The Value of Buyer Intent from Healthcare Comparison Websites

Marketers always seek an edge to connect with potential buyers at the right time with the right message. In most B2B categories, comparison websites provide a good way to identify in-market prospects.  Beyond simply facilitating matches between buyers and sellers, these comparison websites also sit on a treasure trove of data that can unveil powerful insights into buyer intent.

To help with this topic, I spoke with Bobby Guelich, the CEO and founder of Elion Health, for the Healthtech Marketing Show. Elion Health is a new comparison site exclusively for healthtech. In this episode we dove into why he and his partner launched this venture, why there was an unmet need, what role comparison sites play in the HIT Buyer Journey, and how they are approaching the problem.

The Landscape of Comparison Websites in Healthcare IT

With the rapid proliferation of innovative solutions, decision-makers now face a confusing array of choices across categories like patient engagement, population health, telehealth, AI, and more. This complexity increased the need for objective sources like comparison websites to help buyers cut through the noise.

Established players like KLAS and Gartner have long been go-to resources for in-depth vendor evaluations and market analysis. More recently, broad B2B players like G2 and Capterra have expanded their reach into healthcare. Elion Health has entered the fray, aiming to provide even more specialized guidance.

“One of the common themes across both of those experiences was I had to make a whole bunch of vendor decisions,” shares Bobby Guelich, Co-Founder and CEO of Elion Health, on his past roles at health tech startups. “We saw the landscape of health care technology solutions just getting that much more crowded, that much more fragmented. And so it just really felt like there was a need for a place of record to go understand the health care landscape.”

The Value of Intent Data from Comparison Websites

If comparison websites like Elion Health become popular destinations for healthcare IT buyers, they will accumulate a wealth of valuable data on how those buyers research and evaluate technology. Most notably, they capture buyer intent data, which are signals that indicate which organizations are actively in-market for a particular solution category.

“One of the hardest things about marketing is knowing when someone is actually in market for your solution,” says Guelich. “One of the key values that we drive for our customers is helping them know that this customer that’s likely already somewhere in their CRM is actually now showing signs, across different members of their organization, of doing real research into their space.”

Intent data has been a hot topic in the broader martech world, with third-party intent data providers like Bombora using web tracking to identify surges in topical interest from companies across the web. However, the data from comparison websites represents an even more powerful type of intent signal.

Comparison sites like Elion Health have second-party intent data.  This is arguably better than third-party intent because you know that this company is actively evaluating this specific product category.

How Health Tech Marketers Can Leverage Comparison Website Data

So how can health tech marketers put this comparison website data to work in their own strategies? Here are some key applications:

• Identifying in-market accounts: Intent data from comparison sites can alert you when key target accounts or customer look-alikes are actively researching your category so you can prioritize them for marketing and sales outreach.
• Triggering targeted campaigns: Knowing which accounts are in-market enables you to trigger highly relevant campaigns and personalized messaging to engage them while your category is top-of-mind.
• Enabling sales-marketing alignment: Comparison site intent data provides a common lens for marketing and sales to prioritize accounts and coordinate their efforts, fostering greater alignment.
• Informing content strategy: Seeing which categories are being actively researched on comparison sites can help inform your content calendar to emphasize high-interest topics.
• Competitive intelligence: Visibility into who is researching your category is one thing – knowing which competitors they’re looking at is next-level. Comparison site data can show you how you stack up consideration-wise.

By using intent data from the Elion Healths of the world, healthcare marketers can make their programs so much more relevant, timely, and impactful. It’s a powerful way to reach in-market buyers and accelerate deal cycles.

Engaging Proactively with Comparison Websites

Beyond just leveraging their data, health tech marketers should also consider proactively engaging with comparison websites as a channel to boost visibility and conversion. 

“We encourage vendors to ensure they have a complete profile on Elion categorized properly,” says Guelich. “We want to build relationships with vendors across the health IT landscape.”

Some key ways to engage with comparison websites include:

• Claiming and optimizing your profile with compelling content
• Encouraging your customers to leave reviews
• Participating in vendor briefings to educate analysts
• Leveraging site sponsorship and paid promotion opportunities
• Syndicating your thought leadership content 
• Monitoring your category and competitors

The Future of Healthcare Comparison Websites

As the health tech landscape continues to evolve and expand, comparison websites will only become more essential resources for buyers and vendors alike. Market leaders like KLAS and Gartner will continue to shape the industry, while disruptive new entrants like Elion Health bring fresh approaches. 

“We want to be the place that people start their search – how they understand what the categories are, who the players are,” asserts Guelich. “We’re building towards becoming the place of record for the health IT landscape.”

One thing is clear: the data and insights generated by these comparison platforms will be invaluable assets for health tech marketers looking to gain an edge. 

Action Steps for Health Tech Marketers

1. Identify the comparison websites most relevant to your solution category and target buyers.
2. Ensure your company has a complete, compelling profile on each site and is properly categorized. 
3. Integrate comparison site intent data into your marketing automation and CRM systems.
4. Align with sales on how to act on comparison site intent data across the buyer’s journey.
5. Adapt your content calendar to address high-interest topics and questions indicated by comparison site research activity.
6. Monitor your category and competitors on comparison sites to inform your go-to-market strategy.
7. Incorporate comparison site data into your account scoring and prioritization models.
8. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on comparison sites to boost your visibility and credibility.
9. Build relationships with comparison site analysts and explore partnership opportunities to expand your reach.

If you are interested in learning more you can reach Bobby Guelich at bobby@elion.health

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