Why should you consider Profiling, Segmentation & Targeting for your Pharma Brand?

While the terms profiling, segmentation and targeting are often used interchangeably, they are actually three distinct steps. While profiling is the process of analyzing your chosen customers using predefined parameters, segmentation is the process of dividing the customers according to their profile and targeting is the process of allocating resources to engage with your target customers.  

Let’s look at each of these in turn.

1. Profiling

Profiling is the process of accessing your customer base in terms of selected parameters on the basis of their relevance to your business. Usually, this is a combination of the customer’s potential to prescribe your brand and the extent to which they actually prescribe your brand.

It can also consider the potential of your customer to advocate your brand or simply the accessibility of your brand with regards to your field force.  

Once the required criteria are identified, each customer is evaluated in terms of their prescribing potential and their adoption of your brand as a preferred treatment/therapy option. 

2. Segmentation

Now that you have profiled your customers, you have an idea about their potential and brand adoption. The next step is to segment them. In most pharmaceutical markets a small portion of prescribers among all the prescribers, prescribe that translates to a major value of the market.

Effective segmentation will allow you to identify prescribers; who use little or none of your brand, use a moderate amount of your brand, and use mainly or only your brand. Once identified, you can infer their brand adoption behavior. Segmentation works best when keeping it simple. If you are not going to do something different in a segment, it is wise not to have the segment in the first place.  

3. Targeting

Targeting involves selecting which of the segments you plan to reach with different channels, such as your field force, digital channels, Influencer led activation as examples. Pharmaceutical representatives are an extremely expensive resource and generally, the more HCP’s you wish to target, the more sales reps you will need. By targeting the right audience and choosing the optimum channel, pharma companies are able to free up resources, requiring fewer sales reps to call on the reduced number of targeted doctors. Effective targeting can help you choose the right communication channel for customer engagement. If done right, targeting will have a direct impact on ROI for your brand. 

How can I help?

By carefully profiling your customer base and implementing an effective segmentation and targeting strategies, you will be able to free up resources for your brand, including budget, to focus your efforts more efficiently. It is for this reason that profiling, segmentation, and targeting should be a core area of not only your first line sales management but also your brand management and launch excellence.

Drop a message and I along with my team can aid you in the process of profiling, segmentation, and targeting. With more than a decade of experience in understanding the digital industry, my team members would be delighted to be your strategic brand partners and help your brand grow and prosper.

Reach out to me. I am just a message away!