There is often confusion surrounding the roles and relationships between upstream and downstream marketing. I find it helpful to think of upstream and downstream marketing with an analogy.
Think of yourself as a fisherperson standing in the middle of a long stream. Upstream, you can see the fish coming your way and develop a strategy for how best to catch them. You then throw your line in the water downstream. Using the position, timing, and bait informed by your upstream strategy—you reel in your catch!
In healthcare IT:
- Upstream marketing focuses on understanding the market landscape and developing product development strategy.
- Downstream marketing focuses on tactics involved in communicating the value proposition to target audiences. It also supports the sales team.
Each term refers to a different aspect of marketing. Yet, they are complementary. Both are important for building and commercializing healthcare IT software.
The Role of Upstream Marketing in Healthcare IT
The role of upstream marketing is to:
- understand the customer’s needs
- identify key problems
- ensure the product is solving those problems
To achieve this, product managers look “upstream” to observe and prepare for the coming fish. Or, in our case, healthcare buyers.
This is a forward-looking, strategic activity. It traverses all product development activities—from early ideation and proof-of-concept development to initial launch. Upstream marketing involves the following main functions:
Being the voice of the customer. Product managers bring an outside-in perspective to an organization. They develop a deep understanding of clinical, technical, and operational customer personas. These include key attributes, problems, preferences, and behaviors.
Identifying solutions. Product managers work with product designers, architects, and engineers. They map market problems to potential solutions. Product managers define requirements in the form of product use cases, features, and functionality.
Maintaining a competitive roadmap. Product managers understand customer personas. They are also familiar with the competitive landscape. Managers use this collective information to establish product-market fit. And, they develop a strategic roadmap that maximizes the product’s overall value and competitiveness.
Performing product validation and managing pilot sites. Identifying a problem and developing a solution isn’t enough to guarantee a healthcare IT product will be immediately commercializable. It is the role of the product manager to first investigate whether the problem is worth solving. And, if it is, what the best solution design might be. This often occurs in close collaboration with early pilot customers. These individuals provide valuable feedback to inform product development—and product marketing messaging.
The Role of Downstream Marketing in Healthcare IT
The role of downstream marketing is also strategic. But, instead of focusing on the product itself, it generates awareness and potential leads for sales. Downstream marketing communicates the key value propositions of the product to the market at large.
Product marketing managers pick up where product managers leave off by looking “downstream.” They determine the best messaging and tactics for commercializing the product and reaching target audiences. Marketers know how to entice prospects to engage with the company sales force. Or, even better, become a customer.
A previous blog explores the role of the product marketing manager in greater detail, but in short, it includes:
Content development and distribution. Product marketers craft messaging in a variety of mediums (website, case studies, white papers, social media, press releases, etc.). Then, they distribute them across multiple channels (email, social media, trade media, tradeshows, etc.). The goal is to educate the target audience of the product’s associated problem statements and benefits.
Lead generation. A primary aim of most content marketing strategies is to generate leads for the sales team. Product marketing plays a key role in capturing, qualifying, and tracking potential leads generated through:
- gated content
- digital campaigns
- tradeshow attendance
Enabling sales. Product marketers have intimate knowledge of customer behaviors and buying patterns. This intel helps the sales team convert leads into customers. Marketers provide sales with collateral such as:
- case studies
- competitive battlecards
- product demonstrations
- sales presentations
How Upstream and Downstream Marketing Work Together
Upstream and downstream marketing are complementary—but they are also mutually dependent. The intel gathered by-product management informs the product design and roadmap. It also drives the messaging, content, and lead generation strategies developed by the product marketing manager.
Conversely, product marketing brings valuable feedback received during market-facing interactions. The research, case study interviews, and tradeshows inform product manager actions. This, in turn, guides product roadmap and design.
Working in collaboration, upstream and downstream marketing help create a customer-centric organization that is more likely to develop commercially successful products.
Optimizing Your Marketing Program
Does your marketing program include both upstream and downstream marketing? Our team of product management and product marketing experts can help optimize your marketing efforts by finding the perfect balance between upstream and downstream marketing activities. Contact us to learn more.
