
Patients expect convenience and leading-edge care at every point in their healthcare journey. Integrating patient expectations and experience into your brand message gives your buyers confidence that your products and services keep patients and their care top-of-mind.