Advanced Digital Strategy and Conversion Optimization for Pharmaceutical Brands

Skills and Tools Utilized

• Tools: Google Analytics, Python (data cleaning and integration), R Studio (Poisson regression), Excel (pivot tables, correlation analysis).

• Techniques: Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA), Poisson regression modeling, funnel optimization, and landing page performance analysis.

• Analytical Skills: Digital strategy development, conversion rate optimization, data-driven insight generation, and statistical modeling.

Introduction

As consultants for Epsilon, we were tasked with improving digital marketing performance for three pharmaceutical brands promoting their drugs. The primary objective was to enhance Patient Enrollment Form (PEF) submissions, optimize paid search performance, and reduce cost per conversion. By analyzing Google Analytics data, we identified key bottlenecks in the conversion funnel and recommended strategies tailored to each brand's digital maturity.

Methodology

We employed a multi-step analytical approach combining exploratory data analysis (EDA) and predictive modeling to uncover actionable insights:

1. Data Integration:

   • Merged data on website visits, pageviews, and conversions from multiple sources using Python.

   • Cleaned and standardized data by handling missing values and creating dummy variables for channel types, devices, and user journeys.

2. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA):

   • Conducted EDA to understand user engagement patterns, landing page performance, and traffic behavior.

   • Visualized key metrics like conversion rates, time on page, and bounce rates to assess user progression across journey stages.

3. Descriptive and Correlation Analysis:

   • Created pivot tables to summarize metrics by acquisition channels, devices, and landing pages.

   • Ran correlation tests to evaluate the relationship between paid search spend and PEF submissions.

4. Predictive Modeling:

   • Applied Poisson regression to identify key drivers of conversion for each journey stage.

   • Independent variables included channel types, device categories, and behavioral metrics such as time on page and pages per session.

Data

The data for the project was sourced from Google Analytics, containing:

• Website Visits: Sessions, bounce rates, session duration, traffic sources, and device categories.

• Pageviews: Total and unique page views, entrances, exits, and acquisition channels.

• Conversions: Journey stages (1-4), landing and conversion page data, and PEF submissions.

• Paid Search Spend: Monthly spending data segmented by search engine and audience.

Key Findings

1. Paid Search Effectiveness:

   • For Brand U (least mature), Google CPC was 58% more effective at driving PEF submissions than Bing CPC.

   • For Brand K, low conversion rates (3.6%) at Journey Stage 1 indicated drop-offs early in the funnel due to irrelevant landing page content.

   • For Brand T (most mature), Healthcare Provider (HCP) pages drove 38% higher conversions than consumer-focused pages at Journey Stage 3.

2. Cost Optimization:

   • Bing CPC reduced cost per conversion by up to 60% compared to Google CPC for Brand K.

   • Across brands, optimizing key landing pages improved engagement and reduced acquisition costs.

3. Journey Stage Progression:

   • Conversion rates varied significantly by stage and brand maturity:

     • Brand K: Only 3.6% converted at Journey Stage 1, causing drop-offs.

     • Brand T: 14.3% converted at Journey Stage 3 after optimizing HCP-focused content.

Actionable Insights and Strategies

1. Reallocate Paid Search Budget:

   • Increase spending on Google CPC for Brand U, where conversions showed a strong positive impact on PEF submissions.

   • For Brand K, prioritize lower-cost channels like Bing CPC for improved cost efficiency.

2. Optimize Landing Pages:

   • Focus on customer-oriented pages like "/specialty-1/" for Brand K, which had the highest conversions.

   • Remove or improve underperforming pages with high traffic but low conversions.

3. Target Healthcare Providers:

   • For Brand T, emphasize Healthcare Provider (HCP) content at the bottom of the funnel to drive Journey Stage 3 conversions.

4. Improve Top-of-Funnel Engagement:

   • Address high drop-offs at Journey Stage 1 by refining landing page relevance and aligning content with visitor intent.

This project demonstrated how data-driven optimization of paid search and user journeys can significantly improve digital marketing performance, leading to increased PEF submissions, enhanced engagement, and reduced conversion costs for pharmaceutical brands.