By Jen Johnston part of the Influencing Healthcare Providers blog series
Regardless of their size, all brands have tough decisions to make about how to spend their promotional dollars. As a brand or marketing manager, you have multiple platforms to consider: print advertising, TV commercials, digital, etc. But before these decisions are made, you must consider your audiences. Certainly consumers receive the most attention when it comes to promotion as they are the end users of your product. However, there are other audiences to consider as well, including influencers.
Anyone who shares your brand message with others is an influencer and can consist of celebrities, bloggers, and a consumer’s family and friends. In the healthy, beauty, and wellness world (especially OTC), influencers also consist of pharmacists and healthcare professionals.
Healthcare professionals, such as general practitioners, specialists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, naturopaths, certified diabetic educators, nutritionists, and dentists exert great influence over their patients and clients.
Depending on the type of product, these healthcare professionals can be great partners for spreading the awareness of your brand and driving usage. According to a 2014 study from AccentHealth, 67% of consumers look to their physicians for information on OTC treatments and usage, and 44% consider healthcare practitioners to be their most trusted source of information.
But how do you reach these healthcare professionals, especially if you are a new-to-market brand? Tune in to my next post where I will discuss the different ways to influence these influencers.