E-Conferences Web Conferencing –More Than Just a Meeting Online James J. Miller Jr. Director, Sales and Marketing Web conferencing was usually looked at as a way to communicate but not as a marketing or training tool. Today web conferencing is being used as a vehicle to disseminate a wide range of information to a variety of target audiences. Web conferencing is providing pharmaceutical companies/organizations with a higher ROI for their e-solution programs that target DTC, DTP, and other audiences. Since the birth of the Internet, e-solutions have grown in popularity. Pharmaceutical marketers have been searching for the best way to use technology to get to the audiences they need to reach. E-mail and Websites have been the major focus for most e-marketers. Web conferencing was usually looked at as a way to communicate but never as a marketing or educational program tool. But today there is a dramatic increase in interest in the use of Web conferencing as a vehicle to reach a wide variety of target audiences. Here are just a few examples of how versatile Web conferencing can be in a marketer’s suite of e-solutions. Direct-to-Consumer Direct-to-consumer is one of the most surprising requests for Web conferencing. But what better way to get a group of consumers together and hear their questions and concerns, since it enables direct feedback on what side effects or issues patients are having with a drug. The great thing about this tactic is that the dialogue is two way. Marketers can provide approved brand information and benefits directly to the patients who need the information and, most importantly, want it. Direct-to-Physician Direct-to-physician (DTP) marketing through meetings is nothing new, but using Web conferencing to provide physicians with CME, marketing data, speaker training, and other brand information is growing in popularity. This enables physicians to get the information they want when they need it, without ever leaving the office. According to statistics, online DTP meetings generate three times the ROI than traditional meetings. Web conferencing will never replace the live meeting, but it definitely speeds the ability to communicate and educate large numbers of physicians in a very short period of time. E-Detailing E-detailing is another marketing tactic that is not new to the pharmaceutical e-marketer. But until fairly recently, Web conferencing was rarely used in this area. Pharmaceutical sales representatives are now setting up meetings with a thought leader and two or three doctors for a quick lunch Web conference. This format allows physicians to have a dialogue directly with the thought leaders they want to hear from, while enhancing the time the pharmaceutical sales rep has with the targeted physicians. Compliance Training Compliance is a challenging proposition for the pharma industry. Web conferencing enables sales trainers and compliance officers to distribute information and record completion of both sales training and compliance training objectives. Web conferencing can even be provided with Part 11 compliance for clinical-research units and CROs. The Versatility of Web Conferences There are many ways that pharmaceutical companies, industry organizations, and associations can use Web conferencing to broadcast their messages over the Internet or hold meetings to educate physicians or patients. Combine this versatility with the ease of recording these events and hosting them — either on a branded site for promotion or as an educational archive — and there are many reasons to consider Web conferences as part of the marketing strategy. On-demand presentations can improve attendance by more than 30% compared with live events, simply because of the convenience. Also, European physicians prefer Web conferencing to most other forms of online communications. Web conferencing is growing as the target audiences become more and more Web savvy. The key to any successful marketing initiative, whether an e-solution or a traditional one, is to track the marketing initiatives and measure results. The Maxwell Group Inc. THE Maxwell Group Inc., Norristown, Pa., provides live Web-conferencing solutions for Fortune 1000 companies. For more information, visit medconference.net. July 2005 VIEW on E-Solutions

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