Effectively Engaging Your HCPs through Digital Media
One of the biggest and most important challenges pharma reps face on a regular basis is how to market effectively to the health care provider community, and HCP digital engagement holds the solution. In order to successfully market to anyone, every rep – no matter the industry – must understand who their audiences are.
And you’re thinking, “What do you mean, who they are?”
Just like groups of people in other industries, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are people who share more than just a vocation – they share common interests, hobbies, lifestyle choices, beliefs, and more. It is critical that pharma understands that dynamic in order to comprehend what makes the HCP community “tick”.
When product promoters understand who their audiences are, they can also be clued in on what they want and what they need.
What’s the big deal about that?
The big deal is that when marketers understand HCPs and their needs, they will also gain an understanding of what problems HCPs face – and how to provide solutions for them! This is the root of successful marketing: Give customers solutions to their problems.
Pay Attention to the Dialogue
Most HCPs use the Internet on a regular basis, and many of them also use multiple channels for everything from documenting on the job to chatting with friends to research. They use medical industry forums and social media sites so to engage well with HCPs, you need to spend time in these platforms. Pay attention to “the voice” used across them all – that is, the dialogue that is used. By being active at these online “hang-outs” of HCPs, you can share content, build brand awareness, and promote products where HCPs show interest.
Pharma’s been Missing the Boat
A recent survey by EPG Health Media showed that 90% of healthcare providers interviewed stated they used online sources at least once a month for diagnostic tools. However, one-third of pharma companies claimed they don’t provide these tools!
Unfortunately, there are more materials pharma is failing to supply online.
40% of pharma companies provide no medical images, and 30% don’t provide medical education that HCPs are seeking. In addition, materials and tools for patients aren’t provided by 20% of pharma companies, just as 20% of pharma doesn’t provide branded promotional materials.
Tap into HCPs’ “Free Time”
Many HCPs are finding less time than ever to study in traditional ways, which means a good part of their newly found knowledge comes during their leisure time when they are browsing the Internet. With time for traditional ways like salesmen knocking on the office door and face-to-face meetings so limited, it’s more important than ever for pharma marketers to embrace the digital shift and immerse themselves in the online groups, forums, and social media sites that provide the key to successfully engaging the people pharma most needs in order to market successfully: healthcare providers.
Learn more valuable tips and key insights by attending one of our powerful pharma networking events! Make sure you’re at the top of your game with engaging HCPs digitally. Reserve your spot today.
