🎉 Excited to join the “Next-Gen Omnichannel: Beyond Tech To True Engagement” webinar today!
Omnichannel goes beyond just technology – it’s about fostering real engagement with customers. We’ll delve into the ways of working challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry and explore strategies to move beyond technology dependence.
🙄 Are Your To-Do Lists Taking Over Your Creativity?
Ever feel like you’re drowning in a sea of tasks? You’re not alone, marketers & medical affairs to-do lists can become monsters, consuming your time and leaving you feeling burnt out 😞
🕙 The Challenge: Less Time, Less Inspiration
Juggling multiple channels: From social media to healthcare professional outreach, the omnichannel approach is essential, but it adds complexity. Balancing scientific accuracy with engaging content: Communicating complex medical information in a way that resonates with different audiences is a constant challenge.
Keeping up with the latest trends: The healthcare environment is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the curve requires ongoing research and adaptation.
💡 The Solution: Partnering for Success Trying to do it all in-house can be overwhelming. We’re here to support! 😀 Partnering with an external partners can free up your time and unleash your team’s creative potential.
Here’s how: 💻 Omnichannel Expertise: Agencies can develop a cohesive strategy that integrates seamlessly across all your marketing channels. ✉ Content Creation Powerhouse: From crafting compelling scientific content to designing eye-catching visuals, agencies can elevate your brand storytelling. 📃 Staying Ahead of the Curve: Agencies keep their fingers on the pulse of the latest trends and technologies, ensuring your campaigns are fresh and effective.
🤔 Do you see medical affairs as just a support function?
I don’t! I see Medical Affairs rapidly evolving into a key driver of success in the modern pharma world.
💁♀️ From Internal Expertise to External Collaboration: Traditionally, Medical Affairs functioned primarily as an internal resource, providing scientific expertise within the company. But, the current environment demands a more multifaceted approach.
👉 How ? Bridging the Gap Advancements in science, technology, and digital tools necessitate collaboration beyond company walls. Medical Affairs is now positioned at the forefront, actively engaging external stakeholders in impactful scientific and medical projects.
👍 Solution: Medical Affairs as the Bridge? By creating closer relationships with HCPs, and patients, Medical Affairs bridges the gap between innovation and real-world healthcare needs. This collaborative approach ensures that new breakthroughs translate into real improvements in patient outcomes. This evolution requires a new set of essentials for Medical Affairs teams to thrive:
🏆 Agility and Adaptability: The change in the industry demands Medical Affairs to be responsive to new challenges and opportunities.
🚀 Leaders who Foster Growth: Cultivating a culture of continuous learning, growth, and psychological safety empowers teams to embrace innovation.
👫 Building a Winning Team: Investing in talent development through scientific training, soft skills development, and mentorship programs unlocks the full potential of Medical Affairs professionals. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are important for fostering a culture of innovation
💻 Technology plays a vital role in this transformation:
Streamlining Operations: Leveraging technology optimizes operational efficiency, freeing up valuable time for teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
Digital Tools for Enhanced Communication and Decision-Making: Powerful digital tools can facilitate communication among stakeholders and utilize data analytics to inform strategic decision-making.
✨ The Future is Collaborative Medical Affairs, with its robust scientific foundation and focus on stakeholder engagement, is here to play a pivotal role in the future of healthcare. As it embraces collaboration and leverages the power of technology, Medical Affairs will be a driving force in improving clinical outcomes and improving patient care.
Post Inspired by Opinion article for Jornal Económico | Medical Affairs, a new strategic pillar in the pharmaceutical industry (thelisbonmba.com)
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😊 Imagine a land of great ideas, full of resources – that’s Global teams!
👫 Here, Global Teams produce innovative materials, but a persistent question still remains: Do these treasures ever reach distant markets? Do they really meet their needs?
🙍♂️ Meanwhile, local teams are working brimming with insights from the field. They understand the unique needs of each market, the voices of the HCPs, the realities on the ground. But a silent worry preoccupies them: Are their voices ever heard? Do their insights ever bridge the vast distance and influence the grand ideas?
💁♂️ For far too long, these two worlds existed in isolated kingdoms, separated by ancient walls. This, my friends, is the “silos since the dawn of time” – a formidable challenge facing the land of Pharma.
📢 But fear not! We’re rising to the challenge, by proposing practical solutions to build the bridge between these 2 worlds:
1️⃣ Chapter 1: The Exchange – Global and local teams come together in large workshops: a forum to share their knowledge. Field Force, heroes of the frontlines, bring the voices and experiences of HCPs directly to the table. 2️⃣ Chapter 2: The Alliance – Teams from different regions join forces with their global peers. Through collaborative exercises, they forge a path forward, choosing the best approach for the brand and the company as a whole. 3️⃣ Chapter 3: Local Power – Markets get their turn in the spotlight. Dedicated workshops delve into their specific needs, ensuring that tactics are tailored to their success. 4️⃣ Chapter 4: The Grand Adaptation – Global materials go under a transformation. Infused with the insights from local markets, they become potent tools, perfectly suited to serve each unique region. 5️⃣ Chapter 5 & 6: Continued Dialogues – The bridge remains open, with regular workshops fostering continuous exchange between global and local teams.
✨ This is the story we are writing – a story of collaboration, a saga of shared insights. With this mindset and with continious efforts we can break down the walls of the “Silos”, ensuring that the grand ideas of Global truly reach the distant markets, and that the voices of local teams are heard loud and clear.
🛣 The journey to personalization requires a deep understanding of HCPs needs and preferences at every stage of the adoption process.
👩⚕️ Reaching thousands of HCPs requires a strategic approach. One recent article from Veeva Systems made me think about how can we craft Personas?
🙄 Can we go beyond demographics to consider how HCPs think and make decisions (treatment approach, adoption attitudes, information-seeking behaviors, competitor awareness)?
Veeva Systems tried to Understand HCP Profiles and Preferences segmenting them as below:
👩🏫 Efficacy-focused: These HCPs prioritize treatment goals and detailed data. They prefer digital channels for real-time information.
👨🔬 Safety-focused: These HCPs prioritize taking into consideration potential risks and side effects .
👨💼 Patient-centered: These HCPs focus on symptom relief and patient well-being.
We can see clear differences between these personas in terms of their messaging behaviors. Some prioritize achieving specific goals (efficacy), while others focus on safety or treatment goals. Additionally, there are significant differences in their preferred communication channels and where they get their information.
💁♀️ Curious to know your opinion about this segmentation! Can we use it independantly of the markets implementation &/ or the HCPs specialties? And what is your current segmentation methodology ?
Please share with us your experience in the comments below! Veeva Systems
💁♀️ Effective engagement with HCPs requires a balanced approach. While pull activities empower HCPs to learn on their own terms, well-timed push tactics ensure they’re aware of critical information. The key is understanding what, when, and how HCPs want to consume content.
✨ The Key to Success: Personalization The golden rule of communication remains constant: personalization is king! But how do we achieve this in a world of spammed HCPs?
Here’s the challenge: ✉ Content: Effective messaging considers both the product’s lifecycle stage (launch vs. mature…) and the target audience’s persona. Messages that resonate with a “relationship seeker”doctor during a product launch will differ from those that resonate with an “transactional doctor” using a mature product.
📱 Channels: Choose the channel that best suits the persona and their stage in the learning journey (e.g., email updates for ongoing education, webinars for in-depth learning).
⏲ Timing: Deliver content at the right time, considering the lifecycle stage and your HCPs learning journey (e.g., post-conference follow-up emails, timely reminders about new treatment guidelines)
😊 The Question Remains: Are We Getting It Right? As pharma professionals, we all strive to create successful communication strategies. But are we truly meeting the needs of HCPs?
Let’s Discuss! Share your thoughts in the comments below: How can pharma companies better serve HCPs? What are your experiences with current communication strategies? What innovative solutions can we implement to achieve true personalization?
From Information Providers to Orchestrated Omni-Channel Partners!
😉Pharmaceutical sales model is changing. Traditionally, medical representatives focused on delivering information to HCPs. But today’s physicians have more nuanced expectations, seeking a blend of information, services, and emotional connection during interactions!
Research by Smart Pharma (2016-2021) suggests physician expectations are influenced by:
-External factors:Industry trends,competitor activity, and healthcare regulations. -Internal factors: Past experiences with med reps and the pharmaceutical company. – Physician personality: Some physicians prioritize data-driven information (“Information Seekers”), while others value rapport and trust (“Emotion Seekers”).
The “Seeker Portrait” model helps med reps identify an HCP expectation:
🤔- Information Seekers: These HCPs want in-depth clinical data, evidence-based medicine updates, and the latest disease-related news. 🫡- Service Seekers: They value practical assistance, like reimbursement codes or patient education support materials. 😊- Emotion Seekers: These HCPs appreciate a positive and respectful interaction, where the med rep acts as a trusted partner.
✨️The Rise of the Orchestrated Omni-Channel Rep
HCPs’ dominant expectations can vary depending on the specific situation and brand (established vs. new, innovative vs. generic). To effectively influence their behavior, med reps must adapt their approach.
This is where the concept of the “orchestrated omni-channel rep” comes in
These reps leverage a combination of communication channels – face-to-face meetings, digital tools, and remote detailing – to deliver the right information, services, and emotional connection to each HCP based on their unique needs.
By understanding the “Seeker Portrait” and embracing an omni-channel approach, med reps can become more effective partners in improving HCPs engagement with Pharma!
🙄 Do you need customer insights, competitor analysis and struggle to collect this essential information?
Very often we face a labyrinth of data in disconnected systems. Customer demographics sit in one platform, website analytics in another, and competitor research is locked away in a third. This fragmented picture, the result of data silos, makes it almost impossible to get a holistic view of our marketing environment. 🤷♀️ The Challenges of Siloed Data:
📊 Blinded by Fragmentation: Critical data on our target audience, campaign performance, and competitor strategies becomes fragmented and siloed. This blcks our ability to develop a comprehensive marketing vision and build a data-driven strategy.
🤦♂️ Misguided Decisions: Without a unified view of our marketing data, we’re left making decisions in the dark. Targeting the wrong audience, overlooking key trends, and misallocating resources are just some of the potential consequences.
🤦♀️ Missed Opportunities: Valuable insights on customer behavior, campaign effectiveness, and market shifts remain hidden within silos. This translates to missed opportunities to optimize campaigns, personalize customer experiences, and stay ahead of the competition.
📢 How can we break Down the Walls?
💡 The good news is, there’s a path towards data-driven marketing clarity. By implementing a unified data platform, you can transform the way your marketing team operates. Swipe right to find out more:
🤗 The idea of a seamless customer experience across all channels is the holy grail of modern marketing. We call it omnichannel, and there’s a mountain of evidence showing its effectiveness. Yet, many companies struggle to translate theory into reality!
The Implementation Gap Here’s the challenge: 🙎♀️ Silos: Traditional organizational structures often compartmentalize marketing, sales, and customer service. This makes it difficult to create a unified customer journey.
🤷♂️ Companies get stuck in a multichannel approach: simply adding new channels without integrating them. This leads to a confusing and disjointed experience for customers. Bridging the Gap: Building an Omnichannel Mindset!
💡 The solution lies in a cultural shift. Here are some tips to get your company on board:
🔎 Make the Case: Use market trends, customer feedback, and data to showcase the urgency and potential of omnichannel.
🧐 Paint a Vision: Inspire your team with clear communication and leadership buy-in.
👫 Communicate Effectively: Utilize internal newsletters, webinars, and existing communication channels (brand plans, marketing plans) to keep everyone informed.
✌ Co-creation is Key: Involve stakeholders from the start and tailor strategies to specific markets and brands.
🤜 Continuous Learning: Regularly assess team needs and offer training resources to bridge any knowledge gaps.
✨ Focus on Quality Over Quantity Don’t fall into the trap of being present on every single channel. Prioritize creating positive customer experiences. Understand your audience, segment them effectively, and deliver the right message through the right channels.
The Takeaway 📢 Omnichannel is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. By overcoming implementation hurdles and fostering a customer-centric culture, you can create a seamless experience that sets your brand apart!
🙄 Once Upon a Time in Pharma…There Weren’t Any Stories
Once upon a time in pharma, marketing messages were as dry as a chemistry textbook 😟 Facts and figures ruled and information were forgotten. But then, a curious thing happened…
🎇 Storytelling Woke Up the Sleeping Giant
Consumer brands, like the mighty Nike with its “Find Your Greatness” campaign, discovered the power of stories. They weaved tales of everyday athletes pushing their limits, sparking emotions and inspiring viewers. The message? It wasn’t just about shoes, it was about unleashing your own inner champion.
👨⚕️ Pharma Said, “Wait, We Can Do That Too?”
Absolutely! In the complex world of pharma, there are lessons to be learned from the storytelling approach. Here’s why:
👩🔬 Science with Soul: We can weave captivating narratives around data, making clinical trials come alive with stories of patients overcoming challenges and achieving life-changing results.
🎉 Memorable Moments: Facts are important, but stories stick. By using clear language and relatable experiences, we can create a lasting impression on healthcare professionals and patients alike.
😊 Building Trust, One Story at a Time: Sharing honest narratives about a drug’s journey, from initial research to real-world impact, fosters trust and transparency.
🏆 Your stories can position your brand as a champion for specific values and patient experiences!
Pharma Happily Ever After 😄
The healthcare systems wants connection, and storytelling is the bridge. By putting the human experience at the center and creating narratives that resonate on an emotional level, pharma marketing can build trust, engagement, and ultimately, a healthier future for all.
