The golden piece of advice I give to any successful pharma digital marketing strategy. Don’t go for clicks. Go for the words that click.
It’s all about articulating your brand’s vision through the right choice of words. And, when I say words, I do not mean just any words. I mean– words that people look up on search engines when they need information. Also known in popular terminology as Keywords.
In this post, I’ll give you some insights on how to pick the right keywords for your brand. As well as on how to use them in your content to connect with your target audience. Further optimizing conversions.
I’ll also be sharing a few tools that I use to dig up keywords. And how you can leverage their power for creating an effective digital marketing strategy.
So, Keywords.
Keywords are the Heart and Soul of your Content
They’re the sole connecting link between you and your target audience. Think of it like this. In the real world, if you wish to connect with a healthcare professional, you could just look up their contact information, and book an appointment.
However, in the digital world, the approach is radically different. Here, it’s not about seeking out professionals, but rather channelizing the right information that would attract the right people to you. It’s about making your content work for you.
And as you might’ve guessed, in order to put your content to work, it’s very important to get those missing connection links right– the ones that connect your brand to healthcare professionals and patients.
Those missing magical links are called keywords.
The reason I believe keyword research is such an important aspect of search engine optimization is that it lets you do a little introspection. It helps you understand what your audience wants, where your brand stands, and how your brand can align itself to cater to those interests.
I know it may sound a little overwhelming right now, but trust me, picking the right keywords is easy. With the right tactics and tools, you could be tapping into the minds of thousands of potential visitors.
Getting the Connection Right: How to Pick the Right Keywords:
“The best way to get your keywords right is by putting yourself in the shoes of your customer.“
I would say that keyword research has less to do with market trends, and more to do with the mental thought process and behavior of your target audience. The better you understand how they think, the better keywords you can come up with.
Put yourself in the shoes of a healthcare professional and think of all the extensive information that you would search for if a pharma brand approached you.
You would probably like to dive into detailed reports and intricately specific product information. You would want to check the credibility of the brand and know whether it’s trustworthy. To put it simply, you’re more likely to be objective and meticulous in your approach.
Compare that to how patients would look up information. Patients are more likely to be subjective in their approach.
They would search for the symptoms, healthcare specialists, and the various treatment options available. They’re more likely to have a broader and wider approach than the health care professional since they would like to weigh each and every option available and choose the one which is the most preferable.
Their decision would be largely influenced by the amount of positive content they find for every possible approach.
So, you see, understanding your audience is key. Here’s what you should do:
Write down every question that you think your target audience might have in their minds. Then, think of all the possible keywords that they would use to find that information.
Get exhaustive, and creative. Be meticulous but also optimistic. Yet, most of all, get critical. Think from every perspective.
Remember that you’re tapping into the minds of a lot of people, and not everyone thinks the same way. This approach would not only help you find the right keywords but would also help you in gaining a profound understanding of your target audience.
Once you’re done… make a list. The keywords that you used are the keywords you should be targeting.
Dialing the Connection: How to Optimize Content with Keywords
Now that you’ve found the keywords you need to target, you need to think about how you can optimize your content with it. In order to do that, we’ll need to refine and categorize the keywords into two sections: 1) Popular searches and 2) Long-tail keywords.
Popular searches v/s Long-tail keywords:
Popular searches are the keywords that capture the picture in a much broader sense and are less specific.
Like, if I search for “moisturizer for dry skin”, or “treatment for acne”.
I really don’t know what I want, but I’m hoping that I would find some search results that would get me what I want. Basically, I’m just figuring out the available options.
Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are more specific and detailed. Like, let’s say after a lot of online searching, I’ve finally narrowed down on a good skin moisturizer.
I would like to buy it, but before that, I’m likely to be inquisitive about the product and would search for keywords like “XYZ moisturizer for dry skin women” or “XYZ moisturizer reviews”. These are long-tail keywords.
Optimizing for keywords is a funnel approach, where you first capture the attention of your audience in a broader context (through popular searches), and then look to deliver the specific content that he wants (through long-tail keywords).
Though both keywords are equally important, I would advise you to spend more time on long-tail keywords for three reasons:
- a) It’s easier to rank higher for these keywords.
- b) You can deliver specific and relevant content to your audience.
- c) They deliver a high-conversion ratio.
I know you would probably be thinking– if popular searches account for more traffic, how do long-tail searches deliver a high conversion ratio?
Well, think of it this way. You walk into a pharmacy store to buy an OTC drug. You don’t know what you want, and therefore you’re likely to spend more time at the store weighing all the options.
But, what if you have a prescription? You know exactly what you want, which means you’re more likely to convert. That’s the strategy that works online too.
Dialing the Connection Quickly: Picking the Right Tools
I know keyword research can get exhaustive and time-consuming with a large number of searches online.
While it’s always a good strategy to jot down as many keywords as possible introspectively, here are some tools that might come in handy in case you run out of ideas. You have Google:
AdWords: Find out which words deliver the most conversions and are highly targeted.
Insights: Visual representation of popular online searches.
Trends: Find out the keywords that are popular and analyze the shifting trends.
Now that you’ve learned the power of keywords, use them to create engaging user experiences, and also to transform the way you approach your audience.
In the history of pharma marketing, there has never been a tool so powerful that can give you crucial insights into the motivations of your customers and help you analyze the shifting market trends. Make the most out of it.
