2. What is Multichannel
Marketing?
Multichannel Marketing (MCM) is the use of a variety of sales
and marketing channels, from face-to-face meetings to digital
marketing campaigns to smartphone and tablet apps.
This ebook addresses:
70%
of direct customer interactions take
place through remote channels (phone
calls, online banking and mobile
banking).
In the banking industry..
The healthcare industry is starting to catch up as we see an
advance in digital tools and investment increasing in multiple
channels.
Multichannel marketing is more than a new marketing tool
or tactic, it involves a complete change in marketing and
sales strategy and the way in which pharmaceutical and
medical device manufacturers communicate with HCPs and
patients.
Rationale for employing multichannel marketing.
Channel Selection.
Implementing MCM in your organisation.
MCM is a marketing strategy that is proven and successful in
many industries:
3. The State Of MCM In
Healthcare
Effective multichannel marketing looks beyond
the channels themselves and focuses on the end
customer, while also closely integrating the
various channels used to form your customer
engagement strategy"
"
A study from the Boston Consulting group reveals that
current MCM efforts are low in the industry, with not one
company fully satisfied with its MCM efforts. The average
score for readiness for MCM in pharmaceutical companies,
based on their self-assessment, was only 36 percent.
4. Rationale for Multichannel
in Healthcare:
Data & Information:
The breadth and depth of information now available
to both HCPs and patients on the internet has
empowered healthcare customers to source the
information they need - when and where they want to
get it. According to the Pew Research Internet Project,
75% of US adults looked online for health information
within the past year. An Eyeforpharma survey reveals
that 86% of physicians use the web for clinical
information, with 58% overall searching more than
once a day.
Access to KDMs:
As the healthcare landscape becomes more and more
complex; multiple stakeholders and provider
structures are emerging. Access to KDMs is becoming
more limited and the importance of finding other
ways to deliver messages is growing.
Marketing and sales budgets are under pressure to
perform:
The blockbuster age has come to an end and there is
increasing pressure on marketing and sales to develop
strategic relationships with healthcare customers.
5. Rationale for Multichannel
in Healthcare:
Industry Best Practices:
The days of “interruption” marketing and traditional
media are gone. Customers can now tune out
messages they do not want to hear. There is a shift
towards the use of non-branded tools and a “pull”
method of promotion in the marketing industry. A
MCM approach allows customers to received targeted
information when and where they want it.
Customer Preferences:
Customers want different types of communications
from their pharmaceutical company, which adapts
with their changing preferences. There has been a
paradigm shift away from face to-face meetings
between HCPs and reps. HCPs expect communication
from different channels dependant on their needs. A
product or service update may be best received via an
email, followed by a phone call with a rep and finally a
more detailed discussion in person with a KAM.
Effective MCM results in improved customer
relationships and better communication of brand
messages, leading to mutually beneficial outcomes.
6. Channel Selection:
You’ve recognised the need for a multichannel approach,
but which channels are right for your organisation and
your brand? Done incorrectly, multi-channel marketing
can be resource and budget draining. Done correctly,
MCM can optimise marketing messages and channels to
drive customer engagement.
A breadth of new tools and channels exist including:
Smartphone or tablet apps
Simulators for training surgeons
Systems for helping physicians make diagnosis and
treatment decisions.
e-CME offerings
Websites
Web conferences
Games
Quizzes
Social networks
With so many mediums for reaching customers, it can be
overwhelming. How do you decide what mediums to use?
Follow these 4 steps to determine which channels are right
for you. Remember, it is important to test multiple
channels and optimise your communications based on
results.
7. Channel Selection:
1. Put the Customer at the Centre
Before you dive in, ensure you have
fully considered your customers.
Clear definition around your
targeted segments is essential for
this step. Research your customers
and answer these questions:
Where do your target market spend time?
Where do they go for the healthcare information?
What information do they want?
What’s the best way to consume the information?
What additional material they are likely to search for to
supplement it?
Researching upfront prevents you from making
assumption about what your customers and patients
want. For example, you might find that a patient group are
interested in information and advice from fellow patients
about managing their chronic disease in their daily life, as
opposed to researching treatment options.
8. Channel Selection:
2. Clear Objectives
Define clear objectives for the brand/
product. This creates a framework on
which to overlay your MCM activities. In
one instance, the objective may be to
simply raise awareness about a poorly
understood disease; in another, it may be
to increase patient compliance with a
drug regimen.
Map out some measurable goals from this high level
objective. If you want to increase patient compliance, by
what percentage over time do you aim to increase
patient engagement? Create a benchmark from which
you can work to plot your progress. While clear objectives
might seem contrary to the need for adapbility and
optimisation; objectives can be amended over time only
if they are clearly defined in the first place
3. Channel Suitability
Be always mindful of the marketing message you are
communicating. Often, organisations can get caught up in
all the channels that are now available to them, and lose
focus on the core message. Is the message suitable to the
channel? For example, e-CME programs, which cannot
contain material that focuses on particular brands, may be
a great way to generate increased awareness about a
disease but are unlikely to be effective at diverting share
from similar products.
9. Channel Selection:
Web conferences are a great way to engage with HCPs.
Despite offering a high return and impact, web
conferences require time and commitment and are best
leveraged to a highly engaged segment of your customers.
4. Internal Audit
Conduct an internal analysis of your
current marketing assets and
channels used. You may have some
great hard copy brochures targeted
to IDNs or patient pamphlets that
can be turned into useful digital
assets.
Often a lack of coordination of messages and
communication between marketing and sales leaved
powerful assets unused. Work with sales to analyse the “as
is” and the plan for the future.
Now that you've assessed channels and assets, it's time to
move forward and follow our 4 tips for implementing MCM
to drive customer engagement...
10. Implementing MCM
1. Channel Integration
All channels marketers decide to use must also work
together. By delivering a combined message across several
platforms customers receive a strong and cohesive
message.
66%
of marketers in enterprise companies
fail to tightly coordinate campaigns
across all marketing channels.
The combination of multiple channels,
brands and regions can lead to a
fragmented approach to
MCM. Commercial Excellence in
healthcare demands a globally and
organisationally consistent strategy that
allows for local and brand-related
relevancies. Establish a core set of assets,
IT systems and reporting systems for all
regions, brands and disease states to
adhere to.
2. Global / Organisational Consistent Strategy
11. Implementing MCM
3. Measurement
Access to digital performance and big data means that
MCM is more transparent and measurable than ever
before.
This wealth of data and channels means there is also the
potential for finding out more about what you could be
doing to optimize campaigns. To implement
commercially effective MCM, adaptability is key and small
'failures' are acceptable, provided they inform future
activity. Measure the feedback from multichannel
exercises via closed-loop marketing. Using a combination
of quantitative and qualitative information, measure your
customers’ responses and assess their accuracy based on
statistical evidence. From this you can create a dynamic
approach, adjusting your message or delivery of
information.
4. Ongoing Optimisation
EvaluateROIbytrackingKPIssuchasclickrates,
numberofusersforawebsiteorapp, call
durations, andphysiciansatisfactionlevels.
Effective marketing approaches can make use of that
wealth of data, allowing pharmaceutical and medical
device companies to tailor their content and channel mix
to maximum effect. By closely montioring performance,
we can ensure all marketing activities are commercially
effective.
"
12. What' s Next?
The % of marketing activity that digital
accounts for in pharma.
but with the rise of channels – and the growth of
wearables – this is set to increase to:
15%
30% in the next 3-4 years.
As the health care industry transitions from a fee-for-
service model to one based on qualitative measures of
reimbursement, manufacturers need to realign for an
outcomes-based world. In an industry where pharma and
medtech companies are tasked with achieving “more with
less”, it’s time to commit to MCM.
Multichannel is a strategy to be embraced, not avoided.
The healthcare industry is finally catching up to MCM
and there are huge rewards to be gained.
C3H, a Clarity solution, helps pharma and medtech
companies to re-align their marketing and sales
programs to drive customer engagement within our
Commercial Excellence model.
Learn More
