Two Key Questions About HCP Engagement and Education in 2022 (PM360)

BY PM360 STAFF MAY 17, 2022

PM360 asked industry experts how to improve engagement with healthcare professionals based on the lessons learned during the pandemic as well as the best ways to identify key opinion leaders (KOLs). Specifically, we wanted to know:

• What are the biggest lessons to emerge from the pandemic about how life sciences companies can improve their approach to HCP engagement? How have HCPs needs/wants from the industry changed? What areas of engagement/education are still lacking from an HCP perspective and require life sciences companies to do better?
• What is the best process for identifying the right KOLs for your brand to work with? What kind of data or information is most important for making this determination? How is the rise of digital opinion leaders (DOLs) and more virtual speaker programs and similar events altering your approach?

When the pandemic drove pharma to replace in-person rep visits with increased digital assets and virtual contact, HCP engagement focused sharply on how information was delivered. But today, we need to focus more on what information is exchanged.

Content personalization is the key to HCP engagement success in this new era. It’s vital to appreciate that HCPs consume material uniquely, make clinical decisions in varied ways and within different timeframes, and communicate differently than pre-pandemic. Winning teams will develop a cohesive brand story that’s relevant to the singular HCP at hand by understanding his or her brand knowledge and needs. Farewell to one-size-fits-all email blasts and materials that can only be hand-delivered by a rep. Sales and brand teams must build holistic experiences that allow HCPs to move through their individual brand journeys in a way that fits their particular needs, preferences, and timing, regardless of how they’re exchanging information.

The good news is that this is entirely doable. The data exists and the tech exists. The open question is if the mindset for marketing to HCPs can make the shift. Welcome to the HCP-First era.