Healthy Skepticism Library item: 16566

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Electronic Source

Increasing Patient Engagement
Pharma Marketer 2009 Sep 30
http://pharma-marketer.com/2009/09/30/increasing-patient-engagement/

Full text:

As pharmaceutical marketers focused on increasing market share and advancing our respective brands, we’re often intent on how we can get our messages in front of prospective patients. But in an overly saturated space where consumers are being bombarded with DTC advertising and drug brand names have become a breeding ground for spam emails and ads, increasing patient engagement is critical for generating new scripts, building brand affinity and ensuring patients remain persistent and compliant. So, the question becomes how you break free from the clutter and create resonant messages for your desired consumers. And the answer could be as simple as checking the marketing push at the door.
Before you can deliver effective messaging, you need to understand your consumer. And to understand your consumer, you need to get them engaged, which requires listening first, and carving vehicles through which they can push their needs at you. Keeping your communications free of overt brand messages is also an excellent way to connect more substantively with end users than you could with heavily regulated promotions frothed with fair balance and legal disclaimers.
“Mass media advertising, primarily TV, was once the standard for DTC marketing, but that’s no longer the case,” reports MedAd News. “Brand managers are learning how to align consumers’ unmet needs with their brand’s benefits, which allows them to communicate with consumers in a more meaningful way. This includes both offline and online initiatives that are more targeted and highly measurable.”
In that spirit, here are some ways you can get your patients motivated and engaged beyond a one-way broadcast communication:
Treat Your Interactions Like a First Date – Your initial touchpoint with a consumer should be like a first date, where you spend more time getting to know them than talking about yourself. This initial fact-finding session arms you with the information you’ll need to tailor relevant messages for future communications. You can accomplish this step through web or email surveys (both branded and unbranded) designed to learn more about a consumer’s health issues and concerns or by offering access to targeted premium content on health sites in exchange for sharing information on what they’re seeking. The responses offer clues as to how to reach your audience in ways in which they will respond, and identify the health needs on which your brand can specifically deliver.
Court Them With Education – Just like you can do more for your partner by supporting them, you can do more for your patients by empowering them to take charge of their health. So don’t underestimate the power of equipping them with the tools and resources they need to feel in control. They will, in turn, translate that feeling of empowerment back to the brand who delivered it, and you become the benefactor of their wellness and peace of mind in doing the best that they can for themselves in concert with their doctors. This can be achieved by providing online resources where they can track and manage their medications and overall well being or creating patient materials delivered by the physician that drive them to some call-to-action on the web like building their own personalized health plan that facilitates continued interaction with their healthcare provider with key dates and milestones that extend the program. Things like check up reminders and even mobile apps and calculators can position you in an integral role for their health, making you the brand and company they choose to maintain it.
Don’t Let the Relationship Fizzle – As with most relationships, they take work. Just because you’ve gotten them on drug doesn’t mean they’ll stay on it – especially not with a slew of other pharmaceutical fish in the sea. So keep building on the things you’ve learned by keeping a two-way communication channel open, and be sure to ask plenty of questions for what they want out of the relationship, giving them as many opportunities as you can to supply you with information designed to enhance their experience with your company. Equip them with relevant reminders that keep your brand top of mind such as healthy eating tips or vacation tools that include travel safety and drug reminders. Above all, don’t have a one track mind. While your ultimate goal is to maintain market share and keep patients on therapy, you won’t achieve that by forcing ’stay on drug’ messages down their throat, but by creating a total package that becomes part of their ongoing routine and ultimately identified with the brand.
The most critical element in patient engagement is to give them reasons to feel good about your brand, and in turn, about themselves. If you remember that it’s all about them, your generosity will be rewarded with brand loyalty, recall and the kind of word of mouth that comes from being in a positive, healthy relationship with someone you trust.