Designing e-Detailing Programs that Physicians Will Love The E-Arena Physicians will seek out superior e-detailing programs that leverage their preferences, so marketers need to create relevant promotional experiences. Robert O. Likoff, CEO and Founding Partner Graphic Details Now more than ever, doctors and other healthcare professionals have less time during normal working hours to devote to education, research, or promotion. These new realities make it increasingly difficult for pharmaceutical companies to connect with doctors and communicate important clinical information to them. The explosive growth of the Internet made e-detailing appear to be the panacea for all of the industry’s communications problems. Pharmaceutical companies rushed to put their print materials on the Internet. It was no surprise that doctors were not being stimulated by e-detailing sessions that were designed for print. Nobody wanted to trudge through endless Web pages packed with arid clinical information and promotional messages. Every communications medium has its strengths and weaknesses, and the Internet is no exception. Using information designed for another medium, typically print, and putting it on a Website does not make for an engaging online experience. To achieve optimal results, content should be created specifically for the online medium. The industry clearly needs a better way to address e-detailing. Here are some key ways that marketers can improve the experience. No. 1. Actively engage physicians Studies show that passive learning — reading, watching, and listening — results in retention of about 10% of the material presented, while active learning can increase retention levels to as high as 75%. Marketers should actively engage physicians by letting them interact with the data. Physicians remember information on efficacy, tolerability, and safety when they have interacted directly and actively with the data. Reviewing static charts is a passive way for physicians to gather information. But when physicians are asked to create a sales brochure or plan a lecture based on these same data, they are actively involved with your information. By letting physicians interact with clinical data, they are far more likely to remember your brand when it comes time to prescribe. No. 2. Harness the full power of the Internet The Internet is an amazingly flexible tool for communicating marketing messages to physicians, but only if it is used properly. Information must be created specifically for the Web. It’s easy to put a sales aid on the Internet and call it “e-detailing,” but that’s not using the potential of the medium. An e-detailing team must know the brand and understand how to best present it online. A great promotional program should dynamically branch based on physician input. For example, a physician who has specified a higher percentage of patients with LDL-C >130 mg/dL should see a different message from a doctor who has specified a higher percentage of patients with LDL-C <130 mg/dL. Using a sophisticated relational database, marketers can develop a dynamic one-to-one experience relevant to that physician. By using e-detailing to build rich physician profiles, marketers can cultivate long-term relationships. These profiles will yield valuable information that can't be obtained anywhere else. No. 3. Respect marketing Treat doctors with respect. Don't waste their time with programs that force-feed them information. Keep e-detailing programs respectfully brief and thoroughly engaging. When marketers create e-detailing programs that are individually relevant, user-friendly, and convenient, they show physicians that their time and intelligence are valued. In return, physicians provide more thoughtful feedback. Anyone can buy a mailing list and send out a single e-detailing program. But to develop an ongoing relationship with physicians requires a demonstration of respect for their time, expertise, and feedback. No. 4. Make it enjoyable Okay, everyone knows that the business of pharmaceuticals is a serious one, but that doesn't mean we need to bore physicians with information. Well-designed e-detailing programs with innovative interactive features earn physicians' interest and full participation. When marketers take the time to make a program enjoyable, physicians will have a positive experience that they'll remember and will want to repeat. They may even be willing to refer the program to a friend, which means the message will spread via viral marketing. E-detailing companies must respond dynamically to the wants and needs of physicians. Physicians will seek out superior e-detailing programs that leverage their preferences, so marketers need to create relevant promotional experiences. Ultimately, physicians will decide which e-detailers give them the most valuable experiences for their time. They will be voting with mouse clicks. Graphic details, Montclair, N.J., is a leading healthcare communications company that serves eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical corporations. For more information, visit about.gdetail.com. September 2004 VIEW on Marketing

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