Why running ads in health tech + life sciences is nothing like traditional digital marketing
By Beth Cooper, JD / MBA, Vice President of Marketing + Sales
In the world of health tech and life sciences, digital advertising isn’t just different—it’s a world unto itself. If you’ve ever tried to run ads in this space using traditional marketing tactics, you’ve likely hit a wall. High cost per clicks (CPCs), low search volumes, and niche buyer personas mean the usual playbook won’t cut it. Here’s why advertising in this sector requires a completely different mindset—and here’s how to do it right.
These buyers don’t live on Instagram or scroll casually. They search with purpose.
In mainstream marketing, impressions are currency. But in health tech, targeting a specific type of hospital administrator or CMIO with the right message is infinitely more valuable than 10,000 unqualified clicks. These buyers don’t live on Instagram or scroll casually. They search with purpose. Your job is to show up right then—with language that speaks to their world.
In this world, relevance trumps reach. Every. Time.
"Predictive analytics platform for reducing readmissions" might have 20 monthly searches, but those 20 are your audience. In this world, relevance trumps reach. Every. Time. Effective health tech and life sciences ads embrace this, focusing on search intent, not search volume.
Take lab equipment for formulation scientists, for example. You're targeting a highly defined audience—perhaps 7,000 qualified professionals nationwide, if that. These scientists only evaluate new instrumentation every few years, and each purchase may run well into six figures. In that context, running a campaign that boasts 250,000 impressions sounds impressive but is strategically off-base. Most of those impressions are wasted on the wrong eyes. Precision targeting beats volume.
It’s common to see $25–$60 CPC in the health tech and life sciences space. I once had a client thrilled we had gotten their CPC down to $75 (from $150) while still retaining quality. Shocking? Not really. If one click leads to a $250,000 contract, you’re very much still winning. This is why cost-per-click metrics are misleading in isolation. Sophisticated marketers in this space tie ad performance directly to pipeline movement, not vanity metrics.
This isn’t ecommerce. You’re not selling a toothbrush or an app download. You’re introducing a new clinical workflow, a novel diagnostic platform, or a revenue cycle optimization tool. These are big decisions involving legal, compliance, and clinical teams. Ads here don’t drive transactions—they drive introductions.
We use keyword tools like SEMrush not to chase keyword volume but to understand intent. We look at what language is being used in RFPs, what topics are surfacing in research papers, and how our audience phrases their problems—not just their solutions. Then we build keyword strategies that reflect that nuance.
We don’t spray and pray across channels. For health tech and life sciences, LinkedIn, trade publications, and Google Search still reign supreme. Display networks? Depends on their segmentation tools. Facebook? Sometimes. Targeting matters more than frequency. One well-placed ad on Becker’s Hospital Review can outperform 100,000 impressions elsewhere.
Regulatory restrictions around claims, imagery, and audience targeting mean ads must be airtight. We write with clinical accuracy, review with legal in mind, and always prioritize the trust factor. In a space where lives are on the line, your ad better look—and sound—credible.
Advertising in health tech and life sciences isn’t necessarily harder, but it requires a complete mind shift from most of what you learned in school. The rules are different. The stakes are higher. But the payoff, when you get it right, is unmatched. For marketers who love complexity and impact, there’s no better space to play.
Ready to rethink your health tech or life sciences ad strategy? Let’s talk.