I recently had a great chat with the wonderful Bonni Kaplan DeWoskin, an expert in Healthcare B2B2C.
Currently, Bonni is a fractional CMO with extensive experience running B2B2C programs for health tech, homecare, and other healthcare sectors. I sat down with Bonni for the Healthtech Marketing Show to get some practical insights.
Listen to the Full Episode
Here are the key takeaways.
Q1: What is B2B2C marketing, and why is it important in health tech?
Business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) is a distinct discipline, and I have to admit, not one I know much about. I have always had the impression that it’s B2B + B2C alongside each other.
Not so, according to Bonni. They are not separate, but B2B2C is a continuum.
This is especially important in healthcare, where you may sell a solution to a healthcare provider or payer, but your revenues are contingent on usage and adoption.
With my software firm, Uniphy Health, our agreements were based on the number of users of our communications solution; however, it was “use-it-lose-it.” We provided great deployment services and customer support but were paid the agreed license fee regardless of how many clinicians used the applications.
In B2B2C situations, the solution or services vendor faces a double challenge. They have to sell the healthcare organization’s solution, but they don’t get paid unless someone uses it. Therefore, they must be as effective in driving adoption and usage as they are in selling the customer organization.
For example, wellness platforms and chronic care management solutions are licensed by healthcare providers and health plans, but if patients or members don’t use the solution, the vendor doesn’t make money.
Q2: How does B2B2C marketing differ from traditional B2B or B2C approaches?
The most important difference is that you plan to use distinct customer journeys in B2B and B2C. The B2B journey stages are problem definition, solution identification, vendor selection, and decision-making. The B2C journey is typically awareness, interest, decision, and action.
In B2B2C, the journey is problem definition, solution identification, vendor selection, and decision-making, adoption, and usage.
The key thing is to think about this as an integrated journey. You need to view this holistically.
Bonni recommends that when you create this journey, you focus on the various touchpoints in addition to mapping the different steps. The linear journey map from B2B buyer through consumer end-user will be less helpful to you in planning than mapping the touchpoints.
She recommends tools like Vision for comprehensive mapping. The output can integrate with other applications that help turn the touchpoint map into a project plan.
Q3: What are the keys to success in healthcare B2B2C?
The lynchpin in the success of a healthcare B2B2C program is turning your customer into the most important channel to persuade their patients and members to adopt and use the solution.
Firstly, you need to ensure that your agreements with your customers give you the required access to their patients and members so that you can communicate with them. You will also want to include the customer’s commitment to being an active participant in successful adoption and usage.
Next, you need to develop internal champions and super users. The champions are managers at your customers who are on the frontline in engaging with the patients and members. You have shared accountability for the outcomes that your solution is designed to address. These champions must embrace and participate actively in the adoption program and usage drivers.
Once the solution is adopted, identify superusers who are passionate about your solution and knowledgeable about how it works. Provide them with tools and information so that they can support other users. Publicly acknowledge their support and reward them within the bounds of your agreement. You most likely cannot pay them for their support, but you can send them thank-you gifts and invite them to provide input in your product plans.
One nuanced area is how you balance messaging for both B2B and B2C audiences. For example, if your service addresses a gap in your customers’ services or a shortcoming that they have complained about, you have to be careful that your messaging does not reinforce negative perceptions.
Q4: How should marketers approach budget allocation in B2B2C?
This is tricky.
If you have been marketing B2B only until now, you will need a traditional budget for the B2C component of your marketing plan.
This means having additional staff support the patient—or member-facing activities and using different tactics. For example, you will most likely need to spend heavily on mass direct mail and email to much larger lists, which will increase the complexity of managing marketing data.
Q5: What technology considerations are important for B2B2C marketing in health tech?
The most important thing is to select a CRM and Marketing Automation Platform that can serve both B2B and B2C needs. Hubspot and Salesforce do that effectively. Moreover, they are both HIPAA-compliant.
In B2B2C marketing, being able to segment audiences is a foundation for effective communication. As Bonni DeWoskin explains,
“You just need to make sure that in your CRM and your marketing automation tool, your audiences are designated as being the B2B versus the B2C audience.”
This segmentation allows for tailored campaigns and messaging. DeWoskin emphasizes,
“When you’re doing your campaigns, you’re going to have different campaigns, different messaging for B2B versus B2C.”
The complexity increases in health tech due to potential HIPAA compliance requirements. Marketers must ensure their platforms are compliant when communicating with patients or through health plans.
Effective segmentation also supports the holistic view of the customer journey in B2B2C. By clearly distinguishing between B2B and B2C audiences while recognizing their interconnectedness, marketers can create more targeted, relevant, and compliant communications throughout the entire customer lifecycle.
Q6: What advice would you give to companies considering a move to B2B2C marketing?
Bonni emphasizes the importance of understanding what you’re getting into:
“It is a different audience. And you just want to make sure that you truly understand who the audience is, what your objectives are.”
You need to have a clear strategic plan and to really understand what they’re trying to accomplish by moving to B2B2C. It’s not as simple as just understanding B2B and B2C separately. Again, B2B2C is unique.
For companies transitioning from B2C to B2B2C, Bonni warns against assuming it will be easy.
“You can’t just say, ‘Oh, now we want to sell it to the B2B audience. It should be easy.'”
The key is to thoroughly understand your strategic plan, know your audience, and clearly define your objectives. Whether moving from B2C to B2B2C or vice versa, it’s crucial to recognize the complexities and prepare accordingly.