Healthcare in the modern world is reaching more people than ever before, driven primarily by innovative digital solutions that have greatly expanded access.
Take the digital health sub-ecosystem, for example. According to reports from late 2021, the number of health apps available exceeded 350,000, and this number has likely increased since then.
Behind these historical expansions are health brands of all sizes and specialities who’ve found themselves in the battle for customers, users or consumers.
And one weapon in the arsenal of those who thrive in the growing healthcare market is intelligent brand positioning.
For health brands, strong positioning is not just a marketing exercise—it’s a survival strategy.
In whatever field you find yourself as a health provider, branding is the single weapon you need to keep your business alive.
It’s about attracting (keeping and nurturing) the right community to whatever service or product you provide/offer.
Here’s a deeper dive into how to carve out your own space, backed by examples and a practical “Positioning Canvas” you can use immediately.
“In healthcare, positioning isn’t about being louder — it’s about being clearer and more trustworthy.”
The Noise Is Deafening — And Global…
Global healthcare brands that have conquered their respective ecosystems didn’t just have plenty of money, the right service or product, or the greatest teams; they simply understood how to brand their vision and mission, and in doing so, easily attracted the right people (investors and users) to their communities.
We will primarily focus our discussion on digital health, as it’s becoming the nucleus of healthcare.
There’s no healthcare service or solution today that doesn’t have some level of digital health integration in its core infrastructure.
Digital health is no longer just an emerging idea. It’s becoming mainstream.
Every week, new entrants appear:
- Telemedicine startups promising 24/7 care!
- AI tools automating diagnostics!
- Wearables that monitor everything from stress to fertility!
- Digital pharmacies and mental health apps—and digital hospitals!
- Hospitals are upgrading their whole systems to digital!
- Simple chatbots and social media care are becoming an essential part of the ecosystem.
This explosion brings opportunity but also confusion. Patients, providers and partners are overwhelmed.
In Africa, for example, the GSMA reports that over 1,000 digital health solutions have been piloted in the last decade. Yet, only a fraction have scaled beyond a single region.
In such a fragmented ecosystem, the brands that thrive are those that stand for something specific and memorable.
Although Africa may have its unique challenges that make it exceptionally difficult for digital health solutions to thrive, however, brands that somehow overcome the general hurdles and survive the onslaught of regulatory battles, poor financing, inadequate basic infrastructures, among other barriers, are those that have mastered the hidden art and science of healthcare branding.
In Africa’s healthcare ecosystem, healthcare branding has unfortunately been neglected for too long.
Often relegated to just another marketing strategy, healthcare branding hasn’t received the attention it deserves —not just in Africa but globally as well.
Africa has the numbers, and the only bridge that can truly connect these numbers to the care they need is simply branding, not just marketing. This is the mistake most organisations make. They squeeze branding into one corner of the marketing box, and at the end of the day, they may be able to showcase their service or product (marketing), but often fail to build a genuine and rock-solid belief in that service or product (branding).
It’s all gradually changing, though, as more healthcare brands globally are beginning to realise how important branding is and are investing more resources and time into building brands that bring people together to share a vision and follow a mission.
We are not denying that Africa may have unique challenges that make it extremely difficult, especially for digital health brands, to survive. We believe that if more healthcare brands dedicate as much time and effort to branding as they do to marketing and product development, their chances of survival may be higher.
Or, What If Branding Is Actually The Missing Link?
The right branding strategy will always attract and build the right community, and with that community supporting a product or service, it’s by far easier to push adoption, and over time, other things that will support the ecosystem will naturally begin to evolve.
Just as it happened with Fintech.
In Africa, digital health is gradually entering a boom phase like Fintech.
Some years back, people naturally began to recognise the need to be connected beyond traditional banking. This organic need gave birth to the Fintech boom in Africa.
The same phenomenon is about to be experienced in Africa’s healthcare ecosystem.
More Africans have started to understand that healthcare isn’t just about hospitals. It’s deeper than that. And the digital health movement is that single movement that will amplify everything and connect more Africans to healthcare beyond hospital walls.
And branding?
Yes, branding is the only way healthcare brands in Africa can connect and build organic communities around digital health/health tech products and services.
Why Positioning Matters More In Healthcare Than Anywhere Else
Unlike consumer tech, healthcare carries regulatory scrutiny, ethical considerations and life-or-death consequences.
Positioning gives you a North Star. It:
- Signals trust and safety to patients!
- Guides investors and partners!
- Informs product decisions!
- Reduces marketing spend by creating clarity!
When your brand promise is clear, even limited budgets go further because your audience knows exactly what you do.
Let’s look at it step by step.
“A powerful brand promise is one you can keep, prove and repeat internally.”
Step 1: Scan The Battlefield With Discipline
Do more than a quick competitor list; build a living intelligence file.
- Direct Competitors: Similar product/service (e.g., other telemedicine apps, clinics or hospitals). Take your time to understand your competition. Become obsessed with them! The failure(s) of your competitors can be your clear path to success — if you can do what they couldn’t (more on this in subsequent series).
- Indirect Competitors: Adjacent categories (retail clinics, big tech health initiatives). Search for them. They may not be doing exactly what you’re doing, but they’re working on similar projects. Study them too.
- White Space: There will always be white spaces. As technology advances, unmet needs will be discovered that require solutions. However, it takes diligent studies and research to find them. Especially in Africa, there are hundreds of “Unmet Healthcare Needs” that digital health can solve.
Pro tips:
- Use App Annie or SimilarWeb to track downloads and engagement of rival apps.
- Read user reviews to see where competitors fail (this is a gold mine for product managers)
- Look at regulatory approvals as signals of maturity (they reflect that your competitors might be doing something right, and you can emulate).
Step 2: Nail Your Audience — With Real Empathy
Healthcare audiences are often defined too broadly! And this is a big mistake many healthcare brands make when they start reaching out to users.
Your product or service can’t be for everybody. There are people out there for whom your product or service is perfect. Search for them and do all you can to connect with them on a very personal level.
Move from “patients” to clear personas.
Example personas:
- “Urban millennial with Type 2 diabetes juggling multiple jobs”
- “Rural nurse with intermittent internet access”
- “Corporate HR head shopping for wellness benefits”
- “Community pharmacies searching for better logistics platforms.”
It’s an endless list!
Go beyond demographics.
Understand emotional drivers: fear, hope, frustration, desire for control.
This is what will make your messaging cut through and your product or service stand out.
Step 3: Find And Own Your Promise
Your positioning should answer:
- Who are we for?
- What outcome do we deliver?
- Why are we different or better?
Borrow from the best:
- Mayo Clinic: “Integrated, world-class care.”
- Cleveland Clinic: “Innovation + empathy for every patient.”
- Zipline (Africa): “Life-saving deliveries at drone speed.”
- 54gene (Nigeria): “Unlocking African genomics.”
None of these brands tries to own everything. They own one powerful idea.
What is your powerful idea?
If you haven’t discovered it yet, your branding won’t be strong enough.
Step 4: Build Credibility Proof Points
A bold claim without evidence is just noise. Back up your positioning with:
- Peer-reviewed studies or published outcomes.
- Certifications (ISO, HIPAA, NDPR compliance).
- Partnerships (WHO, CDC, national ministries).
- Testimonials from real users or clinicians.
This is what makes branding powerful. It goes way beyond superficial decorations and marketing stunts.
Solid branding reveals what a brand is dedicated to. The quality of their services and the extent to which they will go to ensure they catch your trust and preserve it.
Invest in research, publications, certifications, partnerships and user stories (patients, clinicians, etc).
Healthcare brands that constantly pursue these developments know what they’re doing.
They aren’t just doing it for fun!
It’s a strategy that keeps them above the rest in their respective niche.
Step 5: Tell A Simple, Consistent Story
Ask: could a stranger explain what we do in one sentence after a 30-second conversation? Or after going through your website or social media page?
Brand story is another potent tool in your brand toolbox.
The future belongs to people and brands who can tell stories.
- Babylogger: “Track every newborn feed, nap and diaper in one app.”
- Helium Health: “Digitising hospital records across Africa.”
- Zipline: “Delivering life-saving supplies by drone.”
Test your message with actual users.
Iterate until it’s clear.
It must be clear enough to attract the right community. And simple and clear enough so people can understand at a glance.
If it’s becoming complex and difficult to understand, it won’t attract people.
Step 6: Activate Internally
Positioning is worthless if your team can’t articulate it.
- Run internal workshops regularly.
- Create a “Brand Playbook” with your promise, tone, and key messages.
- Train customer support and sales to echo the same story.
Your team members are your number one brand advocates. They must master the brand culture.
And when changes occur, ensure every team member is carried along as early as possible. One team member who doesn’t understand culture is a weak spot and leaves the brand vulnerable.
Step 7: Revisit Regularly
Markets shift, competitors pivot, regulations change. Schedule an annual “positioning audit” to see if your promise still resonates.
Branding is organic.
When most organisations approach branding, they do so with a permanent mindset. They view branding as a one-time activity, so they don’t see the need to adjust certain things.
As cultural shifts occur, technology advances, competitors expand or falter, financial realities change, and regulations become tougher, so does the brand evolve.
A brand that doesn’t evolve and remains stiff will break soon or become obsolete.
The Healthcare Brand Positioning Canvas
Download below:
Sit down and answer these questions with your team.
Save it where everyone can see it. Then update it regularly as your team grows and your industry evolves.
