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Marketing Your Pharmacy Delivery Service

In an earlier blog post, we established the need for a pharmacy delivery service. In addition to being another source of revenue, a delivery service helps you access more patients and engage those who may be non-adherent because of difficulties getting to the pharmacy. But even the most streamlined service needs to be marketed to be successful. This post offers tips to help you attract customers to your newly developed service or to increase usage of an already existing one. As you start out, keep in mind that these three characteristics should govern your marketing efforts:

  1. Explain the new service as simply as possible. Don’t overcomplicate things, just make sure people get the message that you’re able to provide home and office delivery.
  2. Focus on the benefits. Tell people what’s in it for them — more free time, more convenient option, better prices, etc.
  3. Be consistent with the information you offer. All your marketing materials and sales pitches must communicate the same ideas and stress the same benefits.

With that in mind, consider focusing on four main areas to jumpstart your promotion: your business, the internet, your community, your current customers.

Use your current business to generate interest

Your pharmacies draw customers every day, so what better venue to advertise your delivery service than your existing business?

To ensure your pharmacy customers are aware of your new service, you can:

  1. Create an elevator pitch for the drug delivery service and have your staff learn it. Instruct them to share it with as many clients as possible.
  2. Put up posters about the new service.
  3. Print leaflets and have your staff place them in every customer’s bag.
  4. Record a phone message advertising the delivery service that will play for callers on hold.
  5. Have a visible ad on the front page of your website.

Tap into the power of the internet

In the 21st century, using the internet to attract clients is a no brainer. A few ways you can use this medium include:

  1. Set up an email list. For every dollar you spend, email marketing generates $38, according to Campaign Monitor. Services like Constant Contact or Campaigner are great places to start and require little investment.
  2. Buy targeted Facebook ads. The platform has a colossal reach with 68% of American adults reporting they’re using it, according to Pew Research Center. Not only that, eMarketer found that social networks are popular among millennials (90.4%), Gen Xers (77.5%) and baby boomers (48.2%), so you’re bound to reach a vast range of audiences.
  3. Information marketing. Increasingly effective, the practice of spreading valuable information will attract clients. You can try guest posting, or better yet keeping a blog of your own. It will turn your website into a destination, and you can focus content to attract your ideal clients.
  4.  Rank high on Google. It should be of top priority to rank on the first page of Google when prospective buyers look for related keywords (such as “prescription delivery service”), especially in your area. About 62% of web users conduct their searches through Google, according to SparkToro. Not only that, but users are four times more likely to click on paid Google ads than any other search engine, according to Clutch (and that includes Amazon).

Get your community’s support

Leverage the power of your community to generate sales either directly, or indirectly by putting value out there that will draw a lot of attention your way. To tap into the sales potential of your community, consider:

  1. Organizing free seminars that focus on specific illnesses. Match them with the drugs you’re more willing to sell, and you’ll make ideal buyers walk through your doors.
  2. Forming partnerships with local doctors
  3. Printing leaflets and asking other businesses to distribute them to their clients. Complimentary services work best.
  4. Getting registered with your local Chamber of Commerce and get involved in some activities, maybe even host a few events. They’re a great source of business and are always willing to help.

Incentivize your customers to spread the word

Your current clients already like you. Encourage them to spread the word by offering a good referral incentive. A discount or coupon for every new customer they bring in is a great idea.

Make sure your delivery service runs smoothly. Satisfied customers will naturally feel the need to talk with others about how happy they are with your service.

Setting up a pharmacy delivery service is not only vital for the future health of your business but also potentially highly rewarding. With so many different marketing angles at your disposal, the road to adding this type of service to your store is not as hard as it might seem.

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Amplicare is now part of EnlivenHealth®

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FDSRX is now part of EnlivenHealth®