Between now and the time when mass vaccination becomes a reality, the idea of keeping our Health Audience engaged, active and healthy has to become our purpose. So, as many of us find ourselves in the midst of another surge in COVID-19 numbers—and stress begins to build among our internal and external audiences—it’s critical that we reboot our engagement strategies. Because of the swiftly changing nature of the healthcare landscape, approaches to pharmaceutical marketing must evolve with the product or service. Enter KOLs, whose role it is to offer opinions and expertise, with support from a broad professional network. KOLs function as crucial resources to the pharmaceutical industry, as they provide an understanding of the product’s life cycle as well as what is required to achieve market access.
The rapid adoption of technology and virtual engagement tools has been both impressive and interesting for the health audience to watch – Zoom meetings between medical association boards of directors, FaceTime calls between isolated patients and their family members at home, telehealth phone appointments with family practice physicians, or virtual medical conferences through Zoom – the increasing reliance on these tools has pushed boundaries and exposed both opportunities and challenges with technology use for the future of healthcare.
The pharma sales field has predominantly been a culture of “close physician contact” with reps leveraging their in-person connections and meetings with physicians as a way to build relationships and trust. In rethinking their sales strategies, pharma companies and their reps need to uncover how they can capitalize on virtual models for operational and financial success.
The acceptance of virtual meetings among physicians opens the door for sales and marketing teams to have greater contact with a broader range of customers in a shorter period of time. Virtual meetings also take the pressure off the rep to answer strategic questions on the spot. In an in-person meeting, the rep may find him/herself having to leave the meeting to connect with the resource who can provide the requested information. On the other hand, when meeting virtually, the rep may be able to connect the physician with that resource in real-time via Zoom, Facetime, or another platform.
