Do you want to increase patient engagement, but don’t have the time or energy to create a plan to do so? Here are six quick and easy tips about your pharmacy’s revenue to ensure your pharmacy is not only able to generate new patients but retain and engage your current patient base.

1) Tell your patients their options

If you have joined the digital movement and have a digital strategy in place, be sure to get the word out of what this means to your patients. If your patients are able to refill prescriptions through their mobile phone, computer, or IVR (your phone solution), be sure they know it. This is a huge win for customer satisfaction, and they’ll want to know what you’re doing to make their experience more convenient. 

You can also keep your patients informed by stapling your marketing materials on your prescription bags, posting it on social media, telling your patients at the point of sale, or including the details on your IVR.

2) Focus on a positive online presence 

According to Statista, 31 percent of internet users regularly read online reviews to check out the quality of the business. That means that when someone in your area Googles you, you want to be sure that what they find exists and is positive. 

Luckily for you, there are options available for collecting and soliciting online reviews. Consider taking advantage of these opportunities.

For more information on leveraging online reviews, read Reputation Management in Four Steps.

3) Be active on social media

Word of mouth marketing has always been considered the purest and best form of marketing. Today, social media continues to prove the power of word of mouth marketing.

Be sure you’re posting to your pharmacy’s Facebook page two to four times each week to showcase your personality. Examples of some posts include events, special promotions or even a behind the scenes video and story. These type of posts can go a long way and help your patients feel connected with you. 

4) Create a positive brand persona on social media

Listen carefully, be transparent, responsive, authentic and tell great stories. Your social media presence is not just about advertising your message and obtaining the largest reach and at the highest frequency. Instead, it is about getting into the conversation, listening, engaging, and empowering. Don’t talk at your patients. Instead, connect with them on a human level.

5) Optimize your marketing efforts 

Optimize the way your marketing dollars are spent to ensure your money is being used effectively and efficiently in order to increase your pharmacy’s revenue

• Choose one to two social media platforms and engage with your customers on these channels. Post weekly to stay involved in the conversation and make sure that whatever you post brings value to your patients. Don’t post just to post. Post to create value. 
• Eliminate marketing efforts that are not bringing you a good return of investment. For example, a newspaper ad can reach an entire city but is not targeted – someone who lives 30 minutes away will most likely not drive across town to your pharmacy. Spend money to target real customers with real potential to visit your pharmacy. Through Facebook or other platforms, you can target your efforts to ensure a cost-effective marketing approach.
• Track your progress to see how your marketing efforts are performing. Once you know what works and what doesn’t, you can tweak your plan until you find a happy medium that what works for you and your business. If you can’t even see what kind of impact your dollars are having, you might want to consider cutting back.

6) Build out an email list 

Email is the fastest and most cost effective way to get your message out there. The first step in creating a successful email campaign is to create a list of subscribers that you can deliver your content to. Ask for your patients emails as part of your pharmay’s workflow. 

You can grow your email list by offering a newsletter sign-up on your website or asking for emails at the point of sale. Encourage patients to give you their email addresses so they can get exclusive information about special in-store pharmacy promotions and events. In turn, patients will get valuable information and you’ll get a new way to reach out to them, it’s a win-win. 

If you want more ideas for how you can execute these resolutions, we’d love to help you. Give us a call at 877-959-7550 or email connect@digitalpharmacist.com.