Healthcare marketers often fall back on playbooks that worked elsewhere, only to watch their message fall flat. The truth? Every organization has its own goals, pressures, and engagement preferences. The vendors who win attention aren’t louder. They are sharper about listening, timing, and adding value throughout the marketing and sales process.

David Tytell, Director of Marketing and Communications at MIT Health, has sat on the receiving end of countless vendor pitches. He shared blunt lessons on what captures his attention and what sends him running for the exit.

Tytell agreed to share his opinion with Swaay.Health so that vendors can be more successful with their marketing efforts.

Key Takeaways

One-Size Doesn’t Fit All. Vendors who pitch cookie-cutter solutions get tuned out fast. What wins attention is showing you understand the uniqueness of each health system and tailoring your approach accordingly. Don’t Drown Prospects in Drip Campaigns. Light-touch check-ins every few months keep you top of mind. Weekly emails after being told “nothing on the horizon” will backfire. Lead With Value. The vendors who stand out are the ones who teach something through white papers, studies, or other thoughtful content. Education builds credibility and keeps you in the conversation. One-Size-Fits-None

The fastest way to lose credibility is showing up with a cookie-cutter solution. Tytell has little patience for vendors who assume what worked down the street will work at MIT Health: “Every organization in this space is unique. Far too many vendors have a one size fits all solution that they try to apply to everybody. That is the fastest way to make me run from you.”

Instead, Tytell recommends tailoring your approach to match the unique buying process of each healthcare organization.

Stop the Drip, Keep the Relationship

Anyone marketing to healthcare organizations and executives at those organizations should take note of Tytell’s statement about frequency of followup (aka drip in marketing parlance): “I don’t ever mind a check-in. I do mind a drumbeat of stuff… If I’ve told you I have nothing on the horizon, don’t put me on a drip.”

Persistence matters, but overzealous email campaigns backfire. CRM platforms and marketing automation systems do not make it easy to customize follow-up campaigns. It is far too easy for marketers and salespeople to simply let these systems proceed with the standard outreach following a booth scan, brief hallway conversation, or zoom call.

The key, according to Tytell, is to have your follow-up be seen as a thoughtful touchpoint rather than relentless outreach. Educational material does that in spades.

Lead With Substance, Not Just Sales

One of the mantras that guides our daily operations at Swaay.Health (and Healthcare IT Today) is “add value”. We strive to add value to our audience through every piece of content we publish – no matter the format, topic, or distribution channel.

Tytell recommends that companies wanting to do business with healthcare organizations do the same: “The groups that bring thought leadership to the table… I don’t mind hearing from more often because I’m getting a value add rather than just an ask for business.”

The Real Signal Amid the Noise

The throughline in all of Tytell’s advice is simple: healthcare organizations are drowning in vendor sameness. Vendors who slow down and show they understand the uniqueness of each system, who time their outreach thoughtfully, and who offer real education instead of sales pressure, cut through the noise. As Tytell put it, “Don’t treat me like everyone else.”

Learn more about MIT Health at https://health.mit.edu/

This article is one in a series. The Swaay.Health team has been speaking with many healthcare executives on this topic. Our goal is to tell the real story of how healthcare systems buy so that the Swaay.Health Community can be more effective with their marketing efforts.

Check out the other stories: The Myths Wasting Your Time in Healthcare Marketing