You know digital marketing should work, but regulated healthcare keeps breaking the playbook

Evidence requirements, audience targeting constraints, and channel restrictions mean standard digital approaches routinely underperform or create compliance risk. Most medtech teams are spending without a clear read on what is actually working.

steps: 7; steps
to start: 2 to 3 days; to start

The short answer

Most healthcare company marketing fails for two reasons: it targets too broadly and it says things the company cannot evidence. Build a claims register first, target named roles in named organisations, and remember that many private consultants trade as sole traders, so email marketing to them needs consent under PECR. Then measure qualified meetings, not clicks.

7 steps

Do it yourself: step by step

0 of 7 done

List every claim on your website, ads and decks. Attach evidence to each. Remove or soften anything you cannot support. Check claims against CAP Code section 12 on medical devices and health-related products, which applies to business-to-business ads too
Time
2 to 3 days
Typical cost
£0 to £1,500 regulatory review (Solvable estimate: 1 to 2 days of a regulatory reviewer at about £750 a day)
Who does it
Marketing lead and clinical or regulatory lead
Done when: Every live claim has evidence on file
List the roles that buy: consultants in named specialties, practice managers, clinic owners, hospital directors, theatre managers, procurement. Build a target account list of 100 to 300 organisations
Time
1 week
Typical cost
£0 to £2,000 for data (Solvable estimate: an annual licence for a small UK healthcare data set)
Who does it
Marketing lead
Done when: Target list in CRM with role and organisation
Companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships and government bodies are corporate subscribers under PECR. Many consultants trade as sole traders or partnerships, and they count as individuals, so they need prior consent for marketing emails. Record the lawful basis for every contact
Time
2 days
Typical cost
£0
Who does it
Marketing lead
Done when: Every contact in CRM tagged corporate or individual with consent status

This problem is Solvable.

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Healthcare marketing claims register and contact permissions check

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Checklist

Part 1: Claims register

Claim (exact words)	Where used	Audience (professional / public)	Evidence	Reviewed by	Date
[ ]	[Website / ad / deck]	[ ]	[Study, audit, customer data]	[ ]	[ ]

Before any claim goes live:

Is it supported by evidence we hold today?
Does it match the device's intended purpose and labelling?
Does it comply with CAP Code section 12? (It covers business-to-business ads; only media addressed solely to medical or allied practitioners are excluded.)
Does it avoid absolute words (guaranteed, eliminates, best) we cannot prove?
Has a clinical or regulatory person signed it off?

Part 2: Contact permissions (PECR and UK GDPR)

Contact type	Example	Email marketing rule	What to record
Corporate subscriber	Practice manager at a limited company clinic, hospital group or NHS trust staff	No prior consent needed, must identify yourself and offer opt-out	Organisation type, opt-out link
Individual subscriber	Consultant trading as sole trader or partnership	Prior consent needed, unless the soft opt-in applies to existing customers	Date and wording of consent
Anyone	All	Honour opt-outs, keep a suppression list	Suppression list updated

Part 3: Monthly scorecard

Channel	Spend	Leads	Qualified meetings	Cost per qualified meeting	Pipeline created
LinkedIn	£[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	£[ ]	£[ ]
Webinar or event	£[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	£[ ]	£[ ]
Website organic	£[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	£[ ]	£[ ]

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Emailing consultants who trade as sole traders as if they were corporate contacts, without consent.
Publishing outcome claims that the clinical team has never seen.
Running broad social campaigns aimed at 'healthcare professionals' instead of named roles.
Measuring clicks and followers rather than qualified meetings.
Copying consumer health marketing tactics that do not land with consultants or practice managers.

Free personal check

Done by Paul Robinson, not software

I'll search for you the way a practice manager or hospital buyer would and show you what they find

What I need from you

Company name
Website
The buyer role you most want to reach
Your main product category

What you get

Screenshots of what a buyer sees
Claims that need evidence or rewording
The two channels I would keep and the ones to stop

Within 2 working days

No sign-in, no sales call. I read every request myself and reply on WhatsApp.

Free tools

Check where you stand

Your illustrative estimate

£110,000

Solvable estimate. Rounded to the nearest £500. Updates as you type.

Annual spend on non-performing channels

Starting figure £20,000 (from £20,000 (Solvable estimate: broad social and display that a two-channel plan would stop; fully recoverable by stopping it)). Change it to match your practice.

Qualified meetings missed per year

Starting figure 30 (midpoint of 30 (Solvable estimate: about 2 to 3 a month from a focused plan)). Change it to match your practice.

Conversion to customer

Starting figure 20% (from 20% (Solvable estimate)). Change it to match your practice.

Average first-year contract value

Starting figure £15,000 (from £15,000 (Solvable estimate; use your own)). Change it to match your practice.

Formula

(annual marketing spend on channels that produce no qualified meetings) + (qualified meetings missed per year × conversion to customer × average first-year contract value)

Variables and defaults

annual spend on non-performing channels: £20,000 (Solvable estimate: broad social and display that a two-channel plan would stop; fully recoverable by stopping it)
qualified meetings missed per year: 30 (Solvable estimate: about 2 to 3 a month from a focused plan)
conversion to customer: 20% (Solvable estimate)
average first-year contract value: £15,000 (Solvable estimate; use your own)

Defaults only. Change them in the calculator to use your own numbers.

Assumptions and defaults

annual spend on non-performing channels = £20,000 (Solvable estimate: broad social and display that a two-channel plan would stop; fully recoverable by stopping it)
qualified meetings missed per year = 30 (Solvable estimate: about 2 to 3 a month from a focused plan)
conversion to customer = 20% (Solvable estimate)
average first-year contract value = £15,000 (Solvable estimate; use your own)

Solvable estimate. Wasted spend (£20,000) plus revenue from meetings a focused plan would have produced (30 × 20% × £15,000 = £90,000). With defaults this is about £110,000; treat it as £70,000 to £150,000.

Benchmarks

Corporate and individual subscribers
Companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships and government bodies can be emailed without prior consent; sole traders and some partnerships need consent unless the soft opt-in applies
Source: ICO, Electronic mail marketing
CAP Code section 12
Covers medicines, medical devices and health-related products; medical claims for a device need the applicable conformity marking
Source: ASA, The CAP Code

Every supplier I know who solves this. No one pays to be listed. Where I've worked with them, I say so.

Medico Digital
Marketing and websites
Healthcare digital marketing agency: websites, SEO, paid search and social for private hospitals, clinics and health companies.
Healthcare digital agency for websites, search and paid ads, used to regulated health claims.
Best for: Private hospitals and multi-site clinics
Price on request
No commercial relationship

Know a supplier I have missed? Tell me Suggest yourself

MedTech marketing is tightly regulated - claims must be evidence-based, targeting must be precise, and channels must be appropriate for a professional audience. Generic digital marketing approaches don't work and can create regulatory risk.

The core structural root cause is the highly regulated nature of the UK healthcare market, which creates a cautious environment for marketing claims and channels.
Behaviourally, there's often a reliance on traditional marketing methods due to familiarity and perceived safety, leading to a lack of investment in specialised digital expertise.
Systemically, a fragmented digital ecosystem and the absence of clear, industry-specific best practices for compliant digital engagement contribute to the problem.

No verified UK data available

Inefficient allocation of marketing budgets to underperforming channels.
Increased workload for compliance and legal teams reviewing non-compliant marketing materials.
Suboptimal return on marketing investment, leading to higher cost per qualified lead.
Potential fines or legal costs due to regulatory breaches from non-compliant marketing.
Damage to brand credibility and trust among healthcare professionals due to inappropriate or non-compliant messaging.
Negative perception from regulatory bodies (e.g., MHRA, ABPI) leading to increased scrutiny.

What it looks like in practice

Low engagement rates on generic social media campaigns targeting healthcare professionals.
Marketing teams struggling to produce compliant content that resonates with a professional audience.
Over-reliance on sales representatives for initial lead generation, leading to scalability issues.
Difficulty in tracking and attributing qualified leads to specific digital marketing efforts.

Paul Robinson

14 years in UK private healthcare

I solve this one for healthcare companies

Want a hand? I'll look at your situation and tell you the three things I'd tackle first.

A few quick questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and usually reply the same day.

No sales call unless you ask for one. Just a straight answer from me.

I reply personally, usually the same day.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can we email consultants without consent?

Yes, if they are corporate subscribers: companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships and government bodies such as NHS trusts. Sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals, so they need specific consent under PECR, unless they are existing customers covered by the soft opt-in. UK GDPR still applies to named work email addresses.

Who regulates our claims?

The ASA applies the CAP Code, including section 12 on medicines, medical devices and health-related products. It covers business-to-business ads too; only claims in media addressed solely to medical or allied practitioners fall outside it. Medical claims for a device need UKCA or CE marking, and claims should stay within the device's intended purpose.

Is LinkedIn worth it?

Usually yes for this market, because you can target by job title and employer. Expect a high cost per click and judge it on cost per qualified meeting.

Should we run webinars?

Yes, if they are useful without your product, run by a respected clinician, and short. Practice managers attend practical ones.

How long before digital marketing shows results?

Expect three to six months before qualified meetings rise (Solvable estimate). Track leading measures monthly.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is general information about PECR and advertising rules. Check your position with a data protection or advertising lawyer before a large campaign.

Last reviewed: 30 October 2026

Sources

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The short answer

Do it yourself: step by step

1Build a claims register2 to 3 days · £0 to £1,500 regulatory review (Solvable estimate: 1 to 2 days of a regulatory reviewer at about £750 a day)

2Define the audience by role1 week · £0 to £2,000 for data (Solvable estimate: an annual licence for a small UK healthcare data set)

3Check your email permissions2 days · £0

4Pick two channels and stop the rest1 day · £0

5Produce proof-led content4 to 8 weeks · £3,000 to £15,000 (Solvable estimate: three assets at about £1,000 to £5,000 each from a supplier)

6Track to meetings1 to 2 days to set up · £0

7Review quarterly2 hours a quarter · £0

Healthcare marketing claims register and contact permissions check

Common mistakes

I'll search for you the way a practice manager or hospital buyer would and show you what they find

What I need from you

What you get

Check where you stand

What's this costing you?Optional: work it out with your own numbers

How we worked this outMethod, formula and assumptions

Suppliers who solve this1 supplier. No one pays to be listed

Why this keeps happening

What it leads to

Evidence