SMOKING


Have you tried vaping, but still can’t quit smoking? Our stop smoking clinic has qualified advisors who are trained to give you the best chance of success. The 12-week program consists of a private consultation, support and advice, along with free stop smoking products.


> In the last six months, for example, two different studies carried out by Cancer Research Uk and Public health England (PhE) clearly showed that there were health benefits to be derived from e-cigarettes. The PhE study in fact showed that e-cigarettes were 95 per cent safer than smoking!


‘But it is research carried out earlier this year by a team of investigators from University College, london that, I believe, is the real face of voking. ‘In the study, the researchers analysed levels of carcinogens and toxicants known to be derived from cigarette smoking among a group of smokers and ex-smokers. Two groups were using harm reduction products, such as e-cigs or other NRTs - and they were found to have significantly lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when compared to those using combustible or real cigarettes alone, or combinations of cigarettes and e-cigs.


‘The study concluded, in fact, that smokers who switch to e-cigs and vaping, could substantially reduce their levels of carcinogens and other toxins by as much as 97 per cent.


‘So far, so good, then for vapers! ‘Not so good news for vokers, however! Despite the positive results about switching to e-cigs, the data also clearly showed that, in order to have a significantly decreased exposure to tobacco carcinogens and toxicants, a person could not combine cigarette smoking with NRT or e-cig use.


32 - PhARmACy IN fOCUS


‘And so there we have our target market….the voker!


‘These recent studies have provided us, as community pharmacists, with the data that we need to convince vokers that yes, switching to e-cigs will reduce their exposure to carcinogens etc, but that they cannot ‘mix and match’ with real cigarettes. what is therefore needed is a clinically proven service, ie, the smoking cessation programme, which is free on the NhS and which can be combined with vaping.


‘In other words, our smoking cessation service!


‘So, how do we go about it?


‘No doubt, like myself, you probably feel that - at times - smokers have forgotten that we exist. All of the media hype surrounding vaping has caused our services to fade into the background and they’re literally lost in a haze.


‘If we want to reverse the slump in our service footfall, we need to be proactive. Armed with the knowledge and data I’ve just presented, you have more than enough material to strike up a conversation with smokers, who come into the pharmacy. whether they’re current vokers or previous smoking cessation participants, who may perhaps have previously failed, you have the perfect opportunity to guide them towards a structured programme in which you are offering them not only guidance and product, but support.


‘your ‘reach’ must go much further than those, who come into the pharmacy, however. you have to get your message about our pharmacy service ‘out there’. And what better - and more cost-effective - way to do than through social media?


First impressions ‘while social media has many positives, one of the drawbacks with it is that users are constantly bombarded with info and images, so you have only a few seconds to make an impact and get your message across. for that reason, you have to have access to visuals and videos that are designed to make an immediate impact, and which will make your pharmacy - and its services - instantly appealing. fortunately, websites such as fiverr and people per hour mean that you have ready access to professional graphics and videos for which you don’t have to pay until you’re happy with the finished result. you’ll be amazed at what you can get for a small outlay. just remember to keep your script ‘on message’ and keep any videos under 60 seconds in length, otherwise you’ll lose impact.


Curiouser and curiouser… ‘Unfortunately, grabbing someone’s attention through social media isn’t enough - you have to keep their attention and draw them even closer to your service. look at my advert below – the headline is strong and the short wording is concise and to the point. Anyone looking at this ad can see in one glance what I’m offering.


‘Liking’ not enough! ‘Unfortunately, getting plenty of ‘likes’ isn’t enough in this instance. you need to get people to not only respond to your advert by posting a comment, but to also ‘share’ it or to ‘tag’ someone whom they believe could benefit from the service. By adding ‘buttons’ to the post, you will enable anyone interested to phone the pharmacy, to link to your website, or to book an appointment directly from the page.


Give yourself a ‘boost’ ‘Publishing a post may be free, but in order to derive optimal attention from viewers, it’s a good idea to pay the platform to promote your advert. This is known as ‘boosting’ and will give you control over who sees your advert and when. In order to ‘choose’ your audience, I would suggest targeting a location. After all, you’re not really likely to attract people who live outside of a ten-mile radius around your pharmacy, are you?


If you don’t want to pay for boosting, then an effective and free alternative to boosting is by partnering with high-volume facebook groups in your area. These can include local interest groups, surgeries, libraries, slimming groups, gyms etc - all of which tend to have huge followings.


Spread the word! ‘Once you’ve posted your advert, make the most of ‘free advertising’ by encouraging your success stories to post comments on your page so that they can spread the word free of charge. Nothing beats word of mouth!


‘So, there you have it. Despite our falling footfall for our smoking cessation service, I firmly believe that a new, virtually untapped market is there - ready and waiting - for us. It’s just a matter of identifying those who would benefit from this service and mounting interventions to draw them in.


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