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jenna phillips
Health and life science experts
PA consulting
Many life sciences companies rely on key opinion leaders (KOLs) to serve on advisory boards, speak at events, and provide insights to shape product strategy. This approach has been widely used for many years.
As the world of healthcare marketing embraces digital channels, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly targeting a different type of opinion leader: Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs), who influence healthcare professionals, patients, and scientists through their social media presence. They are increasingly seeking engagement with medical professionals who provide. Because DOL has influence and reach on social media, it is uniquely positioned to advise on social media strategy and disseminate targeted content. As such, digital thought leaders may provide advisory support on social media content from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for compensation, collaborate with marketing teams to create social media content, or post content on their company’s social media platforms. You may. For example, as part of the “It Will” campaign, GSK collaborated with his DOL to share educational content to empower lupus patients and help them avoid severe complications associated with the disease.
Social media marketing has been applied as part of the marketing mix of most consumer product brands since social media has existed. Total marketing spending on influencers will reach $4.14 billion in 2022, making them a key tool brands use to ensure they reach consumers and, in some cases, customers in specialized channels such as healthcare professionals. It becomes. In the healthcare world, influencer marketing can also be used to reach patients seeking accurate and relevant information about new treatments.
DOLs can play a role in pharmaceutical and life sciences marketing, but how can DOLs be rewarded for helping healthcare companies increase the visibility and understanding of their products without directly promoting them? There are also some industry-specific challenges, including unique regulatory constraints governing the industry. This regulatory situation is even more complex outside the United States.
Eric Moen
Health and life science experts
PA consulting
In addition to the perceived potential regulatory risks, a general lack of experience working with the DOL adds complexity to pharmaceutical marketing leaders seeking to achieve collaboration with the DOL. There is a possibility. Limited experience in incorporating DOL into an overall marketing strategy and other operating model factors, such as a lack of understanding of the fair market value (FMV) payment rate for DOL, make marketing leaders , may be reluctant to use this novel and potentially influential marketing approach to get the word out about their company. A revolutionary product.
We have worked with marketing and commercial strategy leaders in the healthcare, life sciences, and consumer products industries to help clients incorporate DOL or other influencer marketing approaches into their marketing mix. We learned her three key takeaways from the consumer products industry for life sciences companies to incorporate DOL into their marketing strategies.
#1: Target influencers within the “disease community” who actually use the product you are trying to promote.
When applying influencer marketing strategies, consumer goods companies work with influencers who have been successful in gaining followers within a particular social media community. For example, beauty influencers typically increase consumer engagement with a particular product by posting photos or videos of themselves using that product and giving their opinions on why it works or doesn’t work. Get paid for the efforts you promote. Consumers in the beauty category report higher engagement with online communities before making a purchase, demonstrating the impact of social media marketing as a gatekeeper to product growth.
The concept of digital communities also applies to the medical field, where patients and healthcare providers within a particular therapeutic area form online “disease communities.” Healthcare companies can similarly consider engaging with healthcare providers and patient DOLs who are successfully participating in and are members of these disease communities. Platforms like Patients Like Me and Selfihealth are used by patients to discuss treatments, symptoms, and other topics related to their illnesses, making them potential fertile ground for influencers and their DOL marketing approaches. represents. Additionally, DOL can engage with the disease community on traditional social media channels. For example, Chloe Bean gained 2.1 million followers on TikTok with her engaging posts about living with alopecia. Although most of her posts do not mention the specific treatments she uses to manage her hair loss, the credibility she has built with her followers is evident from the specific treatments she uses. promote communication and education about our products so that other patients can also derive value from them. In fact, in a recent survey, 85% of respondents said they were “very accepting” or “somewhat accepting” of patient influencer ads that talk about medications related to their symptoms.
#2: Don’t overlook micro-influencers
Consumer brands often collaborate with celebrity influencers to promote their products. These ads are everywhere. For example, Rebel Wilson’s “Cuffing Season Menu” campaign in collaboration with Uber Eats, Chipotle, and Hinge earned him over 1.2 million views on Instagram. However, consumer companies are increasingly turning to micro-influencers (typically defined as influencers with fewer than 100,000 followers) to connect with smaller communities with more engaged follower bases and build a sense of trust. It is designed to support a sense of trust.
In our experience, many healthcare marketing leaders only think of influencers as celebrities. For example, Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga have participated in an advertisement for the migraine drug Nurtec. Although collaborating with celebrities may be effective for certain mass-market products or for products where the celebrity representative himself suffers from this condition, it can also significantly increase the cost of the campaign and reduce trust. This may give the wrong impression to stakeholders who are looking for highly capable and experienced personnel. We help you understand the potential benefits of your product. Depending on the audience, using celebrities to attract followers about pharmaceutical products can give the impression of inauthenticity and may also pose unnecessary regulatory risks.
To minimize reputational concerns and regulatory risks and design a comprehensive and successful DOL strategy, life sciences companies should consider engaging micro-influencers. Micro-influencers provide an opportunity for companies to connect with niche disease communities and increase credibility and credibility, often at low cost. Additionally, micro-influencers are particularly useful in raising awareness in specific treatment areas with small populations, such as rare diseases.
#3: DOL is just one part of your marketing strategy
Compared to traditional marketing channels, key performance indicators (KPIs) for DOL can be difficult to define, creating additional complexity when determining a fair compensation rate. Additionally, the costs associated with DOL involvement may make it not worth it. For example, if a pharmaceutical company is looking to sell a drug to treat a rare disease, a traditional marketing campaign targeting healthcare professionals who treat that disease may be better suited to post only relevant content. It is likely to be more cost-effective than involving the DOL. in a small number of patients worldwide.
Due to the complexity of the addressable market for a product and the approach to accessing targeted healthcare professionals and patients, DOL will continue to use traditional marketing approaches, especially in new categories of DOL marketing or segments with small addressable markets. It should serve to complement rather than replace. .
In our experience, healthcare companies should seek to involve DOL in treatment areas that can foster trust and engagement within targeted and relatively large social media communities. For example, pharmaceutical companies have been working with oncologists and his DOL, such as breast cancer specialist Tatiana Prowell, who regularly posts about medical education, clinical trials, and oncology research to X’s 61.2k loyal follower base. You may consider working with them to support your company’s brand awareness. Tumor treatment drug.
In a world where 96% of healthcare professionals seek short-form content, DOL is more important than ever to help life sciences companies create and spread content on social media. By applying our experience in the consumer goods industry, including leveraging the concept of “disease communities,” engaging micro-influencers, and ensuring that DOL efforts complement other marketing efforts, life sciences companies can Maximize the impact of your efforts, build credibility, and increase trust and brand awareness among healthcare professionals and patients.
Jenna Phillips is a health and life sciences specialist at PA Consulting.
Erik Moen is a health and life sciences specialist at PA Consulting.
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