Your community is more than just where your pharmacy and patients are located. It’s the backbone of your business. It affects everything from the medications you dispense to your businesses’ profits and success. As an independent community pharmacy, you have a unique opportunity to positively influence the wellbeing of the area in which you work.
Benefits for your business:
Here are some ways participating in your community can also help your business.
Widen your customer base
By making your pharmacy more visible in the community, new avenues open to expand your customer base. Depending on how you choose to interact, it can also widen your appeal to segments of the population that were previously unreachable. Pharmacies with greater visibility also have a better chance of popping into patients’ minds when they have a health care question or need.
Become a trusted business
Participating in your community can positively sway perception of your pharmacy. Current and potential patients are more likely to view your pharmacy as caring and trustworthy when they see you and your staff out and about in the community. It humanizes your business, which can give you an advantage over national chain stores.
Create better services
When you participate in community events, you’ll likely gain new connections with patients and businesses in your area. These connections can lead to more insight into the health care needs in your community. Use this newfound knowledge to hone your pharmacy’s products and services or to create a more appealing front end and service offerings.
Ways to participate in your community:
There are a variety of ways to take on a larger role in your community. As some of the most trusted and accessible health professionals in the industry, pharmacists have a significant opportunity to provide guidance, support and resources to patients. You could:
– Visit the local retirement home on a regular basis to offer mini health screenings or medication reviews to give seniors peace of mind.
– Invite other health providers to participate in a health fair or other health-related event to build relationships with them and provide education for the public.
– Hold information sessions on timely pharmacy-related topics at the local civic center.
– Get involved with major local events, like parades, holiday celebrations or festivals.
– Contribute to a local charity that aligns with the values or causes you want to champion in your pharmacy.
– Sponsor a local sports team or hang signage in your pharmacy that supports the team.
– Communicate how much you care about local legislation by attending town hall meetings or public forums.
