Technology in Pharmacy Business with Scott Carpenter

Leverage Your Pharmacy Team to Meet Marketing Goals

January 5, 2023

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In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC is joined by Sarah Rendell, Head of Marketing and Communications, Peak Strategies (WA) Pty Ltd. Listen in as the two of them talk about the need for marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry and how teams need to be leveraged to deliver results.

Sarah, in their own words, is a lover of all things social media. Having planned their own wedding solely based on Instagram research, Sarah is a strong advocate when it comes to leveraging the access and benefits of the same.

Pharmacy View Podcast · Ep 64 Leverage Your Pharmacy Team to Meet Marketing Goals

Sarah joined Peak Strategies six years ago and was initially brought into the team for internal marketing. But soon the role evolved into providing consulting to the company’s clients and helping Pharmacists have a meaningful business that they are passionate about through the use of various forms of digital media and traditional marketing as a part of the overall business strategy.

Adding further to what Peak Strategies does, Sarah shares how they started by providing the whole accounting suite for Pharmacies and this has now evolved to include a great deal of consulting—from marketing consulting to business and finance consulting.

Sarah believes that a good marketing strategy has an all-encompassing plan as it combines traditional forms of marketing with digital marketing. Their advice is:

Have 3^rd party specialized consultants help and guide you in your marketing, just as you are a Pharmacist who specializes in patient healthcare.
But as a Pharmacy owner oversee what is going on as you know the most about the customers and patients that are entering your Pharmacy
Ensure that all of your marketing strategies are impactful and very similar to what your are already doing at the store level because that impacts the customer experience.

When Sarah and the team at Peak Strategies help customers, they want the customers to understand that the process is very collaborative. The team that works within the Pharmacy is already marketing day in and day out simply by the virtue of doing what they do to serve the customers. The goal of a marketing strategy is to aid that process and add value by driving more traffic in from outside the four walls of the Pharmacy. No longer does just having an ‘Open’ sign at the entrance work—Pharmacists need to showcase why people need to come and pay for their products and services. This is where Sarah believes external consultants come in. Their advice is that Pharmacists need to engage and work with someone who:

Understands the industry
Understands business-to-consumer marketing
Fills the gaps in delivery with their expertise

The goal should be to ensure that the marketing strategy thus developed aligns with:

What the customers want and what they see value in
What you are passionate about as a Pharmacy owner

Sarah emphasizes that the team is a Pharmacy owner’s number one marketing asset and that they need to be engaged in whatever marketing is done—both digital and traditional. Saying that most purchasing decisions are made before stepping out of the house, Sarah talks about the increasing importance of digital communication. Having said that, here are the nuggets of wisdom:

Have a digital presence
Focus on at least two channels
Have a localized marketing strategy
Be consistent with your content (at least three times a week)

Sarah helps each client build a 12-month marketing strategy and for the first three months of that, they conduct a short course for onboarding so clients can get the help they need to come up with their own marketing plan. What the team at Peak Strategies does is help with implementation.

Sarah emphasizes that Pharmacy owners need to capitalize on the trust they have in the community and be bold with the use of digital marketing so that more and more people understand what products and services are available in their local Pharmacy.

Topics Covered

Peak Strategies’ suite of services
Need for a marketing strategy
Combining traditional and digital marketing strategies
Need to work with marketing consultants
Importance of engaging the team in all forms of marketing
Have a localized marketing strategy
Need for consistency in marketing

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“We started off as an accounting firm. So, offering Pharmacy valuation and pretty much the whole accounting suite for Pharmacy. So, we realized how much impact we could have working just within Pharmacy and that’s why we are very pharmacized. And since I have come on board, over 5 years, actually no, six years ago, we’ve actually evolved our service offering to include a lot of consulting.” (2:33 – 3:00)

“My biggest claim to fame and what I am most passionate about in Peak Strategies and what we do is just helping moms and dads, aunties-uncles, these Pharmacy owners have a meaningful business that they are passionate about and that they’ve seen results from, whether that be the financial-accounting, bookkeeping side of things or the marketing.” (3:28 – 3:49)

“To have a successful Pharmacy, you still have to have those traditional forms of marketing but then you also need the digital channel as well. So, we work with creating an all-encompassing plan.” (6:35 – 6:48)

“All of your marketing strategies need to impact and be very similar to what you are already doing at the store level and that is because of the patient and customer experience. So, what you are marketing is pretty much what you are doing.” (7:08 – 7:21)

“And also, it’s a lot more simplified than you actually think because you’re already marketing day in-day out working when you’re in the Pharmacy. Because it is customer service, just in a different way in the digital space or outside the four walls of your Pharmacy. So, pretty much what I think marketing is—is driving traffic from outside those four walls.” (7:48 – 8:08)

“No longer can we put up an Open Sign and just expect traffic to come in. Let’s think of ways to showcase why you are the Pharmacist for them to come visit.” (8:09 – 8:19)

“Your team is your number one marketing asset and that is because they are the ones that build the relationship with your patients and customers.” (13:16 – 13:23)

“So, it is really that your team is engaged in whatever you do—both digital and traditional—any marketing.” (14:06 – 14:12)

“Digital Communication is just so important. All buying or most purchasing decisions are made now before somebody steps foot into your Pharmacy.” (15:19 – 15:27)

“Marketing thrives off consistency.” (20:19 – 20:21)

“If you organize and create systems, you can create expectations from your team to get involved with content creation. So, of course, as the owner, you need to oversee the marketing plan and have your finger on the pulse and know what’s going on. However, you don’t have to be the one implementing. And that’s where you need to get someone to help consult your team and train them.” (27:30 – 27:51)

“Take control of the traffic into your Pharmacy. Be bold. You guys are one of the most trusted professionals… You are up there with doctors. Utilize that reputation and don’t be afraid to communicate how you add value to your customers.” (32:39 – 32:59)