Laura Dix, Managing Director, Life Sciences, UK breaks down ‘5 ingredients’ that are sure to make a positive impact in the interaction between pharma marketers and healthcare professionals (HCPs).
COVID-19 drastically changed the playing field of HCP communication and engagement. Dix reminds us that the time has never been so important to truly differentiate when creating high-quality experiences for HCPs – experiences that HCPs deserve and will crave more of in the future when treating patients.
1. Relevancy on both messaging and medium
Just like anyone else, HCPS want messages that are designed for their individual interests and needs. It doesn’t matter how much time, effort, or beauty you put into your product showing. If it doesn’t mean anything to the receiving HCP then it’s a waste of time for both parties. Highly relevant messaging will show HCPs that you really care about their wants and needs and will make it more likely that they will use your product.
2. Information that is easily digestible
It’s no surprise that HCPs lead very busy lives. Finding the right message is difficult – it’s usually either too broad or overly-scientific. Easy-to-digest content that is tailored to their needs and preferences and offered conveniently will give HCPs that best and quickest way to consume information that will, in turn, improve the way they treat their patients.
3. Accessibility that encourages HCPs to come to you for the answers
What’s the sense in pushing through countless digital solutions that are not convenient, timely, or relevant to HCPs? Building off the last two points point, HCPs are constantly bogged down by tasks. Letting the HCP take ownership of his or her own time can be incredibly empowering. By creating a ‘single hub’, for instance, HCPs are given the chance to engage with solution offering on their own terms and when they may need it the most. It will make their time and resources more impactful
4. Driving connections among like-minded HCPs
A trend on the incline during the COVID-19 pandemic is fostering an environment for HCPs to come together, in some capacity, to share their knowledge with like-minded colleagues. This kind of experience will enrich the way HCPs learn and grow in their medical expertise, while also preventing HCPs from feeling the negative effects of isolation.
But this trend doesn’t have to stop there. More and more HCPs are moving over to social media for engagement, presenting pharma the incredible opportunity to build algorithms that connect like-minded HCPs with one another.
5. Leading with meaning and purpose
The most important part of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is striving to improve the lives of patients at every step in their health journeys. To do this full-heartedly, professionals have to find meaning and purpose in their work. At the end of the day, we are all human and if the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we all have a lot more in common than we think – we want to put forth our very best work and we should encourage more human-like connections.
As described by Dix, putting these 5 elements into practice requires a few things. 1) Recognize that this feat should be tackled by multiple teams – sales, marketing, analytics, tech, etc. – not just one team. 2) Make the necessary changes to your incentive compensation and reward reps for the quality and quantity of their work. 3) Embrace doing things that make you feel uncomfortable; make it your goal to create new ways of engagement instead of just sticking to tried-and-true means of communication.
Read pharma’s role in creating quality HCP experiences here.
