The physician community has been stretched, and the amount of time spent with the field has greatly diminished. According to many of our customers, the average detail is anywhere between thirty seconds and three minutes. The use of technology has helped increase reach and messaging to some, but in many instances, using technology means a lack of interaction. True peer-to-peer programs typically provide 60 minutes of exposure to target HCPs utilizing specific interactive techniques that engage the audience. Program success is predicated on the content, messaging and how the programs are presented to participants. Listed below are four best practices to help maximize the effectiveness of your peer-to-peer programs:
- Avoid didactic programs: Many programs are delivered in a didactic format, which is a traditional standard. However, the concern is that a lot of physicians are just hearing rather than listening and engaging. Fostering an environment that is interactive leads to a stronger clinical discussion which can encourage attendees to think about your messaging and product in terms of their practice or experience.
- Utilize a professional program moderator: Moderators who are non-clinicians can play a very important role in driving both your messaging and audience participation. These highly trained industry experts understand the methodology and strength of peer-to-peer interaction. You can develop programs that are targeted to your key loyalist without the need for a KOL. Such programs will drive a better return on investment as you don’t have the KOL honoraria costs which will impact return. You also will drive additional incremental business since this audience segment already uses your brand.
- Remove technological barriers: There are many physicians today who are very comfortable with technology. There are also who aren’t as comfortable. Because of this, it is most effective if you can make the use of technology as easy as possible. We’ve seen the migration to some of the newer technologies, however, barriers can prevent technology-based programs from being intuitive for some HCPs. For example, when you’re doing Webinars with video, choosing the right platform in order to avoid both bandwidth issues and use of plug-ins can make participation much simpler. Today there are newer platforms that don’t require a plug-in when using an iPad, so using one of those platforms removes a barrier. By doing this, HCPs are not flustered by the process of trying to join the event and can focus on the content rather than the technology.
- Make sure field representatives follow-up: Having the field representative follow-up in person post-program really drives an incremental change in prescribing. Many customers have measured and determined that if a representative makes a follow-up sales call to an attendee within a two-week time frame there is a significant “incremental” increase in the overall ROI when compared to those who did not receive a follow-up call.
