Peer-to-Peer Pharmaceutical Marketing
Online can only provide so much for HCPs, where Peer-to-Peer events can be the bridge for pharma organisations to intervene.
We often discuss the importance of digital marketing and the use of innovative techniques to reach the audiences for which our products and services are intended. As healthcare professionals (HCPs) become younger, it makes sense to do so – but there is only so much a marketing channel as such can deliver from a detailed perspective.
Healthcare professionals are also very busy, and when the devil very much isn’t in the detail, educational peer-to-peer designed content can provide HCPs with the detail and depth required to make decisions regarding a patient’s well-being. Evidence-based care has very much introduced more layers into the decision-making process – which also translates into an increased number of channels for the pharmaceutical marketer – where HCPs first educate themselves on treatment options and compare alternate therapies, before seeking peer advice for validation.
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Long-form content such as whitepapers, videos and other published material does a great job of educating HCPs but can only go so far. Here’s why peer-to-peer pharmaceutical marketing, and the input of key opinion leaders (KOLs) and other professionals within the industry, who provide trusted, authentic advice, can help HCPs evaluate things such as safety and efficacy during a decision-making process. Regulatory constraints, however, might make it hard for pharmaceutical organisations to directly influence this channel. This post will discuss some of the key considerations for pharmaceutical marketers and organisations and review some of the most prominent peer-to-peer pharmaceutical marketing tactics.
1. Creating a safe networking community for HCPs
Peer-to-peer events and programmes are designed to bring a very specialised group of people – in this case, healthcare professionals – together into an environment where they can feel comfortable enough to discuss complex and potentially distressing topics. Sharing information, experiences and providing advice in this way is key to the progression of the discipline. But regardless of where such events and communities are formed (either physical or digital), for HCPs to attend, these communities need to be closed, friendly and intimate enough to allow for trust to be formed within the group. Without this key ingredient, HCPs won’t feel comfortable in the space and then the conversations become meaningless, meaning that attendance might be low.
2. Educational lunches and dinners are still highly attended
COVID-19 restricted meetings and social events for everybody, including HCPs. And a number of sources show that those meetings, specifically dinners, are an effective setting for not only peer-to-peer engagement but for HCPs to engage with educational content. They provide an intimate setting, with the soft touch of a meal and a drink, where all involved can open up about experiences and prescribing behaviours via meaningful conversations. Of course, the pharmaceutical companies themselves can be responsible for the creation of these dinners and can provide value to the HCPs for a particular disease state/therapeutic area. And via educational (and non-promotional) content, these pharmaceutical companies may be able to influence HCP sentiment about research and possible treatments, meaningfully affecting the success of a treatment for patients.
Similarly, dinners as such can also be created for KOLs, who are also appreciative of the opinions of their peers and others within their networks. An indirect benefit from such dinners is that pharmaceutical companies can learn more about their market, and engage more HCPs in their disease state which can help with product development. So, who doesn’t benefit from rich, community-building events – on the terms of the HCPs and KOLs - where information and conversation about new research, treatments and best practices are present in abundance?
3. Physician social networks
Social networks have increased in popularity in the last few years, largely accelerated by COVID-19. These include social media networks, online communities and meetups and other live networking events that can be attended virtually. And whilst they don’t provide the setting for the in-depth one-on-one discussions, they still provide a channel for conducting shorter tasks: Twitter can be used to share/access news with peers just like YouTube can host live mini-events that provide product updates.
Now, it is worth noting that, as an audience, HCPs (and KOLs for that matter) very much do use social media, but not to the extent that many of us might use it simply because the free time isn’t there. So, it’s then key to try to identify the exact social media or networking site the HCP type might be using the most, to then leverage any marketing opportunity you might have. Sermo is a great example of a social network for HCPs in the US, which provides a range of networking options for its members. Similarly, The Student Doctor Network was created by student doctors to network with other student doctors – a prime example of a peer-to-peer network of future HCPs. And finally to social media, LinkedIn offers a range of groups to HCPs for discussions and the Medical Group Management Association is a great example of an active group rich with valuable insight.
Social media should now be a prime feature within any HCP marketing plan. According to the Digital Health Coalition, 2/3 of physicians now report using social channels for work-related purposes, and the shift of the primary HCP communication to channels other than sales reps has also resulted in a more sophisticated and nuanced use of social channels as a way to tell longer-form stories and deliver more complex messages. But pharmaceutical organisations, sometimes for reasons outside of their control, are yet to fully embrace social media as a channel to engage with HCPs and KOLs.
4. Leverage KOIs and “hidden influencers”
We’ve already established the important role KOLs play with HCPs – they can be a significant influence on this particular group. For the pharmaceutical organisation, they can help generate initial awareness, establish credibility and provide those that prescribe with a justification for treatment via the clinical evidence they may hold. And as IQVIA state: “Successfully promoting new treatments and broadcasting their value requires finding and engaging the local hidden thought leaders and their related HCP communities.”
Extra attention should be given to identifying “hidden influencers”; those that can influence on a local and regional level who will have those deep ties with HCPs across specific disease markets. Initially, whether it’s engaging KOIs to help with designing and orchestrating a clinical trial or discussing how to broaden treatment access to patients, bringing them into the fold can then help with engaging with HCPs further down the line.
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5. Ensure rep contact is sincere (and not all focused on sales)
Regardless of the type of peer-to-peer event, pharmaceutical companies will always employ a sales-focused rep to also attend these events, and engage will all of the delegates with the view of selling the products they represent. And whilst an initial self-service approach to gathering information is the first port of call for HCPs, followed by peer-to-peer review, they are likely to next want to know more about the product. The role of the sales rep is essential here. During product launches or new indications of a product, this role is more important than ever. Where else are the HCPs going to go get their specific questions answered?
The role of the rep has changed over time, where now the rep is focused on helping to make detailed and useful content available to the HCP without the need for physical contact and to make themselves available when the HCP needs more information. This is the same for the KOL. Adopting a more inbound approach to HCP engagement – and becoming less salesy – will enable the relationship to flourish, where the rep can actually become valuable and help in the consultative process rather than hinder it.
6. Inform and provide value
“Becoming less salesy” seems like a vague statement, so we’ll build on this. And quite simply, the role of the pharmaceutical rep is to inform and provide value; I can see no other role for the rep in this changed environment. HCPs are looking to improve the health outcomes of their patients, therefore, the role of the rep is to provide relevant information to do just that. And the pharmaceutical marketer has a role to play here in supporting this activity by creating user-friendly documents and tools such as email invites and other supporting content.
This may be trend data or snippets of recent studies relevant to the field of the HCP or it may be specific information/literature which can be passed directly to the patient to help them manage their condition or it may be something more complex, such as introduction to experts in their field or even to the KOLs themselves. Bain & Company conducted some helpful research in this respect and found “a fundamental gap between what sales reps think doctors want from them and what doctors truly want from them, with sometimes a two-to threefold difference between how sales reps perceive the value of their roles and how physicians actually value those roles.” The change from the push approach to the pull approach here cannot be any starker. And such a mindset is almost welcomed within any peer-to-peer environment.
SOURCE: Bain & Company
7. Encourage discussion!
Moving away from the traditional push approach of the sales rep means encouraging something that is essential to any peer-to-peer event: Discussion. Peer-to-peer meetings allow for HCPs to learn; which is precisely what the HCP wants from the rep. Every professional across the HCP spectrum wants (and needs) to learn and educate themselves further about alternative therapies and the potential side effects of those therapies. So, the more diverse the information the better. If the pharmaceutical organisation (and its reps) can strive for two-way discussions it will always play into the hands of the HCP. If that means not selling the product you are employed to sell then so be it. Congratulations, you have just built a little bit of trust with the HCP in the process!
8. From KOLs to DOLs
KOLs have been present in the pharmaceutical industry for quite some time but the Digital Opinion Leader (DOL) is just emerging as an influential player. This is a player which you might see within social media networks and communities and might extend to other websites and digital channels. The introduction of this type of influencer took place via Creation.co and is “considered in the context of their online influence, which does not necessarily reflect the level of professional seniority. Pharma KOLs build up their reputation over time becoming someone that their more junior peers look up to. However, online forums such as social media, create more of a level playing field for other voices to be heard. We have seen nurses who are passionate about a particular topic become DOLs in their field and are being listened to by HCPs in senior roles in a way that would not happen in day-to-day life.”
SOURCE: Creation.co
Of course, DOLs with enough influence will attract HCPs on those digital channels, which is exactly why pharmaceutical organisations are beginning to watch out for these new types of influencers. Perhaps surprisingly, data from a survey cited by Advisory Board shows that for the first time ever, content from social media influences practitioners’ perceptions and prescribing behaviour, with 41% of doctors agreeing with this. Among respondents, 9% said they "frequently" change the prescriptions they write based on information from social media, 32% said they do so "occasionally," and 21% said they "never" do. And by participating in these conversations, pharmaceutical companies can tap into this network of HCPs who can provide feedback on the topics discussed, and align themselves with this community for trust-building purposes. One thing that is important in this respect is ensuring that the commercial arm of the pharmaceutical organisation which seeks to connect with HCPS is using the appropriate technology to be able to engage with them in the first place. Pharmaceutical organisations would need to identify the DOLs and KOLs first and foremost before even considering vetting them and then reaching out for engagement opportunities.
Peer-to-peer platform H1 provide a highly useful overview here which can be quoted in full:
“Pharmaceutical companies must prioritize health equity when engaging digital opinion leaders to further diversity of thought among HCPs that represent all patient populations. As more digital channels become available for sharing information about therapeutics and treatments, big pharma must take an active role in ensuring that everyone has equal access to these resources regardless of socioeconomic background or race/ethnicity. To do this successfully requires understanding the issues facing underserved populations and engaging key stakeholders from those communities as part of any KOL strategy.
Finding and leveraging digital opinion leaders is essential for pharmaceutical companies looking to stay at the forefront of new developments in medicine while maintaining trust among clinicians and patients alike. Developing strategies focused on engaging rising stars in health equity and clinical research will help ensure that new therapies are targeted toward those most in need while also elevating public discourse surrounding evidence-based medicine practices around the world.”
9. Peer-to-peer education isn’t going away
Online can only provide so much for HCPs. And whilst HCPs are more than capable of accessing and interpreting key information online, there will always come a time when more information is required. Reps tend to be the bridge between digital and physical, and here is the opportunity for reps and other sales-based professionals from pharmaceutical organisations to step into the conversation. Marketers can aid this process by creating personalised and tailored campaigns that communicate issues and topics relevant to the HCP - spend time understanding your HCP types and segment them based on their therapeutic areas.
And whilst all of this work is being done, know that you are always gearing up to that peer-to-peer educational event. HCPs talking to one another offers credibility and context that are both meaningful and valued. Peer-to-peer communication remains at the centre of the medical education environment. There are huge benefits in HCPs speaking to other HCPs to share, debate and compel long-term action that delivers improvements in patient care - the single most important objective for HCPs.
For more on strategic marketing approaches in the pharmaceutical sectors, visit our section on strategy.