Marketing of a Health Care Product - Essay Example

While the sales of most products and services rely on the supply and consumer demand, healthcare services and products depend solely on the health behaviors of both the consumers and the goods in question. On the other hand, non-pharmaceutical products originally target the customers, but pharmaceutical products target the critical audience who are the physicians. Marketing of healthcare products is the awareness and provision of vital information that is required to facilitate proper use of the pharmaceutical products. The strategies used in marketing the products are affected by many factors, the government is the number one influencer. Patients, who are the final consumers of medical goods and services, expect quality and efficiency from the physicians attending to them. Hence they have the tendency to demand nothing but the best. According to the consumers, the best is a service or product that does not need referrals but works from the initial stages.

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Marketing Strategies

To come up with a strategic plan in marketing pharmaceutical products, the firms have to conduct market research that will impact sales. Some of the aspects that can be considered in the market research may include the demographics, trends, policies and privacy. Among these aspects, trends and change of behavior of consumers on issues that affect their health practices challenge the marketing strategies. Moreover, sound practices enhance the well-being of consumers which is one of the most competitive forces that influence the strategies used in marketing pharmaceutical products and services.

According to Julie Donohue (2006), some of the strategic measures that pharmaceutical marketers make use of but pose challenges to the healthcare sector include the use of Direct-to-Consumer strategy. While some of the pros of these advertisements include educating consumers, professionals claim that they encourage self-diagnosis which is not recommended and a risky way of handling medical conditions.

Despite the challenges that are faced in the pharmaceutical products, manufacturers make use of various strategic ways that ensure the sales of their products. One of the key ways used are the traditional mechanisms which involve the offering of free samples and give away. For example, some sales representatives are advised to offer free drug samples to the physicians and medical centers that accept free samples. According to Kathlyn Stone (2017), billions of money is spent on ensuring that the new drugs are freely distributed since the use of free samples has been observed as an effective marketing tool. Physicians are trusted by patients. Hence the prescription of a new costly medication while a cheaper generic one is available does not in any way deter the patience from purchasing these products. Moreover, it is the lack of information and the desperation to get better among the consumers that contribute to the promotion of new costly medication. Hence, pharmaceutical marketers make use of this fact to reach out to the uninformed consumers and increase their sales.

On the other hand, manufacturers come up with innovative items that are branded with their company name or of a particular product. Such items may include pens, mugs, lab coats and key holders among others. Moreover, most pharmaceuticals consider focusing on the consumers and physicians rather than their company or business. This strategy creates a perception of care and concern for the patients which impacts the sales of the products manufactured by the pharmaceuticals who make use of this strategy. In other instances, pharmaceutical firms create strong relationships with the influential professionals in the medical industry who have the capacity to impact the choices that physicians make. Some of these professionals may include medical researchers, renowned physicians and experienced medics whose careers have had a great impact on the healthcare sector. The ability of these professionals to approve the use of the healthcare products introduced in the market enhances the sales and production of the new products.

The advancement of technology has impacted all sectors and marketing in pharmacy has not been left out. Therefore, marketing representatives are making use of the available technologies to reach out to physicians and consumers. For instance, the creation of a website has increased the education and provision of the relevant information on emerging pharmaceutical products. On the other, hand consumers have an opportunity to find out more on the efficiency of the products through search engines and the feedback of other consumers through the platform. The inclusion of medical information of the products highlighted in the websites gives consumers a chance to know whether or not the prescriptions a physician has offered are correct. Considering that physicians are hooked to mobile technologies including the very first devices like pagers and beepers, medical product marketers are also diverting their strategies into marketing their new products through such devices using innovative application and advertisements. On the other hand, the growth of social media networks has become strategic tools in ensuring that physicians and consumers get access to the new medical products in the market. Besides, physicians and pharmaceuticals can organize professional circles that enable them to be updated on new arrival products among educating each other on the medical issues, conditions and available solutions. An example of an online network for physicians and professionals is the Physician Interactive, in Marlborough, United States. Another platform is the Sermo online community in which pharmaceuticals companies build and enhance brand awareness of their products to the physicians who have signed up to the site (Stone, 2017).

Impact of Government Control on Marketing Pharmaceutical products

As mentioned earlier, the sales of pharmaceuticals are influenced by many aspects the government policies and control being among the number one reasons. The government policies may impact the marketing strategies of pharmaceutical products in the sense that they can enhance the recognition of an unknown product. Moreover, they can also hinder the sales of other products that have not been approved. Consequently, depending on the policies enhance pharmaceuticals can either increase or decrease in their sales.

References

DONOHUE, J. (2006). A History of Drug Advertising: The Evolving Roles of Consumers and Consumer Protection. The Milbank Quarterly, 84(4), 659-699. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2006.00464.x

BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Stone, K. (2017, February 19). Marketing Strategy for Pharmaceutical Products to Reach Doctors. Retrieved May 30, 2017, from Business Chronicles: https://www.thebalance.com/pharma-market-strategies-to-reach-doctors-2663218