A recent article published by Brainstorm Digital was entitled “Is email more effective for Pharma than social media?” The article argues that pharma marketers should consider email as their primary marketing channel and that social is best used for list development.
The article cites a study by McKinsey which states “E-mail remains a significantly more effective way to acquire customers than social media—nearly 40 times that of Facebook and Twitter combined. [T]he rate at which e-mails prompt purchases is not only estimated to be at least three times that of social media, but the average order value is also 17 percent higher.”
While I don’t disagree that email is vital, I’m concerned that content delivery is viewed as one-dimensional. Digital marketing channels are meant to serve two purposes; to deliver content for consumption and to provide a platform for engagement.
So, should pharma marketers focus on the consumption, or the engagement?
I believe that providing that content for consumption ultimately leads to the desired engagement.
To effectively sell into the HCP space you must enable and educate HCPs. HCPs want access to information, key opinion leaders, and peers. HCPs cited journals as their top info source, with 64%-68% reading about new products in journals three or more times per month, followed by colleagues (52%-53%), websites like Epocrates, Medscape and UptoDate (46%-52%), apps (27%-32%) and package inserts (25%-29%). Similar numbers were seen for learning about established products. You must develop a cooperative relationship with HCPs. Selling to HCPs is not simply a transactional sale.
And HCPs are greatly influenced by not only peers, but the patients they treat. A study of direct-to-consumer marketing revealed that consumers were most likely to ask their doctor about a product after they had seen an advertisement that gave them information they had not previously known. Rather than rehashing the same messages in all marketing campaigns, pharmaceutical advertisers need to ensure that they are providing up-to-date, useful information, as this approach seems to be most likely to trigger patients to take action and request the medication. Communications must extend to the patient, and on the channels those patients prefer.
Capgemini also released a report supporting a broader digital marketing initiative. The study of nearly 3,000 primary care physicians and specialists from the QuantiaMD U.S. community, found that 67 percent of physicians now rate digital media as their preferred source for accessing information, compared to just 20 percent who prefer pharmaceutical representatives. This shift is compelling pharmaceutical companies to place more emphasis on their digital strategies to maintain their role as a trusted information resource. Digital marketing certainly includes email, but it also encompasses edetailing, websites, social media, advertising, digital events, and HCP portals.
Lastly, no matter the channel, if the content is poor then neither consumption nor engagement will occur. The bulk of your efforts should be channeled into creating content that contains value.
While social media in the pharma space may not drive the desired engagement response, neither will email alone.
I think we all agree that you shouldn’t forsake one channel for another. Pharma companies must develop that multichannel marketing strategy which encompasses all communication channels and guides HCPs through the pre-awarness, awareness, trial, adoption, and advocacy journey.
