One of the most challenging industries for search engine marketing today is the Pharmaceutical industry (Pharma). Changing laws, regulations and resulting interpretations are making online marketing an exciting avenue to reach both consumers and health care professionals (HCP) through search. While traditional marketing methodologies may be seen as too broad a brush in reaching a targeted community as defined by FDA regulations, search engine marketing (SEM) provides an opportunity to educate and inform a select group of individuals who have, through the use of a search engine or search-based activity, asked for the relevant information. This process of asking — of consumer-expressed intent — results in a marketing tool that is consumer driven, pre-qualified and focused.

Often, in marketing through search, many companies have different teams, different vendors or even different departments, managing the two primary programs of SEM: search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search. Integrating a search strategy is crucial for providing a clear message to customers and to ensure proper resource allocation. A dedicated search marketing team with analytical support is necessary to ensure these strategies and efforts are aligned. Coordination of campaign timing, messaging strategies, and appropriate use of search terms and copy across both channels is crucial. Metrics from both programs should be compared to determine effectiveness gaps.

Keyword performance should also be evaluated across both paid and SEO. For example, analytics may determine that a certain bucket of keywords is not effective with paid search but is performing well in organic. Therefore, the focus on those particular topic areas may then shift from paid to organic search instead. Strategy and budget integration between the two channels is necessary to find the ideal balance of paid and organic search efforts.

Regulatory Issues

Most Pharma web sites are being developed to speak to both the consumer and professional market, which is made up of physicians, practitioners and pharmacists. The understanding of highly-technical terminology for Pharma campaigns can be better handled by having the same group for paid and SEO. This provides for a shorter learning curve on specialized terminology, rather than delays from coordinating separate groups on new terms.

Pharma has a unique challenge being a heavily-regulated industry. “Fair Balance” issues constrain what may be stated in paid search ad copy and on web pages. Ad copy, search terms and page copy must all be reviewed through a company’s Legal team. Consequently, an effective relationship between the team working on SEM and the legal team can speed the process and effectively reduce potential liability issues.

SEO for Pharma requires an intimate knowledge of industry, governmental and corporate limitations and regulations that must be applied to all aspects of the page that are potentially viewable by a consumer. This includes the page URL, title, description meta tag, keyword meta tag if listed, page content and Alt tags for images.

Again, integration or paid and SEO at a one team level can be valuable here as some engines require that page content reflect the terms used in a paid search query. Separate teams can result in abrupt changes to page copy that result in ads being turned off when reviewed by engines. A one-team approach can coordinate changes and keep this from occurring.

The possibility of implied information owing to inappropriate search terms or paid ad copy, or through incorrect usage of “broad match” in paid search can be a hazard in a Pharma campaign. On broad match, a search for a particular illness coupled with the word “cure”, i.e., cancer cure, could match to your ad, even though the campaign does not include the keyword “cure”. Broad match allows matching on the name of the illness alone, cancer. This may be looked upon as implying that a cure is possible, where no such cure exists.

This may be resolved, resulting in greater control of a paid campaign, through the use of “negative” keywords, “exact” or “phrase” match. “Cure” as a negative term, or exact match could resolve the previous example. The actual content presented to the consumer is also a part of the search experience. The referred page from a paid ad has to provide relevant and non-conflicting content. A one-team approach best resolves these varied issues.

A Synergistic Approach to Search Engine Marketing

A one-team approach makes it easier to maintain a consistent strategic approach in both campaigns. One team for both campaigns results in one point of contact, one point of control. Fewer layers of complexity will:

• Decrease the possibility of confusion around goals,
• Increase the speed of turnaround,
• Allow for coordination of a change process, and
• Ensure greater adherence to policy, regulations and laws and their interpretations.

Paid search can be used to build initial traffic while a new site develops organic traffic. Learnings from paid search activity for specific keywords can be leveraged into development of content on the relevant pages.

With one search marketing team, paid search has faster access to long-tail keywords that can be mined from organic search referrals. By data mining log files, a site can determine what keywords are driving the most traffic and what their conversion rates are. Studies have shown that having both an organic and paid listing is beneficial (Nielsen, 2004). Thus, we can use paid search to increase the total traffic to a site based upon keywords identified via traffic analysis.

Reporting is more efficient as it can include paid, organic and the results derived from their synergistic interaction. Paid search results are metric in nature and make for simplified reporting compared to most organic programs. Our approach to SEO is analytical and thereby blends well with the paid search reporting methodologies.

Reputation Management (Brand Management)

Reputation Management is an effective strategy in the Pharma industry that requires close integration between SEO and paid search. One agency, operating on both SEO and paid, can optimally manage the campaign and efficiently provide both reactive and proactive response to consumer/media interaction.

Cost Savings

Approaching search holistically with one search team means that certain tasks can be shared across paid and organic search. Keyword research and competitive research, for example, can be utilized for both and result in cost savings. Additionally, one team means that for on-site meetings, client-incurred travel costs and expenses are kept to a minimum, and one central billing point results in more-efficient control of campaign costs.

So, the moral is that the advantage lies not in keeping all of your eggs in one basket, but in seeing that there is, really, only one egg…SEM