The race for relevance: Why personalized content is a must in the digital era
The race for relevance: Why personalized content is a must in the digital era
By Pooja Ojala, VP of commercial content at Veeva Systems
Marketers face a two-sided challenge in today’s digital world. They now need to meet healthcare professionals’ (HCP) growing expectations for hybrid interactions across a dynamic mix of channels, while providing relevant information that is timely and accurate.
Maneuvering this new landscape requires content that’s accessible across all virtual and in-person touchpoints and covers the full range of HCP and patient information needs. But with HCP preferences continuously shifting in the face of digital, commercial teams need agile content models that can efficiently manage digital and print assets.
Modular and data-driven approaches are key, as are integrated operating models that balance creativity with efficiency to produce flexible, tailored customer experiences. Here are three ways companies can prepare for content’s hybrid future.
Scale your content with a modular mindset
With virtual interactions between reps and HCPs showing a sixfold increase between January and December 2020, marketers need a quick and flexible content creation process that can adapt to evolving HCP preferences and engagement needs. Instead of using global pre-approved brand platforms, and then recreating them for different channels or markets, companies are shifting towards more modular ways of thinking.
“Modular content is similar to Lego building,” says Vikki Ward, European project and content delivery lead at Havas Health & You. “Teams can create small pieces of pre-approved content blocks, or modules, such as images, text, or video, that can be mixed and matched to build a variety of polished assets or campaigns and deliver the best experience.”
This modular mindset is becoming a standard for the way companies think and work in the digital landscape. It enables marketers to repurpose highly relevant materials between regions and create bespoke content that sustains impactful engagement. As noted by David Windhausen, executive VP of Intouch Group: “The modular mindset enables the creation of content that is infinitely more flexible and relevant, instead of generating broad messaging which will quickly become outdated, and may never make it to market.”
Each module can be automatically linked to an approved reference and claim, speeding the medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) review process. With current content approval cycles taking 21 days on average, modular content helps streamline workflows to get content to market faster.
“A streamlined MLR review process is critical to help HCPs educate patients on the right treatments faster,” says Jennifer Ma, SVP and director of integrated production at AREA 23, an IPG Health Network Company. “Modular content can power quick content delivery while keeping materials compliant, organized, and up-to-date the minute they make it to the field.”
Fuel meaningful content and campaigns with real-time insights
While modular content drives cost efficiencies and speeds time to market, it can’t sustain meaningful content creation on its own. Engagement patterns and HCP preferences are continuing to become more varied and multichannel, making it critical for teams to drive the right interactions with real-world data.
“With the majority of marketing strategies shifting online, massive amounts of data are now available,” says Adam Hirsch, practice leader of digital experience at Real Chemistry. “How teams strategically monitor, analyze, and act on these insights can be a differentiator.”
Reps need to understand what types of materials HCPs prefer and when they need them most. They should be asking: Which campaigns are resonating most with HCPs and patients? And when are customers most likely to consume various types of content?
Data provides answers to these questions and more, helping teams craft the right message, at the right time through each stage of the customer journey. “By filtering this information back into content plans, field teams can optimize their strategies mid-flight and implement new tactics that build off of the best-performing campaigns,” says Windhausen.
Lay the bedrock for your content’s digital success
With nine in 10 HCPs preferring a fully virtual or a mix of virtual and in-person engagement, a more dynamic and multichannel content experience is now expected. Teams need to leverage real-world intelligence platforms and solutions that enable a modular approach. And doing so requires a flexible operating model. Here are strategies and processes teams can implement to create a scalable foundation for their digital content factory.
• Empower cross-functional collaboration
By unifying IT, brand, marketing, and operations, companies can align processes and methodically implement the shift to a modular, data-driven approach so that it’s adopted across the organization. Putting the right infrastructure in place is critical and will allow teams to create digital content more quickly and compliantly, while still pushing boundaries.
“Breaking up silos and taking a cross-functional approach to content creation enables you to think about content in a more dynamic way,” Hirsch says. “Once colleagues are brought on the same train of thought, you start taking a more structured approach which ultimately drives efficiency into your strategy.”
Streamlining communications between stakeholders is especially important, as it increases transparency along the content creation process making for shorter review cycles and faster content approval. Most of all, it harmonizes isolated teams and creates synergies that ultimately help content become more colorful and relevant for the customer. “Companies need to build an operational engine that can support how fast the industry is generating digital content,” Ward says. “Creating open channels of communication between partners and internal stakeholders as well as within teams will be pivotal for stronger idea generation and seamless content execution.”
• Map your content strategy upfront
Before starting the content creation process, teams need to ask: What do we want to achieve with modular content? What types of data do we need to look at? How will we implement these strategies not just across markets, but across the entire content ecosystem?
“How leaders define the use of modular content and data for their content plans is paramount,” Ward says. “Without a clear goal in mind, companies won’t see the true impact.”
First, create a framework for how you want content to support your commercial strategy. Then populate it with the messages you have instead of trying to continuously generate new content that never makes it to the field. Technology tailored for modular creation can expedite how content is created and distributed, but it needs to support the long-term strategies and business objectives you already have in place.
“Teams and partners need a strategic playbook at the start for how and when assets are being produced,” Hirsch says. “This makes content more efficient and agile, but also tailored to the needs of the customer rather than solely on the needs of the business.”
• Balance efficiency with innovation
While technology can bring newfound efficiencies in content creation and delivery, teams need to ensure that they are prioritizing creativity along the way.
“Marketers shouldn’t let speed and experimentation impact the quality of their content. Instead of looking at channels and tactics, start with the type of experience you want for your customer,” Windhausen says. “Only then can you find ways to be more resourceful and efficient while creating the most compelling content.”
Teams need to keep the customer’s perspective in mind and build campaigns around it to drive more memorable experiences. “At the outset, teams should know who their customer is and what they want at each stage of their journey,” Ma says. “This will help them develop the most relevant messages as they standardize the content creation process.”
Navigating the next wave of digital content
As digital grows its roots in the content ecosystem, experiences will continue to become more dynamic, omnichannel, and personalized. While this increases expectations for how companies engage HCPs using content, it is also a great opportunity for field teams to pioneer more meaningful, hybrid experiences.
A modular mindset that leverages the power of data-driven insights can set pharmaceutical brands apart. But teams need a unified structure that fuels collaboration and takes into account the customers’ perspective. Only then can companies move the needle towards more relevant, tailored experiences that sustain relationships over the long term.
