Digital Marketing to Healthcare Professionals (HCPs)
- Marketing agencies and companies who specialize in marketing to HCPs can make use of purpose-built marketing databases, which typically contain lists of those who have opted-in to communications either directly or via third-parties, to engage with and advertise to HCPs. An example is Pulsepoint, a technology company and marketing strategists, who through access to their extensive database specialize in helping marketers expand their HCP audience reach.
- Similarly, Adfire Health leverage the use of a data driven approach to help healthcare brands engage HCP target audiences, through a variety of different digital channels.
- The 2020 HCP Communications Survey found the 46% of doctors participate in social networking for professional purposes. This opens up significant opportunities for healthcare marketers to engage with doctors via these channels, and also groups of doctors via related networks.
- The 2016 HealthLink Dimensions survey found most doctors prefer email as an initial means of communication. The same survey also concluded that having in-depth available information and knowledge was key, and noted “medical professionals prefer marketers to act as information partners," while also describing how doctors felt "it is important to learn about their clinical or academic focus and use terminology that is specific to their discipline."
- Further to this, it was reported in 2016 that "89% of marketers relied on email to HCPs as their primary channel for lead generation."
- More generally, a recent online article on how to market to doctors advised marketers to "be aware of their time constraints and make your marketing pitch succinct and to the point."
Advertising Retirement Planning
- Chase de Vere Medical offer financial advice and consultancy services to doctors and medical professionals in the UK. Amongst the services they offer are retirement planning and strategies, and they reach their target audience through combination of digital communication, creative & design document creation, and direct marketing.
- Retirement planning for doctors as a service is typically provided by companies who provide more general financial planning and wealth management, especially in the UK. Medics Money, Wesleyan, and Cavendish Medical are three examples of such companies, and they appear to engage potential customers online via their websites, mailing lists, online financial reviews, newsletters and other communications. which potential customers can sign up for.
Overview
- In terms of academic studies, or research into the field, there does not appear to be vast amounts of information about the best or most effective ways to advertise retirement planning services digitally to doctors.
- However, there are a significant number of companies who offer marketing services targeting medical professionals, and there has been some recent research into targeting medical professionals as an audience.
- Much of the survey data and research into targeting medical and healthcare professionals for marketing purposes does not exclusively cover doctors in the UK, but this information does cover doctors more generally and therefore can be applied to the industry as a whole.
- Regarding retirement planning in the UK, this is typically offered to doctors and HCPs by companies specializing in financial planning and wealth management. There is not much available information on their specific marketing methods, however there is more general information about their practices and some case studies which can be found on their websites, and through online research.