The only way to get your products in the hands of your target customers is to develop effective marketing strategies that make you stand out.
Here is where having a targeted pharma marketing strategy comes in.
Doctors heavily influence the type of prescription drugs patients use, which means that your marketing strategy should consider how doctors think when deciding which drug is the best for their patients’ conditions.
For non-prescription drugs, patients usually prefer the ones with a marketing message that resonates with their symptoms and concerns. They also trust drugs that fellow patients recommend.
In this article, we teach you how to adapt your message for patients, doctors, and B2B partners and convince them that your pharma interventions are safe and effective.
What is pharma marketing?
Pharma marketing refers to strategies that help pharmaceutical companies achieve their business goals by drawing physicians and patients to their brand.
Even though drug affordability and disease prevalences continue to drive the growth rate of the pharmaceutical industry, government regulations slow it down. According to the Pharmaceutical Drugs Global Market Report, the pharmaceutical industry is growing at the rate of 5% which is behind only two other healthcare segments: medical services and equipment.
Despite the tight regulations and policies of the governments in different countries, the demand for pharmaceutical drugs is only likely to rise. This is because the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable and in-demand industries in the world.
So how exactly do you beat your competition to win the trust of patients and physicians?
It is through understanding the consumer needs and finding the solutions to meet these needs.
Successful marketing in the healthcare industry depends significantly on trust and brand transparency. The best way to develop trust with your target clients is to show them how your product helps them solve their problems. By demonstrating its features transparently, including its efficacy and side effects, physicians begin to trust you and prescribe your product to their patients.
4 reasons why you need to invest in a well-designed pharma marketing plan
There are three types of target customers in the pharmaceutical industry: doctors, patients, and B2B partners. Most companies aim at developing strong relationships with physicians because they have a considerable influence over the type of drug patients will purchase. Content marketing that is clear and well-researched convince physicians to go with your brand.
Here are the benefits an effective pharmaceutical marketing strategy delivers to your business:
#1 Increases sales
Pharma marketing improves your sales because tailored messages meet the needs of your target customers. Doctors will only prescribe your product to their patients once they review the studies that prove its efficacy in treating a specific disease. By coming out clearly on the features of your drug, including its proven benefits and side effects, healthcare experts will trust you more.
#2 Improves brand awareness
Thoughtful and targeted marketing messages get your brand in front of your ideal customers. With improved brand awareness and reliable products, you steadily grow your brand authority.
#3 Strengthens relationships with customers
Strong relationships in the pharma industry are formed when your product improves patients’ well-being. A patient who has experienced health improvements thanks to your products is likely to share its benefits to the world.
As part of your well-defined pharma marketing plan, you should be active on such platforms and engage with your audience. This enhances your brand awareness and shows your customers that you are available and ready to help them.
#4 Triggers product development
Understanding how customers feel about your brand, services, and products is vital to promote the right marketing messages. In the pharmaceutical industry, feedback helps you improve various features of your drugs through comprehensive research and how you communicate with your audience.
A 5-step pharma marketing plan
So how do pharmaceutical companies market their products? Successful marketing strategies in the pharma industry focus on physicians and patients. The marketing messages presented to physicians are supported with proven research about the efficacies and side effects of the drugs.
Here is a 5 step pharma marketing strategy that will help you get ahead of your competition.
#1 Creating buyer personas
Every successful pharma marketing strategy starts with defining your target patients and physicians. This improves your pharma marketing ROI (return on investment) because the messages are tailored to meet a specific patient’s needs.
A buyer persona is an ideal customer with a specific set of challenges that your product solves. Having a deeper understanding of what your target doctors consider about a drug before prescribing it to their patients helps you craft compelling messages in the healthcare industry.
#2 Content marketing
Content marketing in the pharmaceutical industry enables you to showcase the features of your product to doctors and patients. While there are different forms of content marketing that you can use to present your product to doctors and patients, many countries have strict regulations on which types of content you can promote. This is because some pharma companies may portray a drug as having features that may not be true. So when using content marketing, make sure you do so legally and transparently.
#3 Case studies
Case studies are a great way to show how your products have helped people and ultimately win doctors’ and patients’ trust. A case study presents the results your customer received after using your product over a specific period.
In pharmaceuticals, it points to the challenges of the target patient before consuming your drug and the solutions your drug offers. It is like a detailed testimonial.
The strength lies in the symptoms that your drug was able to treat. If your target patients’ condition aligns with these symptoms, they will be encouraged to try your medication in the hope that they get the same relief.
#4 Email marketing and list building
Email marketing is one of the oldest marketing tricks in digital marketing, and it is still effective if used in the right way. Emails remain the most personalized way to communicate with your target audiences. It allows you to empathize with their conditions and show how your medication may relieve their symptoms. Using marketing automation, you can reach thousands of patients and doctors who are part of your email list personally and develop deep relationships that transform into sales.
When creating an email list, you should implement lead generation strategies such as white papers, checklists, webinars, and ebooks. Patients and doctors who are interested in your resources download them in exchange for their emails. Once you capture their emails, you begin providing relevant information about how your drug can help them treat their conditions, hoping that they will purchase it.
#5 SEO
SEO helps your website’s content rank high on search results and increase organic traffic.
As a pharmaceutical company, SEO best practices help you increase the number of relevant physicians and patients who visit your site through targeted searches on the internet. Valuable and educational content helps them learn about the benefits and advantages of your drug.
SEO best practices include building your content around specific keywords related to the diseases your drugs can treat, building backlinks, guest posting, and much more.
How to adapt your pharmaceutical marketing to specific audiences
There are three primary audiences in the pharmaceutical industry: doctors, patients, and other healthcare companies. By learning their needs and motives, your marketing approach is tailored to increase the chances of selling them your drugs.
Here’s how to use your pharma marketing plan to target each of your audiences.
Marketing to doctors
Marketing to doctors involves giving them detailed information about your product to help them decide whether they can prescribe it to their customers.
To gain the trust of doctors, you should provide scientific evidence about your products, including their benefits and side effects. You can create content such as case studies and in-depth research showing the results of the phases of clinical trials of a drug.
Marketing to patients
Most patients tend to trust their doctors’ prescriptions whenever they get sick. However, outbound marketing methods such as radio ads and TV ads can influence patients to ask their doctors about a specific treatment. If you promote the right message through the proper communication channels, patients will be encouraged to ask for or use your medication.
B2B pharmaceutical marketing
There are pharmaceutical products not used directly by patients. These include items such as laboratory equipment, medical devices, and medical tests. In these instances, you need to target B2B partners to sell your pharmaceutical products to. Writing case studies is one of the best ways to inform other medical businesses and B2B partners about your products.
