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Healthcare providers (HCP) are in a period of change that is reshaping the challenges of communicating and selling healthcare products. Millennials are on trend to represent a majority of HCPs within the coming decade, and with them comes an entirely new set of operating protocols for adding value and driving engagement through sales and marketing communications.

Our world has been forever changed by digital technology. It’s a part of everything we do, from smartphones to having access to the Internet everywhere we go. 

For healthcare this change means many different things. The prevalence of digital technology in the healthcare environment will impact the future of medical devices, the CareFlow, big data, patient expectations, the role of the pharma sales reps (PSR), and interactions with healthcare providers (HCPs). 

In order to succeed in the changing digital world, pharma companies must become strategic problem-solvers. There are big challenges to overcome, from expectations regarding pharma sales and marketing content to the rise of social media; the healthcare industry should be spearheading the digital transformation.

In our last article we looked at the need for multi-channel excellence in the healthcare industry. We already know that many pharmaceutical executives are looking into adopting a multi-channel strategy for cost controls and as a top priority for future growth, but the need goes much deeper than that.

Today’s article builds off our previous discussion and reveals the benefits of using a multi-channel approach for your pharma sales and marketing communications, as well as tactics for implementing a multi-channel strategy today.

Multi-channel, or omni-channel (device agnostic decision journey progression) excellence is a growing challenge in any industry, but none needs it more than the healthcare industry.

A majority of healthcare industry executives have stated that multichannel excellence is a top priority (the second highest priority behind cost controls) and several factors are influencing the growing need for a multichannel strategy.

Today’s article will explore the reasons why traditional in-person approaches are losing favour to multichannel tactics, and what this means for the future of communications.

*Updated on July 21, 2016 

Patient centricity is more than just a new catchphrase. It is a mission statement that needs to be upheld by today’s pharmaceutical companies.

Healthcare is becoming patient-centric. Pharma and life science industries must respond to this change and become value drivers for patient-centricity throughout their operations. This creates an opportunity to reinvent the pharma sales process, transforming the healthcare experience and improving the lives of millions of patients.

The new market environment requires high levels of collaboration between pharma sales reps (PSRs), healthcare providers (HCPs), and patients. They must work together to achieve their common goal.

This article (and this infographic) will discuss how patient centricity is reinventing the pharma sales process. What is driving this change? How can we become patient-centric? What are the outcome-based solutions? And how can we measure return on investment from these activities?

In our previous article we dicussed how social media is now inseparable from conversations about public health awareness and information. Despite the potential headaches, and unknowns of social media involvement, pharma must take the leap, as it is too important for the industry’s voice to be absent.

Many patients are turning to social media sites for treatment suggestions, emotional support, and to make connections with the companies that impact their daily lives. Pharma sales and marketing teams can be proactive by building trust with consumers, combatting myths about their products, and effectively handling product complaints. All of which improves their image in the healthcare industry and in the minds of consumers.

This is an infographic that we created explaining why pharma companies should be using social media, the biggest challenges of social media for pharma sales, why pharma companies are afraid of social media, and several strategies for success!

Social media is an essential channel for marketing communications. B2B and B2C companies have been using social media to connect and communicate with customers and stakeholders for years.

However, many pharma sales and marketing teams have been hesitant to use social media in their communication strategies. Fear of FDA regulations, legal requirements and public engagement, have left many scared to enter the social media environment, and engage with patients and healthcare providers (HCPs).

Throughout this article we will be discussing why pharma companies should be using social media, the biggest challenges of social media for pharma sales, why pharma companies are afraid of social media, and several strategies for success!

[Related content] Our next post is an infographic explaining how using social media can benefit pharma companies. 

In our previous post we discussed the growing challenge of sales and marketing costs for life science companies. Sales costs continue to represent more than a quarter of pharma company revenue, meanwhile up to 53% of U.S. physicians place moderate to severe restrictions on who can visit them to make a pitch (Source: ZSassociates, 2015).

This gap calls into question the value of traditional wide-scale in-person healthcare professional (HCP) engagement, and demonstrates the need for an efficient and cost-controlled digital transformation. This can be achieved through the use of digital interactions and analytics.

This week we are continuing our discussion about the top priorities for pharma executives, and we’re revealing the remaining two priorities, an example of success, and recommendations for achieving these results.

Over the last decade, several trends have impacted the life science industry. The most notable changes have occurred in the behaviours of healthcare providers (HCPs), and their feelings towards the industry and pharmaceutical sales reps (PSRs).

Face-to-face trust-based relationships are very important for pharma sales and marketing success, but HCPs are increasingly inaccessible for in-person sales presentations. Worse still, many HCPs distrust the sales content and communications that they receive from pharma.

Today we explore what this means for the pharma industry, and how pharma can turn the tables on these trends.

The daily life of the pharma sales reps involves spending a lot of time on non-selling activities; this includes struggling with 3 major challenges of pharma sales and marketing content creation and use.

Previously we discussed the types of content that healthcare providers (HCPs) desire from pharma sales and marketing. They are desperate for digital content, evidence-based information, and regulatory compliance. HCPs place a high value on authentic sources.

The 3 major pharma sales rep (PSR) challenges of creating and using pharma sales content are information complexity, geography, and industry regulations. Today’s article explores these hurdles and offers solutions to help improve the life of the pharmaceutical sales reps.