Why Content is the Best Medicine for Pharma and Life Sciences Brands

Marketing for the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors is changing. As traditional marketing and sales tactics decline due to increased cost and decreased effectiveness, a new approach to connecting with customers is on the rise: content marketing.

In a recent PwC study, 72 percent of respondents agreed that pharmaceutical companies are rethinking their sales and marketing models, with 90 percent turning to digital tools as a way to engage providers and offer medical education to providers and customers.

If you’re looking to refine your approach to traditional marketing and incorporate a stronger digital strategy into how you connect with customers, here are three reasons you should be looking to content marketing. 

1. Content assets reach your audience in a language they can understand 

Many pharmaceutical and life sciences products are based on complex science that can be difficult to understand in a short interaction. You also face regulation and compliance challenges that can make marketing your product difficult. That’s where content marketing steps, giving you a high-touch, long-lasting opportunity to engage with clients on their own terms.

Content marketing enables you to use a variety of different formats to reach your audience, so that each customer has access to information in the style and level of commitment they need. From shorter interactions like blog posts and social media updates to long-form interactions like white papers and case studies, using highly targeted, high-quality content can help you reach your audiences on their terms and in their language. 

2. New data allows you to target your messaging 

Marketing in the pharmaceutical and life sciences space requires you to speak to two different customers: providers, such as doctors and hospitals, and patients. Each audience has different goals, motivations, and questions, and content marketing allows you to focus in on them.

For example, patients aren’t just interested in the efficacy of a medication or its limited side effects. They want to learn more about their condition, how different types of treatments compare, and which options fit best into their current lifestyle.

Medical professionals, on the other hand, want to stay on top of a rapidly evolving field, brush up on new techniques and forms of care, and be guided toward innovative new research in the field.

This kind of audience demand for informative content has driven the shift from traditional advertising to direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. In 2015, the pharma industry spent $5.2 billion on DTC advertising, up from $4.3 billion in 2014. Now more than ever, readers are demanding articles, blog posts, well-scripted videos, and other materials that present unbiased, scientific, and well-researched information that puts knowledge in their hands.

3. Content makes you an educational partner

Relationship-building has always been important for marketing pharmaceuticals and life sciences products. You already know that your target audience must be able to trust your brand if they’re going to invest time, energy, and resources in your products. Content marketing gives you a powerful opportunity to provide real value to your customers, establish that trust, and cultivate that relationship.

For example, white papers and e-books about specific medical conditions can help patients understand their health more deeply. A targeted, science-based blog post comparing the side effects of your medication to the side effects of other leading brands can help both patients and doctors distinguish the nuances between them and make an informed choice.

Overall, content marketing gives you an opportunity to be an educational partner, helping patients grasp their condition in detail and doctors discern the full range of treatment options available.

Adding content marketing to your already busy to-do list might seem like an intimidating prospect, but it’s vital that your brand not miss out on this new opportunity to engage prospective customers. If your marketing team doesn’t have the capacity to take on a full suite of content marketing products right now, you can partner with a high-quality content marketing expert like Prose Media to help you bring it all together. Blog posts, social media posts, and white papers aren’t simply words on a page — they’re words that educate, sell, and create relationships with your customers, and every word counts. Sign up today for free, no-obligation access to our platform. We would love to see what you have in mind.