Competitive Care: Effective Marketing Strategies for Pharmacies

With competition in the pharmacy industry growing each year and big box stores taking up more and more of the market, it’s crucial that independent pharmacies remain competitive with local patients.

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One of the best ways to boost awareness of your pharmacy and gain new patients is through strategic marketing efforts. Let’s examine some ways you can reach new patients and potentially grow your practice in the process.

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Welcome New Residents with Mailers

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When new folks move to town they need more than directions to the supermarket or where to get the best food around — they’ll need a new go-to place to get their prescriptions filled! You can provide much-needed guidance to newcomers while also attracting new patients.

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Consider making promotional postcards that are delivered to apartment buildings at regular intervals or working with local real estate agents to hand out the same postcards to new buyers in the area. These postcards should clearly advertise your practice, your location, and the value you bring to patients. You can even sweeten the deal by including exclusive coupons or vouchers for free consultations by the pharmacist on staff.

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Take Your Promotion to Digital Channels

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Today’s patients spend a lot of time online — so meet them where they are to expand your pharmacy’s reach.

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You should invest in a solid website, Google, and social media presence that you maintain or update frequently. Your Google profile should include your address, business information, and photos of your location to make it easy for patients to find you in search. Google also has an advertisement platform where you can run ads on certain keywords and searches where your pharmacy is likely to be relevant.

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Your website should have all of that same information but also even more about your practice, staff, services, and business history. Because your website is fully customizable, it also presents a great chance to incorporate your logo and brand colors.

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Having a social media presence is essential for any modern medical practice to thrive. Many of today’s most popular social media function a lot like Google or other search engines — folks are looking for local businesses on them. You need to ensure when new patients do land on your profiles they have all the information they need to get in contact with you. Social media also provides a great way to promote special deals, events, and holiday closures to current and new patients.

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Advertise Using Your Happy Patients and Referrals 

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There’s no better marketing than the real opinions and referrals of happy patients. Highlight positive Google, Yelp, and other reviews across your marketing as social proof to new patients. You might want to also consider investing in professionally recording some of your most vocal patients for testimonial videos to use in advertisements on social media, your website, or even on television.

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You can also incentivize your current patients to recommend new ones by leveraging referral contests and special prizes. 

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Get Involved with Your Community 

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The best way to show potential patients that you care about your community is through getting involved in your community. Your pharmacy is uniquely positioned as an authority in the healthcare space to give advice and conduct proactive outreach within your community.

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Get involved at local schools with drug safety initiatives, senior centers with adherence programs, and other community institutions. Especially when there is so much misinformation circling around, you can provide solid, science-backed education to your community.

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All of these strategies are great starting points for expanding your pharmacy, but even more importantly, the key to a thriving pharmacy lies in serving your patients after they place their first fill. If you’re curious about how online checkout and other digital solutions can perfect your patient experience and help your pharmacy grow, schedule a time to chat with our team, today.

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