“It feels as if I’m wasting my money. I advertise and nothing happens”

As a pharmacy owner who has tried Facebook ads (or any advertising), you know you’ve said that before.

I feel your pain. I’ve said it before too.

When I first started using Facebook ads, I had read so many great things about it that I assumed I’d put an ad up and within minutes customers would be knocking at my door. Instead, a day would go by and nothing. Another day would pass, and more silence. By the 4th day, I’d pull the ad.

I would do this with all of my advertising, and month-by-month I’d be shocked that I wasn’t growing as much as I thought I would. Finally, after a few years of mediocre growth, I hired a business coach, and that’s when I was reminded of the fundamental truth in all advertising with 10 simple words.

The fundamental truth – people will only buy from you if they know, like, and trust you.
And guess what?

No one is going to get to know, like, and trust you after just ONE ad. In fact, research says it often takes 8+ ads to get someone who doesn’t know you to buy from you.

For example, last night I purchased this 3D printer for my daughter.

I had never dealt with the company before nor have I even heard of them. So, guess how many ads it took me to pull the trigger and make the purchase?

Easily over 12 ads.

The very first ad I saw was a video ad on Facebook. Intrigued by the 3D printer, I clicked the link and went through the website. Although I immediately thought my daughter and nephews would love it, I didn’t make the purchase. I guess I didn’t want to make a $350 impulse buy.

Then the very next day I get on Instagram, and I see another ad for it. Over the next 5 days, I was bombarded with ads for it on Facebook and Instagram (the beauty of the Facebook pixel and remarketing). I watched every video, read every comment under the ads, and learned as much as I could about it. I visited the website at least 5 different times and even had it in my cart 2 different times. Finally, I made the purchase.

Now, if the old me was running that company, I would have given up after the first ad and lost a $350 sale. Not now though. Now that I understand the value of building “top-of-mind-tip-of-tongue” awareness, I would have been relentless just like that company was. Is it any surprise that that company is going to be featured on Shark Tank? They have a great product and know how to market it.

Think about this for a second….
Do you ever purchase anything from a company you don’t have a relationship with after just one ad? Doesn’t it usually take 3, 4, or even 10 ads before you pull the trigger? You’ll read the comments, search for reviews, talk to friends about it, and possibly even email the company before you make the purchase. Right?

So, obviously, our marketing wasn’t the problem. Our patience was.

What’s the takeaway then?
It’s extremely important that if we want to grow, we need to invest in marketing that’s designed to build “top-of-mind-tip-of-tongue” awareness, or as some marketers call it omnipresence.

Why?

Because almost all of the people we’re targeting are probably already patients at another pharmacy. After one ad, they probably aren’t likely to switch over. However, if they keep seeing your face everywhere, read glowing testimonials, and appreciate the value you put out in your content marketing, as soon as they do think about switching pharmacies, you’ll be the first pharmacy they think about.

Right now there are thousands of unhappy patients at Walgreens and Walmart. Between the poor customer service, the long wait times, and the prices, they’re constantly triggered.

Why don’t they leave then?

Simple. They don’t know they have another option. That is unless there’s an astute independent pharmacy owner in their area that’s constantly building top-of-mind-tip-of-tongue awareness.

So how can a pharmacy build “top-of-mind-tip-of-tongue” awareness using Facebook ads?
A Simple 15-second video targeting your entire zip code
This doesn’t have to be Oscar-worthy. Some of the most successful videos are made with nothing more than an Iphone. A simple, “Hi, I’m John Smith, owner of John Smith’s pharmacy in Smithville, IL. If you’re not getting great service from your pharmacy, I’d love to have you as a patient.” A few bullets with things like free delivery, no long lines, etc. Bam. It’s done. Budget $5 per day and run it for a few weeks, alternating between a few different videos/ad copies. As soon as the mere thought of switching pharmacies pops in your market’s head, they’ll think of John Smith.

A geo-targeted Facebook ad around the local physicians’ offices
Smart marketers know that if they can get in front of potential customers at the right time, they’ll have a much higher likelihood of turning them into actual customers. When is a person most likely to need your services? You guessed it – after leaving the physician’s office.

With this ad, we’ll drop a pin at the address of the physician’s office, limit it to only mobile devices, and even geofence around the physician’s office so the ad is limited to just the physician office and not the 1-mile radius around it you’re limited to with a pin drop. Our hope is that as patients are browsing Facebook or Instagram on their phones in the waiting room, our ad will pop up with our services. Bam. “Top-of-mind-tip-of-tongue” awareness. Budget $5 per day. This ad can run for months since most people aren’t at the doctor every day.

A geo-targeted Facebook ad around your competitor’s pharmacy.
Not too long ago a pharmacist posted in one of the independent pharmacy Facebook groups I’m a part of about how opening his pharmacy across the street from Walgreens was the best decision he’s made. In his words, Walgreens essentially acts like a funnel for him, bringing in new patients almost daily.

Unfortunately, we all can’t pick up our pharmacy and move it next to a CVS or Walgreens. However, with Facebook ads, we can do it virtually. Drop a pin at the address of your competitor, select only mobile devices, and geo-fence around it so your ads will only be shown to people physically at the pharmacy, not the 1-mile radius dropping a pin is limited to. As Walgreens makes a patient wait 30 minutes for a prescription, he’ll be browsing Facebook, see our ad, and realize there’s a more convenient solution.

Pro tip: If you know your competitor’s weakness, include that in the ad. For example, the large majority of patients we get from Walmart come to us because of the 30+ minute wait at the Walmart pharmacy. If we were targeting this WalMart, the first line of our ad would say something, “Are you tired of waiting for your prescription? We know your time is limited so we can get you in and out of the pharmacy in 10 minutes.” A $5 per day budget is ideal. This ad can run for months since patients will see it infrequently.

What were those 10 simple words that completely changed how I advertise?
If they don’t know you, they won’t buy from you.

Top-of-Mind-Tip-of-Tongue Awareness.

Author: TJ Allan