Pharmaceutical sales reps and marketers, within the confines of OPDP regulations, need to get creative when advertising to doctors. Many physicians are barring in-person sales visits. Others are just too busy to bother with traditional sales calls.
That’s why it’s critical to master the art of digital
advertising to doctors. Pharmaceutical marketers can leverage various digital marketing tools and platforms to get their message in front of physicians looking for new offerings.
Benefits of Digital Marketing to Doctors
Here are some benefits of using digital marketing and advertising to reach physicians and healthcare providers.
Scalability
Your digital marketing efforts can be as expansive or narrow as you need them to be. It’s easy to start small and grow as your business grows. Small-scale digital marketing can give you essential metrics that will help you fine-tune your marketing efforts for maximum results.
Data-driven
Digital advertising and marketing offer several data points that can help you determine the most effective marketing methods to specific physicians. This can help you determine the ROI of your digital marketing efforts so you can put your marketing dollars to good use.
Cost-effective
Speaking of marketing dollars, digital marketing is a cost-effective way to reach physicians without spending a fortune. Once you own channels, including social media channels and a website, you can create content that reaches physicians for minimal cost.
FFD&C Compliance, the OPDP, and Other Regulatory Considerations
Of course, healthcare organizations need to use the same MLR processes as well as discretion and due diligence they are accustomed to for all tactics whether digital or traditional. No one wants to accidentally mislead or be on the receiving end of a violation notice from the OPDP. Remember that all communications must:
Be consistent with approved product labeling
Make claims that are supported by substantial evidence
Never make false or misleading statements
Present a good balance between efficacy and risk information
Digital Marketing Tools for Pharmaceutical Marketers
Multiple types of digital marketing content can be used to attract and engage physicians. Let’s break down some of the ones that doctors seem to favor, making them the most effective channels for marketing.
Video
Of all the digital advertising channels out there, video is one that performs best for physicians. Doctors are already watching YouTube videos, so when permitted, adding pharmaceutical videos is a natural next step.
Pharmaceutical marketers can create educational videos that highlight their offerings and the benefits they bring. Make sure to keep your videos short and to the point so physicians can easily watch them during quick breaks.
PPC and Programmatic advertising
You can create video ads as PPC (pay-per-click) ads. This means that your video ad will show up at the top of Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for the keywords you target. Being at the top of a SERP makes it more likely that a physician will click on your ad instead of scrolling down to another.
Another option is to target HCPs programmatically and market to them on both endemic and non-endemic sites. HealthLink Dimensions HCP segments have been available in LiveRamp for this purpose since 2017. More recently, healthcare markets have been using HealthLink Dimensions segments with healthcare-specific DSPs like DeepIntent and PulsePoint.
One of the best marketing strategies is email. It’s quick, cost-effective, and targeted, which means you can customize your message based on your audience. Use email marketing to inform physicians about new offerings and start conversations with the healthcare providers in your email list. HealthLink Dimensions has an extensive email database that can help you reach physicians at the right time.
Social media
Research has found that 90 percent of physicians use social media platforms for personal use, and 65 percent use social media professionally. Leverage social media by creating informative and engaging posts that are easy to share. Connect with physicians to ensure that they see your content as it’s posted.
Work with HealthLink Dimensions to Create a Multi-Channel Digital Marketing Strategy
Pharmaceutical marketers need to include multiple touchpoints in their digital marketing strategy. HealthLink Dimensions can help you build multi-channel marketing campaigns that engage physicians wherever they are online. Contact us to get started.