Make every move count.
Approach physician marketing from a CRM perspective.
A lot of ink has been spilt on the decline of the blockbuster and the
search for a new specialty-product commercial model. But less attention
has been paid to how that changes physician marketing strategy.
In the traditional PCP blockbuster model,
promotional saturation was effective. The medical
claim could be simple and the sales message clever.
It didn’t matter if marketing tactics existed in their
own silos with little or no coordination. Whether
it was a leading statin or ED product, there was
strong consumer demand and the marketing
strategy could be share of voice.
In today’s specialty market, these old assumptions
are just plain wrong. Not only is the target audience
smaller, the buying criteria are more sophisticated.
Writing a $15,000 oncology regimen is different
from writing a monthly $150 PPI script.
To address this paradigm shift from a marketing
perspective, the first necessary change is to move
from a product focus to a user focus, with key
messages evolving from product features to user
needs. Done right, this will mean a profound
transformation from a single detail verbatim and
media plan to a more complex set of messages and
coordinated channels that are tuned to the needs
©2011 closerlook, inc.
closerlook.com
of individual specialists. Done well, the brand
will create an ecosystem of communication
that surrounds the physician with targeted,
responsive and relevant information. This is
true physician CRM.
In the blockbuster age, it was acceptable to allow
agencies and list vendors to own and manage
physician databases on behalf of pharma. It was
easy to order up a mail drop or e-mail campaign.
But in today’s increasingly competitive environment,
having one’s own physician database combining all
channel activities is a key strategic brand asset.
Even as senior executives consider long-term
product portfolio decisions, brand teams can
create tremendous corporate value by investing
in building their own physician insight databases.
As a practical matter, this doesn’t require a major
IT investment. An experienced agency partner
can support physician CRM and all the technical
requirements. What is important is that the brand
team becomes very clear about who owns the
data and how they will be used exclusively to
benefit the brand.
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Make every move count. Approach physician marketing from a CRM perspective.
So what does a physician CRM
road map look like?
A pragmatic way to start investing in physician
CRM begins with three steps. The first step is to
begin collecting data on physician interactions
from a brand’s various agencies, ensuring that the
data are identifiable and attributable at the specific
physician level, and then to pull these data into a
single physician database to provide a full and
comprehensive view of all physician touchpoints.
This process ultimately will be automated, but
in the beginning it can be done with simple
data transfers.
“from a product focus to a user focus,
...the first necessary change is to move
with key messages evolving from product
features to user needs.
”
The second step is to analyze this new data set and
segment physicians by message and tactic response
to reveal their individual engagement levels. This
will show us where we are “overinvesting” and
“underinvesting.”
The third and ultimate step is to actually use this
intelligence to make better marketing decisions
about how to deploy resources in a more effective
and respectful way.
In a world of resource constraints and changing
market dynamics, physician CRM gives us the tools
to design a physician marketing strategy based on
user needs and preferences and then to create the
most compelling and relevant promotional messages
for the greatest business impact.
David Ormesher, CEO
David Ormesher provides
leadership and direction for
closerlook, inc., a strategic
marketing agency serving
healthcare. As founder and
CEO, Ormesher has taken closerlook from a
small, creative media boutique and grown it
into a recognized leader in creating innovative
relationship marketing solutions that help
pharmaceutical and health-insurance companies
get closer to their most important customers.
Since founding the company in 1987, Ormesher
has created a rich, cohesive culture at closerlook by
maintaining a hands-on approach to building client
success and sustaining lasting account relationships.
He has guided the growth and evolution of the firm,
attracting a world-class team of account strategy,
user experience, design, technology and relationship
marketing services experts.
Ormesher is a frequent speaker at marketing
conferences and is a recognized thought leader
in the areas of interactive and relationship
marketing for healthcare.
In addition to his entrepreneurial leadership,
Ormesher is also active on several non-profit
boards. He serves on the boards of the Lyric Opera
of Chicago; i.c.stars, an innovative business and
leadership training program for inner-city youth;
and Global Relief and Development Partners,
building the capacity of entrepreneurs in emerging
economies. He is also an adjunct professor at the
Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart Graduate
School of Business, where he teaches Customer
Relationship Management.
Want to continue this discussion? Get in touch
with david ormesher at [email protected]
or follow him on Twitter @ormshr
A version of this article, titled “Potential of physician CRM,” appeared in the September 2011 issue of MM&M magazine.
©2011 closerlook, inc.
closerlook.com
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