First impressions are important. But making an impression at all is more important. In digital marketing, ‘impressions’ is a metric, counted every time someone sees your content. Someone who has no digital presence will have zero impressions online.

So, the first aim of the game is to get as many impressions as you can, while also maintaining a good impression. A video of you setting yourself on fire in front of your pharmacy, for instance, would get a lot of impressions, but not the right ones.

This takes us to another marketing term, the ‘target audience’. Your ideal target audience is someone who will act on seeing an impression of you. On Google, that would be clicking on your website when they see it. On Facebook, that could be as simple as liking a post, or as far as clicking on an advert to buy from you. Both have value – liking a post increases the number of people the post will be shown to.

Visitors to your website are measured as traffic. Visitors interested in your services are ‘relevant traffic’. So, the second aim of the game is to create content that drives as much relevant traffic to your website as possible.

The easiest way to be relevant to someone’s interest is to show up when they need you, rather than trying to promote something you have to them when they’re not looking for it. 

Most traditional forms of advertising are disruptive to everyone except the right people, but there is one very prevalent way to show up when people need you… and that’s Google (and other search engines). 

This is where the journey starts for most prospective patients and customers. Armed with a problem and the ability to type, they take to Google to find a solution. (We covered this in more depth in the first article two months ago, if you need to refresh your memory.)

This is the perfect time to make your impression. Whether you show up in a Google ad (the ads that appear at the top of the results page) or in the first few organic results underneath the ads (the higher the better), you have a good chance of getting those all-important clicks onto your website.

The importance of Google rankings on what is known as the ‘click through rate’ is explored in an article at www.backlinko.com. Based on an analysis of more than five million search enquiries, the author suggests that the number one position on Google gets 32 per cent of all clicks. While the top three Google search results get more than 75 per cent of all clicks. 

To demonstrate my point, tap “How to advertise your pharmacy on Google” into Google. You’ll find the Pharmacy Mentor guide there. And if you want to learn more about ranking organically using search engine optimisation on Google without paying for ads, Google “SEO for pharmacies”. Again, you’ll find our guide there. 

Making it easy for people to buy from you is a no brainer. Convenience is king when getting people to choose your service. Having the ability to book the appointment online, as well as the option to pay for it and fill out any pre-appointment forms required, like risk assessments, makes it easy to use your service. And there’s an added bonus of making it easy to manage your service too.

Online reviews are a huge part of this decision process. If a patient can see that hundreds of patients have gone before them and were happy about their decision, it’s much easier for them to commit to the same choice themselves. A patient coming into a pharmacy with lots of good reviews is already at ease and their trust is yours to lose, rather than having to build it up from scratch.

Automated reminders are usually included with most booking calendars you can plug-in to your website, but do customise them, and take time to personalise the texts and emails to your pharmacy. These small changes build up a good feeling around your brand. 

You can also utilise this early communication to prepare and set expectations. If you don’t have great on-site parking, let people know. 

Convenient to book and pay; if required, a pre-consultation form is online.

You already know how to give great patient care, so prioritise that. Remember that every five-star review makes the next booking that much easier, and all that revolves primarily around excellent customer care.

Rapport doesn’t necessarily mean being super friendly; it means being professional and respectful. Don’t leave someone waiting until 4.05 when their appointment is at 4. If you are running behind, come out and address it. Apologise for the delay.

Once you’ve built things right, you don’t need to worry about payments or risk assessments (your website can take care of that), so you can use that time to ask if they have any other healthcare concerns, and recommend other services or products you provide if the opportunity arises. You’re simultaneously building trust for repeat business and maximising the present opportunity.

Once the treatment is finished, ask your patient or customer about their experience. If they are glowing about it, ask them directly to leave you a review. You will be surprised at how many people will do something simply because you ask them to. 

At this point, you can also ask them to sign up for your mailing list or follow you on social media. I would pick one rather than try to get them on both immediately, as it’s likely that without outsourcing, you won’t have time to master both social media and a mailing list, especially if you’re building from scratch. 

Pick one you’d like to go with – say the one you’re most comfortable with – and do that one brilliantly. It will have way more impact than half-heartedly trying to manage both.

The importance of discovery doesn’t change when thinking about getting people back into your pharmacy. The more relevant your emails are to their interests, the more signups you will get. 

For instance, maybe you can have several checkboxes on your email signup form for health topics and the types of emails your customers would like to receive. By giving options, you’re giving them confidence that you won’t spam them with hundreds of irrelevant emails. They’re more likely to read the emails you do send as a result and take action when you tell them to. This is crucial for repeat business. 

You’re growing your community, not by forcing people to be there, but by inviting them in for the benefit they’ll get from being a part of it.