Pharmaceutical Marketing: Creative Strategies for Success

Pharmaceutical marketing influences healthcare providers (HCPs) to adopt and prescribe new products. Traditional healthcare marketing involves personal visits, free samples (starter packs), journal advertisements, printed product literature, and gifts. Today, doctors are overwhelmed by a flood of messaging, both in-person and through digital channels, and gifts are considered unethical. Clearly, pharmaceutical marketing needs new strategies. 

It’s widely recognized that frequent visits from pharmaceutical service representatives (PSRs) influence prescribing behaviour. However, HCPs are hard-pressed to allot time for these encounters, and there are increasing calls for them to refuse visits, gifts, payments, and free samples from pharmaceutical companies. A strategic marketing plan can facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship with HCPs while adhering to regulations established  by The Saudi Code of Pharmaceutical Promotional Practices in KSA and relevant laws in the UAE.

Marketing Strategies for HCPs

Since HCPs are the decision-makers, they’re vital for pharmaceutical sales, and 84 percent of marketing efforts are focused on them. In this era of information overload, the preferences of HCPs have changed. A successful marketing strategy offers patient-centric, evidence-based resources that demonstrate to HCPs the benefits to the patients under their care. 

Physicians seek trustworthy sources of information about recent advances in their fields, as staying updated on trends is crucial to providing optimal patient care. HCPs value data-driven, credible recommendations that improve patient outcomes. You can benefit by establishing your pharmaceutical company as a reliable and objective source of patient-care information. Your marketing strategy may involve the following elements: 

  • Engaging respected thought leaders to speak about your new treatments
  • Providing educational resources for HCPs to access at their convenience
  • Building a great online reputation through the production of high-quality content in accordance with local laws and regulations
  • Monitoring and responding to online reviews, both positive and negative, to show your commitment to quality and satisfaction

Leverage Digital Marketing

HCPs now use digital channels extensively to learn about trends and innovations in their field. Creating digital marketing materials enables them to easily access your content from their preferred device at their convenience. This kind of flexibility increases the likelihood of adoption and retention of information. 

Foster Collaborative Relationships

Healthcare providers should see pharmaceutical firms as partners in patient care education. Your marketing efforts are more likely to be successful when they see you as a trustworthy and valuable partner in disseminating information on new drugs and therapies. Forming collaborative relationships with busy HCPs encourages them to rely on your marketing content for their information needs.

Utilise Social Media

Both HCPs and patients actively use social media. You can increase your engagement with HCPs by regularly posting on social media, crafting blog posts, and sending out informative emails about your products. These interactive platforms create dialogues, allowing you to answer questions, resolve concerns, and ask for feedback. Be sure the content you produce addresses a problem your product will help relieve or solve.

Get Involved in Education and Training

Organizing, sponsoring, and contributing to continuing medical education activities has long been a component of pharmaceutical marketing. HCPs value continuing education and devote considerable time to it, making it a prime area for marketing efforts. Visible participation in prestigious conferences elevates your standing as a trusted educational partner. 

There are also other benefits. Sponsored lectures about your products influence the prescribing behaviour of attendees. You can also partner with established entities such as MDBriefCase, where you can support the creation of impartial continuing medical education programs for HCPs. You can share educational content with HCPs who want to learn more about your treatments and drugs.

Join Our Healthcare Leadership Community

MDBriefCase is a trusted source of continuing education for people seeking to enhance their knowledge and careers. Healthcare Leadership Academy is a place for pharmaceutical managers looking for professional growth and useful information about their industry. 

Would you like to share your insights or a case study with your peers? We welcome contributions! Visit our Healthcare Leadership Academy hub for more information. 

Author Agreement

In submitting your work (the “Work”) for potential posting on the MDBriefCase Healthcare Leadership Academy website (the “Website”), you (“You”) expressly agree to the following:

Review: MDBriefCase is pleased to consider the publication of Your Work on the Website.   The suitability of the Work for posting shall be determined by MDBRiefCase at its sole discretion. Nothing herein shall obligate MDBriefcase to post or otherwise publish the Work, or the maintain its posting in future.   

Editing; Identification: MDBriefcase shall have the right to edit the Work to conform to our standards of style, technological requirements, language usage, grammar and punctuation, provided that the meaning of the Work is not materially altered.  If posted, You will be identified as the author of the Work, or co-author if applicable.  

Grant of Rights:  As a condition of publication and for no monetary compensation, You hereby grant to MDBriefCase the following rights to the Work in any and all media whether now existing or hereafter developed, including print and electronic/digital formats:  (1) the exclusive right of first publication worldwide;  (2) the perpetual non-exclusive worldwide right to publish, reproduce, distribute, sell, adapt, perform, display, sublicense, and create derivative works, alone or in conjunction with other materials; (3) the perpetual non-exclusive worldwide right to use the Work, or any part thereof, in any other publication produced by MDBriefCase and/or on MDBriefCase’s website; and (4) the perpetual non-exclusive worldwide right to use the Work to promote and publicize MDBriefCase or its publications.  The grant of rights survives termination or expiration of this Agreement.    

Warranty:  You warrant that the Work is original with You and that it is not subject to any third party copyright; that You have authority to grant the rights in this Agreement; that publication of the Work will not libel anyone or infringe on or invade the rights of others; that You have full power and authority to enter into this Agreement; that the Work has not been published elsewhere in whole or in part; and that You have obtained permission from the copyright owner consistent with this Agreement for any third party copyrighted material in the Work.  This warranty survives termination or expiration of this Agreement.

Submission Agreement

Thank you for your interest in writing an article for the MDBriefCase Healthcare Leadership Academy website.

Audience and Appropriate Topics

The  Healthcare Leadership Academy welcomes submissions on all topics relevant to leaders in healthcare. Our topics include Leading in Healthcare, Leadership Lessons from COVID-19 and others. We prioritize stories that provide leadership advice to executives and managers in healthcare companies, offer actionable strategies for executing successful projects, and provide interesting angles on current healthcare topics. Submissions must be original work of the authors and unpublished.  When submitting, authors represent that they have included no material that is in violation of the rights of any other person or entity.

Parameters

Articles must be educational and non-promotional. If they mention the author’s company or any of the company’s products or services by name within the text, such mention should be very limited and used for reference only, not for promotion. (For example, an author might cite a survey conducted by his company but not describe his company’s product as a solution to a business problem.) Articles will be edited for clarity, style and brevity. The final headline is determined by the editor.

Length of Submissions

Guest articles for the MDBriefCase Healthcare Leadership Academy may run between 500 and 1000 words. 

Review

MDBriefCase reserves the right to accept or reject any submission  and the right to condition acceptance upon revision of material to conform to its criteria.   

No Compensation

There is no payment for contributed articles. However, MDBriefCase will give the author a byline. Authors are invited to link to the article on personal  websites, corporate websites and social media platforms.

Author Agreements

Each author understands and agrees that any submission accepted for posting is provided subject to MDBriefCase’s Author Agreement