Talking Point: Collaboration required for online activities
pharmafile | September 29, 2010 | Feature | Medical Communications | Red Door, Talking Point, digital
Communicating with customers and patients digitally is top of many people’s agenda at the moment – it’s an exciting area and one that’s embraced wholeheartedly by most other industries except our own.
So why don’t we do more, what are we scared of and what are the barriers we need to overcome?
I sat down with a group of industry professionals recently to discuss common fears and frustrations in digital communication.
The first thing raised – understandably – is the regulations under which we work. The ABPI Code of Conduct says little about digital communication, however it does say something and sets general parameters within which to work.
Any more detailed rulings will take time to develop – the question is do we want them? Are yet more rules helpful or will they restrict our communications activities more than we would like?
Those who are forging ahead with online activities believe delivering appropriate messages – in line with the ABPI code – is the same no matter what vehicle is used to reach the target audience.
And in terms of a vehicle there’s arguably nothing more exciting than digital communication which has the potential to reach all target groups.
Which brings us to our next barrier – what we are saying and to whom. At the moment most pharmaceutical companies divide their audience into three categories – those who prescribe/purchase their product; those who don’t; and those who do but could prescribe/purchase more.
Compare this to large supermarket chain Tesco which has divided its customers into nearly 200 groups and has a firm handle on who they are, what they do and what they consume.
Now I’m not suggesting that we should go that far yet, but surely there’s a lesson for us to learn in terms of being more sophisticated in understanding our audiences.
What we’re allowed to say to whom varies – we can’t promote prescription products directly to patients, but we can offer disease awareness information and support.
We can enter into more of a dialogue with prescribers and other healthcare professionals – but how do we find them on digital channels and how do we control wider conversations which may ensue?
Among the industry group were pharma companies that had used websites and Facebook pages to target specific groups with disease awareness messages. Forum/discussion options were blocked so that the digital communication was essentially a notice board containing approved, code-compliant messages.
Part of the reason for restricting online conversation is so that pharma companies cannot be held accountable for what people write – particularly if off licence claims or safety issues are raised.
This brings me to the next concern/barrier raised by industry professionals – pharmacovigilance and how to monitor adverse drug events if they are raised.
Robust internal systems for dealing with adverse events are a priority if communications grow broader and trust with customers is to be maintained and developed.
You can’t control a conversation
A major fear for pharma companies is that they have no control over the messages and conversations which spread across digital platforms – and no country control as the dialogue transcends national barriers.
At the same time they recognise that they need a presence in order to start a dialogue with customers on an organisational level – conversations are happening whether we like it (and can control it) or not.
We shouldn’t be scared of what we say in front of our customers, but simply stay loyal to the code.
We can’t say any more in a newspaper than we can online, but the latter is a modern, effective means of reaching our customer group.
And it’s important for pharma companies to have a profile with customers – at the moment the face of the company is often the sales representative who is becoming less of a frequent visitor in many cases, and may even be extinct in years to come.
So who has the relationship with the healthcare professional?
Digital communication with healthcare professionals is already becoming easier with websites having to be clearly marked for their attention but not password protected. But once customers reach these sites how engaging are they? Compared to other professional sites in other markets how exciting are they? How strongly are we really embracing the online world?
We should endeavour to build online sites to the latest standards and deliver messages in a creative way – but most importantly, we should remember that content for online media is no different to anything else we produce.
Part of the problem for pharmaceutical marketers is that when budgets are cut, digital activities are often first to go.
We must work together to demonstrate the return on investment of online activities.
The rules are no different once we reach our customers – it’s all about how we get there.
Catherine Warne is chief executive of the Red Door Group and can be contacted at cwarne@rdcomms.com
Related Content
Virtual Inspections: Embracing the Digital Change
Virtual inspections must become a part of companies’ repertoires if they aim to maintain quality …
COVID-19 is pushing healthcare firms to embrace digital transformation, reports suggest
The COVID-19 pandemic forced industries across the board to evolve or die with regard to …
Government appoints health minister from firm trying to win NHS contracts
The British Government has come under fire over the appointment of former Tory MP, Nicola …
