Dissect Your Healthcare Database to Map Buyer Personas

Mike Connolly, January 28, 2016

Buyers in the healthcare industry have evolved. You can see doctors, nurses, clinicians, surgeons, dentists, hospital administrators and other healthcare professionals using new medical apps, hospital management systems, practice management software and other medical technology. Even patients nowadays access their medical records through online systems.

As healthcare marketers, this translates to new touchpoints through which you can reach your target market. Moreover, with the introduction of new technology such as mobile, it is possible to create personalized marketing messages and reach buyers at the right time through the right channel.

In addition to a shift in the way healthcare buyers consume information, there is also a change in purchasing power. Procurement professionals and administrators play a bigger role in decision making. This means that all your marketing material should revolve around such decision makers. Most healthcare decision makers nowadays conduct extensive online research before connecting with a sales rep. This makes it imperative that you understand your target market, the nature of their buying cycle and the psychology of each buyer persona.

Map Healthcare Buyer Personas

Here are a few important tips that healthcare marketers need to consider when creating buyer personas:

• Healthcare professionals and procurement officers have different areas of expertise and priorities compared to clinicians. They all however, play an important role in purchasing decisions.
• Marketers should work along with sales teams to get customer data and valuable insights on buyer personas. This will help in articulating information and creating marketing material that will revolve around specific concerns and priorities.
• When speaking to sales teams or mapping information on buyer personas, the following areas will be good to cover:
  • Key priorities of buyers when they search for particular products or services
  • Educational and professional background of buyers. This will help in understanding areas of expertise, grasp on technical information and how communication can be effective.
  • Buyers’ preferences on type of communication. For instance, independent medical professionals such as doctors and dentists ideally prefer communication on medical products, supplies, equipment and educational material. Whereas chief administers would more likely relate to information on industry news, latest trends in technology, new medical products and equipment.
  • Buyers’ preferred channel of communication. Choosing the right channel is important when connecting with healthcare professionals. While email is the most popular channels, healthcare professionals are now active on social media and this channel proves to be a great way to connect, engage and understand the psyche of your buyers.
  • Most popular devices used by buyers. By knowing which device buyers use, you can create relevant marketing messages and drive buyers through their decision making process. For instance, a short mobile marketing message on the launch on your new product could create interest. Adding a link to additional educational material could drive buyers to know more and consider your product.
  • Personal demographical information of your buyers. This helps you in creating personalized marketing campaigns.

Here’s a resourceful post and an email calendar that will help you create targeted marketing material and connect with healthcare decision makers relevantly.

Dissect Your Healthcare Database to Personify Buyers

As healthcare marketers, you need to use data analytics and technology to create groups of buyer profiles. When creating buyer personas, one of the best ways to begin is by segmenting your healthcare database. Here’s how you can leverage healthcare data, analytics and technology:

• With information from a custom built database you can segment your database and create specific goals and media strategies that revolve around the healthcare sector.
• With marketing automation, you can segment and target individuals based on demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioral information.
• With the latest marketing technology, you can get a single point of source to implement strategy, tailor marketing messages, and improve support and quality of healthcare services.

In the healthcare industry, the marketing approach has become more person-centric. By identifying buyer personas, you not only get a better idea of your target market, you can also tailor your marketing messages around their preferences, challenges and requirements. A good place to begin buyer persona mapping is by getting a custom built database.

Here’s a snapshot of our Healthcare Masterfile which helps you to target Specialists within their specific field of expertise…