The most recent couple of years were signalizing open doors for investors to put resources into biotech and pharma startups; then, the pandemic hit. So the global pandemic has transformed society and everyday life creating the need to update your marketing strategy during a pandemic.
All of this, directly impacting consumers’ media consumption patterns and preferences, as well as their decision-making process as it relates to healthcare.
With so much time and resources being allocated to the pandemic, every aspect of the pharma value chain from manufacturing to sales and marketing is having to adapt. The reality is that working practices across the industry may never be the same again.
Just a few months into this ‘new normal’, it is already clear that digital tech will have a pivotal role to play in ensuring that the pharma industry continues to function to the best of its abilities, providing both healthcare practitioners and patients with the vital support they need.
Virtualized healthcare professional marketing
The sales reps are not able to access physicians at the height of a pandemic and physical distancing lockdowns across the country. With the cancellation of industry events and the reorganization of frontline healthcare to tackle COVID-19, pharma companies have found it increasingly difficult to secure face-to-face sales and marketing meetings with healthcare decision-makers.
This means a shift away from traditional push digital channels towards more engaging platforms such as virtual peer-to-peer sessions, medical webinars on the latest data, and multi-customer video conferences on treatment protocols.
Digital media engagement
More than half of pharma companies have increased engagement with their digital content since the pandemic started, and most pharma marketers think that engagement with their digital content has increased with the pandemic lockdowns. This makes sense considering that overall screen time has also increased with millions of people homebound and often idle. It means that digital marketers might be able to pick up some of the slack with a captive audience.
Take your chances
Such a silver lining amid the chaos presents a unique but challenging opportunity for pharma marketers as our audiences are hungrier for digital content, and marketers must find the kind of content that is most impactful, relevant and actionable.
The relative level of investment is the surest indicator of pharma marketer commitment, and most pharma and healthcare marketing teams are adjusting their marketing actions. That increased investment is having a great emphasis on healthcare professionals, which makes sense considering prior spending and success with digital non-personal promotion for physicians.
The near future
However, the pandemic has decreased most 2020 marketing and media budgets. Now is the time to grow market share and build awareness for sales that might not happen for weeks if not months, moreover knowing that your audiences are spending more time online and in front of their screens.
Pharma marketers have responded to this strange set of circumstances with increased investment and often budgets, have created COVID-19 specific creative and messaging, and are doing their best to maintain and even heighten awareness to a captive audience.
How strategy, planning, and commitment will evolve depends to a large extent on the trajectory of the pandemic, but one rule won’t change: The best prepared and most strategic media teams will survive and even flourish throughout this time of crisis and opportunity.
3DforScience
3DforScience is a scientific communication company specialized in digital content for the pharma and biotech industries. Our passionate creative team works alongside an in-house scientific team to provide cutting-edge medical animations, scientific illustrations, virtual reality, etc.
Our extensive experience within the field ensures all the content we produce is scientifically accurate, innovative, engaging, and pitched at the right level for the target audience. Would you like to bring your scientific messaging to life? Contact us. We would love to help you create something unique
