Healthcare professionals and health consumers are using digital channels more than ever before, and the medium’s popularity continues to grow each day. Pharma marketers want to connect with these audiences and are having increasing difficulty doing so as media fragments. A critical disconnect is that pharma’s commitment to digital programs within their marketing mix is not keeping pace with the rapid adoption and shift of media consumption by pharma’s customers. This process is being repeated in mobile.
There are tried-and-true digital marketing components with proven effectiveness. There are also new digital capabilities becoming available faster than ever, and they are regularly redefining the competitive landscape. The pace of change is remarkable. Successful marketers need to be highly skilled at combining trusted tactics with innovative technologies to create optimal results for their brands. Additionally, it’s imperative that marketers partner with industry experts who are committed to keeping current with available options, doing rigorous testing, and providing impactful recommendations for technology use that clearly fit brand objectives.
In today’s industry climate, the pharma marketer’s key and growing focus is targeting. You need to justify every dollar spent to drive bottom-line results. The digital channel makes that mission both difficult and easy: difficult because the audience is so massive and diverse; easy because effective use of technology can help execute pinpoint delivery to target audiences.
The right combination of reach, relevance, and retargeting can create the perfect storm that will drive the results you need. Here’s how:
Achieve Reach: You know your audience is out there. Cast a wide net to find them.
Be Relevant: You need to capture your customers’ interest in your message. Be deliberate in where you express it. Deliver it when they are in that mindset.
Leverage Retargeting: When you find them be sure you can find them again and again. Continue your connection with them through message repetition, sequencing, or updates. Be deliberate and planned in your communication with each person. Apply elements of understanding about them to deliver greater motivation to act.
Authenticate: Better yet, for pharmaceutical marketers targeting HCPs, if you know you are reaching your specific prescriber audiences, the targeting value is greater still. List-matching to reach an authenticated prescriber audience is a very focused and highly desirable media buy. Work with your media partners and share data.
Any one of these factors can be effective on its own, but as capabilities in these areas continue to evolve, using them in smart combinations will provide the biggest and best results for brands.
R.J. Lewis, President and CEO, eHealthcare Solutions
