The competitive pharmaceutical landscape has led to a surge in the global healthcare advertising market with spending expected to top $52 billion by 2028.
Pharmaceutical organizations' printing needs range from posters, brochures and direct mail to signage and banners, and print remains a preferred channel for healthcare communications. More than 76% of pharmaceutical companies used printed patient education materials in 2022, compared to just 63% the previous year.
While printed materials are essential for patient and provider education, building trust and fostering brand recognition, inefficient and wasteful printing infrastructure can make it harder for pharma companies to manage their print needs. Ever-evolving regulatory requirements also present significant challenges in healthcare marketing, according to Kevin Kaiser, national account manager, FedEx Office.
“Regulatory requirements are constantly changing,” he says. “With a print-on-demand model, pharma companies can print just what they need and make adjustments as the requirements change.”
The impact of print on demand
Compliant communications are critical in biopharma, but printed materials that build relationships with patients, develop brand loyalty and maintain brand consistency are also needed.
During the pandemic, National Account Manager Kevin Kaiser worked with a national healthcare organization that needed branded print materials for COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention required the clinics to have posters, flyers and informational materials. Still, hospitals had little notice when vaccines would be available or the number of doses that would be shipped, leading to tight timelines for the right quantities of printed materials. Print-on-demand proved to be the ideal solution.
“We could quickly print whatever quantities they needed for each clinic at the time of need,” says Kaiser.
Print-on-demand also allows biopharma companies to foster stronger connections with their patients. With increased telehealth and home healthcare services leading more patients to seek care outside of clinic settings, printed materials with information about prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vaccines or other healthcare topics serve as valuable references that can be reviewed and shared.
Supplementing the verbal instructions that healthcare providers give during telehealth or home health appointments with printed materials that include diagrams, charts, infographics and written instructions can also make health information more accessible.
Print is also more flexible than other media and can be tailored to specific audiences. Posters, brochures and other printed materials can often foster relationships outside of traditional healthcare settings.
With the use of a content management platform, FedEx Office makes it possible to make universal changes to materials when regulatory language is updated. This feature not only helps with compliance but making the change in one place and having it applied across content can save significant time. Biopharma companies can print collateral in multiple languages or choose images representing their target patient populations.
Ensuring compliant communication
A print provider that offers printing workflows that allow for customization and quick response capabilities is crucial for biopharma companies. It helps minimize workflow inefficiencies and manage costs while maintaining brand consistency and aligning marketing strategies with regulatory standards. Secure data protocols are also an essential part of maintaining compliance in healthcare communications.
Confidentiality is important for all FedEx Office customers and is viewed as a competitive advantage. Kaiser notes that their digital catalogs and Central Production Centers (CPC) are secure; customer files are destroyed upon project completion, and the printing process is done in a secure environment.
Print-on-demand can also be a cost-effective solution, making it attractive to biopharma companies that need to produce compliant communications with limited budgets. Instead of investing in large print runs and leaving printed materials on the shelves (discarding them when regulations change and the materials are outdated), print-on-demand allows companies to print items as needed.
But Kaiser adds that biopharma companies aren’t just interested in producing compliant materials on a budget; value is also important.
“There are many different ways that print can be used to connect,” he says. “The customer doesn’t have to fully understand all the options available; they can work with a provider who can help guide them to the best choices for producing and distributing their communication materials.”
Book a consultation with FedEx Office to learn more about how customized printing workflows, print on demand capabilities and quick response times are crucial in staying competitive and adaptable in a dynamic landscape.
