How to Reach and Empower Consumers Open to New Treatments — But Not Actively Looking

Pharma must leverage insights, education, and ongoing support to motivate consumers open to but not actively searching for new treatments.?

About half of people taking medication are happy with their current treatment, leaving the other half amenable to new or better treatment. But very few — only 10% — are actively looking for new options. The rest, a substantial 43%, are open to new medications but not actively looking.?

Pharma brands can’t just wait for this group to come to them. Marketers need a proactive strategy to help this group of potential treatment switchers, who may be looking for other health topics, discover better medication options.

That strategy includes deeply understanding these consumers through data insights, offering education and resources that align with their journey, and addressing their challenges and ongoing need for support.?

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Understand Consumers to Reach Them Effectively?

Even if someone is not actively searching for a new treatment, they may be looking for related information — and that could be a chance to make an impression. Those open to switching are 47% more likely than active treatment seekers to look up treatment information because they saw an advertisement.?

To reach this group, pharma brands must first understand their challenges, mindsets, and habits when seeking health guidance.?

• Health sources: Half visit health information websites. Of the 40% who use social media to learn about treatments, 75% follow doctors or health experts.
• Medication usage: Half research long-term usage, while 39% research alternatives — despite not actively considering new treatments. 28% do not experience relief from their medication.?
• Side effects: 23% experience side effects from their medication, and 66% research potential side effects from medications.?
• Costs: 26% are concerned about the overall cost of care, including visits, tests, and medications.?

Consumer insights help paint a picture of where and why this group engages with health information. Zero- and first-party data signals offer further content consumption patterns and engagement signals. Taken together, these insights are how Healthline Media builds detailed personas that reflect consumer intention at each touchpoint and enable more precise targeting.?

Tailor Campaigns for Ongoing Engagement and Support

Marketers can more effectively drive action among those open to switching treatments by evolving and tailoring their efforts to suit ongoing consumer needs.?

When consumers engage over time with health platforms and online groups — like Bezzy, Healthline Media’s suite of chronic condition communities — they have more opportunities to discover new solutions while chatting with peers or learning about other health and wellness information. ? This social element is an especially powerful factor among people open to but not actively switching treatments:?

• 41% want to know about other people’s experiences with medication.
• 36% look up treatment information out of curiosity about others’ experiences.
• 51% of those who visit social media for treatment information look for forums or groups.?

To meet this need, Bezzy includes ten different communities, for everything from type 2 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, with dedicated ambassadors, stories, forums, and other condition-specific features. Members sign up and come back because Bezzy offers real value — which opens up touchpoints for marketers as well as further insights into how to offer members what they want to see.?

Leverage Education, Community, and Data to Drive Action?

What does it take to help people living with chronic conditions discover, explore, and switch to new treatments? Understand who you’re talking to — the challenges they face, how they engage with health education, and even their need for community. Using survey insights alongside real-time data signals, it’s possible to build personas that reflect user intentions, then deliver the right solutions to the right people at the right time.?

Healthline Media’s Attribute platform has shown that targeting personas based on journey stages and intentionality is 1.53x more effective than baseline at reaching a qualified audience. Relevant personas include:?

• “Treatment naive,” for those engaging with early or pre-diagnosis disease content.?
• “Treatment seeker or switcher,” for those looking for treatments, side effects, and breaking news and category updates.?
• “Established treaters” for those actively treating a condition and looking to optimize their quality of life.?
• “Treatment deciders” for those who have visited specific drug information pages — an approach that has achieved a 2-4x greater CTR compared to other targeting products.?

With this approach, pharma brands can build awareness and motivate action at the right time, driving meaningful engagement and ultimately better health outcomes.?