{PDS Sponsored Post} Marketing Your Pharmacy Using Public Relations

Here at PDS, we take pride in highlighting some of our incredible solutions partners. We know these companies have the potential to revolutionize pharmacies just like yours through their products and services. We’re excited to introduce GRX Marketing; read on for their sponsored blog post about leveraging public relations to market your independent pharmacy.

One of the most common questions we get asked by our clients is, “How can I market my pharmacy without spending a lot of money?” There are multiple ways to get started, but one easy and effective method is through Public Relations (PR). A strong PR strategy consists of tactics designed to build good relations with your pharmacy’s various audiences. 

• Customers
• Prospective customers
• Prescribers
• Community leaders, etc.

This medium can be used to promote products, services, staff, ideas, events and more. It does not necessarily have to be new to your pharmacy, you can promote something anytime if the general public is not aware of it, even if you added a new service six months ago, for example. PR can have a strong impact on public awareness at a much lower cost than advertising. When using Public Relations tactics, the pharmacy owner does not pay for the space or time in the media, so it is often considered more credible to the public. It’s important to note that since you are not paying for it, the media staff does have discretion on what they publish.

Writing Your Press Release

Use these tips to craft an effective and engaging piece.

• Get a strong headline. If it doesn’t catch the reporter’s eye it won’t get published. Try to keep it at 15-20 words.
• Avoid using “selling or fluff” words. Copy should be objective and informational, not promotional.
• Be concise by keeping the entire piece around 300 – 500 words.
• Include as many facts as possible and remember to keep it newsworthy.
• Using real quotes will add insight and personality to your piece.

The goal of Public Relations is to educate your audience. While you do not want to inundate the media with Press Releases, there is no harm in sending one quarterly. A good rule of thumb is to have a staff or family member read it beforehand, did they find it interesting? If they answered, “YES,” it’s a good story to send.

Power of the Internet

In the “old days,” a business owner would have to fax a Press Release to the media, hoping it would get picked up. Today, the internet has become a vital channel. Your story may not get picked up for print, but if posted to the web, it can be shared through social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), thus reaching and engaging an even larger audience. Anytime you send a Press Release, remember to alert your staff in case they are asked about the story. Additionally, you can increase your audience again by asking your team to share the story on their social media channels.

Establish Your Pharmacy as a Thought Leader

Another benefit of using public relations to market your pharmacy is that it helps build positive relationships with the local media and can help to establish your pharmacy as a health-care thought leader. A reporter may reach out to you first if a pharmacy or health-related story comes up, further increasing your exposure and positioning yourself as anexpert in the community. Any articles you are a part of can also be posted on your website and/or placed in your pharmacy for customers to read.

Be proud of your pharmacy and what you have to offer! Share it with your community, by incorporating public relations into your 2017 marketing plan.