The ABCs of Content Marketing for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Online pharmaceutical marketing presents unique challenges, as it is a heavily regulated industry. Among other limitations, regulations currently do not allow prescription products to be advertised directly to the consumer, and this means that this sector has traditionally been very conservative when designing its communication strategies.

But what is certain is that people use the internet to talk about their health, and the healthcare sector has a lot to contribute to this issue. The digitalization of the pharmaceutical sector is already an inevitable reality. Therefore, today we are going to focus on the basics of content marketing for the pharmaceutical sector.

The keys to Content Marketing for the pharmaceutical sector

1) Create patient-centered content

It is always a mistake for a brand to only look at its navel, but in the health sector, this is more important than ever. Patients do not care about the brand or the products, but above all, about solving their problems. Therefore, the role of the pharmaceutical sector when it comes to content marketing must be to accompany the patient throughout the different points of the patient journey:

• Before treatment: the patient already knows the name of their problem, but has not yet found a solution. At this stage, it is common for them to feel distressed and try to look for information on the internet. Therefore, it is essential that we have high-quality content about their disease and that it is easily located.
• When communicating with healthcare professionals, visiting time is often limited, and many patients are overwhelmed by doubts. Faced with this situation, brands can intervene through content that facilitates communication between doctor and patient, for example, through downloadable content or videos that explain the disease and the treatment to be followed in a simple and understandable way.
• Finally, in long-term diseases, it is essential to support the patient to strengthen treatment adherence. Here we can use psychology or motivational content, reminders, and resources to facilitate the monitoring of the disease.

2) Define the objectives of your content

One of the most frequent reasons for the failure of content strategies is the lack of clarity when it comes to defining objectives. Before you start, you need to know what you want to create content for: to increase brand awareness among patients with a specific pathology, to raise awareness about a little-known disease, or to make patients’ day-to-day lives easier.

Having a clear end goal will help you choose your KPIs, that is, the metrics based on which you will determine the success of your actions. This is especially important when justifying the investment in digital marketing and assessing its profitability.

And of course, when it comes to goals, we can’t forget about measurement. If we want our content marketing strategy for the pharmaceutical industry to be successful, we need to make sure that we track the results well. Investing in measurement tools and training is always worth it.

3) Avoid the commercial tone

Another classic marketing mistake is confusing content with ads. Slogans and sales pitches have their place… but that place is not your blog or your YouTube channel.

Content marketing is a long-term investment that helps you build relationships with your potential audience, making them place their trust in you for something as important as their health. For this to work, you need to create content that is focused on them, that adds value to them, and that they find interesting. The nuances of the tone will depend on the personality of your brand, but you should always be approachable and talk about the things that interest your audience. Remember: it’s about them, not you.

4) Focus on quality, not SEO

Yes, SEO is essential for users to find you when looking for information about a disease or a treatment… But don’t let the search for the perfect positioning obsess you.

Using SEO optimization techniques is a must-have habit when creating content, but you shouldn’t forget that you’re writing for humans and not for Google’s spiders. Your content should not only contain the right keywords, but also, and above all, it should be engaging. Don’t be afraid to excite your readers, tell stories, or even use humor.

And remember: to achieve a good organic reach with your content, not only SEO matters, but also virality. If you can create a video or article that users want to share, you’ll go much further. That’s why, before publishing a post or video, the first thing you should ask yourself is not if you have included each keyword five times, but if you would share it with your family and friends. If the answer is “yes,” you’ve done a good job.

5) Be consistent

And finally, one of the great secrets of content marketing is… perseverance. Sorry if I’ve disappointed you, but just like with healthcare, the magic formulas to succeed in 30 days don’t work.

Creating a good content strategy for the pharmaceutical sector is a long-term investment that requires time and patience. Often, a good post is the result of many hours of research. In addition, in a topic as sensitive as health, it is especially important to seek collaboration with the compliance department and ensure that all the information we share is rigorously supported.

With time, patience, and perseverance, you will build a whole universe of content around your brand that will help you improve your positioning and create long-term relationships with potential consumers.

The effort is always worth it.