If you’re a pharma marketer, you’ve likely seen the rise in attention around point-of-care (POC) marketing. And for good reason: few channels offer the same ability to engage providers and patients right when health decisions are being made. Whether it’s surfacing brand messaging during diagnosis or delivering patient education at the moment of prescribing, true point-of-care marketing can connect the dots between awareness and action—between strategy and real-world outcomes.
But as more vendors enter the space, the definition of “point of care” has started to blur. From endemic websites to social platforms and beyond, just about every channel seems to be getting a piece of the POC pie. And while some of these may technically live near the care journey, they’re not all equally close to the actual clinical decision point.
That’s exactly what our latest guide, Activating at the Point-of-Care: A Buyer Guide for Life Science Marketers, aims to answer. We’ve outlined six essential considerations to help you assess POC marketing partners—and ensure your investments are actually moving the needle on brand performance.
Here’s a sneak peek at the six key takeaways and the questions that can help you find the right fit.
Let’s start with the most important question: Is your messaging actually being seen when care decisions are made?
True POC marketing is about more than just being “near” the point of care. It’s about precision placement during high-impact clinical moments—like when a physician opens a patient chart or writes a prescription.
What to consider: Can your message appear in EHRs, ePrescribing tools, or clinical decision support systems? Will it be part of the actual patient-provider interaction?
POC marketing shouldn’t be a black box. In fact, the closer you get to the point of care, the more important it is to have visibility into impression delivery: who saw what, when, and how often? Without NPI-level transparency, it’s difficult to prove ROI, avoid over- or under-saturation, and stay compliant with regulatory standards.
Ask yourself: Are your impressions tracked and reported at the NPI level? Do you know how many times your message reached each HCP—and through which channel?
Blending POC with broader omnichannel efforts can be powerful—but only if you know what you’re getting.
Some “integrated” programs package POC with top-of-funnel tactics, but fail to show how impressions are distributed or how performance is tracked across channels. That can leave marketers without the data needed to optimize spend or tie campaigns to conversions.
Key tip: Look for solutions that offer full-channel transparency, so you can validate delivery and outcomes by both NPI and platform.
High match rates can sound impressive. But if impressions are spread too thin—or delivered through lower-value placements—reach alone won’t move the needle.
Understanding how your budget aligns with actual delivery, and whether the platform can achieve meaningful frequency with your target HCPs, is just as important as match rate metrics.
Consider asking: How fresh is the targeting data? Can your budget realistically deliver optimal impressions per provider?
The most effective POC marketing reflects not just who the provider is, but who they’re treating.
Some platforms only allow targeting based on provider attributes like specialty or practice type. Others—like EHR-based tools—enable targeting based on real-time patient data (like ICD-10 or NDC codes). The most advanced partners use AI to predict eligibility signals, helping you reach HCPs treating the exact patients you care about.
One question to ask: Can you combine HCP behavior and patient-level criteria to deliver truly relevant messaging?
At the end of the day, marketing needs to drive results. POC marketing, in particular, should be held accountable for commercial impact—from prescription lift to new patient starts. If your vendor can’t show you how their solution ties to real outcomes, it might be time to re-evaluate.
Look for: Reporting that includes ROI methodologies, script lift analysis, and (ideally) third-party verification.
Your POC solution shouldn’t exist in isolation. The best programs harmonize with higher-funnel HCP campaigns and even patient-directed marketing—aligning brand messaging across the full care journey. When touchpoints are coordinated, the result is a stronger, more consistent brand experience for both patients and providers.
Want to go deeper? Download the full guide to access our recommended benchmarks, sample questions to ask vendors, and a breakdown of how POC marketing supports brand objectives across the drug lifecycle. Download now >>