Why health-tech companies seeking growth can’t ignore brand marketing (Part 1)

Picture this. You’re an executive at a scrappy, VC-backed health-tech startup with a runway of about 12 months. Your investors are breathing down your neck for growth, and given your limited budget, you’re tempted to throw everything you’ve got into growth marketing—paid search, email marketing, conversion rate optimization, the works. After all, that’s what moves the needle, right?

Growth marketing alone isn’t enough

While growth marketing tends to focus on quick wins like lead generation (B2B) and immediate sales (B2B2C and DTC), without the support of a strong brand narrative, those efforts can fall short. Unfocused messaging or a lack of clear differentiators can make it difficult to stand out from the competition to attract qualified leads, impacting conversion rates early on, and hampering your efforts deeper in the funnel.?

And without a compelling story behind your growth efforts, your marketing becomes transactional. This limits your ability to build the trust and long-term relationships essential for success in the health-tech space. A weak brand can lead to lower customer retention, diminished trust, and missed opportunities for sustainable growth.

As the founders of leading health-tech growth and brand marketing firms, we’ve seen firsthand how the failure to power your growth strategies with an effective brand narrative can cripple even the most ambitious marketing efforts. In this health-tech marketing guide, we’ll share our expertise to help you avoid common missteps by supercharging your growth goals with a brand that drives sustainable results.

How a compelling brand narrative drives growth

Your brand narrative encompasses much more than your company’s origin story. It defines who you are in a way that’s meaningful to customers, connecting you with the solution to a real problem in their day-to-day life. From that perspective, your narrative may even serve as the strategic GPS for your entire business. Simplicity, clarity, and a keen understanding of your audience are the keys to success.

Example #1: Parsley Health

Parsley Health, a former client of Best Friend Jack (BFJ), found traction by positioning itself as the holistic alternative to the impersonal, quick-fix model of conventional healthcare by offering longer, more in-depth consultations with doctors, coaches, and nutritionists.?

With a focus on prevention rather than just symptom management, Parsley quickly gained a following among women whose complex conditions had not been well-managed by the medical status quo. Members’ willingness to share their personal successes—and amplify Parsley’s brand narrative—created invaluable authenticity for the brand while lowering their customer acquisition costs.?

Example #2: Maven Clinic

Maven Clinic, the digital health platform focused on women’s and family healthcare, chose to invest in brand building from the start, emphasizing gaps in traditional care that negatively impact working families.

By positioning themselves as a trusted, personalized support system throughout all stages of family building—from fertility treatment to postpartum and pediatric care—Maven fostered deep emotional connections with grateful users. This mission-driven approach not only drove strong engagement but also attracted partnerships with major employers, securing Maven’s role as a leading force in women and family-centered healthcare today.

The bridge between brand and growth marketing

Time and again, we’ve seen that a well-crafted brand narrative is often what distinguishes marketing campaigns that scale from those that burn through budgets without delivering. By connecting brand marketing inputs to growth outcomes, businesses can unlock sustainable growth, creating deeper audience engagement and higher conversion rates.

Developing a brand narrative that truly stands out

Actium Health , an innovator in automated patient outreach, found their messaging wasn’t breaking through to the right decision makers. They turned to BFJ to craft a new brand identity and narrative to showcase their unique value and reach customers on a more emotional level.

The results? A significant boost in engagement, reduced customer acquisition costs, and a market position and identity that truly stands out. This is just a snapshot—explore the full case study to see how a well-crafted brand story can transform growth efforts.?

To find out how your own brand measures up, get in touch with BFJ for a free 4-point assessment to identify your brand’s strengths and areas for improvement relative to other competitors in your market.?

NEXT UP

Part II: Best practices to amplify your narrative across all growth channels

Recognizing the power of a strong brand narrative and its direct impact on growth is just the beginning. In Part 2, we’ll explore how to put that narrative into action across your growth marketing channels—whether through paid search, social media, email, or offline strategies. By connecting a compelling story with the right tactics, you can drive deeper engagement and lift conversion rates.

We’ll also dive into real-world case examples, such as how Growth Vanguard helped one client achieve a 95% increase in conversion rates and a 43% reduction in customer acquisition costs by collaborating with a content partner. You’ll get an inside look at the strategies that made those impressive results possible.

If you’re looking to replicate this kind of success, follow us on LinkedIn to be the first to access Part 2 and learn actionable steps to take your brand growth from good to unstoppable.

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Lena Cheng and Reed Perkins are co-owners of Best Friend Jack , a boutique agency dedicated to helping health-tech companies differentiate themselves. BFJ specializes in crafting strategic narratives, building brand identities that resonate with stakeholders, developing integrated content marketing strategies, and providing fractional Chief Marketing Officer services.

Tim Ming is the Founder of Growth Vanguard , a fractional growth marketing consultancy for digital health and healthcare companies - from pre-seed to Fortune 200 companies. GV specializes in growth marketing consulting and managed services for acquisition and engagement marketing channels, as well as HIPAA compliant marketing analytics and tracking services.