U.S. Consumers Rank Best Pharma Brand Sites
This week, Manhattan Research released a summary of its ePharma Consumer v8.0 findings in a press release. You can view the release in its entirety here: http://tinyurl.com/cfy5ob
By on Feb 5, 2009This week, Manhattan Research released a summary of its ePharma Consumer v8.0 findings in a press release. You can view the release in its entirety here: http://tinyurl.com/cfy5ob
To note, Lantus (Sanofi-Aventis), Advair (GlaxoSmithKline), and Singulair (Merck) were listed as the top U.S. pharmaceutical brand sites based on consumer visitor satisfaction. What's key about their findings - note - is that they are based on CONSUMER VISITOR SATISFACTION.
While some sources like Hitwise post top pharma Web sites based on traffic numbers, experienced pharma marketers know traffic is relative to media spend and disease prevalence. I can appreciate a respectable third party such as Manhattan Research providing this more complete view from the consumer perspective.
As marketers, we need to look well beyond unique visitors and views to better understand how consumers use our sites. Manhattan Research President Mark Bard said it well:
"Pharmaceutical marketing is rapidly evolving, and brand teams and agencies are looking beyond number of eyeballs to the site when evaluating their digital strategy. To truly understand online performance, marketers are focusing more on metrics such as engagement, action steps, satisfaction and of course conversions. While driving visitors to sites is critical, engaging and retaining them will provide the most strategic value to the brand."
It is critical that we look closely at our own sites through the consumers' eyes -- not through those of a pharma pro or a digital marketer or an advertiser or a branding expert. We should think "I am a person facing scary symptoms and difficult decisions -- what information and tools will be most useful to me?" The same, of course, holds true for our professional audiences, who have their own unique informational needs. And the more research, testing, and third-party validation that drives these decisions, better.
Unfortunately it does seem that some pharmaceutical companies have been getting further and further away from the core question of what consumers and HCPs need from them. And perhaps that is what has helped lead to the decline in pharma's reputation.
In your product "store" that is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week online, it is important to find that balance between what your "customers" really need and want, the messages you are wanting to deliver, and the behaviors you would like to influence.
I applaud the brand teams that have successfully found that balance.