In the digital age, pharmacies no longer run on word of mouth alone. Gone are the days of simple business referrals, billboards, and traditional marketing tactics.

Instead, potential patients are looking online to find their next pharmacy — on search engines, websites, and social media.

If you’re looking to widen your reach, bring in business, and grow your independent pharmacy this year, you need to prioritize digital marketing.

Here are 10 digital marketing tips to grow your pharmacy online.
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1. Set Up a Google Business Profile

Nearly 80% of customers use Google when looking for local business — so if you want to find new patients, start with the search engine.

One of the easiest ways to get on Google is to create a Google Business Profile.

You can create a free, personalized profile in a matter of minutes. On your profile, you can set your address, operating hours, phone number, and post photos.

If, at any time that information changes, you can go back to your profile and update it.

By creating a Google Business Profile, you can reach new patients and stay connected to returning ones. This is the heart of all digital marketing.

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2. Spruce Up Your Website

If you have an outdated website that hasn’t been updated in years, or if you’re just relying on your Facebook page to spread information, it may be time for a revamp.

Your website is central to your pharmacy’s online presence.

It’s the main place that patients can go to learn more about you, sort through your products and services, and determine if you’ll be a good fit for them.

In fact, HubSpot reports that websites influence 97% of clients’ purchasing decisions. So, if you haven’t looked at your website in a while, now is the time to do it.

To simplify the process, RedSail Websites offers an integrated solution for all RedSail pharmacies, powered by Storbie. With RedSail Websites, you can quickly and easily design your own site, pre-populate content, and book appointments with patients.

In the process, you can reach new patients and build community engagement.

Learn more about RedSail Websites here.
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3. Start a Blog

Once you get your website up and running, don’t just leave it sitting there. Instead, make sure it’s regularly updated with helpful information for your patients.

Blogs are a great way to offer education, provide information, and stay connected with your patient base.

From a digital marketing perspective, an active blog is a great tool to bring potential patients to your website — thanks to search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility in Google, so that more people see you in the search results and go to your site.

Google ranks regularly updated websites higher, along with those that use relevant keywords, like “independent pharmacy,” “prescriptions,” “vaccines,” and your city/state name.

Blogs are one of the best ways to post regular content, incorporate keywords in that content, and rank higher on Google.

If you want to start investing more in SEO, use tools like Google Analytics to track how your website is performing, get real-time recommendations on how you can boost your rankings in Google, and see how many people are visiting your site.
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4. Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertisements

While many practices, like SEO, can increase your online visibility at little to no cost, they also require time, effort, and persistence to see results.

If you find yourself too busy to implement organic SEO practices, PPC advertisements can be an easier alternative to get noticed.

PPCs are paid online advertisements that appear on Google search results pages and create leads to your site.

In PPC advertising, you are charged a small fee when a user clicks on your ad; so, for example, if a user searches “best pharmacies in [your city]” and finds your ad, you will only be charged if they follow through with the ad and visit your website.

PPCs can be one of the most effective ways to market your pharmacy online, without the hassle and effort of other methods. Learn more on Google Ads.
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5. Get on Directories

Outside of Google, your pharmacy can be found on other directories.

Popular directories include Yelp, Best of the Web, and Angi. For pharmacies specifically, you can list your business on RxLocal’s Pharmacy Finder.

Our Pharmacy Finder compiles a patient-facing list of pharmacies so that patients can make well-informed decisions about where they should get care.

In the process, the Pharmacy Finder can create more traffic and potential business for you. Claim your location and update your pharmacy’s profile in just a few minutes.
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6. Prioritize Patient Reviews

Before visiting a business, 90% of customers read online reviews.

In the digital age, reviews are more important than ever, considering that 88% of these customers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Because they’re so widely used, and so deeply trusted, you should prioritize positive patient reviews if you want to grow your pharmacy.

Not sure how to get your patients to leave a review?

• Provide positive experiences
• Ask patients to share their experiences
• Hang flyers or signage near checkout
• Offer rewards, discounts, or giveaway

These reviews will go straight to your Google Business Profile, and you can always respond to those reviews. This shows that you read reviews and care about customer feedback.

And, in the rare event that a patient leaves a negative review, respond in a prompt and polite manner, both to solve the issue and show that you can take constructive feedback. Your customers will notice.
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7. Establish a Social Media Presence

Half the world and 70% of Americans use social media

Now more than ever, users are searching for products and services on social media, including those offered at your pharmacy. In fact, recent statistics show:

• 15% of users (26 million Americans) shop on Facebook
• 53% of X users buy products or services they first saw on the app
• X ads are 11% more effective than TV ads
• 11% of users (12 million Americans) shop on Instagram
• Spending is 23% higher on Instagram than Facebook
• 200 million people visit at least one business profile every day on Instagram

If you haven’t established a presence on these apps, now is your time to start. But social media can be hard to start, especially if you aren’t an active user.

To get started, read our blog, “What to Post on Social Media.”

Or, to take the guesswork out, use RxLocal’s Social Media Assistant. We develop pre-made, relevant pharmacy content and create a suggested posting schedule for you — so it’s as easy as copy-and-post to grow your online presence.
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8. Post Valuable Content

When you post on your social media channels, you should provide value to your customers. In other words, you should provide value.

It may be tempting to only post ads, highlight discounts, and share sales, but try to resist that approach. In other words, don’t only make posts that advertise your pharmacy’s products and services.

Instead, try using content marketing — which isn’t about you, but about your followers. Content marketing provides value and allows you to establish a relationship with followers before you try selling something to them.

Content ideas include:

• Health and wellness tips
• Public health information
• Pharmacist’s advice
• Employee spotlights
• Community events

This isn’t to say that you can’t ever advertise your products and services — but that you should do so carefully, always tying those services to what your patients value.
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9. Use Free Tools

Creating an online presence is a commitment.

Luckily, several free tools can help simplify this process, whether it be in creating your content, managing SEO, or upping the visual appeal of your website.

With these tools, you can boost your pharmacy’s reach and client base.

• For free images: Try Unsplash and Pixabay. These photo-sharing sites offer millions of free, high-quality images, which you can use to create graphics.

• For SEO: Try a website plug-in like Yoast SEO. Services like Yoast can help you strategize ways to improve your rankings.

• For finding relevant keywords: Try Google Trends. This tool tracks Google search results to find highly searched keywords that you can then incorporate into your content.

• For all-around social media: Try RxLocal Social Media Assistant. No experience needed — you just need to copy-and-post our premade content.
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Conclusion

In the age of the Internet, the best place to build your pharmacy business is online.

Whether you consider yourself a technology rookie or a digital guru, these digital marketing tips will help you see real, tangible growth.

Be patient, get creative, use your resources, and most importantly, go where your customers are: go online.