DMD Intelligence

Physicians prefer email. In fact, 73 percent of physicians cite email as their preferred communication channel.  However, that doesn’t automatically guarantee your email will spark engagement. There’s a great deal of strategy that goes into creating email campaigns to not only reach physicians, but also to encourage a positive response.

Serge Loncar started CareSpeak in 2011, guided by the belief that the mobile phone, as the most personal accessory, will play an increasingly important role in managing one's health. Prior to starting CareSpeak, Serge was the President of Songbird Hearing, the manufacturer and marketer of the first disposable over-the-counter hearing aid. Prior to that, he headed up strategic business development at cdnow.com, which was acquired by Bertelsmann AG. Serge also held numerous domestic and international brand marketing and sales positions at Johnson & Johnson health care and medical device divisions, and Pepsi Cola International in the USA and Europe. Serge received his MBA from New York University's Stern Business School after immigrating from Croatia.

For DMD’s Pharma Innovators Series, David Reim spoke with Serge Loncar, Founder and CEO of CareSpeak Communications, about the value in today’s marketplace of providing patients with an effortless way to manage their health using an advanced SMS platform like CareSpeak. This approach helps to achieve better outcomes by engaging patients and caregivers, improving medication compliance, and assisting with care coordination.

It’s been said that being frugal doesn't just mean saving money. It means spending your money wisely. While an initial minimal spend can pay off, more often than not, an immediate investment in a quality product saves you money down the road—not to mention time and effort.

This philosophy has great bearing on a financial investment in data as well. Unfortunately, unscrupulous email list vendors have no problem selling you a poor quality list, whether they charge you top dollar or mere pennies. You’re left with empty promises, no matter how much you spend.

Nothing is certain in this world except for death and taxes, according to Benjamin Franklin. If we’ve reached a third “certainty”, it’s arguably technology’s constant evolution—something Greg Satell speaks about in his recent Harvard Business Review article. This evolution requires ongoing adaptation, not only from consumers but also those who innovate—if they wish to remain competitive.

Unfortunately, due to the speed at which technology reinvents itself, innovation isn’t always rooted in compliance. A company’s shortcuts puts clients at risk. On the other hand, a company’s fierce devotion to hold itself responsible—and pass the resulting compliance along to its clients—is what makes one an industry leader. With our patent-pending Audience Identity Manger^SM (AIM) technology recently receiving certification for its conformance to the BPA Worldwide standards for audience qualification and IAB Data Best Practices, we are leading the charge in responsible digital marketing.

It’s easy for emails to get lost in any crowded inbox. But when you’re sending your messages to busy healthcare professionals, the challenges are magnified.

With an email open rate of 12 percent in the healthcare industry, most marketers recognize getting physicians’ attention is no easy task. It requires carefully crafted emails that send clear messages—often in just a line or two.

DMD’s core values represent our ardent dedication to clients and partners. Two of those values in particular, industry leadership and integrity, have been recognized once again. Our patent-pending Audience Identity Manager^SM (AIM) technology recently earned BPA Worldwide certification for its conformance to the BPA Worldwide rules for audience qualification and IAB Data Best Practices.

We already maintain the first and only physician email database fully audited and classified as a verified source by BPA Worldwide. Now, after a thorough assessment, our AIM platform joins email in this highly-regarded “place at the podium.”

Marketing experts estimate the average American is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 marketing messages per day. As much as we’re swayed to think physicians are a special breed of human, they’re really just people too—and encounter just as many marketing touchpoints as the average individual.

With figures like that, there’s no wiggle room to experiment with marketing channels that have become less effective over the years. While direct mail was at one time considered a top performer in physician communications, statistics surrounding physician preference reveal email beats out all other forms of communication. Even though direct mail is not “dead” and arguably has a place in certain outbound campaigns, email is still the clear winner.

That is, if you do it the right way.

Healthcare marketers focused on developing engaging customer journeys understand email is a deterministic identifier, and can be used to link an individual’s digital activity across multiple channels. That is to say, the email address is positioned to be the unique identifier that can actually unify other digital marketing solutions.

A local market in my town gives out lollipops to kids who help their parents bag the groceries. As a result, I often see children proudly stacking items into bags in an effort to earn this treat. Not only does this keep them busy, it also helps speed up the check-out process. This is a great example of using “conditioning” to teach children that taking a desired action will be rewarded.

Healthcare organizations can try a similar approach with their email marketing.  When you design relevant copy that resonates with your target healthcare professionals, you entice them to open your emails and engage with your brand.