Pharmaceutical Marketing Solutions

March 31, 2020 Chris Lawson

10 B2B pharmaceutical marketing solutions for you to try in 2020.

We’re continually trialling and testing new marketing solutions for our clients as well as for our own campaigns. We also work closely with partners throughout the industry to understand which marketing solutions are gaining traction within the sectors we operate within.

The B2B scientific audiences we often seek to approach and begin conversations with are often difficult to reach. Therefore, the marketing methods and solutions we use need to be fine-tuned, tested and likely to succeed within the marketing plans and strategies that we put forward in our organisations.

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This post will look at a range of marketing solutions and approaches that produce results for the campaigns that we manage. We urge you to explore each in this post, as well as explore a further 15 solutions from the e-book which these solutions derive from. You can access it here.

10 PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING SOLUTIONS (FROM OUR NEW E-BOOK)

We have just published our a new e-book entitled: Pharmaceutical Marketing: Tactics & Techniques. The e-book lists 25 marketing solutions which the pharmaceutical marketer can adopt within marketing plans. Here are 10 pharmaceutical marketing solutions from that e-book.

1. PRINT ADVERTISING

Print advertising, one of the oldest forms of advertising, is still effective in generating brand awareness. Even today, we still have issues with trust when it comes to digital advertising (and sometimes digital in general) and many in the pharmaceutical industry will prefer a physical copy of a magazine as opposed to a digital version. We also value the intimate look and feel of a physical print magazine, which compared to its digital counterpart, is assigned more value as a product. The result is that the messages and content presented are actually more powerful - meaning that the cost of a full-page spread will generally be higher. Because print stands out when compared to the environment that digital content operates within – a cluttered and noisy place and is able to rise above this noise and reach those who are sometimes protected from the clutter. High-quality publications are authoritative and insightful, science professionals know this and will spend time away from devices and consume this content.

2. RETARGETING PROGRAMS

It makes sense to sell to those who are already aware of your product than selling to those who are not familiar because they are more likely to take action. Behavioural retargeting is a form of digital targeted advertising where digital advertising is targeted to consumers based on their previous actions and interactions with a website, advert or email. Retargeting programs have the ability to more than double conversion rates once adopted within marketing campaigns and plans because of familiarity.

Pharmaceutical marketers generally have two retargeting methods available to them: Web retargeting using browser cookies via ad platforms or list-based remarketing whereby advertisers provide their platforms with a list of email addresses so users can see ads of the same products and services the next time they browse on the internet. Pharmaceutical advertising and marketing regulations are ever-changing as technology enables consumers to find and engage with content in new ways. With a full understanding of the options available, as well as the rules and ethical considerations to abide to, retargeting programs should be considered an essential part of every pharmaceutical marketer’s toolkit since it can improve the performance of most of its strategic campaigns.

3. PAY-PER-CLICK

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising involves bidding for targeted – and therefore, highly appropriate – visitors to your website on a per click (visit) basis. When done right, PPC can generate high-quality leads. If you can create a seamless user journey for the leads generated from such a campaign it could mean a generous ROI for your PPC efforts. This is a favoured marketing solution for Orientation Marketing’s own marketing efforts as we are able to build audiences that have found on the content we are promoting on their own terms.

Those clicking through to the website, and demonstrated intent, have done so because they are interested in our organisation, products or services, or more commonly, the content offer which we promoted via this solution. Your offering might not have been found by that visitor without having to pay for this exposure. Targeted ads can also be used to draw targeted audiences to the website in the first instance, as LinkedIn, for example, allows the targeting of ads to members of a specific organisation (providing that the number of people being targeted is over 30). Your marketing strategy isn't complete without a targeted PPC campaign and we suggest two platforms for this marketing solution. Clicks will not come cheap, but the results will be demonstrable.

4. PODCASTS

As far as pharmaceutical marketing solutions go, podcasts are possibly amongst the strongest B2B marketers have in their armoury for 2020. Podcasts are usually live virtual events executed online and are an educational or instructive session that includes communication between a speaker and attendees. Demand for such live events can be high, and as the episodes are usually recorded, they can also be released after the event and made available for a period of time, or even transcribed into other content formats.

Podcast are also a great way of discussing certain topics alongside an organiser or host, usually from a publication or vendor which you can partner with similarly to webinars. Delivered via audio, it differs in its delivery for those who prefer to listen to content or consume content whilst on the go. Podcasts are usually released on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis, involving a host and a guest speaker that provides information on subject matter that often channels per podcast episode. The conversation with the host can also open up to the listeners, where questions can be answered, and the brand can be positioned within a market.

5. ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Online communities and networks present the perfect setting for building relationships and brand awareness, with prospects, peers and patients. Don't neglect your social media platforms, forums and other online communities as they also provide the opportunity for organisations to communicate in trusted environments. Turn to your media partners and other industry influencers to help promote you and your brand so that your customers can see your popularity within your specific vertical and marketplace.

Positive PR - perhaps in the form of charitable work or sponsorship - can help with this and can generate some in-direct awareness in your community. We all like to feel part of communities that offer mutual benefits, such as personal development support and opportunities for social interaction. Digital communities - LinkedIn/Facebook Groups and Forums - are a starting point, but you can also look to create physical events and communities that allow your customers to meet and discuss topics of their choice. Customers will always trust their peers more than they trust your organisation. Therefore, become the middleman and create an environment that your customers and prospects can be a part of.

6. REFERRAL PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS

If you're in a privileged position, you might win business from referrals or existing relationships where the value of the deal sometimes lies within the proposed partnership. If not, set up a referral program. Good news spreads and if an organisation needs to purchase or outsource services it can use word of mouth marketing to aid the procurement process or bypass it entirely. Referrals account for a large amount of today's B2B sales for manufacturers (both for those buying and selling) who tend to stay within a small circle of existing relationships for a trusted recommendation. Consider an industry leader or independent representative that can work with you to generate referrals on your behalf or work with media representatives.

Partnerships are similar to referrals in that they exist within a community of B2B professionals who often know of each other. However, they are very different by their nature: referrals tend to be a one-way recommendation of an organisation's service and a partnership is formed for mutual benefits between two organisations. In other instances, both organisations might need to provide a combined service and will look to work together or even work together to acquire a new client. Partnerships are highly effective within a B2B context and require consideration.

7. FREE SAMPLES AND TRIALS

In the B2C pharmaceutical and healthcare space, free samples have been shown to affect physician prescribing behaviour and have been used for decades. Physicians with access to free samples are more likely to prescribe brand name medication over equivalent generic medications, for example. The principles involved are the same for every product or service. Free samples offer a try it before you buy approach. They give access to the medication and the patient can begin treatment right away, just like a free trial can give access to a service offering where a product can also potentially be developed on a small scale right away.

You can break down a lot of barriers to a sale by offering trials of your product or service. Once a prospect is using your product, you can entice them with added offers or resources to encourage them to buy or buy further. Someone at the beginning of the buyer's journey might be interested in an informational piece such as an e-book or guide, where someone who is more familiar with your organisation and near the bottom of the journey might be more interested in a free trial or demo. If you’re at this stage, your target audience is on the edge of converting and it is the science marketer’s role to help get that buyer over the line – samples and trials as such are therefore a perfect marketing solution to adopt.

8. SURVEYS

Surveys: Often underrated and underused. Online surveys can significantly help you with your marketing activities, and today, understanding your customer is equivalent to business success. Firstly, recognise that marketing solutions are not always focused on developing new customers, rather keeping current customers loyal and buying over. Almost all marketers strive to increase sales and give the best customer experience possible; clever marketers know that measuring the level of customer satisfaction is necessary to set the foundation for true customer satisfaction.

Ask your customers what they think. They will feel special that you did and you will be surprised at how eagerly most of them will share their thoughts and opinions. From this exercise, it is likely you will generate testimonials and reviews that can inform other marketing and content solutions. Even a popup survey on your website you give your visitors the opportunity to answer a few quick questions. You can even ask them about your marketing and how this can be improved to serve them better content and marketing material in the future. You can use surveys as a market research tool to inform you of how you are doing, and then use the data collected to package as a lead generation piece of content.

9. EMAIL MARKETING

One of the oldest solutions in the digital marketing handbook is still one of the most effective. We use email marketing to promote our company news, whitepapers, webinars, product launches and our presence at trade shows. And email marketing has always provided the benefit of directly measuring performance. Marketers can access feedback – whether the recipient opened the email or clicked on a specific link – for campaigns immediately. For those opted-in subscribers, there are three common types of emails that B2B marketers can use when sending email marketing communications. Email marketing platforms are helping B2B marketers, with data being used in a more effective manner. Campaigns can be reused, just like content can be reused and often those campaigns can happen without the marketer doing anything on a day-to-day basis. Which is why email marketing is here to stay and will always be an important tool to use for promotion, to capture leads and for nurturing subscribers.

10. INBOUND MARKETING

Inbound marketing is a strategic solution different from traditional marketing because it’s a more efficient way to create the experience that people are looking for instead of paying to interrupt one. Unlike outbound campaigns, which exist only for the duration of those campaigns, inbound campaigns do not expire. Content, forms and workflow/nurturing emails will always be available to those looking for information, and accessed via a range of channels, predominantly on the website via search engines. Having marketing material available for the foreseeable future is a huge advantage for pharmaceutical organisations. Inbound marketing offers a range of advantages, but the main advantage is its ability to generate business contacts and marketing leads. Customers want more control in the sales process, especially with the content they consume, so to align with this requirement, inbound marketing is very much advantageous to organisations as a marketing solution.