Change is coming in the digital marketing world whether you’re ready or not. New challenges are presented for marketers as privacy measures tighten and we say goodbye to cookies, yet this impending farewell also presents an invaluable opportunity to rejuvenate your pharma brand strategy. 

As healthcare marketers prepare for the switch to flip, one thing is certain – it’s more important than ever to meet people living with chronic conditions where they are. Identifying transparent, meaningful ways to engage with the people who benefit most from your products and treatments will be crucial to your future success in the changing digital landscape. 

But where to begin? Which solutions will yield the best results? As your brand team navigates the best ways to make a meaningful impact on the right people, keep the following criteria in mind: 

Contextual relevance is key.

Results from a 2020 study found that ads with the most contextual relevance elicited 43% more neural engagement and 2.2 times better ad recall; for pharma and healthcare marketers, the question then becomes: what types of content are most important to the people I’m trying to reach? 

While there’s no straightforward answer, people living with chronic conditions turn to the internet for a variety of reasons, which go far beyond just medical information. In a 2018 study conducted by Health Union, community visitors were asked to rate the importance of website features when learning about or managing their condition; the top three most important features were 1) ability to read information about their condition (92%*), 2) ability to read about other people’s experience with condition (78%*), and 3) opportunity for question and answer (62%*). 

Representing your brand alongside not only traditional medical articles, but a variety of contextually relevant, condition-specific content pieces has greater potential to resonate with the right people at the right moment.  

Engagement opens a world of opportunities.

In addition to contextually relevant content, varying levels of engagement – whether on-site or via social media amplification – are critical for meeting people where they are in their condition journey. When given the opportunity to connect with others, people begin to feel less alone, leading to deep understanding, transparency and trust that transcend the changing digital landscape – which may have bigger implications for healthcare as a whole. 

For patients seeking information, finding ways to engage online may help them feel empowered to play an active role in their health, and evidence shows that patients who are more activated have better health outcomes and care experiences. Integrating your brand into meaningful online health conversations creates opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of the patients who would benefit most. 

Audience quality and first-party data make a difference.  

Privacy compliant, first-party data solutions are here to stay, and as marketers rethink targeting strategies, audience quality is more important than ever. 

In a study on the best uses of first- second- and third-party data, 74% of respondents noted that first-party data provides the greatest insights into customers; yet as privacy measures continue to evolve, it’s important to question the integrity of data collection among partners – has the audience transparently opted in? How qualified is the audience, and how often is audience quality evaluated? Does the data collected allow me to efficiently reach the people who will benefit most from my brand offerings? 

Online health communities are well-positioned for a cookie-less world. 

Each of Health Union’s 30+ condition-specific online health communities are built upon the unique wants and needs of the patients they serve – derived from first-party data collected with privacy, transparency and integrity. 

With content and engagement strategies fueled by regularly conducted In America surveys, syndicated and custom research offerings and impeccable audience quality, Health Union does the hard work for you. As experts in the online health community space, we’ll help your brand thrive – no matter the digital environment – through smarter, more informed brand strategies. 

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*Top 2 box on a 7-point scale