Is it possible to get a healthcare facility to switch to using a new software system, especially the one they use everyday for electronic health record management? It seems a little bit daunting when you consider that this type of change would affect every patient and every employee at a healthcare facility.
It does happen, and often. Especially when you consider that many facilities hastily picked EHR software a few years ago to meet the government requirement that one be in place. Now these facilities are starting to realize the good and the bad about their selection. Not every EHR is good for every medical facility. And if they chose one that's not giving them what they need to function properly and ensure that billing goes smoothly, they're likely to start looking around. What can you do as a healthcare B2B marketer to be sure your software is one being considered?
The key here is that the buyer has identified a need at this point. You're not trying to convince them that they need to change. That could literally take years if they're not ready. The lower hanging fruit (those who are easier to capture as customers) are those already considering an EHR change. Let's talk about things you can include in your healthcare B2B marketing plan that will help you get found in the EHR research process.
These five key areas can be inluded in your healthcare B2B software sales process to increase the likelihood of being included in the top options for your targeted customers.
1. Reviews
Whenever possible people take their colleagues' experiences into consideration. If they don't know someone whose needs are close enough to their own the next place they'll head is online to look at reviews. In a recent survey, 93% of those asked said they use online reviews. Whether it's for dinner or for software you'll use every day, online review reading is now a habit. We want to know the good and the bad so that we can narrow down our choices.
How does your software fare in the online reviews? If you don't have any, it may be time to be sure you're accurately listed on sites like EHRCompare.com, SoftwareAdvice.com and Capterra.com.
Now have a look at your reviews. Are they good? If not, see if you can get a few of your customers to review it. Give them the website address you'd prefer they use and any instructions, but don't fill their mouths with your words. People can see through the reviews written by the marketing department. It's OK if your customer notes something they're not as crazy about in the review. It makes it real, and typically, more helpful for your potential customer.
2. Linkedin
Participate in LinkedIn groups in a meaningful way. Don't simply post your company news or your advertisement in a group and expect it to work for you. As a B2B sales person, you'll need to get into the groups and interact with people who are your target audience without selling to them. Join a conversation and be real. If you're in there to sell you'll get the cold shoulder and people won't respond.
It's also good to check your company's LinkedIn presence to be sure it's updated and showcases your software product. If not, you should start getting the company's LinkedIn profile and product profiles setup correctly.
3. Helpful Content on Your Website
Use your expertise to create more content that you own on your website. Be sure you're using the key phrases that are important (and used) by the people you're targeting. Since you have experience in addressing concerns that potential customers have about EHR software you can write about it without trying to "sell" it. This is the inbound philosophy: Publish the content that people are looking for so you can be found where it counts – in organic search results.
At the time the healthcare facility decision makers chose their current EHR they didn't know what they didn't know... especially if this was their first time for choosing an EHR software. Now that the potential customers have experience, they're going to be looking for some specific things in a new software system, especially if they have an area of specialty (ie: orthopedics, pediatrics, etc.). Help your target market see that you understand their needs and are ready when they are to have a conversation.
4. More Than a Free Demo
When you're in the browsing process you want to know more about some of your top software candidates without having to commit to the demo. Be sure you have case studies, screen shots, videos or other content to help describe how you can help ease various common problems with EHR (especially for a specialty). And don't forget to have lead capture in place. Read our article: Why Selling EHR Software Requires More Than a Free Demo Offer.
5. Online Chat
Lead collection is of course one of the top priorities for your website, but what if the visitor doesn't see something that specifically answers their question? Setting up an online chat services that allows a visitor to ask a specific question at-will can really make the interaction more personalized and more meaningful for your potential buyer. Don't worry if you're not online, the chat tools we recommend allow the visitor to ask the question and then you can answer via email.
These five ways of educating and interacting with potential EHR Software buyers will demonstrate your expertise without making you the annoying sales person.
If you'd like assistance with choosing the right tools for one more of the tactics we've described please let us know. We're happy to offer you a free consultation to see if there's a way we can help.
