A healthcare IT website development or improvement effort is a strategic project. It requires planning to optimize the visitor’s experience. It must also present the visitor with the right information, in the right order, based on their buyer persona.
Visitors need to identify with a problem they face and the solution your company proposes. Consider the following when assessing your website’s performance.
Don’t Rush!
Most healthcare IT websites, particularly those from smaller companies, are technical discussions about features and functions. Companies develop them without much foresight in the initial rush to “get something online.” While this may seem like a decent stopgap solution, it doesn’t provide much value to a potential customer. A savvy website visitor can tell whether a company website represents commercially available products or only technology ideas.
A pre-launch website may generate some mild interest. But, it can also frustrate visitors with vague promises and empty buzzwords. Long term, this approach is a mistake. The site likely isn’t presenting the full value of the commercial offering. And, it often doesn’t speak to the pain your prospects suffer from. In the end, you’ll likely have to revamp a site like this ahead of product launch.
It may be better to hold off creating a full website until the product is 3-6 months from being available. Then, launch it as part of the overall product launch. If that is not acceptable, a pre-launch website should highlight the problem your product solves and the benefits that come from using it.
Also, expect that any website development project will take from 3-6 months, depending on how complex the site is. This timeline is often compatible as part of pre-launch preparation. Waiting until the product is almost developed allows your marketing materials to present the benefits as accurately and attractively as possible.
Here are three strategic opportunities to improve your healthcare IT website:
- Present Solutions and Benefits
A strategic, well-organized healthcare IT website should show the visitor the company understands the target market’s problems. And, that they can solve it. The website should present the company offering in a manner that conveys the most buyer value.
In healthcare IT, leveraging a so-called “solutions” approach presents the value of the offering in how it will impact all stakeholders. It should also address how it will integrate into the user’s clinical and IT environment. This is particularly important if the company sells or is planning to develop an integrated suite of products. It ensures you’re positioning benefits the strongest.
Linking solutions pages to educational and thought leadership content adds extra value to the stories on these pages. White papers and ebooks provide the interested party the opportunity to gather information. These assets reflect why your solution may best meet their needs.
- Reveal Benefits Per Buyer Persona
To enhance the solutions approach, it is wise to develop pages that frame the benefits of the commercial offering according to the needs of each primary buyer persona. These pages can then link to solution and product pages to provide more detail. Use these to walk the prospect through your narrative. This strategy achieves several important goals:
- enables tailoring the value proposition according to the needs of each buyer type
- presents information in a manner that maximizes time spent at the site
- leads to the prospect taking some action
- increases the value of the commercial offering
- creates a framework for presenting the unique benefits of the solution as well as individual products
Framing benefits according to the specific needs of each buyer persona is particularly beneficial in healthcare IT. Multidisciplinary buying teams often make software purchasing decisions. These teams represent a variety of clinical, operational, and technical interests within the organization. Make sure your healthcare IT website includes information addressing the unique needs of each discipline.
- Discuss Specific Products
When crafting the products section, avoid the temptation to use paragraphs of text. Prospects likely won’t read them. Even long bullet-point lists can be hard to decipher. Instead, use as few words as possible to describe the value and capabilities of the products.
Structure the site so that those wanting more details can access them via a call-to-action. Or, by downloading a piece of collateral. Integrate video that demonstrates your product’s benefits and key capabilities. You can also use still images and customer testimonials.
Don’t leave the product pages standing alone, either. Cross reference them with solutions pages to tell an integrated story. Link them to educational content, particularly customer case studies. This way, your prospects can learn how you have helped others solve their problems.
Your Website Is an Integral Part of Your Healthcare IT Product Marketing
A healthcare IT company website can become an afterthought. They are often cobbled together by multitasking marketers and website developers who don’t know your business or your market. But, your healthcare IT website is often the first impression someone has of your company, your brand, and your commercial offering.
So, as you gear up to launch a new product, take some time to update or even completely redesign your website. Be sure to show visitors you understand their problems and how those problems impact their business. It is also essential to articulate the overall solution you offer. Provide proof that you have helped others. And frame the benefits of your products based on the unique needs of each buyer persona.
