Pharma companies need to communicate. But HCP contact has reduced drastically in the last year of the pandemic. But, the pandemic has made the time right for e-detailing.
But, the pandemic has made the time right for e-detailing. It’s the newest and the most effective way to do pharma marketing today. A good analytics platform can help you reach HCPs wherever they are in India and whenever they want to speak to you.
Pharma company culture should involve e-detailing. You’ve got to be a digitally savvy pharma marketer. Time to turn into a pharma geek!
Promoting drugs to doctors without the intrusion of a clinic visit is perfect
e-detailing. Does it spell the death of the pharma salesman? Not really! It’s not a shift that will happen in a day – but more gradually.
Pandemic has changed the Medscape. New categories of ground-breaking drugs. Unprecedented competition. The advantage? It will take you to places you have never gone before. You could turn sales reps into sales ‘cyborgs’. Encourage them to converse with doctors remotely, in a competitive and convincing manner and yet be able to withstand regulatory and reputational pressures online.
Physical marketing to physicians is seeing a declining ROI. E-detailing is increasingly popping up as a viable substitute.
See the proof in numbers
43% of medical reps manage to get an appointment from the clinic.
7% of reps get just 2 minutes time with the doctor.
6% of doctors have a good opinion of reps.
8% of calls are recalled by doctors.
Medical Rep population is doubling but the number of doctors is increasing only a fraction of this population. There is a saturation point that has left the doctors wishing for a reduction in clinic /hospitals visits. Many visits become ‘no see’ service calls because many doctors refuse access.
All these can optimize the impact of e-detailing. You have to offer much more than just a brochure on the net. You can offer presentations by thought leaders from medical conferences and PowerPoint decks. Offer doctors opt-in services if they need more information. Market research can be used in embedded forms. Yes, you can facilitate the online delivery of samples. Use social media like Facebook Live to tell patient stories. Yes, social media can work as a marketing tool for pharma companies. Interactive solutions can better your relationships with doctors. Because, when you go beyond sales pitches the information you give becomes clinically relevant.
Build relationships like reps do. Ideally, e-detailing should mimic the relationship some reps have with doctors. Work on permission-based contact strategies.
Out-of-box e-detailing will work wonderfully if you use an analytics platform.
It will increase the experience of the brand.
Increase the efficiency of clinical practice.
Educate doctors on clinical outcomes through quantitative and qualitative research.
Set up opt-in databases which operate on permission. The cost of delivery is so low.
Analytics will improve both your segmentation and target goals. It will take you beyond R.O.E (Return on Education) to R.O.I (Return on Investment).
Leverage Reps to recruit doctors for e-detailing, because it works best in tandem with your med reps-as a complement and not as competition.
You can choose from different forms of e-detailing.
Virtual details which has no ‘live’ interaction
Video details like online presentation
Online events like seminars and presentation
It will help access HCP’s in the most cost-effective feedback format. Combine with strategic planning done on a good analytics platform and good execution and you’ll arrive at an effective e-detailing format.
The old model was a ‘push’’ model. But a good analytics platform used to implement
e-detailing can turn into a ‘pull’ model. Combine them to create a hybrid model.
Segmentation + Integration works.
This is possible if products have a good potential to elicit a response. Don’t try e-detailing in the latter stage of a product life cycle. Post-stage will give ideal results. Generally, doctors make decisions, based on emotional relationships, with older products. So e-detailing cant always replace face-to-face communication. But it works very well with the new drug launches when complex product details have to be communicated. The best way would be to encourage compliance without the need for honoraria.
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