DMD Intelligence

We all know what it feels like to have dinner interrupted by unsolicited marketing calls. Some of the callers are looking for donations, while others are selling products or services. The calls usually leave us feeling like our privacy has been violated. As a result, we’re probably much less likely to buy, give, or comply with whatever the caller wants.

As you know, hospital growth relies on a number of factors. On the physician side, strong healthcare staffing practices, solid physician retention, and minimal referral leakage all contribute to a successful health system. But, physicians and other support staff are only one side of the coin. In this case, the literal coin.

Patient base is also a key factor for consistent growth; it’s just a consumer-based one. Universities can’t function without students, law firms can’t survive without clients, and hospitals won’t subsist if patients don’t come through those doors.

The last time you went on a job interview, you probably conducted some research in advance to learn more about the position and the company. These insights may have helped you sell yourself to land the job.

The most successful pharma marketers take a similar approach when it comes to knowing HCPs and understanding their behavior and preferences. This information is key to developing personalized emails that strengthen the sales conversation.

Couple relationships are tricky—but not impossible. From little things like not watching Netflix episodes without one another, to big events such as navigating the logistics of buying a house together, there’s one standing foundation that keeps partners happy: clear communication.

Why wouldn’t you want to apply that same attitude to your relationships with physicians?

If you’ve ever participated in a race, you understand the thrill that comes from crossing the finish line. Whether it’s a local 5K run for a cause or a triathlon you’ve been in training for months, the sense of accomplishment is undeniable.

Healthcare staffing professionals are no strangers to physician outreach, emphasis on the “out” in outreach. The more proactive they are with their outbound communications, the greater the chances they’ll connect with interested physicians—just like the more at-bats a baseball player gets, the more opportunities he has to get a hit.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t make him a great ball player.

Sending out pharma marketing emails without knowing who are reaching is a lot like taking a seat at the Roulette table. If you aren’t positive that your messages are only going to HCPs who have opted in to receive them, you could be gambling with your company’s reputation and financial future.

Think about the last time you purchased something new. Regardless of the price tag, new typically equates to “better” (and something worth celebrating!). If your previous car got good gas mileage, the replacement is likely even more economical. Your old pair of running shoes are worn down—causing some undesirable knee or shin pain—but this new pair will get you back to your nine-minute mile.

These days, nearly everyone who works with data is concerned about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Fair enough. Every company bigger than a peanut stand needs to give GDPR some thought. Its guidelines are far-reaching, and penalties for non-compliance are stiff.

Still, GDPR is hardly the end of the world for healthcare marketers, particularly those who have invested in compliant data partners. Though GDPR doesn’t take effect until May 25, DMD has been handling healthcare professional data responsibly for years.

Thomas Edison is quoted as saying, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” When you’re a scientist working on one of the greatest inventions of all time, you have the luxury of a 1/10,000 trial-and-error rate.

When you’re a healthcare staffing professional, there’s no room for error and barely any time for trial. A physician vacancy is a ticking time bomb. Yet, many staffing attempts don’t take into consideration factors that negate failure and boost success in the quest to fill empty positions.

I recently ate dinner at a new restaurant in town that’s become quite popular. But my dining experience didn’t live up to the restaurant’s good reviews. The food took too long to be delivered and when it finally came, it was cold and tasteless. Needless to say, I don’t plan to go back anytime soon.

Cost of referral leakage for U.S. health systems comes in at an estimated $78-$97 million of revenue for every 100,000 physicians, per year. There are other costs to consider as well. For example, when patients are referred out-of-system, coordination of care is often interrupted—impacting patient outcomes. An out-of-network specialist may also order scans or therapies that don’t adhere your health system’s quality standards, compromising patient safety and ultimately the hospital’s reputation.

Think about the last time you were in a crowd. Whether you were getting off the subway or walking through a busy store, you were probably surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Depending on your mood, you might have noticed unique characteristics about some of them. Or maybe you just tuned everyone out and got on with your day.

If one of those strangers had tried to get your attention, you might not have noticed. But if an old friend suddenly appeared, you’d recognize him immediately. As a pharma marketer, you want physicians to welcome your email messages as they would an old friend.

Patients and their family members associate hospitals and health systems with health care and advancing wellness. So, when an unexpected regression in that care occurs, it’s a disconcerting experience. No one wants to leave the hospital in poorer health than when they arrived—or worse, not leave at all.

Unfortunately, errors, accidents, injuries, and infections are all internal complications health systems must consider. The good news is health systems have an effective tool with which to immediately address internal issues before they turn into a runaway train. That tool is email.

Twenty years is a long time to live in the digital “unknown,” but it’s been the harsh reality health system marketers have had to suffer through. For as long as digital marketing has been on the scene, the anonymity of website visitors has put obstacle after obstacle in front of fruitful hospital growth.

That is all changing.

The Audience Identity Manager^SM (AIM) platform allows marketers to deterministically identify website visitors, down to their NPI number and more.

In part 1 of our 4-part series, Leveraging the Email Channel Throughout the Pharma Brand Life Cycle, we explore the digital strategies that are most effective during market development and clinical trials.

Pharmaceutical companies have never had more riding on the successful launches of new drugs. According to research from Bain & Company, brands are expected to derive up to 80 percent of revenue from product launches by 2021. Yet nearly 50 percent of recent launches failed to meet analyst expectations.

On a recent visit to New York City, vendors lined the streets, hawking counterfeit designer purses. At first glance, the bags seem genuine—but the illusion shattered upon closer scrutiny. All you have to do is touch the “leather,” examine the stitches, and check the lining to see you’re dealing with a fake.

Many of the email lists on the market today have the same authenticity problem. On the surface, they may seem impressive but the allure quickly fades when you take a closer look. The lists may be pieced together from unreliable sources and even if the addresses were at one time valid, by now they are out of date.

Email overload isn’t just a modern-day phenomenon, it’s also a big headache. More than 269 billion emails are sent every day (that’s 149,513 every minute). The average employee spends more than 13 hours per week poring over her inbox. For some, exhaustion from tackling all that virtual correspondence sets in even before getting out of bed in the morning.

A number of solutions exist to deal with the digital pile-up, but addressing the issue systematically doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. There will still be as many messages clamoring for the end user’s attention, no matter how they’re structured.

An unsolicited sales pitch is enough to make you see red. Phone scammers have gotten wily in their ways, using local area codes to trick people into answering. Of course, you can always let a number you’re unsure about go to voicemail, but if no message pops up, you’re still left feeling deceived.

If you’ve visited Walt Disney World, you know that Disney excels at providing highly personalized experiences for guests. In the Magic Kingdom alone, there are seven specialized areas—all with different themes and features to appeal to different ages and interests. This careful segmentation helps people navigate the theme park efficiently. It’s also a large part of what keeps them coming back.