How medical advertisers can navigate a divided media landscape

Print or digital? It's a hard question to answer for medical advertisers who want to reach a targeted, professional audience. Advertising online can seem like taking shots in the dark and print media may feel stale in the digital age. However, both marketing channels have their place in a modern campaign. Keep reading to find out how marketers can take advantage of these rival mediums.

The advantages of print media

In today's age of smartphones and tablets, it may seem like print media has gone the way of other antiquated technologies - but that couldn't be further from the truth. According to the Pew Research Center, 35 million U.S. households receive a daily newspaper and 18 percent of Americans often get their news from print sources. But that's just the general population. In the medical community, 90 percent of physicians read current print editions of medical journals, according to Kantar Media.

What does this mean for advertisers? Print media is a viable, effective way to reach a targeted audience, including healthcare professionals (HCPs). Compared to popular literature, which tends to have a general readership, peer-reviewed literature reaches very specific audiences and its articles are trusted by the HCPs.

Smartphones and tablets make it easy for physicians to read content on the go.

The advantages of digital media

Digital publications are powerful because they adapt to reader needs. Though a doctor may only read print journals at the office, he or she can read digital editions anywhere via a smartphone, tablet or computer. And that's just one advantage.

Digital display advertisements are also more measurable than print ads. When you publish a digital ad, you can track key performance indicators and analyze your data to make more effective ads in the future. This adaptability means marketers can be quick to respond to trends and new insights.

Bain and Company reported that digital media can have a better payoff for smaller companies, compared to more expensive traditional media. Digital ads can be cheaper to produce and are more easily disseminated than TV spots or radio ads, for example.

Meeting in the middle: A multi-channel approach

Rather than relying on one channel to reach your target audience, which involves a substantial amount of risk, it makes sense to spread your message across multiple channels. As CIO reported, a balanced approach to marketing can help advertisers better engage readers by offering more than one avenue of communication.

In the medical world, this is even more important, as physicians may get their industry news from print sources, digital editions of journals or expert-curated websites. By utilizing a multi-channel approach, you get the benefits of precision targeting as well as the advantage of a wide net. Plus, you bypass the general population of readers who are far less likely to be medical professionals.

To learn more about how a multi-channel approach to medical advertising can benefit your business, visit ELSMediaKits.com today.