The Shift to Digital Omnichannel Pharmaceutical Marketing: This is Your Advantage!
[Author:
TOM DOUGLAS | Executive Director, Digital Patient Support Solutions]
The pharma industry has undergone many changes in its approach to communications over the past few years – one of which is the desire to move from a “multichannel” methodology to an “omnichannel” environment.
What we’re discovering, however, is that: 1) not everyone’s definition of omnichannel is the same; 2) without a clear understanding of what it is, people may not grasp why they want it…or how to make the shift successfully, and 3) Medocity is your advantage and solution as an end-to-end patient engagement platform and connected ecosystem that enables digital care across the care continuum to improve outcomes and lower healthcare costs for chronic and complex conditions!
How does Medocity look at this?
Multichannel, in our experience, refers to having more than one marketing approach – i.e., multiple channels. For example, many pharma companies started building out their digital ecosystem with websites, social channels, CRM/email marketing programs, etc. As each channel was created separately, they tended to live independently – often repeating the same information. The expectation was that the customer or patient would find the information and determine what they wanted (or didn’t want) to consume. The focus was more about the channel and less about the experience delivered.
Omnichannel, on the other hand, is one interwoven ecosystem in which each channel is intended to work together. Content on one channel relates to content on another – meaning you don’t need to repeat the same information everywhere, and you can move patients through your ecosystem by designing a “content journey.” Medocity has developed a great commercial example of this ecosystem with our ongoing partnership with Cigna supporting adherence and coaching support for their Type 2 diabetic members.
Why Omnichannel is needed in healthcare today
In healthcare, our patient audiences will be educated online, but will also have offline interactions with their healthcare team. This means, we need to ensure that what is being communicated to HCPs (Healthcare Professionals) aligns with what that the patient may be asking and/or needing.
This forces us to view content and the user experience we deliver through a patient-centric lens – thinking through how users would like to receive the information to meet their specific needs.
“3 E’s” for how pharma companies can gain better outcomes
- Engagement: Whether you’re communicating with a patient, caregiver or HCP, with omnichannel marketing, the content you’re presenting evolves as the user progresses through your digital ecosystem and through their healthcare journey. You’re more focused on the individual’s experience, removing barriers to keep them within your platform.
- Efficiency: Omnichannel is about using each channel within your ecosystem appropriately based on how the audience uses them. By maximizing the channels effectiveness, you will reduce wasted spend and increase efficiency. We encourage our clients to shift their thinking of channels as targeting mediums to understanding channel behavior – providing the right content, at the right time, to the right person, on the right channel (right?!).
- Experience: Providing your target audience with a curated and personalized experience is not only an efficient use of your content on the right channels, but it makes for an easy, useful, and delightful experience, resulting in a higher return on investment! This should feel like a seamless experience for the audiences you are trying to support. It’s their unique healthcare information journey.
Content continues to be king. But we must consider the patient, who is demanding and deserving of both meaningful content and an engaging, individualized experience. Medocity’s digital ecosystem aligns clinicians, educators and researchers in real time to work together to deliver exceptional, all-inclusive care for patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers. Plus, our robust AI capabilities deliver actionable decision support to create more relevant, informed, and personalized patient interactions. It’s our job to ensure that happens for optimal patient outcomes, and with omnichannel digital ecosystems, the advantage is yours!
To learn more and/or schedule a product demo, contact Tom Douglas at tdouglas@medocity.com