Published by Computachem Services

P.O Box 297.
Alstonville. 2477
NSW Australia

Phone:
61 2 66285138

With the advent of new professional services being on offer from pharmacy environments, more attention needs to be focused on explaining in detail, and promoting the benefits of these services.
As a pharmacist deeply committed to consultant pharmacy and all of its offshoots, I must say that I am surprised to find very little in the daily suburban or national newspapers, radio, television or magazine media.
Isn't this a little strange?

We have developed a range of new skills but we seem very shy about telling the general population.
As our consumer patients will be the drive factor for the expansion of professional services, it is probably time to divert some of the promotional dollars away from product advertising to the detailing of professional services.

Where to begin?

First, there is a need to sit down and document every service and its components to bring together exactly what it is you have on offer.
Second, there is a need to position these services into a marketing segment so that all participants understand what is being offered, where expansion of these services will lead, and an orderly and rational promotional program can be developed.
Third, a range of leaflets, newsletters and other publications should be designed and written with sufficient detail to clearly convey the aim of each service, the process to engage in a service, the outcome and benefit of the service and the cost of the service.

In documenting the component detail of a professional service, you would need to include what has traditionally been on offer, because patients may be unaware of these activities as well.
Divide the service components into three basic streams:

* Those introduced to enhance an existing or new service, which may include such simple items as prescription pickup or delivery, the value-added counseling at the end of the dispensing process and simple diagnostic services (blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol testing etc.). You may or may not have a charge for these services, so this is the time to review this group, because it is time pharmacists stopped giving away their services, given that traditional profit sources may no longer be able to support a free regime into the future.
Give consideration to the area the services are performed in.
Unless there is sufficient differentiation in what patients have traditionally expected for no charge, they will not pay.
Avoid confusion.
Tell them exactly what they get for their money and why a charge is necessary in the first place.

* Those services which attract a fee or provide income indirectly (product sale).
A free diagnostic service may lead to an extended consulting session in a private environment where there is definitely a fee for service expectation.
Pharmacists are beginning to specialise in a range of activities that fit into service segments, including specialties in nutrition, herbal medicine, asthma, diabetes and other disease states.
The new Medication Assistance Service developed through the Pharmaceutical Society ought to be the main driver in this area.

* Those services performed by other health professionals in the pharmacy environment, such as naturopathy, podiatry, optometry etc. which enable pharmacists to extend their healthcare provision further.

Professional services tend to be more personal services and as a result, the better they are performed and delivered, the more loyalty (the patient/pharmacist relationship?) will result.
There is a strong loyalty factor here that can indeed be capitalised on.

So what do we need to get the message through?
Answer: a range of well written and professionally presented publications looking at aspects of pharmacy service from a number of perspectives. The choice of words is important, because tangibility has to be given to an intangible offering.
Consider the following:

Practice leaflets:
Even if you have an existing leaflet describing the overall practice elements, it must be reviewed and upgraded regularly (at least annually) so that new additions or expansions of existing services are well covered. These leaflets should possibly be in two separate formats, one showing the total range of activities of the pharmacy (commercial and professional) illustrating how professional services mesh with the whole, while the second needs to be one focusing totally on the professional service detail only.
These two leaflets should be printed in volume and letter boxed to all homes in the catchment area.
If the design is correct, then the professional services leaflet can be delivered to all healthcare providers (GP's, physiotherapists, naturopaths etc.) encouraging and inviting referrals.
Because of the nature of this last target audience, there is probably a strong argument for developing a third leaflet just for this group, because the ultimate success of your professional offerings will depend on your ability to mesh with other professionals already referring to each other.

An annual roster for the distribution of the above leaflets should then be determined, and phase one of your professional marketing campaign is now under way.
Those pharmacists with a larger budget may wish to expand the leaflet and present it in a magazine format.

Specialty leaflets:
Leaflets designed around each individual service component (generally a disease state such as asthma, diabetes, incontinence). The range should be carefully selected and well thought out.
Market group assistance may be available here, or the Pharmacy Society Self Care cards may suffice.
Whatever is chosen, there should be a degree of similarity in design of the leaflets to each other, and to the Practice leaflets described above.
We are endeavouring to develop image here.
These leaflets are then distributed in-house, or by targeted mail out at regular and predefined intervals.
They can also be used to format editorial for local newspapers, publications of other local organisations and directory publications.

They can also form useful copy for off-peak radio promotion, which is a relatively inexpensive way of conveying your message, can definitely be posted on your website, and be pointed to in other forms of advertising, such as posters around the pharmacy and messages on prescription folders.
Remember all the legal requirements relating to privacy if you are utilising the telephone, e-mail or home visits without prior appointments and that the message you convey does not in any way bring the profession as a whole into disrepute.
Television public relation programs may also present an opportunity to promote professional services, but this medium is often quite expensive.
However, if the budget allows, an occasional foray on television can reach a wide range of people, even people outside of your normal catchment who may be prepared to travel, if your service is what they need.

Signs:
Discrete signage erected within the pharmacy, in the front display window or fixed to the outside wall is a time-honoured method of promoting pharmacy activity.
Some of these signs can be back lit to generate attention, and provided they do not look garish or promote a cheap image, then it is probably time to sit down and revisit all your signs, both internal and external.
One important sign should be that of the professionals engaged in providing the services.
A small sign with names, qualifications, photograph and specialty provided would be a positive reinforcement.

The Internet:
Advertising through your own site or the portal of another site is a fast growing alternative.
If it is your own site, you have no space problems and can give full reign to your offerings to whatever depth you wish to go.
In fact, the design of a website, and populating it with information, is a very useful exercise to perform, because it entails a full market plan, and the generation of content that can be easily updated because of the type of medium it is.
Material developed from the Internet can then be converted to hard copy as required, or vise versa, you can post all your leaflets on the Internet if they are developed first.
As the Internet reaches outside of your catchment, it would be interesting to maintain statistics on those people who travel to your pharmacy for the specific intent of purchasing a professional service, and it also gives an opportunity to devise delivery methods, either by Internet or by mail order, of those services that lend themselves to that medium, reaching patients in a new way.

Image creation:
Everything you do, and everything you display in a visual and non-visual format helps to create an image, which further helps to make the intangible become solid.
One of the best image creators is the giving of a small presentation to a special interest group (self help group, GP's etc.).
This gives an opportunity to present yourself as a creative and knowledgeable individual, in an area that does not necessarily require the attendees to pay.
If done properly, a relaxing environment it opens channels of communication that enable effective transmission and reception.

The key to successful service marketing is regular, timely and effective communication.
So select a range of tactics that best represent you to your market and provides a strategy that you can feel comfortable with, plus an image you would be proud to live with.

Please read this article in conjunction with previous material, which you will locate by following the "authors" link in the navigation bar at the top of this page.

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