How to promote your pharmacy
Do you think you are doing enough to promote all the essential services you offer to locals who visit your community pharmacy?
Community Pharmacy North East London (CPNEL) chief executive Shilpa Shah touched on her experiences at The Pharmacy Show in Birmingham yesterday (October 14) working as a pharmacist for 25 years on what you can be doing to develop how the public interacts with your pharmacy.
Having worked both in local pharmaceutical committees (LPCs) and at multiples Lloydspharmacy and Boots, she has worked with many pharmacies in her career and discusses areas to consider in ensuring best practice for promoting your own pharmacy.
Websites, social media and AI
Shah suggested a first place to start was with your website checking basic things like up-to-date opening times are correct.
But then there are decisions to be made. “In pharmacy, it’s a really difficult one on what social media you decide to use,” she said, but stressed talking to your team is important because they “know the demographic of the area you’re in”.
Facebook community groups and neighbourhood app Nextdoor are good places to be on, but Shah warned patients may comment on social media saying “I had to wait ages for my prescription” so suggested thinking about how you will manage negative comments on there.
Instagram can be good to interact with young people, and LinkedIn is good for “things outside of pharmacy that’s a bit different to your role” as Shah says it can be a platform where “other healthcare professionals can learn from you”.
TikTok is “one for the future” as Shah says even though “we have GPhC standards to adhere to, that doesn’t mean you can’t do things on TikTok to get that younger audience in”.
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She said you should consider outsourcing to another organisation if you don’t think you have the time to do it, adding AI is “the way forward” in using software that could create adverts for social media and “half your workload really quickly for anything you do”.
Leaflets and posters
Shah is “not a fan” of leaflets and in pharmacies she’s managed, and found people walk past them.
But she said some pharmacies operating within her LPC have started charging for posters and leaflets from health groups to be in the pharmacy, so they pay for the space they use.
Shah noted it’s useful for specific conditions such as bowel cancer, where they can target patients who get treatment for that condition by putting leaflets in their bag for them so they can access further information about the condition.
She added to think about how you present these in your pharmacy, as some of the nicest pharmacies she visited are ones that “don’t have lots of things in the window, got bright lights, and feel really clean, tidy and inviting.”
TVs, radio and the press
Often found in pharmacies, Shah says TV screens are great if positioned in your pharmacy or in the window for passers-by, but it is essential to keep them updated.
For local magazines and newspapers, she said it’s worth looking into whether there are any costs associated with advertising, and encouraged pharmacists to get in touch with local free publications to write articles on topical conditions like flu vaccinations - but noted “that takes a bit more work sometimes to do”.
Shah also highlighted the “great work from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) around their days of action” as they appeared on lots of national and local radio and TV in June and September this year.
And encouraged the audience to “say yes to any opportunity that comes your way” even if you have a fear of saying the wrong thing.
She said to combat this by planning what you are going to say and “practice what you want to say”, and to focus on discussing your job of looking after “the local residents that live around you”.
“If you stick to those lines, then you can’t really go wrong”, Shah said, and people will “absolutely love” seeing you on the TV or radio.
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