SAN FRANCISCO — Drug store franchise Health Mart has launched a new Local Marketing Support program, designed to help pharmacy owners promote themselves as community health care providers as well as develop new revenue streams.
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Pharmacy owners can use the new marketing tools to differentiate themselves in their local market area, Health Mart noted. |
The McKesson Corp. subsidiary said Wednesday that the program provides matching funds and serves up marketing tools and campaigns to assist Health Mart owners in boosting awareness of their stores and health care offerings, in turn retaining current pharmacy patients and drawing new ones.
At the crux of the program is the Marketing Hub, which gives Health Mart owners the option of choosing individual tactics or prepackaged, integrated campaigns from a catalog of over 100 traditional, digital and social media marketing tools. The new and updated tools include in-store promotional materials, e-mail templates, social media content and automated post management, television and radio production and placement, community outreach and public relations.
"Health Mart pharmacies excel at local, personalized service. However, many owners don’t have the time, resources or experience to effectively communicate their offerings and unique strengths," Health Mart president Steve Courtman said in a statement. "Defining their presence in the marketplace demands a balanced marketing effort that successfully blends Health Mart’s advantages as a national pharmacy network with the individual store’s specific services."
For example, a new social media solution in the Marketing Hub provides automated content for a pharmacy’s Facebook page, helping owners bolster their online presence. The solution features more than 600 messages — text, images and video — that owners can use to keep their pages fresh and engaging, with content including tips on healthy lifestyles, seasonal issues like cough/cold and more. Offered as a subscription model, the solution lets each pharmacy have posts automatically published on the store’s behalf or select items to post manually.
Also as part of the Local Marketing Support program, owners can access flexible matching funds from Health Mart to offset the cost of creating and executing a range of tactics or campaigns on the Marketing Hub. The matching funds are immediately applied when eligible items are ordered on the Marketing Hub.
In addition, the program provides local marketing coordinators to aid Health Mart owners in using Marketing Hub resources effectively as well as to support the execution of campaigns. The coordinators are available by phone, e-mail or live chat.
"The Local Marketing Support initiative provides Health Mart pharmacies with the right tools and resources to make their voice heard and share the important value they provide in their community," Courtman added.
Last month, Health Mart also launched the Your Pharmacy Online mobile application, the latest element of McKesson’s Your Pharmacy Online consumer-facing pharmacy website. The mobile app provides Health Mart patients with a menu of on-the-go prescription management options, including refill requests, refill reminders and notification when a prescription is ready for pickup.
Overall, Health Mart encompasses more than 3,100 locally owned community pharmacies in all 50 states.
