Pharma Marketers: I have recent observations and advice on 5 common problems in Omnichannel Engagement execution.
1. THE DOCTOR IS NOT READING YOUR EMAILS: Remember that email is best for conveying information in real time. Use it as a tool to disseminate important, relevant information. Foster an image that your company emails are worth the doctor’s time.
2. YOUR REPS ARE HAVING TROUBLE BOOKING CALLS: Equip your reps to stand out among competition. Unlike email, which is best for conveying new information, person-to-person contact is best for converging on a behavioral change. Empower reps to challenge, respectfully, HCPs in a way that adds value to their patients and practice. This is not easy, but it is becoming evermore essential.
3. SALES REPS ARE NOT IN LOVE WITH YOUR OMNICHANNEL PLAN: This is a common sentiment that should be taken very seriously. Ensure that your omnichannel engagement strategy incorporates: 1. the right use of a sales call (to converge on a behavior change) using digital to empower the rep and 2. sales team insights from the field.
4. YOUR REPS ARE NOT SEEING THE RIGHT HCPS: Revisit the brand strategy. If you have identified the right target HCP, then you need to study their needs and redefine your key success factors for engagement. If you have defined their journey correctly, you need to ensure that you are addressing their content and channel needs at the right moment in the HCP journey. Think: where should we convey information and where do we need to converge on a topic?
5. DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT IS LOW: A lot of resources go into developing digital content. You need to understand how to get the HCP to interact with them. The best insights on HCP digital habits will come from the field. Marketers: Get in the field and see for yourself! You also should champion a cross- functional task team to get insights from the sales team and their managers to fine-tune your digital strategy.
Key Takeaways: Convey information with the right channels. Empower reps to engage HCPs effectively when a back-and-forth conversation is most needed to move HCPs up the adoption ladder. Spend time in the field to understand where you can add value.
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