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HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE THE PATH to segments of health consumers — people you desperately want to reach — is a maze with obstacles and dead ends? A hospital, struggling with physician loyalty, fears patient defection should these professional relationships be severed. A managed care plan must rely on brokers (some of them non-captive)
to acquire members — and benefit administrators to retain them. A pharmaceutical company, wishing to influence patient compliance and adherence, needs to do so through physicians, pharmacists and retail drugstores.
It’s quite a complex network and one that is heavily regulated for safety, privacy, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Yet your business’s financial success depends on successfully navigating this maze. What you need is a solution
that gets you, and your message, closer
to your desired health consumer targets, while building positive relationships with intermediaries along the way.
The answer is channel marketing, and innovation in technology is making this discipline a dynamic addition to your marketing mix … one that empowers you to turn those who could have been adversaries into advocates.
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Finding a cure for what ails hospitals and health systems
Ask most hospital CEOs the greatest challenge they face, what keeps them up at night, and they’ll say, “Physician loyalty.” Candidly, they admit physicians are their real “customers,” not patients. While hospitals may be able
to attract health consumers by promoting centers of excellence, state-of-the-art equipment, and amenities like valet parking and fitness centers, they struggle with the issue of attracting and retaining physicians.
Channel marketing allows hospitals to play to physicians’ egos, while reinforcing their own services. Many hospitals and health systems already produce community newsletters that feature profitable services and general wellness. Picture that format, but with space for a physician’s photo, contact information, educational background, area of specialty and other pertinent details highlighting the medical practice. These personalized versions can be printed at one time, maximizing cost-efficiency. Bulk quantities can then be sent to the physicians’ offices for distribution — securing the relationship among the hospital, the physician and the patient. |
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 Managing care through brokers and employer groups
Managed care organizations (MCOs) act as the gatekeepers, maintaining direct access with members. However, they typically rely on brokers or agents to sell group accounts, and then work with benefit administrators at those companies to negotiate renewal contracts.
Two channel marketing solutions can help MCOs improve their position with prospects, as well as customers. Brokers need material to educate themselves and prospects about an MCO’s products and services. The MCO can arm brokers with marketing collateral designed to differentiate them in the marketplace and drive response, all the while maintaining brand consistency. This helps to eliminate rogue marketing, which may be taking place in the field. What ties the program together and makes it so efficient is an online ordering system where brokers complete a profile, select marketing tools, order only the quantity needed and opt for bulk shipment or mailing fulfillment. The other solution can bolster retention rates. Consider versioning member communications so they appear to be sent on behalf of the employer group. The versioning can be as simple as a name and logo change or as detailed as a special wrap that contains content supplied by the company. Postage is already an expense, so why not gain ride-along value by reinforcing the goal shared by both the MCO and the employer — the employee’s good health. |
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A new prescription for physician detailing and patient education
Over the years, most pharmaceutical companies have relied on a large sales force (estimated at 87,000 reps) to place sales calls to physicians (approximately 600,000 in number) for the purpose of disseminating education about new products (known as detailing). This process has hit the point of diminishing returns. Despite allocating more money and bodies to the situation, the length of the average visit, not to mention ROI, has decreased, according to industry resources.
Maximizing available channels is key to taking advantage of current technology. Pharmaceutical companies can empower their sales force to create their own marketing materials. They can also give the physicians the reps call on access to an online ordering site where patient education materials can be personalized, ordered and fulfilled. Condition-specific content can be branded or unbranded, depending upon the pharmaceutical company’s goals. The physician will be more likely to use the patient materials because they are customized specifically for individual use. Similarly, pharmaceutical companies can create retail store programs where pharmacists can customize preapproved
patient education material.
Don’t be daunted by what might appear as obstacles between you and your consumer targets. Maximize the channels available and gain a few allies along the way. Channel marketing may be just
the solution you’re looking for.
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| Ariana Nied, channel marketing strategist with First Marketing, helps companies turn adversaries into advocates through effective communications solutions. She can be reached at
anied@first-marketing.com.
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