4 media buying trends medical advertisers need to know

Take a look back to 2007. A decade ago, media buying looked quite different than it does today. The first iPhones were just hitting the U.S. market, the Chrome browser (currently the world's most widely used web browser across all platforms) had not yet been launched, Twitter had just launched, and the medical community was just getting used to new digital communication channels. 

In another 10 years, the landscape will likely shift again, but for now, here are four media buying trends that are just emerging:

1. Relationships are very important

Our modern relationship with technology has changed how people interact with brands. On the one hand, connecting with physicians online can seem impersonal because you don't have that face-to-face interaction. On the other, individuals interact with brands much more frequently than in the past.

This means that building relationships with your target audience is important. For manufacturers of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, building a relationship is often the next step after a reader sees an advertisement - rarely is an ad the only step in the purchasing decision process.

Aside from building relationships with your prescriber audience, developing relationships with your media buying agency is also of the utmost importance. MediaDailyNews reported that a one-on-one relationship with a media seller can help ad buyers choose the perfect formats for their digital and print display ads.

Relationships are still an important part of buying media.

2. Readers are wary of un-gated, techno-selected content

Over the past several years, there has been a sharp increase in the amount of free content on the web. Go just a page or two past the first links in a search results page and you'll find thousands of websites you never knew existed. It's like a digital news stand with an endless number of periodicals. 

This is true of the medical space, as well. New websites appear every day, and many more disappear into the void of an endless internet. For a while, this trend increased the number of options media buyers had available to them, but now readers are increasingly wary of un-gated, techno-selected content.

Fake news has spoiled the fun, explained business growth expert Adam Hartung in Forbes Magazine. Educated readers, such as physicians, don't trust news aggregators to deliver trustworthy content. Instead, they seek out valuable knowledge on platforms that provide peer-reviewed and expert-curated content such as medical journal websites and prestigious online resources. 

Whether they pursue medical articles in print or on a mobile device - doctors seek out sources of information they have relied on in the past and are well reviewed among peers.

3. In the medical community, print is here to stay

Physicians tend to have different media consumption habits than people in other professions. Not only do they have less time to watch TV or surf the web, they are often restricted on how much screen time they get throughout the day. According to Reuters, doctors spend about 5 hours on a computer per shift, but much of the time is devoted to administrative or clinical tasks.

"46% of physicians read only print versions of medical journals."

In fact, it's a pretty even split between physicians who prefer to consume peer-reviewed materials on a device versus in print. According to Kantar Media, 46% of physicians read current medical journals only via print editions. Ignoring these channels could mean missing half of your audience.

To cover all your bases, consider investing in a media buying solution that can take advantage of every channel, from web banners to highly visible in-journal display ads.

4. Targeted advertising is on the rise

Targeted advertising is on the rise, and it not only helps marketers reach their target audiences but may also provide a better return on investment. Using geo-targeting and influencers, media buyers can strategically direct their spend.

To make sure you're getting the best potential return on investment, you need an advertising solution that can reach the targeted audience via multiple touch points - that's where the multi-channel approach mentioned above can make a significant impact.

These are just a few ways the media buying landscape is changing. For more ways to leverage peer-reviewed media, visit elsmediakits.com.