Some pharmaceutical marketers don’t understand what healthcare professionals need right now – and worse, they are flooding clinicians with expendable promotional material that is currently losing value at the expense of more high-quality personalized content.
That’s according to a new report by Digitally Savvy HCP, from healthcare solutions company Indegene, which has been tracking these relationships over the past few years.
An extensive questionnaire and study were conducted on a group of physicians from the United States, Europe, India, and China.
It states that 70% of healthcare professionals surveyed feel that reps “do not fully understand their needs and expectations,” while 62% of healthcare providers are “overwhelmed” by boring promotional materials from pharmaceutical companies.
So the COVID-19 pandemic has raised more issues given that healthcare providers and medical delegates are restricted to face-to-face meetings. Some said that digital communication was too much.
As a result, pharmaceutical companies have relied on digital channels to send out promotional materials related to the product.
This has increased the amount of unsolicited and inefficient digital promotional material and, in some cases, prompted healthcare providers to associate them with certain pharmaceutical companies by engaging in excessive and at times poor digital promotional content.
So pharmaceutical companies must look at innovative ways to share information. For example, some pharmaceutical companies may improve their knowledge of digital marketing methods that are valid and beneficial to themselves and their companies, creating high-quality, non-consumable digital content and optimizing the type of information used.
In addition, pharmaceutical companies must look beyond their own channels and forums and seek to learn more about the digital virtual world and other technological sciences such as artificial intelligence.
And by publishing educational content in a more attractive and confident manner and co-creating it with healthcare providers.
Investing in Medical Representatives:
Pharmaceutical companies need to train medical reps, too.
Companies should seek out digitally savvy medical advocates and help them upgrade their skills to ensure they are “agile and efficient” in using digital channels and content based on what healthcare providers are looking for and invest in their training to be leaders in the next digital transformation.
It was also added that while pharmaceutical companies have made some significant investments in digital multi-channel strategies, drug makers still have a long way to go to generate returns by interacting with customers on digital channels.
So what is the solution?
1- Bypassing the commercial digital content of the product, traditional marketing methods, and unwanted consumer digital advertising materials, and the advertising representatives should hone their skills in line with the technological development to stay away from boredom and stereotyping in the marketing of products.
Social media is at a watershed moment and its role and importance will continue to rise in the next few years. In light of this, representatives of pharmaceutical companies should consider social media as an important channel to communicate and enhance their relationship with their healthcare providers.
2- You should interact using various interactive tools such as blogs, websites, social media, etc.
One of the best things to include in digital pharmaceutical marketing strategies in 2023 is interacting with customers on different platforms to provide legitimate and valuable information.
In an age of increasing fake news and misinformation, healthcare brands have an opportunity to reach consumers with legitimate information. Therefore, interaction with healthcare clients is essential, even in B2B marketing.
3- You need to switch to e-commerce platforms and promote products.
Once you understand what your customers are looking for, you can reach them through e-commerce platforms.
It’s time to know your audience’s requirements and where the customer is in the buying journey.
4- The pharmaceutical industry is a competitive industry. You have to be in touch with your customers and set goals to retain them.
Always be the first to let your customers know about changes or developments in the healthcare industry. These helpful, direct tips through emails, direct mail, webinars, and more can help maintain customer loyalty.
You need to go beyond traditional CRM and invest in creating lifetime value for customers. Try to improve digital pharmaceutical marketing and go the extra mile to attract and retain your customers.
5- Contract marketing has been rising steadily from 2018 to 2021. Statistics show that the value of the pharmaceutical industry will reach $1.5 trillion from 2022 to 2030.
This is due to the emergence of contract marketing between pharmaceutical companies, start-ups, major brands, and their clients. This will boost manufacturing and distribution supply chains beyond the norm.
6- The B2B industry is evolving and becoming as customer-centric as the B2C industry. Marketing strategy revolves around the customer rather than the product.
Thus, the omnichannel approach is one of the trends in digital pharmaceutical marketing strategies in 2022. This customized omnichannel approach ensures that you understand customer behavior and preferences before marketing the product.
Thanks to the combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning, you can access quality and timely data to make marketing decisions.
7- Knowledge before action
Before implementing digital pharmaceutical marketing, you should focus on the current scenario. Many things have changed after the pandemic and are constantly evolving.
Below is a set of questions that need appropriate answers to know your audience and the marketers you are targeting.
Who is your target audience?
What are they looking for in the pharmaceutical industry? What are their demands?
Where can you connect with them or bring your presence to them?
Why would they choose you over other pharmaceutical companies? List the reasons why you are unique.
Are you ready to solve their challenges? Do you have the required infrastructure and resources?
8- Make the best use of technology
It’s time for digital drug marketing strategies to integrate artificial reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and machine learning (ML) to boost marketing.
With the advent of the Metaverse, the digital world is about to change forever, and the pharmaceutical industry must be embracing the change as soon as possible.
There have been times when you have physically interacted, engaged or taught buyers about your brand, products, or disease awareness.
The new era of virtual reality and artificial intelligence provides a powerful creative platform to sell or educate buyers about your brand and services. Hence, incorporating the above-mentioned techniques into your digital marketing services will give you a high ground for engaging influencers and gaining a competitive advantage.
9- Final Thoughts on Healthcare Strategy
Since 2019, the pharmaceutical industry has been through its most turbulent time. But she overcame the hurdle of working in a fast-paced and action-packed environment.
Thus, the industry just needs to implement the best digital pharmaceutical marketing strategies in 2023. Then, by adopting the above-mentioned methods, they can achieve sustainable success in the pharmaceutical industry, despite challenging times.
So what are the main components of digital marketing in the pharmaceutical industry?
• Content Marketing.
• Create and maintain brand reputation.
• Interact with the public on various platforms.
• Target decision makers on the platforms in which they are available.
• Engage with and retain clients.
If you would like to learn more about virtual reality in pharmaceutical marketing and how a digital strategy can propel your company forward, schedule a consultation with digital pharmaceutical marketing expert here Abdullah Battah.
