5 physician habits that should inform your marketing efforts

In healthcare, advertising to physicians can be uniquely challenging. They tend to work longer hours and have significantly different media consumption habits than other professionals.

Understanding the habits and preferences of physicians can inform your advertising strategies to help you get better results from your campaigns. Here are five common habits of professional physicians:

1. Physicians are lifelong learners

The desire to learn and improve is strong among the leaders of any industry, but is especially true for those in the medical profession. As Medipeople noted, successful doctors are committed to lifelong learning.

As new breakthroughs happen, doctors read about them in peer-reviewed journals. That makes industry journals an ideal place to advertise - because you know your target audience will be there. In fact, 98 percent of physicians reported reading medical literature is important to their continued success, according to Doximity. Your media buying strategies should include peer-reviewed journals.

2. Physicians are open to change

A passion for learning and the ability to change practices when presented with new evidence are defining features of the medical profession. As doctors read the latest industry news, they may discover new and better ways to help patients. When reading medical literature, doctors might be more open to learning about solutions such as new medical devices or pharmaceutical products.

Media buyers can leverage this open mindset by advertising in peer-reviewed journals, on related websites and even within periodical newsletters.

3. Physicians are hard workers

Most physicians work between 40 and 60 hours per week - but a significant number of medical professionals work even more. According to a 2014 study conducted by American Medical Association Insurance, nearly a quarter of physicians work between 61 and 80 hours per week.

Understanding how your target demographic works can help you develop buyer personas, which can be a great tool for creating marketing materials. When planning media campaigns targeted toward doctors, think about how your product or service helps physicians work more efficiently.

4. Physicians are restricted by regulations

Medical advertisers must not only adhere to government regulations but also consider the compliance measures by which medical professionals must abide. When it comes to media consumption, doctors must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which often restricts how they communicate while on the job. Often, doctors are prohibited from using traditional email and text messaging services while on the job, according to U.S. News & World Report.

This means that advanced marketing tactics such as SMS text integration may not work as well as they might within another industry. However, physicians aren't restricted from using the internet while at work, which provides more opportunities for advertisers - as long as they're targeted correctly.

5. Physicians love their mobile devices

Unlike other professionals, doctors don't spend much time behind a desk. When they're not seeing patients or writing out reports, doctors are more likely to turn to a smartphone or tablet. Web Strategies For Health reported that 85 percent of doctors are iPhone users - a significant increase over the general population.

Optimizing your advertisements for mobile devices should be a top priority. To get the most distance out of your budget, consider a media buying option that lets you utilize several marketing channels at once.

If you're ready to reach a huge population of physicians, consult ELSMediaKits.com for your media buying needs. Reach physicians via print and digital editions of some of the world's most trusted peer-reviewed medical journals.