When it comes to marketing your pharmacy, you can do much more than place ads in the newspaper or send out postcards. As an independent community pharmacist, it’s important—and beneficial—to get out into the community.
Marketing your pharmacy at live events is a great way to build buzz for your business. According to EventTrack 2015, a survey from the Event Marketing Institute and Mosaic, an experiential marketing agency, 48 percent of companies realize an ROI of between 3:1 and 5:1 from live events and experiences.
You don’t have to limit your live event marketing to health fairs. Here are five other events you might not have thought about attending to promote your pharmacy’s services.
1. A gym or yoga studio event
Health-conscious people who attend events at gyms or yoga studios are perfect potential new patients. Set up a table at the event and hand out coupons for products and services that might interest them. Good ideas include coupons for vitamins and supplements or handouts that give general health and wellness tips and that explain how your services can benefit patients.
2. A 5K race
Hand out water at a local 5K as a way to meet and interact with health-minded community members. Look online to find races in your area. If you plan ahead of time, you can even contact the race’s sponsors to see if you can promote your pharmacy on the race’s signage, program and other materials.
3. A cooking class
Attend a cooking class at your local community center or grocery store to network with health-conscious community members. Ask the instructor ahead of time if you can talk for a few minutes about your pharmacy, or ask permission to hand out promotional items, like measuring cups or spoons branded with your pharmacy’s logo.
4. Meetings of local organizations
Attend the meetings of—and even join—local clubs and organizations. Get to know the members and introduce them to your pharmacy. They’ll be more likely to think of you the next time they need their prescription filled.
5. A parade or street fair
Get a booth for your pharmacy at a community fair or parade to reach a large audience of community members. Bring lots of giveaways and flyers to hand out to passersby. You could even do mini health screenings as a way to promote your pharmacy’s services.
General tips for event marketing:
- Hand out giveaways with your pharmacy’s logo displayed. Offer giveaways that make sense with the event, like pens at a community meeting or measuring spoons at a cooking demo.
- Don’t focus on selling your pharmacy. Focus on building relationships.
- Offer advice. Use the event to establish your pharmacy as a local health resource.
- Emphasize how you can help attendees at each event.
- Ask attendees to sign-up for your email list so you can keep them connected to your pharmacy after the event.
By attending new events you can reach a new set of potential patients, and work to increase your pharmacy’s business.
