I have written a number of pharmacy marketing articles and delivered dozens of live CE programs on the topic. That's because I think good marketing is a critical success factor for independent community pharmacy.
If you want to improve your marketing here are the four "rules" to consider, listed in order of importance.
1. Have Something Good to Say. That means, run an exceptional pharmacy. Provide people with the products and services they want in a pleasing atmosphere with great customer service.
2. Say It Well. The words you choose to use matter. One way to illustrate this is to imagine a young couple on a date. The man looks into his date's eyes and says, "When I am with you time seems to stand still." Or, he can say, "You have a face that will stop a clock." Same idea, completely different response. You'll want to work hard to create a persuasive message about your pharmacy.
3. Say It Often. You and your staff will share the message hundreds of times during the week and you'll be tempted to mix-it-up or, ad-lib. But, before you do ask yourself if the message still resonates with your patients. If it does, keep using it. For example, how many times have you heard, "15 minutes will save you 15%?
4. Say It In The Right Place. Where you promote your pharmacy should be consistent with the feeling or image you desire to create. If you are striving for a clinical feel you'll want to focus on networking with healthcare organizations or writing articles for the local media. If you seek a full-service drug store image, you'll want to sponsor little league teams, or fun-runs or perhaps have a cute delivery vehicle.
Like a lot of things, saying all this is simple. But doing it is hard but that's okay you do lots of hard things. Give these four guidelines some serious thought. Talk them over with you team and challenge everyone to help make sure you are, first of all, running an exceptional pharmacy. Then work on finding effective ways to tell others about what you offer.
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