Blurred lines: Key challenges and opportunities facing pharma in the digital space
As people search for healthcare information online more frequently and the digital market keeps growing the boundary between offline and online is becoming more blurred for pharma. Here, Jake Holyoak from Mediaworks details some of the key challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
In the past, pharmaceutical brands have operated in an exclusively offline market. However, with the growth of digital and the increasing numbers of people actively searching online for healthcare information, these boundaries have become blurred, triggering a rapid race for pharmaceutical brands to establish a digital presence.
Now that the vast majority of them have some form of digital presence, pharmaceutical companies are vying to improve their websites in order to better capture their target audience. One in every 20 Google searches is for health-related information. With their core audience already harnessing the power of digital, it’s vital that these brands further improve and build their digital presence.
Digital marketing agency Mediaworks has created a white paper titled Pharmaceuticals: The Digital Forecast,1 which contains predictions for the key trends expected to impact this sector in the coming months. Below I’ve broken down some of the key challenges and opportunities facing the brands outlined in this paper:
Create content for all stages of the user journey
Content has huge potential within the pharmaceuticals sector, given the multi-faceted user behaviour pathway. For example, users will turn to the search engines to conduct research prior to being diagnosed, as well as after diagnosis, before treatment and after treatment. As such, brands need to create content to target all user intents if they are to position themselves as a digital leader. This can be done by writing in-depth, informative pieces around key search topics to target a number of keywords and variations.
Stay ahead of RankBrain
RankBrain, Google’s machine-learning artificial intelligence system, is helping Google get smarter. Used to establish the most relevant results for a particular search phrase, RankBrain is so advanced it is difficult to optimise for, unlike other SEO ranking factors. However, through concentrating on creating high-quality content, you can maximise your ranking potential. Pharmaceutical brands are encouraged to regularly update their content and monitor its performance, as RankBrain looks for both relevancy and site performance.
Protect your brand
Like many other sectors, digital has opened pharmaceutical brands to a whole new world of information- and opinion-sharing. Traditionally, these brands have kept tight control on how products are perceived though controlling the information released to the media. Digital has weakened this grip, providing a wealth of platforms for independent information sharing — both positive and negative. In order to safeguard your brand in a notoriously delicate sector, online reputation management is essential.
Realise the potential of an app
Health apps are huge — you’ll likely have at least one on your smartphone or tablet. By being localised on a user’s device, they’re ideal for helping you better connect with your target audience — but, with app stores fit to burst, launching a successful app can be difficult.
To ensure the success of your own, make sure it has a clear purpose and usability benefits. Ask yourself, why would someone need or use this? Perfect the user experience and keep personal details secure to give your app the best chance of succeeding.
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