When creating a B2B healthcare marketing strategy, one of the most important questions to ask is, “How many touches will it take to turn this lead into a sale?”
That number will vary depending on how warm or cold the prospect is, what type of outreach you’re using, and a variety of other factors. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is the “Magic Number” of Touches in B2B Healthcare?
If you’ve dug into B2B marketing research regarding the “right” number of touchpoints, you’ve likely heard that it takes eight contacts to make a sale. The problem is that there’s so much disparity in that figure.
For example, some research suggests that it may take anywhere from one to 50 touchpoints before you land a sale. Based on these observations, warm leads need between 12 and 14 touches, while cold prospects require 20–50.
Those figures are generalized for B2B marketing across all industries. In the healthcare space, Brivio Health Insights has found that 22 is the minimum number of interactions required before someone buys. However, that figure can be higher, depending on the combination of touches.
If you can draw a prospect in early and nurture them with the right kinds of interactions, you’ll be well on your way to a sale. On the other hand, less engaging interactions mean you’ll need more touchpoints.
3 Ways to Drive Engagement Today
When conducting B2B healthcare outreach, the channel you use should be tailored to the target’s position in the funnel, your history with them, and their individual preferences. That said, three channels have been shown to consistently deliver the best engagement:
1. Email
Email is one of the best ways to consistently and effectively reach your market. Opening an email requires very little effort on the part of your audience. In a minute or less, they can read your message, click on any links, or reply as they prefer.
From the marketing side, email is incredibly cost-effective. You can send hundreds of emails at scale without busting your budget. By automating email communications, you can improve the timing and consistency of B2B healthcare marketing outreach, which means fewer missed opportunities and better results.
For all these reasons, you should make sure that email remains a foundational part of your marketing mix in the coming year.
2. Webinars
Webinars have the highest conversion rate of any tactic. They allow subject matter experts to break down what you offer, why your audience needs those tools or solutions, and the results they can achieve with them.
However, getting people interested enough to sign up for a webinar or view an on-demand webinar video is a big ask.
To get them to that point, you’ll need a robust visibility strategy. During the earlier phases of marketing, you’ll need to build a solid foundation that focuses on generating buzz about your offerings and encouraging your audience to dig deeper.
3. SDR Outreach
Sales development representatives (SDRs) are responsible for contacting prospective clients to generate new leads or nurture existing relationships. Some businesses consider SDR outreach a sales activity. However, many consider anything that happens before a demo or discovery call to be part of the marketing process.
B2B healthcare businesses that use SDR engagement strategies experience significantly higher conversions compared to organizations that don’t. Incorporating SDRs into your marketing plan will open the door for more product demos and discovery calls.
These are rarely cold calls, though. Instead, SDRs reach out to prospects who are already aware of your brand.
Why You Need a Solid Marketing Foundation First
For these channels to be effective, you need a sound marketing base to serve as a launching point. That means regularly publishing LinkedIn content that combines thought leadership with visibility-style posts about what your company does. Content options include:
- White papers
- Case studies
- Blogs
- Videos
Any other type of content that sparks curiosity in your audience will help fill this niche as well. Regular, high-quality contacts will prime prospects for more in-depth interactions via webinars and SDRs.
Make Every Marketing Touch Count
Want more research, data, and strategies to fuel your B2B healthcare marketing efforts? Brivio Health Insights is your resource for actionable information that will help you achieve more and develop a stronger presence.
Learn more about Brivio Health Insights today and explore our growing library of valuable content designed specifically for businesses in the B2B healthcare space.
