As an independent pharmacy owner, it seems as if there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything. You are not only the filling pharmacist, but the plumber, IT, therapist, accountant, and marketing decision marker all in a day’s work. To help with your time and overall business success, one thing to consider is outsourcing some of those services. According to Business Insider, 37% of small businesses outsource at least one business process.
There are numerous benefits to outsourcing certain business processes, such as IT, accounting, and marketing. One of the biggest ones is you can save money. Instead of paying an employee salary and benefits to handle your marketing, you can pay an outside company a fraction of the cost. By taking this off your plate, it allows your team time to focus on other services, such as starting a new service, or increasing sync patients. A few other benefits of outsourcing include:
Working with an expert. Hire a company that is an expert in the field, one that knows what works to attract new patients or how to increase Rx referrals from doctors for example. The company should know marketing, just like you know pharmacy. Additionally, they will be familiar with new marketing trends in general (such as using video) and can share info with you. When working with an outside company on your website for example, the company should be up to date on latest SEO requirements and make changes to your website when Google decides to change their algorithm.
New ideas. When working with an outside marketing company, one thing they provide is new ideas to grow your business. By bringing in “fresh eyes”, they can look at your business objectively, giving you new ideas, you might not think of.
Bring consistency. One of the key things with marketing is you must do it consistently to get results. One post on your Facebook page is not going to cut it. With using an outside marketing company, they can make sure this happens on your behalf. They can plan out the next 3 or 6 months to make sure your message in always out there.
Get more accomplished. By taking the burden off you to do all the marketing, it lets more get done, because that is the only thing the company does. It may also inspire you to try new things you always hoped to get to, but never had the time.
Before starting any new relationship with an outside company, it is important to do your homework first. What are your goals for using this company? What do you hope to accomplish by hiring them? Knowing these answers before speaking to potential candidates will help you pick the company that is best for your pharmacy’s needs.
When speaking to a rep from the outside company, consider asking these questions:
What is your experience? In pharmacy in particular?
What will the communication process be like between us?
What is the overall process in working together?
What reporting will be provided?
Having a clear understanding of the relationship before starting, will help avoid any frustrations down the line, and give way to a more fruitful, long-term partnership. One final note is to make sure you read the agreement carefully, and if the marketing company will be seeing any PHI, that a Business HIPAA Agreement is signed.
Using an outside marketing company can be very beneficial, take the stress off you and your employees, and help improve your overall bottom line. It can also free up a few minutes out of your day to focus on the thousand other things you need to accomplish.