The Implications of Search Engine Marketing for the Pharmaceutical Industry
What is Your Company Doing to Leverage Search?
By Michelle Sharp – Senior Search Account Manager
It’s common knowledge: The Internet has become modern day’s ultimate end-all resource for unrestricted information. The worldwide Internet audience is not only enormous, but it is still growing with close to 750 million people accessing the Internet in January 2007, up 10% from January 20061. And 33% of consumers in 2007 say that the Internet is the most essential medium2. The importance of the Internet in today’s society has especially changed the way the health sector has shared its highly sought expertise. Gone are the days when one would seek out their ebullient town doctor to get medication and helpful tips on how to muddle through their latest ailment. Today, consumers have opted to utilize a more self-selecting approach to their health care. 55.3 million people per month, or 33% of Internet users, visited a Web site in the health information category in the first quarter of 20073.
However, my thought is that although this evolution is occurring, the Internet is still serving as a supplement, not completely replacing the doctor/patient relationship. Nonetheless, patients are happily following this trend toward online medical research, and it is growing exponentially and becoming more competitive, almost saturated even. For that reason, I believe Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to be a vital catalyst in the effort to relay information on to receptive consumers.
Consequently, consumers need to be able to easily access a relevant Web site with minimal effort. Search visibility has led many to advice and answers related to their particular needs with just a click or two of the mouse. For the pharmaceutical industry, the right Search Engine Marketing firm can help a company realize the importance of including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a larger portion of their overall marketing mix. Ultimately, SEM can accomplish these increased visibility goals by building brand awareness and gaining and maintaining market share. Marketers would benefit by opening their eyes and realizing that Search needs to be heavily incorporated into the typical radio, broadcast and print advertising ventures of today.
Successful SEO takes a company’s site and puts it in front of consumers who have turned to the Web to obtain that information, including research and statistics on diseases, over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs and more. The industry could easily be reaping the benefits of the Web, but they have been slow to adopt this medium as part of their marketing approach. Why? They have consumers who want help and who want a reason to buy their products. We all need something at some point, why not make it easier for consumers to find the information?
The real challenge is the lack of attention from the Internet market, but if the pharmaceutical industry can utilize SEM and educate consumers with valuable insights, then it just might have the opportunity to become more of an online presence in the years to come. As one of the largest and most powerful industries in the world, this is right where it should be. There is too much opportunity to pass up.
According to JupiterResearch4:
- 39% of overall online consumers said using Search Engines led them to buy or use at least one health- or wellness-related product or service in 2006
- 12% of online health users who said they had acute or chronic illnesses bought prescription drugs as a result of leveraging Search Engines
- 12% of online health users said they bought over-the-counter medications
- One-quarter of online health users said Search Engines led them to evaluate and choose courses of treatment, such as medications and surgeries
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulations
FDA and legal regulations may very well be a large part of the online visibility problem at first glance, with their tight restrictions on product branding/identification, side effects and information, but this is true for just about any industry if you really think about it. Every industry has its rules and regulations. Nonetheless, the advantages are certainly hard to overlook.
Endless information on a countless stream of topics can be beneficial as well as detrimental, especially when it is directly related to our physical and mental well-being. This thought is clearly apparent throughout the health sector. FDA regulation via the Internet is crucial. SEM needs to adhere to the Administration’s policies so that consumers receive the most accurate information possible, while at the same time keeping sight of the end-goal — decent ROI.
Buying Prescription Drugs Online
Once a consumer is informed about his or her disease or ailment, what is the easiest method of acquiring treatment? While many still obtain their prescriptions through their physician, there are also hundreds of drug Web sites out there where one can purchase anything from ibuprofen to HIV medication. It is a constant struggle for consumers to weed out those who are legitimate and those who simply create a site that looks professional and easy to use.
However, Search can be there to help the pharmaceutical industry direct millions of consumers to their REAL sites, where they can find general health information as well as product information and — make purchases. This is especially true for consumers who view direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads in other media. After seeing a DTC ad, just 27% of consumers talked to their doctor about the prescription or condition, compared with 89% who went online to look for information on the specific condition or illness and 60% who searched for the prescription medicine itself3.
The fact that many people are using Search to find health information and make health-related decisions makes a strong case for the importance of Search to the Pharmaceutical Industry. Those companies that are optimizing their sites and buying the right keywords have the potential to capitalize even more on this trend. The demand for health information already exists, but what remains to be seen is who will be most able to reach the searchers. I think it’s fair to say that with the help of SEM, Pharmaceuticals will have a larger stake in the search market in the next few years to come.
1 “Worldwide Internet Penetration Grew 10% in 2006.” eMarketer. 07 March 2007.
2 “Internet Usage and Importance Expand.” eMarketer. 02 July 2007.
3 “Pharmaceuticals Stay Healthy Online.” eMarketer. 24 May 2007.
4 “Health Search Marketing: Assessing Impact on Goods and Services Revenues.” JupiterResearch. 05 December 2006.
Michelle Sharp – Senior Search Account Manager
Senior Search Account Manager Michelle Sharp brings diverse work and educational experience to the multifaceted world of Search Engine Marketing. She has spent significant time in the pharmaceutical industry with companies including Roche, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, (formerly Pharmacia brands) and GSK, and has worked in public relations and public affairs advocacy. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Health Policy Administration.
