Winning Over Healthcare Professionals in a Noisy Digital World: While other industries were diving into digital, pharma was still dipping its toe, paralyzed by compliance fears, outdated platforms, and rigid processes. It took a global pandemic to light a fire. When COVID hit, face-to-face meetings disappeared overnight, and suddenly digital wasn’t a “nice-to-have”. It was the only way to stay in the game.
Fast forward to now: omnichannel is the industry’s latest obsession. Everyone’s talking about it. In theory, it means delivering seamless, tailored messaging across all customer touchpoints, from events, reps, and emails to webinars, websites, and social media. It’s about putting the customer experience first, backed by real-time data and personalization at scale.
But let’s do a quick reality check. According to a recent survey, 99% of pharma executives say omnichannel is important, but only 15% believe their company actually delivers it.¹ That’s a brutal gap between aspiration and execution. So why is it so hard to get right?
Here’s what’s really holding pharma back:
- Customer data stays in separate systems, rarely integrated or accessible in a way that supports real-time decisions.
- Legacy platforms, disconnected tools, and poor interoperability can make even simple automation a nightmare.
- Creating compliant, high-quality content for niche segments across multiple channels burns time and money.
- Omnichannel demands real collaboration across sales, marketing, IT, medical, and legal. Good luck if teams are stuck in silos.
- Measuring what works across non-linear customer journeys is complex, and most companies lack clarity on which touchpoints are actually moving the needle.
To make things even harder, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are overwhelmed with content. Cutting through the noise takes more than just frequency—it requires real value and smart execution. Whether you’re going omnichannel or not, the quality of your content is what matters most in digital. So, make sure you’re nailing at least the basics.
- Short Format, Big Impact. HCPs are just like the rest of us, attention spans are shrinking. Keep the message simple and the format easy to digest. But also ensure there’s a way to dive deeper into scientific details for those who want more. Considering long format? Try podcasts.
- Make It Visual. You’re not just up against other scientific content but you’re competing with whatever’s trending on Instagram and TikTok. Make sure your material stands out visually. Well-produced animations or expert opinion videos can draw attention and communicate a lot in a short time.
- Be Timely or Be Ignored. Value comes from relevance. Focus on recent publications or trending topics in the therapy area. If you’re not telling your clients something new or useful, don’t bother.
- Local Matters. HCPs want local data, local experts, and local relevance. Global content is a nice foundation, but it needs to be adapted for specific countries. But ideally, the content should always be created locally. If it doesn’t reflect national guidelines, clinical practices, or patient realities, it will fall flat.
- Tie It to the Real World. Digital content shouldn’t float in isolation. Anchor it to real-world touchpoints like congresses, webinars, advisory boards, or local events. That’s how you build trust, drive follow-up, and extend engagement.
And above all: don’t let style compromise substance. Every piece of content must be scientifically solid, ethically sound, and legally bulletproof. Flashy doesn’t work if your facts don’t hold up.
References: 1The Omnichannel HCP Event Engagement Series 2024
