Spotlight On... Pharma Content Marketing

1Pharma content marketing | www.wearecouch.com

SPOTLIG HT ON. . .

PHAR MA CONTE NT MAR KETI NG

COUCH MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS ©2016.

All rights reserved.

Inspiring audiences. Motivating change. Thinking beyond.

ISSUE 3

HCPs through to pat ients and caregivers crave information, which needs to be easi ly accessible at the t ime when they want i t .

Strategic presentat ion of content enables HCPs and pat ients to make informed decisions at any point dur ing the l i fecycle of their journey.

Content market ing is the bui lding of a narrat ive that speaks to brand goals and audience needs through the creat ion of relevant and valuable content that attracts , captures and engages consumers. I t ’s much more than just digital advert is ing, social media and blog posts . I t ’s an overal l strategic approach that encompasses al l those and more, but the basic pr inciple behind i t is not a sales approach.

Within this in mind, I hope you enjoy this issue and as always I would love to hear your thoughts . You can emai l me [email protected] or tweet me at @ash_rishi .

Ti l l next t ime.

Ash RishiManaging DirectorCOUCH Medical Communications

Welcome to the 3rd edit ion of our spot l ight magazine. In this issue we talk about something I am quite passionate about improving in our industry – content .

There was a t ime not so long ago when content market ing consisted of brands needing to incorporate al l of their promotional information onto a pr int double-sided detai l a id , however, i f the pharma industry is to maintain relevance in the digital landscape, i t needs to take act ion and embrace the content chal lenge, for two key reasons:

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Why the pharma customer journey starts with content

How to develop an effective pharma content marketing strategy

Engaging content is all about emotion

How to find pharma content that inspires your audience

Mapping content strategies to pharma lifecycle management

How to conduct a pharma content audit

IN THIS ISSUE

4 | Pharma content marketing

For any company – regardless of industry and location – a huge mistake is

to think a marketing strategy is all about ‘selling stuff’. If that’s what you

think it is, shift your perspective quickly.

Above all, marketing’s purpose is to form and maintain a relationship

with customers. The stuff you sell is secondary to this; a byproduct of that

relationship. And like any relationship, the one between you and your

customers must involve mutual respect, care and hard work at times. It’s

time to be selfless and immerse yourself in the pharma customer journey –

rather than your own.

This journey started long before you arrived, and its destination is not

‘products’ (even if the customer may end up there). But here’s the good

news: products aren’t, in fact, all you have to offer. You have knowledge,

and this will always be in demand.

WHY THE PHARMA CUSTOMER JOURNEY STARTS WITH CONTENT



CONTENT: THE SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS

In an online sense, your knowledge is passed on to the wider world in the form of content – blogs, research papers, videos, ‘how-to’ guides or whatever else you can think of.

The mistake many make, however, is in thinking that creating content is just something to ‘add on’ to all the other marketing techniques. As with customers of other industries, the pharma customer journey begins with a ‘problem’ of some kind – and knowledge (i.e., content) is their first resort when it comes to solving that problem.

Consider a middle-aged man who is having slight difficulty breathing. Would he first run to Google to find the cheapest and most available cure for cancer? That’s a ridiculous scenario, but putting products first is just as ridiculous – because it ignores the customer journey and goes straight from point A to point Z. Content addresses the problem first, before wading in with a cure that – at the time – won’t make any sense to the customer.

So what is ‘good content’?

Primarily, good content is that which addresses the customer’s concerns. But besides that, it has to be interesting, entertaining, relevant and stirs an emotion.

Here are some practical tips for achieving these objectives:

DON’T USE JARGON: It’s alienating and off-putting.

RELATE TO PROBLEMS: Use anecdotes and real-life stories to show empathy with readers.

BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE: Time is of the essence to most readers.

GET EXCITED: Remember, what’s old news to you may be like the discovery of penicillin to

your readers. Make the most of that.

MOVING FORWARD

Of course, you don’t want the pharma customer journey to end at ‘content’, but content can remain throughout the disease and product lifecycle, of course you need to make sure you have content available for the lifecycles. If you have satisfied your customer’s need for knowledge and solutions, it’s likely they’ll trust you enough to read – and indeed seek out – your content again.

And what’s more, they’ll want to share their findings with others. As your reputation grows, you’ll become a trusted source of information, and in turn your products will become more appealing. Creating content is all about building trust – and so the better the content, the greater the reward for you and the customer.


6 | Pharma content marketing6 | Pharma content marketing

Healthcare professionals (HCPs), payers and patients are all using internet

as a means of engagement with pharma, and one way of optimising

this digital engagement is through effective content. As it has for other

industries, this sales-shy marketing technique could give pharma the boost

it needs to enter the 21st century by promoting a strong online presence and

responding to the increasing demand for healthcare information.

Achieving this type of marketing success requires a more than ‘OK’ strategy

and this takes time, planning, insights, analysis etc. When executed

beautifully though, content marketing is a powerful tool for building brand

trust and maintaining customer relationships.

HOW TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE PHARMA CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY


A CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY THAT WORKS

In recent years there has been a shift in brand marketing as pharma seek to build closer relationships with their customers rather than solely selling a brand. This relationship can be established through delivery of accessible, meaningful content that the consumer easily understands via a medium that they are comfortable using. This requires insight and analysis, so that the target audience is truly understood, and then mapping information back to the brand goals.

Following these particular steps will help you create a content marketing strategy that works:

1 Segment your customers

It is highly significant that content marketing meets the needs and interests of your target audience and different content should be created for each audience segment in a way that speaks directly of their particular issues; a one-size-fits-all approach is now outdated. It would be senseless for any company to rush into content without even asking themselves who the content is for or what the target audience needs and our industry is no exception.

Putting yourself in the shoes of your audience is the most effective way of understanding their thinking. Some simple questions you can ask yourselves so that you are clearer on how your content should be developed are:

Who is your audience? Are they patients, general practitioners, specialists etc.?

What information do they want?

What issues do they have and how can you solve this?

2 Create content & promote

After considering all this, creating a content manifesto should be the next step as it allows you to reflect on everything you have learned so far including brand objectives, target audiences, audience needs and tone of voice.

Content should be interactive and interesting with the target in mind and these seven golden rules will ensure your content efforts are fully optimised:

Nonetheless, whatever content you develop, it cannot promote itself and it is essential that you market it - the least you can do is share it through social media. Keep in mind that your efforts shouldn’t really seem like a marketing strategy or be obviously promotional.

3 Measure, analyse & adapt

It’s essential that you know how well your content is performing and measurement is the only way to determine whether your efforts have been successful. Measure time spent on page, downloads, social shares and engagement i.e. blog/social media comment to evaluate whether you have had any return on investment. Remember, this information will also be useful for future content marketing strategies as it allows you to tweak your plan so it’s crucial you carry this step through. Furthermore, content marketing is a continuous effort as consumers demand new, engaging content constantly and frequently so it is important to come up with new content all the time.

Although, every marketing strategy is different, following this loose plan will ensure you stand above any other marketing effort.


EMOTIONS STIR ACTION

That isn’t to say we shouldn’t respect the systematic element; far from it. But we must remember that, ultimately, our prospects are not robots. Emotions stir humans to action well before logic makes its appearance, so healthcare content marketing is no different to ‘The Lad Bible’ in this respect.

WHAT MAKES A USER CHOOSE YOUR CONTENT?

What does make it different, however, is the audience in question. Before getting down to specifics, let’s consider the main reasons people browse in the first place – before choosing content:

Inspiration

To keep updated/connected socially

To find specific information

To be ‘in the know’ in general

During a recent conversation with a prospective client, I was asked “what is

engaging content?”. My initial response was to assert that engaging content

is informative content, while that is true, in hindsight I do not think that is

accurate, so in this post I will discuss why engaging content is all about

stirring an emotion.

In our daily role, it is often easy to make one of the biggest mistakes in

marketing, which is to under estimate our target market. Sadly, this is

often the case when creating online content. Too often, marketers focus

on systematic algorithms such as SEO and forget the good old-fashioned

‘human touch’.

ENGAGING CONTENT IS ALL ABOUT EMOTION



To establish what kind of content you want to create, you must first know which of these reasons are most appropriate for your audience. That means you must understand the audience’s demographic. For pharma and healthcare, this would comprise both medical professionals and the wider public (i.e., patients). What have they all got in common? How can you collate individuals into groups based on the reasons they read content?

Once you’ve decided which reasons are strongest, you can tailor your content to these reasons. Let’s say ‘being in the know’ is your chosen reason – you’d therefore choose a subject such as ‘new advancements in disease X’ and work from there. d

EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS

Of course, knowing your subject is only the beginning. To get that ‘gut’ response which forces a click, you’ll need a headline which moves people. Here are the emotions which are most likely to engage audiences:

Awe Laughter Joy

Anger Empathy Surprise

Sadness Fear Disgust

Consider your target market again, and what emotions are most applicable. Do they want to be amused? Shocked? Awestruck? Healthcare content marketing is all about understanding what moves anyone interested in healthcare, and this could be anyone from a junior doctor to someone with a terminal illness.

In all cases, your readers begin with a problem of some kind. The problem may be as severe as finding a lump, or it may just be that they’re bored, but it’s something you can remedy. Your cure, however, will be ignored if you don’t stir emotion. There are a million links to click on, so why choose yours? Find a way to ease the pain.

MOVED ENOUGH TO SHARE

In healthcare content marketing, as with all online marketing, the benefits of creating good content can go way beyond impressing your target audience. With a simple click, anyone at all can share a message with thousands more – and they in turn can share again. ‘Going viral’ needs no work from you after the content is posted.

That’s the good news. The trick is that to share, your audience needs to be moved enough to do so. You may post an article that solves the biggest problem in the world for one individual, but what would inspire them to tell others? Negative feelings such as fear, anger and disgust inspire action, and this action is to warn others or ‘get things off one’s chest’, whereas positive emotions such as joy, laughter and surprise tap into the human need to make others feel the same feelings.

To some, relying on the more abstract nature of emotions is a difficult task. But as mentioned earlier, creating good content is not about choosing one approach. The scientific ‘numbers game’ is essential in the marketing world of 2016, but only if you remember the simple truth: your audience is made up of humans, and that comes with all the emotional ‘stuff’ they cannot help but be influenced by.

HOW TO FIND PHARMA CONTENT THAT INSPIRES YOUR AUDIENCE


Have you ever felt as if you were talking to a brick wall? If so, you’re not

alone. Usually, however, we tend to blame this on the person we are talking

to. “I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall!” is a statement made in anger; a

chastisement of that other person for not listening.

When it comes to pharma content, however, it’s time for you to take the responsibility for being heard. Let’s face it: your customers come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life, so you can’t take it for granted they will automatically be ‘all ears’ to what you have to say. Quite rightly, their attention has to be earned, and that begins with content.

So how, then, can you achieve this? Is it by shouting louder than your competitors? Is it with the flashiest, slickest ad campaigns that get you noticed? Perhaps, but in both these cases ‘being noticed’ can often mean ‘putting people off’.

As Mark Twain once said, “Better to say nothing and let others think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Knowing what motivates your customers to listen, on the other hand, is the best marketing wisdom on the planet. Practically, it saves you time (and money) because you don’t waste your time talking to ‘brick walls’. But more importantly, you will establish your brand as a ‘go to’, respectable source in the long run, and earn respect and revenue.


KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Before you offer solutions, you must know the problems. And to know the problems, you must know the sufferers (i.e. your customers). This knowledge can be attained both scientifically and socially. On the scientific front, research through surveys and data analysis (online traffic trends etc) can provide a clearer picture of where and how customers search for information and, ultimately, buy products.

Socially-speaking, listening is the key. In both your working life and free time, getting to know your audience will help you to understand what they want out of life, what they struggle with and what drives them. Knowing how you fit in with their needs, rather than the other way around, will empower you to send out relevant messages.

PERSONAS

Of course, your customers come in many ‘types’, so there isn’t ‘one size fits all’ solutions. You must create varying pharma content for varying customers.

To keep track of these different types (and therefore deliver the right content to the right people), creating personas for each is an effective marketing tool.

This persona should be a real person in your mind (draw a picture if it helps!), and whenever you create any sort of pharma content it should be aimed at this person. Is it helpful to them? Do they want it? Need it? Are they looking for it, and have you put it in the right place so they can see it? This person is your muse, so treat them with respect!

NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS

Understanding your customers is not just essential for your marketing projects, but also for growing and strengthening relationships with these customers. It’s a two-way thing: as you get to know them more, they see that you know them more – and trust you more as a result.

And when you have trust, being ‘loud’ or ‘gimmicky’ isn’t necessary in order to be heard. You can focus on delivering helpful, relevant and needed pharma content which will benefit both your customers and your brand name – and at a time and place that suits you both.

Better to say nothing and let others think you a fool, than to

open your mouth and remove all doubt


MAPPING CONTENT STRATEGIES TO PHARMA LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

In these tough economic times, we should be ramping up our pharma

lifecycle management (LCM) strategies. These are well-established

strategies for managing and extending the commercial value of products.

So where exactly does content strategies sit in LCM and how can you map

content to the lifecycle?

CHALLENGES FACING LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

One of the key challenges facing LCM is when to develop the strategy. Should it be implemented at an early stage or is it better to wait to a later stage when the product is facing patent expiry and a greater threat from generics? It is clear that whatever timing you take, it is vital that the strategy needs to be integrated. Some of the benefits of integration are:

Development of better insights

Increase in market share

Improved patient compliance

Increase in overall value

Timely intervention

HOW DO YOU MAP YOUR CONTENT TO HCP NEEDS?

Firstly, we need to understand healthcare professional (HCP) behaviours when searching online. HCPs will have different information needs at different stages in the buying cycle and this needs to be mapped to the LCM.

Early in the disease diagnosis, HCPs will not be looking for specific information about a therapeutic. During the initial search they will be looking for disease information, trying to understand the best way to solve the issues they have in their local health economy. This phase we will call the awareness phase.

After the disease specific information, the search will progress to focusing on an array of different products. This is the consideration phase.

Once they have settled on a specific product, their needs change to justifying the therapeutic through ROI/health economic data analysis. This is the evaluation phase.



MAPPING THE JOURNEY AND LIFECYCLE

The approaches to mapping will differ for the stage of the product lifecycle. Regardless of the approach you take, you should include insights from all internal stakeholders to map the content, these departments include:

Sales

Marketing

Medical

Regulatory

One stakeholder that is often neglected is the actual customer themselves. It is of paramount importance that you use their insight, work with and involve them at every stage. The mapping process should take into account the following:

Initial triggers that lead to first contact

Steps the customers take (industry reports, published articles, reports and reviews, whitepapers etc.) and the conversations (conference booths, MSL, sales, etc.) they engage in to solve their problem and find a specific solution

Steps associated with the purchase and consumption (training, reimbursement purchasing processes, implementation etc.)

Ongoing experience and reaction to use of product (patient data etc.)

Once you’ve mapped the process and organised each step into the appropriate stage, you can begin to match content with the lifecycle journey.

THE KIND OF CONTENT TO DEVELOP FOR EACH STAGE

With every product lifecycle, there is a wealth of appropriate content that could be developed. Some of the key areas to consider:

Patient data

Health outcome data

Financial data

Trial data

Treatment and dosing regimens

Pricing and sales data

Reimbursement policies

The most important factors for any content plan are to ensure that the lifecycle of the product is considered, along with the available information and the needs of the customer. Then… decide on the best way to present this information, ensuring that is easily digestible for healthcare professionals to consume.

What does this all solve? It breaks down the silo of the perception that pharma is untrustworthy, it increases transparency and it increases market share.


A content audit is essential for identifying whether your site delivers

comprehensive, valuable information for the purpose of meeting the needs

of your content marketing efforts.

HOW TO CONDUCT A PHARMA CONTENT AUDIT


A few pharma companies have fully embraced the digital transformation at this point. If you have a site and are publishing content, there’s a good chance that it ‘just grew’. If you’re lucky, you have one person on your team who actually has an idea of what’s on there; if not, there are likely forgotten pages, broken links and without question some outdated information.

Performing a content audit is the checking, recording and assessment of all the content on your site, for the purpose of evaluating its accuracy, relevance and user-friendliness. An audit usually precedes a redesign or at the very least a review of the site, and gives you the chance to ensure that your website offers aligns with your business strategy and your customer’s needs.

There are several ways of doing a content audit for your pharma website. The type of audit you choose depends on your reasons for needing the information. Types include:

FULL AUDIT: This involves the complete recording of every piece of content on your site, including information pages, images, video and downloadable items.

PARTIAL INVENTORY: This typically covers categories or levels of the site. For example, you might choose to record sections without delving into every page in each section.

SAMPLE AUDIT: A sample audit is usually conducted to identify issues such as tone, format and quality of the content on the site. If you are generally satisfied with the leads delivered by your pharma website but just want to evaluate certain aspects, a sample audit is the way to go.

You can also choose between simply cataloguing the content for record purposes, or taking the audit process further and evaluating each piece of content against specific criteria.


By the end of the process, you should have a complete listing of the audited sections. This will give you a clear understanding of what is on your pharma website. You might find information you didn’t know you had, or notice areas where material is duplicated or contradictory. You’ll certainly be able to identify important content that might be missing from your site, and see patterns that you can exploit for purposes such as developing new content. This information is invaluable for planning the way forward for your customer engagement efforts.

HOW TO PERFORM A CONTENT AUDIT:

1 Choose the tools you’re going to use. Excel spreadsheets provide a comprehensive way to capture, store and view all the information at a glance, as well as giving you sorting and grouping options.

2 Review your content management system (CMS) to see whether it offers an easy listing of all the pages and sections on the site. If your site was designed in one of the newer CMSs there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get usable information this way.

3 If your audit is for the purpose of assessment as well as recording, identify the criteria for evaluation in advance. Use the ‘touch once’ rule so you don’t have to revisit sections a second time.

4 Capture your information with as much detail as you can, including:

a. Menu items that link each piece of content to the site’s navigation

b. Displayed page title

c. URL for each page

d. Type of content and basic description

e. Alt tags and meta descriptions

f. Attachments or downloads available

g. Quality of content, relevance and accuracy

h. Tone and format

i. Author, owner or person responsible for updating

Add general comments about your thoughts that can help you to remember each item without having to go back and revisit it time after time.

Once you’ve completed your content audit, don’t let your efforts go to waste. Make sure you use the intelligence provided by the exercise to identify the purpose and deliverables of each piece. Note whether the item achieves these or not.

If you have analytical information showing traffic and interaction for your site, this will go a long way towards helping you to determine these. Then implement your findings when you redesign or revamp your pharma site to ensure that it’s working for you as well as it should.

16 | Pharma content marketing16 | Pharma content marketing

© COUCH 2016.

At COUCH, we create content that responds to the known needs and preferences of your target audience, and elicits the desired response from them.

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Spotlight On... Pharma Content Marketing

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