Hit the Target to Drive Action and Engagement

Lately, I've been thinking about how to drive customer action and engagement. Given recent advances in technology there are many tools available to connect the life sciences industry with their customers on an individual level. For me, the challenge is in how to maximize the impact of these tools to meet the needs of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers.

I have seen more about behavioral marketing lately, which at its core is focused on figuring out what customers want and providing customers with that in the manner that they want it. Behavioral marketing is beautifully simple and effective, if done correctly. However, the challenging part of behavioral marketing is in answering the questions of what it is that customers want and how to deliver that.

We use behavioral marketing concepts to design programs that meet our clients’ needs and goals. These concepts can easily be implemented to design impactful programs, and below I offer a few specific and practical suggestions on how to do this.

1. Clearly articulate the program’s goals—Clear program goals empower program design and ensure that the program’s results can be measured. If the primary goals of your program are to drive customer engagement and action then behavioral marketing will help you achieve those goals.  

2. Understand the patient journey—Seek to understand how the daily lives of patients are impacted by the disease or condition, identify activities they perform each day, and understand the interactions between patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers. These insights provide valuable glimpses into challenges and unmet needs for patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers.  

3. Offer solutions to overcome patient challenges—Programs designed to help patients overcome challenges are meaningful and valuable. As you design programs think about how the program will be valuable over time. Consider and plan to evolve the program over time to remain relevant and engaging for patients.  

4. Understand how patients like to receive information and support—Seek information on how patients prefer to research information. Do they prefer to do this themselves on-line or through social media channels? Alternatively, do patients prefer to talk with someone about their educational or support needs? Knowing patients’ preferences empowers you to develop appropriate tools and resources that patients utilize, engage, and come to trust. I encourage you to think about integrating options such as robust amounts of information on-line and offering click-to-chat or toll-free telephone access to live representatives. With health and wellness concerns, it’s important not to overlook the power of personal interactions.  

5. Leverage data for insights and decisions—Do not stop gathering and analyzing data. Carefully review data for insights into the needs and preferences of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Rely on data for key insights in designing your program. Once the program is designed and operating continue to seek data for insights into how the program is performing and if updates are needed.

There is an interesting article in the September 2012 issue of PharmaVOICE magazine on behavioral marketing. The article provides insights into developing successful behavioral marketing campaigns, and you can access it here.

Do you have a challenge that might benefit from a program designed with behavioral marketing concepts? If so, please post a comment and share your challenge. Alternatively, please reach out to me to discuss your situation. You can reach me directly at louis.shapiro@tunstallamac.com.

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