The Internet and health information

Apr/06/2008 07:28 Filed in: Internet & DTC Marketing
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Your audience is out there searching the Web for health information, including information on prescription drugs. Most marketers know this but in order to truly understand Web marketing you need to understand the process your audience goes through when collecting information. Those DTC marketers who think people are going to come to your product website and then go ask their physician for an Rx don't understand consumer behavior. Good eMarketing people however understand that people are going to go to multiple sites to learn about symptoms and treatments including social media sites where they can listen to the experiences of others while seeking treatment and taking medications. To continue to ignore this valuable information, as most DTC marketers have done, is an indication of just how far back their marketing programs really are.



Think about the Internet for a second: in minutes you can type in a search term and have a wealth of information about diseases, symptoms, treatments and medications. Everything from legitimate information on sites like Mayo Clinic.com to fly by night supplement sites that promise miracle cures without the unpleasant side effects of prescription drugs.


Message boards and chat rooms are crowded with posts from people seeking advice on everything from doctors recommendations to alternatives to prescription medications. On a diabetes board I visited this week there was a post from a man who was newly diagnosed with Type II diabetes "This is a wake up call for me" he said, "I just joined a gym and I am watching my diet, I don't want to have to take medication with increased risk of other health problems". There were a number of follow up posts from people who had been diagnosed with type II diabetes and through diet and exercise were able to stop taking medication and get their health under control. A lot of posters referenced the recent Avandia troubles, "believe me with what they're finding out about prescription drugs you don't want to take medication unless you have to, goo luck and go for it".


The great thing about going to message boards is that these are people talking to one another without marketers influencing the conversation. You can read their fears and determine what barriers are keeping people from seeking treatment. Alas, most marketers would prefer to go the MBA 101 route with small focus groups that are easily swayed by influencers within the group. Nothing like listening to 20 people and then assuming they speak for the entire segment of your target audience.


With DTC marketing budgets being cut left and right the Internet can be leveraged to reach more people more efficiently (that means with less money). However this assumes that DTC marketers know how to market on the Web and how to read web analytics. Unfortunately this BLOGGER does not feel that DTC marketers are ready to embrace the Web yet.
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