Here is the pressing issue: healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are getting busier by the day leaving little or no face-time for representatives of pharmaceutical companies. What does this mean for pharma marketers? Do they need to reinvent the wheel to achieve better communication? Yes and no.
If we were to see through the lens of a HCP, considering their busy schedules, an idea of good communication would include useful, succinct and easy to consume materials rather than the typical product brochures. So, where do the HCPs go to find such easy to consume content? You got it; the digital media.
Pharmaceutical companies who are sweating it out on digital platforms (and getting it right) are reaping good rewards. If you are a pharma marketer and engaging with HCPs digitally is on your bucket list then you have landed on the right page. Let’s get started with a few hcp marketing tactics that you should apply to engage with busy HCPs.
Understand the physicians
Clinical data isn’t the only deciding factor for physicians to prescribe a particular drug. There are several other factors such as clinical protocols, the price of the drug and the type of patients to whom the drug can be prescribed. In order to get all this information, physicians are shifting to a broader array of information sources, especially online sources. Catering to such information needs would require pharma marketers to identify and profile HCPs by their demographics (age, specialization, geographic location), activities and content consumption behavior. Digital technology such as the Espyian AI engine integrates with live databases of HCPs and helps in identifying an individual HCP and creates their unique profile.
Create impactful content
Videos and case studies rule the roost when it comes to impactful pharma marketing. Here are four reasons why.
They don’t beat around the bush – Videos and case studies are short, to the point and focused on the important information. There is a logical flow which starts with a problem statement and arrives at the end-result which all physicians appreciate.
They are convenient – For all the time-starved physicians, videos and case studies come as an easily consumable form of content which they can watch/read at a convenient time.
They enable better retention – Research shows that videos help viewers retain 95% of the message as compared to 10% in the case of plain text. Case studies with pictorial representation of process/results also contribute to better retention of information.
They build trust – Videos and result-oriented case studies lend credibility to any claims that a marketer might make. The content presented in such a format is well-organized and less confusing for physicians, thus winning their trust.
Focus on the funnel
Any digital strategy that performs well has a particular focus on the funnel. The core of a pharmaceuticals marketing strategy should be dynamic messaging that becomes increasingly personalized as an HCP moves down the marketing funnel. Such sequential communication is easy to execute with powerful AI engines such as the Espyian which enable marketers to control the time taken to convert a HCP.
Optimize and track your marketing efforts
This is where pharma hcp marketing on digital platforms truly pays off. With tools such as programmatic media buying, marketers can track the returns for every dollar spent. With self-service platforms like Doceree, marketers know whom they are targeting, on which channels, how often and can track the result of all their marketing efforts in real-time. It also helps pharma marketers to optimize both their content and costs.
About Doceree
Doceree is the world’s 1st Ad exchange for branded Healthcare Professional (HCPs) advertising. Powered by Espyian,a proprietary HCP validation engine that identifies and precision targets over 1 million* physicians across the United States for non-personal promotion and personalized experience.