Running an independent pharmacy isn’t easy, especially when you want to stand out from the competition and attract new customers. While you understand how important it is to advertise your pharmacy, knowing what will work best without breaking the bank can be a struggle.
Believe it or not, most customers today look for a seamless digital experience. At the same time, they prefer to connect personally with the companies they’re interested in online. If you want to draw in digital customers, here are a few tips:
- Keep a human connection and respond to any questions and inquiries
- Share photos of your pharmacy’s staff and the store
- Post new content regularly to engage customers
- Finding you online shouldn’t be difficult, so make it easy
Begin advertising the traditional way. It may seem old-fashioned, but it still retains the power to meet and influence many potential customers. Plus, almost all of them offer digital ad opportunities. Here are some advertising ideas to help build your patient base:
Google Business Profile
This is a powerful tool that offers pharmacies like yours a free online profile. With it, you’ll get more visibility, and potential customers will easily find your pharmacy. It will also provide your pharmacy’s address, phone number, business hours, and website.
Your profile will also allow customers to leave reviews and share their experiences. Reviews are powerful marketing tools that attract new customers while developing loyalty among the long timers. It’s a good idea to respond to your pharmacy reviews. Doing so shows your commitment to satisfied customers.
Once your profile is completed, keep up by collecting and responding to reviews, and be sure to track your Google Business Profile interactions.
Chamber of Commerce
This is a wonderful place to advertise your pharmacy because it allows you to reach new people in your community on a limited budget. It’s also great for building relationships with other business owners. The Chamber’s website is frequented by many locals, so this will put you in front of possible new customers.
Influencer Marketing
If you want to build your brand’s reputation, an influencer can help. They can also generate leads at a lower cost than traditional advertising. One thing you’ll want to be aware of is that FTA regulations require disclosure of paid testimonials and endorsements. You can also check out the Better Business Bureau Code of Advertising (#30), as it provides helpful guidelines about ethical ways to use testimonials and endorsements.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
The Better Business Bureau is an excellent resource for your independent pharmacy. When you become accredited with the BBB’s website. This is a great way to build your brand’s reputation and to bring in new customers. You’ll also be able to take advantage of the BBB’s resources and tools to help you run your business.
Monitoring Your Sweet Success
Want to measure the success of your advertising strategies? You can track specific metrics that align with your business goals. For instance, track customer acquisition by monitoring how many new customers visit your pharmacy after launching your campaigns. Don’t be afraid to ask new customers how they heard about your pharmacy.
Are you curious about your social media engagement? Assess the likes, comments, shares, and follower growth. If there’s high engagement, that means your content is resonating with your audience. You can also use tools like Google Analytics to measure how much traffic your ads drive to your website.
Do you want to know how well you’re retaining customers? A good indicator is an increase in repeat visits or loyalty program participation. Evaluate any uptick in sales that is directly tied to your campaigns. Compare revenue during the campaign period to previous months or years to assess growth.
You might also want to check your ROI (Return on Investment). Simply calculate the financial return of your advertising efforts, then subtract your advertising costs from the revenue generated. Divide by your total investment to find your ROI percentage.
One of the best ways to find out how successful your pharmacy’s advertising strategies have been is by paying close attention to the feedback from your community. You can do this by reading customer reviews, testimonials, and informal feedback. Every positive response you receive will reflect the effectiveness of your outreach and branding efforts.
Wondering how to set up a Google Business Profile for your pharmacy or looking to perfect the profile you already have? The comprehensive checklist below will make sure your profile is complete.
- Create a Google account. Use a professional email address that’s associated with your pharmacy.
- Visit the Google Business Profile site. Sign in with your Google account.
- Add your business. Click on the “Manage Now” button. Type the name of your pharmacy in the search bar. If it doesn’t appear, click on “Add Your Business to Google.”
- Provide your business information. Fill in the information about your pharmacy. Include name, address, phone, and website.
- Select a business category. Choose the most relevant category for your pharmacy (i.e. pharmacy or drugstore).
- Verify your business. Google may require verification to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
- Perfect the description of your pharmacy. Write a business description that’s concise and informative. Include important information such as hours of operation, clinical services, and so on.
- Add quality photos. Upload high-quality photos of the interior and exterior of your pharmacy, as well as photos of your staff, fully stocked shelves, and any other relevant images that showcase your pharmacy.
- Add your business hours. Provide opening and closing times for each day of the week and update it regularly (especially during holidays or special events).
- Add your pharmacy’s attributes. If your pharmacy has wheelchair accessibility or drive-thru services, add that to your profile.
- Showcase your services. You should add at least 5 services your pharmacy offers. Be as specific as possible.
- Don’t forget to link to your social media channels. You can link to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and/or YouTube.
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