When you talk to pharma marketers, they will always say that digital marketing is challenging for the pharma and healthcare industry. And, they have reasons for their belief. First, pharma and healthcare sectors are among the most regulated, which restricts your marketing efforts in unique ways. Second, pharma companies also compete with medical advice websites which have conflicting information. And third, is the general trust deficit that consumers have on such the pharma and healthcare industry.
But in spite of these challenges, digital marketing in the pharma industry is set to rise exponentially. And the reasons for this exponential rise are in the impossible to ignore numbers backing the digital ecosystem:
- India, with the 2nd largest population in the world, also has the 2nd largest digital market – and it’s booming
- 1 out of every 3 Indians watches online video
- 37% of India’s online video viewers are from Bharat aka rural India. And there’s no surprise that local languages are most preferred while watching online video
- The average daily watch time for online videos is 67 minutes – an indication that online video viewing will take overtake TV viewership very soon
Trends that emerged during this lockdown also suggest how the internet has become India’s lifeline.
- There was 58% increase for the search term ‘pharmacy near me’
- As health and well being became a top priority, there was a massive increase in search for:
- How to increase immunity? – saw 500% increase
- Giloy ( गिलोय ) – a herb with medicinal properties saw 380% increase
- Ayurvedic medicines like Kadha ( काढ़ा ) saw 140% increase
- Searches for vitamin C saw an increase of 40%
- Realising the health risks present in visiting a hospital or a clinic, there has been a massive 250% increase in online consultations for gynaecology
It’s obvious that there are plenty of opportunities in digital marketing for pharma and healthcare industries. But, in order to benefit from these opportunities, pharma marketers must have a detailed digital marketing plan. Are you worried because you don’t have a digital marketing plan? Worry not. Just hit reply and we’ll get you started.