dynamic messaging in healthcare
DESCRIPTION
Reaching healthcare professionals today is harder than ever. Learn how to apply data to craft dynamic, individually relevant messaging to market effectively to healthcare professionals and to increase engagement with your brand.TRANSCRIPT
HEALTHCARE
Using dynamic messaging to market effectively to healthcare professionals
October 2013
2epsilon.com
Introduction3
Movingfromstatictodynamic4
Creatingadynamicmessagingprogram5
Optimizingmeasurementsandresults8
Epsilonrecommendations9
Conclusion9
Epsilonsolutions10
Ourapproach10
Contents
3epsilon.com
Anincreaseininsurancepaperworkandotheradministrativerequirements,heavierpatientcaseloadsduetopayerrequirements,andaninfluxofcommunicationsviamultiplechannelshaveplacedsignificantconstraintsonHCPs’timeandhavecomplicatedyourabilitytocapturetheirattention,letaloneeffectivelymarkettothem.
Whileface-timeviasalesrepresentativescontinuestobethemostimpactfuldriveroftheHCPrelationship,incorporatingmultiplechannels—email,directmail,theWeb,andmobile—intoyourmarketingcampaignswillboostyourchancesofreachingmoreHCPs.Butreachisonlypartoftheequation.YoumustalsocommandthelimitedattentionofHCPsandengagethemwithuniqueandrelevantcontent.BygatheringdataabouteachHCP’sengagementwithyourbrandorbrands,youcanbegintodevelopdynamicmessagingacrosschannelsthatwillspeaktoeachcustomerandprospecttoachievestrongerandmoreenduringrelationships.
ThejoboftheHealthcareProfessional(HCP)haschangeddrasticallysincethedayswhenthegeneralpractitionertreatedthemedicalissuesofanentirefamily.
Introduction
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Moving from static to dynamic
PhysiciansandHCPstodayareinundatedwithmessages.They’reoftensopre-occupiedwithcaseloadsandadministrativeworkthattheyhavelittletimetomeetwithsalesreps.Caseinpoint:only20outof100repsthatvisitphysicians’officesactuallyspeaktoadoctor,accordingtoeMarketer1.Andwiththeproliferationofmobiledevicesandtheaccessibilityofonlineinformation,thenewrealityisthatHCPsareusingmanydifferentchannelstostayengaged.Tobeeffective,youmustbegintoleveragedataandinsighttosupportanapproachtoomnichannelengagementthatdeliversthemostrelevantandcompellingmessagesthroughthechannelsthatphysiciansaremostreceptivetousing.
Bynature,healthcarecompaniestendtobeconservativeandrisk-adverse,qualitiesencouragedbytheFDAandothergovernmentagenciestheyworkwith.Thisisonereasonwhymanyintheindustryhavebeenslowtomovefromstaticmarketingtodynamicmessaging.
1Physicians and the Internet: Where They Go and What They Do Online,eMarketer,Jan.2013
However,nowthatotherindustrieslikeretailandfinancialserviceshaveproventheeffectivenessofdynamicmessaging—usingarecipient’spreferencesandresponsestotailorsubsequentmessagesandboostengagement—healthcarecompaniesarebeginningtofollowsuit.Thatmeansyoushouldimplementadynamicstrategy,orrisklosingmarketsharetothosethatalreadyhave.
“It’samatterofoptimizingsalesreptouchpointsbylayeringonrelationshipmarketingactivities,”saysJoyceNichols,VP/GM,HealthcareSector,Epsilon.“Companiesneedtobuildarelationshipwithhealthcareprovidersandengagethemsothatthey’recontinuingtothinkabouttheirbrands,especiallywhenbudgetsareconstrainedandsalesrepsarefocusedontoptieraccountsonly.”
Howdoyoudothis?Youneedtoaugmentthesalesforce.Therearetwowaystoachievethis.First,youcanoptimizesalesreptouchpoints,suchasextendingtherepcall.Secondly,youcansupplementthesalesforcebyleveragingdigitalprogramstoreachhard-to-seeornoseeHCPs.BothprogramswhenusedtogetherproducestrongROI.
60% 49%
2013 2012
HCPs who used digital sales material
MM&M Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Marketers Trend Report 2013
One in four physicians in practice refuse to meet with sales reps
eMarketer, Jan. 2013
5epsilon.com
Creating a dynamic messaging program
Thefirststepistoconductadataaudit.Assesstheinformationyouhave,determinewhatyouneed,anddecidehowtofillthedatagaps.MostcompanieshaveHCPdatathattheirsalesrepshaveloggedintotheirsalesforceautomationsoftwarefollowingeachHCPvisit.Thisinformationvariesfromthebasics—specialty,samplesprovided,emailaddresses—towhichfollow-updirectmailandemailmessagesHCPshaveresponded.
Whiletheprospectoftransformingarelativelysimplecontactstrategyintoadynamicmessaging,omnichannelmarketingprogrammayseemdaunting,itcanbebrokenintothreestages:
EstablishinganonlinepreferencecenterisperhapsthemostefficientwaytoobtainadditionalinformationabouthowtoengageHCPs,butyoumayneedtoencourageHCPstoofferthisinformationbygivingsomethinginreturn:freesamplesoraccesstopatientsavingscards.Alternatively,taggingandtrackingactivityovertimeisamorereliableapproach.
“Whilepreferencecenterscanprovideawealthofcriticaldata,theycanbeadouble-edgedsword,”cautionsStaceyRaiche,SVP,Strategic&AnalyticConsulting,Epsilon.“TheyallowanHCPtoveryclearlynotehispreferences,butonceyouask,you’vegottodeliver.”
Pastbehavioralsoprovidesusefulinsight.IfanHCPconsistentlyinteractswithformularyratherthanclinicalmessaging,makeformularymessagingmoreprominent.Likewise,ifinthepastyearanHCPfailedtoclickthroughanyemailmessages,butregularlydownloadedpapersfromyourwebsite,encouragehimtooptintoreceivealertsofnewpapersoncethey’reposted.
STEP 1
Hunt and gather
35% 29%
2013 2012
Amount that HCPs decreased spending on printed sales material
MM&M Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Marketers Trend Report 2013
SELLING TO THE SALES FORCE
With omnichannel marketing, the sales rep is no longer the sole or primary connection between HCPs and the pharmaceutical company. In this model, reps may feel that their role is diminished or marginalized, and as a result, they may be less cooperative in providing information and ceding what they consider their “ownership” of the customer relationship.
“It can take a while to get the sales force on board,” admits Lindsey Himstead, VP/GM, Healthcare Sector, Epsilon. “You need to reassure them that it’s not going to affect their relationships or incentive plans.”
Hands-on, in-person training on the new procedures and systems is critical. Also important is ensuring that the reps continue to have a sense of investment in their customer relationships. For instance, when contacting HCPs who requested email as a primary channel, you could ensure that the emails not only have the doctor’s name in the header, but also have the rep’s name in the footer, reinforcing the one-on-one relationship between rep and customer.
6epsilon.com
Databasesegmentationenablesyoutopersonalizeyourcontactstrategyinapractical,manageableway.ForHCPs,segmentingbyspecialtyandprescribingbehavioraremostlogical.
However,asyoucollectmoredataandgainagreaterlevelofinsightintoHCPbehavior,considercreatingdistinctsegmentsforprospects,one-timecustomers,andrepeatcustomers.Also,considercreatingmoreusefulattitudinalsegmentssuchaspatientcentricorcostsensitive.Thesewillallowyoutotailoryourcommunications
STEP 2
Segment and conquerwiththingslikepatienttestimonialsandmanagedcareinformation,respectively.
Segmentationcanalsohelpyoutailorthecontentofyourmessages.Thiscanrangefromsimplyincludingeachrecipient’snameintheheadingofanemailtoreferencingarecentconferenceinadbannerstoattendeeswhovisityourwebsite.EffectivedynamicmessagingthatresonateswiththeHCPshouldemployastrategicandsophisticated,data-drivenmethodology.Youneedtimeandefforttobuildaprogramthathaslastingeffect.
Identifyingyoursegmentsgoeshandinhandwithyourcontactandcontentstrategies.DynamicmessagingentailsmuchmorethansimplysendingeveryHCPthesameverbiageviatheirpreferredmedium.Itrequiresstrategicallythinkingaboutyouroverarchingmessagingplatformandthevariouscomponentswithinit,andalong-termcommunicationsplan.
STEP 3
Map and message
:)
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“Ifabrandhasthreecoremessagestodeliver—let’ssayefficacy,safety,andaffordability—tosupportadynamicmessagingplatform,themarketerneedstothinkaboutthevariouswaysinwhichtocommunicateeachcoremessageandthinkaboutthecreationofmodularcontentassetsthatallowhimorhertodynamicallygeneratethemostrelevantandimpactfulmessages,”Raichesays.“It’simportanttothinkthroughthedesiredsequenceofmessagedeliveryandhowtoadaptyour
messagingplatformasHCPsengagewithitandyoulearnmoreaboutthem.Muchlikeyourpersonalrelationships,adynamicmessagingstrategyisanorganicprogramthatevolvesandchangesovertime.”
Dynamicmessaging,whendoneproperly,andwhenbaseduponknownHCPinsightandpreferences,willresonatewithandcreateastrongerdialoguewitheachHCP,differentiatingitselffromthetypicalbatchandblastmessaging.
email direct mail mobile social
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Think of a dynamic messaging platform as a decision tree of ‘if/then’ statements
For example, if Dr. A frequently checks managed market status of your brand, you can send him cost comparisons followed with an offer for savings cards. Similarly, if Dr. R is a newer/lighter prescriber, you might send her an offer for samples. Finally, if Dr. Z is patient- centric, you might want to target him with patient testimonials and savings cards. This type of modularized content allows for highly efficient, personalized dynamic touches.
8epsilon.com
Optimizing measurements and results
Onceyou’veimplementedyourmarketingefforts,thedynamicaspectofyourcampaignsbecomesevenmoreimportant.Andasyoumonitorresponse,youmustcontinuallymodifyyourmessagingstrategytoimproveeffectiveness.Youmuststartbysettingattainablegoalsforyourprogram.Doyouwanttoincreaseprescribing?DoyouwanttocorrectdosingissuesorgetmoreHCPstousethesavingscardprogramwiththeirpatients?Thesegoalsshouldbedefinedatthebeginningofanyprogramandthenfollowedwithawell-designedmeasurementplan.
Sinceyoucan’timprovewhatyoudon’tmeasure,establishfromthebeginningKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs)foreachelementofyourcampaign,anddeterminehowtomeasurethem.“Improvedcustomersatisfaction”maybeaworthygoal,buthowwillyoumeasureit?Whataboutemailopenratesortimespentonyourwebsite?Withouttangible,easy-to-trackmetrics,youwilllacktheabilitytodeterminehowwellyourprogramisworkingorwhetheryoushouldimplementchangesduringtheprogram.
Thesechangescanbeamatterofoptimizingthemessagesthemselves.Ifemailresponsefallsshortofexpectationsacrossalldatabasesegments,considerreviewingthecreativeandtestingchangesinthedesign,thecopy,orthecall-to-action.Iftheresponsetocertainmessagesvarieswildlywithinseveralsegments,reevaluatehowyou’vesegmentedyourdatabaseorassigncertaincustomerstonewsegmentssotheyreceivedifferentmessaging.
Thebeautyofadynamicmessagingprogramisthatitgoesfarbeyond“oneanddone.”Ifoneparticularmessageresultsinadisappointingresponse,usethelearningstoimprovesubsequentmessaging.
“Much like your personal relationships, a dynamic messaging strategy is an organic program that evolves and changes over time.”
Stacey Raiche, SVP, Strategic & Analytic Consulting, Epsilon
9epsilon.com
Epsilon recommendations
Think big, start small. Ittakestimetocreateafullydynamicsystem.Butyoucanstartintroducingdynamicelementsintoyourcurrentmarketingnow.IfyourplatformcanonlyhandleA/Bsplitsratherthanmultivariablesegments,startwithA/Bsegmentation.Also,considertestingdynamicmessaginginasinglechannel(e.g.,email)andwithasinglecontentasset(e.g.,call-to-action).Test,learn,andworkoutanykinksbeforeyouentertainalargerrollout.
Partner, partner, partner.Successfullydesigning,implementing,andmanagingadynamicmessagingplatformrequiresthecoordinationandalignmentof
severalkeystakeholders.Brandmarketers,agenciesofrecord,thesalesforce,mediapartners,IT,etc.mustworktogethertoensurethatthestrategy,contentcreation,businessrules,andsupportinginfrastructureareinplacetosupportadynamicengine.
Establish performance metrics, and track response avidly.Determinehowtomeasurethesuccessoftheprogramandeachofitscomponentsbeforeimplementation.Ratherthansimplysettinganendgoal,developincrementalgoalstogaugetheeffectivenessbeforetheprogramconcludes.Bygettingareadonresponsequickly,youcanoptimizeyoureffortsfastertoachievebetterresults.
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Asyouadaptyourexistingmarketingprogramtoamoresophisticated,moreeffectivedynamicmessagingstrategy,youshould:
ConclusionHCPshavemoremediaandchannelscompetingfortheirattention.Fortunately,youhavethosesameoutletsatyourdisposaltograbtheirattention.BycompilingandorganizinginformationaboutHCPs’individualengagementhistoryandpreferences,youcancreatedynamicmessagesthatwillresonatewithand
engageeach.IfyouknowhowindividualHCPsinteractwithyourmessagesacrossmultiplechannels,youcanthendeterminesubsequentinteractions,strengthenyourcompany’srelationshipwiththem,andbuildabetterdialoguebetweenHCPsandyourbrands.
10epsilon.com
Epsilonistheprovenleaderincreating,executing,andmanagingdynamicmessagingneeds.Withourworld-class,data-drivendigitalmarketingcapabilities,weofferthestrategic,creative,andanalyticservicesyouneedtodesign,create,andmanageyourdynamicmessagingstrategy.Asyourdataexpert,wecancombineproprietaryandthird-partydatasourcestohelpyoubetterunderstandyourcustomersandprospects.ThroughAgilityHarmony,Epsilon’snextgenerationdigitalmessagingplatform,weprovidethetechnologythatdrivesomnichanneldynamicmessaging.Our
full-serviceagencyteamscanhelpdefinethestrategybehindyourrelationshipmarketingprogramsanddevelopthecreativeplatformforthem.Andouradvancedanalyticsexpertisehelpsusdivedeepintoresultsandinteractionstoensurethatyoureffortsareaseffectiveaspossible.Asyourpartner,wecanhelpyouactonHCPbehaviorinstantaneously,strengtheningyourengagementopportunitiesanddrivingimprovedbusinessresults.Tolearnmore,pleasecallSteveMessina,BusinessDevelopmentManager,Epsilon,at905.425.0440.
Epsilon solutions
Our approachCreating effective connections that drive tangible business results
About Epsilon
Epsilonisthegloballeaderincreatingcustomerconnectionsthatbuildbrandandbusinessequity.Anewbreedofagencyforaconsumer-empoweredworld,ouruniqueapproachharnessesthepowerofrichdata,world-leadingtechnologies,engagingcreativityandtransformativeideastoigniteconnectionsbetweenbrandsandcustomers,deliveringdramaticresults.RecognizedbyAdAgeasthe#1U.S.AgencyfromAllDisciplines,#1WorldCRM/DirectMarketingNetworkand#2U.S.DigitalAgencyNetwork,weemployover5,000associatesin60officesworldwide.EpsilonisanAlliance Datacompany.Formoreinformation,visitwww.epsilon.com,[email protected].
ByJeffTomaso,VP/GM,Healthcare,Epsilon
Jeff brings more than 18 years of experience crafting and executing data-driven, multi-channel marketing strategies and programs for industry-leading healthcare companies, including AstraZeneca, Genentech, Biogen, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline, as well B2B and B2C brands such as Fidelity Investments, Federal Express, Diet Coke, DIRECTV, Bank of America, and General Motors. Prior to joining Epsilon, Jeff held leadership roles at brand, digital and direct response agencies including Digitas, Arnold Worldwide, and Euro RSCG Edge.
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