Happy new year!
As we all settle into 2022, it is time to rethink your marketing plan for the next 12 months. With so much change happening within the industry from COVID to scripts, you must be ahead of the game on how to build relationships with your customers and a reputation in your target market.
So, because we are still feeling festive, we will share three questions you need to answer before this month ends.
Question One: Who am I targeting?
This may seem like a simple question! However, in our Pharmacy Mastermind meetings we spend a whole session just dissecting this answer. Also, nine times out of ten when we propose this question, pharmacy owners and managers do not have a definite answer.
As a pharmacy yes, you can help everyone with their meds and health. However, that doesn’t mean that they will shop from you. For example, a lot of community pharmacies lose customers to big box discounters due to price. But not every customer is going to price conscious, some customers will value certain products, expertise, and service. So, as a pharmacy you need to pave out what audience will best suit your pharmacy.
So, this January ask yourself:
· How do we add value as a pharmacy?
· Who will most likely visit our pharmacy with the next 1-3 months?
· Who are our current customers?
From there take some time to research and determine who you should be marketing to in 2022. Your research might surprise you.
Question Two: What is your marketing focus?
We’re going to share with you a Peak hack. Every year, we sit down together to brainstorm what our focus will be for our marketing plan. This way when we create an event, write a blog or post something on socials we have a reference point.
So, what do we mean by focus? It means what is the tone for your marketing plan, are you wanting to focus on boosting health services? Connecting with the community? Or simply, to increase customer numbers. All marketing efforts need to be implemented with meaning, not just because you know you must do it. Therefore, understanding your key goal for the year is crucial.
Sit down and complete a SWOT analysis. List down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats also use that time to review 2021 and what worked, what didn’t from a marketing perspective. One key tip is to look at data including customer, script, and loyalty numbers for the year. Reviewing your data will give you so much insight on what your focus should be.
Question Three: What should you include in your content calendar?
The last question can only be addressed once you have answered the other two. As we’re all aware the day to day of pharmacy gets busy and a week or month can fly by so quickly. So, having a concrete plan of attack for your pharmacy’s marketing is vital.
So, you need to ask yourself what should you include in your content calendar? Content includes any communication to your customers.
Some examples include:
· Email Marketing
· Social Media Posts
· Events
· Networking
Once you have determined what communication channels you will be using, plan out each month in a calendar. Then use that for marketing planning and when to create content. At Peak Strategies, we give our clients an amazing template that plans out everything from social media through to in store events.
So, that’s it folks! The three questions to set yourself up for marketing this year. If you feel like you want to deep dive more into the world of pharmacy marketing this year, then perhaps you’re a candidate for our marketing module. To learn more CLICK HERE.
Or book a suitability meeting to see how we can best help you.