It’s that merry time of year again, and that means everyone is out shopping for gifts. Now is the time to run holiday promotions in your pharmacy to drive sales and close out the year strong. Here are some quick tips for making them a success:
Say Goodbye to Old Inventory
With the new year just weeks away, try running some promotions on inventory that you have too much of or that hasn’t been leaving your shelves. This is a great way to make space for the new year. Remember to use your point-of-sale system to run reports on your lowest performing inventory. Then, mark them down to make way for new products or those you know will sell fast.
Update Your Marketing
If you’ve used the same marketing tactics for quite a while, it’s probably time to change things up. You can strengthen your marketing efforts with something a little different like raffles or giveaways. Your customers can enter in a number of ways, such as providing their name and email address or even by following you on social media and sharing your posts. This will grow your email list and follower counts, which means you will be able to reach a wider audience. This can increase the likelihood that your future promotions will be a success.
Reward Those Loyal to Your Pharmacy
There’s no shortage of promotions that you can run to reward your most loyal shoppers. One idea is to use punch cards. These can offer discounts and freebies after a certain number of visits. Or you can go the way of a loyalty program and integrate it with your point-of-sale system.
What’s standard in most chain stores is a frequent shopper program. It’s the basic “points-for-purchases” program. To do this, you’ll want to first come up with the name of your rewards program; then hand out barcoded cards to your customers to present at checkout to earn points based on the dollars they spend in your store.
Believe it or not, you can have fun with a frequent shopper program in your pharmacy. You can give customers bonus points for purchasing certain products, such as your higher-margin, private-label items. You can also offer redemption options where your customers can also redeem points in real time at the register; or you can mail them gift certificates to be redeemed later. And let’s not forget about rewards! Create frequent shopper tiers, such as gold, silver, and bronze, to reward your most loyal customers with special benefits.
Run a Social Media Campaign
Social media is another important tool for promoting your pharmacy. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok can help you reach a larger audience and connect with your customers.
Run social media contests and giveaways to encourage followers to engage with your content and pass it along to their friends. You can offer prizes like free products, gift cards, or even a year’s supply of vitamins. This will incentivize participation.
You can also use social media to connect with your customers and build relationships. Promptly respond to comments and messages, be sure to share customer testimonials, and showcase your involvement in the local community.
Optimize Your Pharmacy Website for Search Engines
Keyword research: If you want to optimize your pharmacy’s website, research the right keywords for optimizing your website’s content. Identify the terms and phrases your potential patients are searching for online, and incorporate them into your website’s content. Google Trends is a great tool to see which keywords are popular in your area.
Interactive website: Making your website interactive will help engage your visitors. Include an interactive poll that allows visitors to provide feedback, or consider a chatbot so customers can ask questions. Having features like these can help you gain valuable insights about your patients’ needs and preferences.
Pharmacy showcase: Show customers how you stand out from the rest by highlighting your clinical services, local events, or any other features that make your pharmacy stand out.
Digital channels: Include various digital channels while promoting your website, such as social media, email marketing, and online directories. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly and easy to navigate, you’ll need to update. Nowadays, patients use mobile devices to search for healthcare providers.
Marketing is a way to build relationships and trust with your customers and community. So, be sure to add personality and humor to your campaigns. By doing so, you can build credibility, attract new patients, and have fun while doing it!
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and run by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
