Customization Drives Success in Pharmaceutical Marketing

Published On January 27, 2018

As some reading this blog may remember, there was a time when pharmaceutical marketing consisted mainly of display ads in professional medical journals…

As some reading this blog may remember, there was a time when pharmaceutical marketing consisted mainly of display ads in professional medical journals and dispensing samples to health care practitioners. Today, that approach has largely gone the way of the house call.

The popularity of digital communications, coupled with the ability to market directly to consumers, has pharmaceutical marketers refining budgets to incorporate more digital messaging to their constituents. In the 2016 Healthcare Marketers Trend Report, conducted in late 2015 and early 2016, 86 percent of survey respondents reported using digital channels to reach health care practitioners in 2015 – up by four percent over the previous year. Their use of digital media to reach consumers also rose by four percent in that period.

Even so, print still plays a significant role in their strategies. In the above survey, respondents reported a two percent increase in use of printed sales materials for practitioners and a one percent increase in use of direct mail aimed at consumers.

 

It’s All About Relevance

Perhaps the real nugget to be gleaned here is the importance of delivering the right message to the right audience. Sending communications that have no relevance to recipients wastes time, effort and money for the pharma company and does nothing to build or strengthen relationships with practitioners and consumers.

In rare cases, a drug company’s audience may be as large as “all physicians.” But, most often, it’s some subset – perhaps physicians with a particular specialty or located in a specific region or state. Maybe the company is marketing directly to consumers with a certain condition, perhaps narrowing their audience still further by age or other demographic variables.

Targeting and personalizing communications will help ensure that only those who will find the content useful and valuable actually receive it, thereby increasing the likelihood of favorable responses, and that is where an outstanding fulfillment and distribution partner like Iron Mountain can be an enormous help.

Iron Mountain has all the technology and tools companies need to create, customize and deliver documents and kits 24/7, whether printed or electronic. We’re especially good at fulfillment solutions for pharmaceutical marketing because of our expertise in compliance. We make it easier for our clients to remain in compliance with government and industry regulations and brand standards through tools that:

• automatically insert footnotes, disclaimers and other fine print;
• dynamically connect related documents and products; and
• generate pop-up messages requiring acknowledgment when someone orders documents containing sensitive information or usage restrictions.

As worldwide sales approach the $1 trillion mark, pharma companies need nimble marketing to capture their share. Working with the right fulfillment partner can help ensure their success.

For more information, visit our Knowledge Center or contact Iron Mountain’s Fulfillment Services today.