Pharmaceutical Email Marketing: The Power of Patient and Healthcare Professional Education

For additional resources on leveraging email marketing, read through our guides on:

• Email marketing for small businesses
• The best email marketing software for small businesses

Pharma marketing segmentation models are usually classified into 4 main categories:

1. Demographic: Age, gender, and location relevant to educating subscribers.
2. Psychographics: It considers the interests and values of consumers that help personalize email communication.
3. Behavioral: This includes purchase history and website activity and identifies subscribers who might benefit from specific products or reminders.
4. HCP specialization: Targets specific emails to doctors and nurses based on their area of specialty. For example, cardiologists or heart medications.

Here are ways to collect data for targeted email campaigns:

1. Patient recruitment: Recruit patients through hospitals, clinics, and online platforms.
2. Electronic health records: Extract data from patient’s health records for appropriate targeting. However, be mindful of the laws governing the privacy and safety of patients in the U.S.
3. Surveys and questionnaires: Collect subjective data on patients’ experiences and outcomes.
4. Social media monitoring: Analyze public conversations about medication and healthcare.
5. Wearables and sensors: Obtain consent from patients and use devices that monitor their health metrics in real-time. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows physicians to assign wearables to their patients and collect data. However, this data is confidential and third-party access is granted to companies and researchers for varied purposes. Consider the regulations and implications before accessing private patient data.

If you are building an email list, consider the following opt-in methods:

1. Detailed consent forms: Provide comprehensive information about the study, data usage, and participant rights.
2. Checkboxes at point of sale: Add a checkbox of consent while users purchase products or services.
3. Event registrations: Collect valid email addresses from people at medical webinars, conferences, or like.

For example, healthcare professionals are a significant segment divided into:

• Physicians: General practitioners, specialists, and key opinion leaders (KOL).
• Pharmacists: Community and hospital pharmacists or general technicians.
• Nurses: Nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and registered nurses.

Remember these email design guidelines for better marketing outcomes:

1. Maintain brand consistency: Use the company logo and name throughout email communication to maintain consistency and trust.
2. Use visual hierarchy: Make important information stand out by using headings, sub-headings, and bullet points.
3. Include imagery and videos: Include high-quality images and explainer videos and ensure they meet the regulatory standards set by the healthcare industry.
4. Optimize for a mobile-friendly design: Ensure the emails are responsive and look good across devices.
5. Highlight value proposition: Emphasize product and service benefits. For example, “The new [Medication name] offers faster relief with fewer side effects.”
6. Include a clear CTA: Use a compelling CTA to encourage recipients to take action. For example, “Schedule a meeting” or “Learn more about the [Product or service].”

Use the following tips to create an effective email body copy:

1. Mention key updates and information: Create short paragraphs highlighting critical information such as the latest research or new clinical trials.
2. Include data and statistics: Provide an overview of the educational material by emphasizing relevant statistics.
3. Explain the impact of information: Briefly mention how the material can alter the professional approaches of healthcare professionals. For example, “These findings suggest that [Product name] can become the first-line treatment method for patients suffering from [Health condition]”
4. Include action items or next steps: Encourage recipients to take action after reading the educational material, such as “Download the full report” or “Schedule a meeting.”

Use these tips to create a consistent sender name across all email campaigns:

• Use brand elements: Incorporate the company name or a recognizable brand element in the sender name. For example, “Jane from pharma.co.”
• Use a clear and relevant name: Instead of assuming people would recognize your brand, include clear sender names like “Pharma co new products.”
• Tailor the sender name: Use different sender names based on the healthcare consumer’s needs. For example, your sender name for an HCP will differ from a patient.
• Maintain transparency and honesty: Ensure your sender name accurately reflects the email content and the reason for sending the email.
• Monitor spam reports: Regularly check spam reports for safety. If a particular sender name constantly triggers spam filters, it might be time to switch to a different name.

The Orientation Agency tested various email subject lines, and the following received higher open rates:

• “Are your…”
• “Discuss you..”
• “Address the needs of..”
• “Launch (Product details)”
• “New and exciting..”
• “New to market..”
• “Registration open for..”
• “Discover more..”

While you pick the above email subject lines for your next campaign, remember to follow these subject line tips:

1. Use urgency: Highlight time-sensitive information on events. For example, “Register now: Upcoming webinar on Oncology.”
2. Highlight value proposition: Mention the benefits for the consumers. For example, “Discover innovative solutions for patient management.”
3. Incorporate question format: Intrigue recipients by asking open-ended questions like “Are you up-to-date with the latest cardiology research?”
4. Avoid spam-triggers: Steer clear of words or phrases that might trigger the spam filters like “Free”. Instead, use phrases like “Complimentary access to [Heart condition] research.”
5. Test and analyze: Continuously test subject lines to adapt to shifting email marketing trends.

Here are some techniques:

1. Use personalized salutations: Address recipients by their name or professional designation to establish a personal connection from the start.
2. Tailor email content and offers: Include only appropriate information. For example, if emailing physicians focus on research and efficacy, instead of addressing generic consumer benefits.
3. Encourage interaction and feedback: Invite subscribers to voice their opinions or ask questions. This habit shows you understand their professional needs and are open to feedback. You can also send email surveys to collect information on your performance.

These sudden changes require email senders to constantly watch out for emerging trends such as below:

• Advancement of digital and analytics tools: Digital tools, robots, and sensors are becoming more affordable, helping companies collect raw consumer data.
• AI integration with emails: Artificial intelligence is now being used to automate tasks, personalize campaigns, and improve overall customer experience. It can also identify high-value HCPs and predict patient behavior for more effective targeting.
• Interactive content and gamification: Static emails are being replaced by quizzes, polls, and videos. Additionally, gamification techniques such as points and badges can make learning more engaging and fun.
• Campaign Refinery allows clients to set a points system to gamify their emails and increase subscriber activity. Subscribers can collect points for each action, such as opens and click-throughs and redeem them for a valuable resource.

Let’s recap what we learned and review additional tips to foster genuine consumer connections:

1. Create valuable content: Provide consumers with reliable healthcare information and back them up with credible online sources.
2. Offer ongoing support: Send appointment reminders, post treatment follow-ups, and educational newsletters to maintain ongoing connection.
3. Humanize your communication: Use a friendly and approachable tone and encourage two-way communication through surveys and polls.
4. Use dynamic content: Utilize dynamic email content to send hyper-personalized emails.